Franciscan University of Steubenville

In 1946, the first Bishop of Steubenville, Anthony John King Mussio, invited the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular to establish a Catholic college in the diocese to serve local students and especially World War II veterans. In June 1946, the friars accepted the offer, purchased the Knights of Pythias Building in downtown Steubenville, and invested $350,000 in establishing the College of Steubenville.[9] Enrollment grew, and more buildings were purchased, but the college was still cramped. The friars bought a 40-acre property overlooking the city, and accreditation was provided by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in 1960.[9]

The College of Steubenville was successful during the early years, under the tenures of presidents Daniel W. Egan, Kevin R. Keelan, and Columba J. Devlin. By the end of Keelan's second term in 1974, the school was suffering from social upheaval and declining enrollment.[9] For some time, it looked like the college would close. Michael Scanlan was chosen to fill the position of president.[10] Incorporating knowledge from his experience in starting a charismatic renewal movement at St. Francis Seminary, Scanlan worked to institute a similar renewal at Steubenville. He took over the Sunday liturgy on the campus, incorporating charismatic praise and worship and more passionate preaching into the Mass. He instituted households, small groups of men and women devoted to personal and communal growth, and required students to join one. Scanlan also created a renewal center on the campus, which organized retreats and seminars to further instruct students in the Roman Catholic faith. The center began holding religious conferences in the summers, one benefit of which was attracting many young people to the college. Scanlan often spoke at these conferences.[11]

Even with these changes, the college struggled to stay open. The first year after Scanlan instituted the changes, the incoming freshman class was the smallest in the college's history.[12]^: 160 Five of the top administrators at the college left or were dismissed, and the remaining faculty expressed discontentment with Scanlan's leadership.[12]^: 161 Despite this, Scanlan continued to make changes, especially to the curriculum. Scanlan reintroduced a theology program, which quickly became the top major at the college, and also oversaw the development of graduate programs in business and theology, which helped the college obtain the title of university in 1980. In addition, the nursing program rose to higher distinction. It was chartered by the state government of Ohio in 1984 and then received accreditation from the National League of Nursing in 1985.[12]^: 169

Scanlan orchestrated many other changes at the university. He instituted an Oath of Fidelity to the Magisterium, which was required of the theology professors at the university. Under his guidance, the undergraduate theology program became the largest of any Catholic university in America. He also created the Human Life Studies minor, the only one of its kind in America. By 2000, Scanlan's leadership and changes had helped the university to increase dramatically in size; there were more than 2,100 students, nearly double the number in the early 1970s.[10]

The university was granted an exemption from Title IX in 2014 that allows it to legally discriminate against LGBT students.[13][14]

In 2022, David Morrier, a Franciscan friar who served as a campus minister until his removal in 2014,[15] was sentenced to probation after being pleading guilty to sexual battery of a student whom he had been counseling, which took place over three years, from 2010 to 2013.[16][17]

The university offers 41 majors (seven pre-professional programs), 34 minors, 10 special minor programs (not available as majors), and seven graduate degree programs.[18] The university maintains a 14:1 student-faculty ratio.[19] Undergraduate students need a minimum of 124 credits for graduation. The number of electives varies with each major program. The university operates on the semester system. Three summer sessions also are available.

Franciscan University of Steubenville participates in the Advanced Placement (AP) Program, the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), and Internationas.

A panorama photo of the campus

The academic buildings on campus include Egan Hall, Stafford Hall (attached to Egan Hall), Saints Cosmas and Damian Hall, and the Saint Joseph Center. Engineering classes are held in Saint Junipero Serra Hall, which also serves as a residence hall

Egan Hall houses classrooms, a theater, television and radio studios, special laboratories for the education and psychology departments, and computer workstations on each floor.

In the newly remodeled Stafford Hall, there are classrooms, offices, and a simulated clinic for nursing students on the first floor, and faculty offices on the second floor.

Saints Cosmas and Damian Hall, the main science building, houses biology and chemistry laboratories, classrooms, the campus' largest lecture hall, and two computer science labs with (supposedly) advanced software for programming.

Starvaggi Hall is the main administrative building on campus housing Admissions, Financial Aid, Career Services, and the registrar.

The St. John Paul II Library's collection includes more than 230,000 books and bound periodicals, and more than 390 current periodicals. The OPAL Catalog and OhioLINK Network provide access to many research databases and more than 7 million books and journals.[37]

There are 14 residence halls on campus: Saint Francis Hall, Trinity Hall, Marian Hall, Saint Thomas More Hall, Saint Louis Hall, Saint Elizabeth Hall, Kolbe Hall, Clare Hall, Padua Hall, Saint Bonaventure Hall, Vianney Hall, Saint Junipero Serra Hall (which also houses engineering classes), Scotus Hall, and Saint Agnes Hall. Assisi Heights, a small neighborhood of apartments, is also available for upperclassman and graduate student housing.

Franciscan University of Steubenville has two soccer fields, a rugby field, a baseball field, and a field designated primarily for intramural sports. In 2007, the university purchased the golf course which borders the main campus from the city of Steubenville for future development. It is currently used by the cross country team for practice.

Christ the King Chapel is the center of the spiritual life of the campus. There are four Masses every weekday while classes are in session, five Masses on Sundays, vespers on Sunday evening, praise & worship every Tuesday, and confessions held at least four times per week. Weekday Masses are routinely standing room only, while Sunday Masses during the school year require extra chairs to be arranged in the foyer and the Eucharistic chapel.

The Portiuncula chapel, a replica of St. Francis' original chapel, sits on the edge of the main campus. It is home to perpetual adoration (at least two students volunteer to be present and adore the Blessed Sacrament during every hour of the week throughout the fall and spring semesters). Outside of this chapel are the Tomb of the Unborn Child, which contains the remains of seven aborted fetuses, a Creche, Stations of the Cross, and Marian Grotto. In 2009 the Vatican designated the Portiuncula as a place of pilgrimage where the faithful can obtain a plenary indulgence on five certain days through the year and under certain conditions of prayer and a detachment from sin.[38]

The J.C. Willams Center is the student center, which houses the Tom and Nina Gentile Gallery containing numerous works of art donated to the university.

The Finnegan Fieldhouse is home to a basketball court, two racquetball courts, a weight room, one room for aerobic classes, a cardiovascular room, and the campus health and counseling center, as well as classrooms.

At the far north end of campus is the Steel Cross. This cross, made of two steel I-beams, is 35 feet tall and visible from afar.

Since 1991, up to 180 students per semester study at the university's program in Gaming, Austria. The campus is located in a renovated fourteenth-century Carthusian monastery, known as the Gaming Charterhouse,[39] in the foothills of the Austrian Alps.[40]

The old monastery serves as a hotel during summer months.

The Austrian Program features a four-day class schedule, Monday through Thursday, so students may spend extended time visiting religious, cultural, and historical sites throughout Europe. The program sponsors trips throughout Europe.[41]

In 2011 Franciscan University launched a summer mini program[42] in Austria. The session lasted from May 21 to June 30, 2011.[43]

Originally, campus life consisted of fraternities and sororities starting at Franciscans' founding in 1946. Under the leadership of Father Michael Scanlan, households (small groups of men and women devoted to personal and communal growth) were instituted and a once blossoming Greek life began to wilt, ending in 2016 when the final chapters, Theta Phi Alpha and Alpha Phi Delta were excluded from campus life. Though not recognized by the school, Alpha Phi Delta a nationally recognized fraternity, has remained active (as of 2019).

Instead, students are encouraged to join in faith households, groups of three or more students of the same sex, whose members study, recreate, and pray with one another. These student groups are attached to a particular residence hall on campus with a meeting space or common room within the hall where they hold their commitments or spend time together in community. Household members can apply to live “on wing” (the part of the residence hall where the common room is located) during housing periods. These households are centered around particular devotions or charismatic gifts. As of March 2015, there were 24 men's households and 26 women's households.[44][45] In 2014, Franciscan University celebrated 40 years of household life on campus.[46]

The campus is known for its liturgies, retreats, and spiritual talks. Most students make a weekly commitment to Eucharistic adoration in the Portiuncula chapel, and Masses are well-attended. Masses have standing room only, even on weekdays.[47]

There is a 28-member student government.[48]

• Andrew Bremberg – Former Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the Office of the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva
• Jeff Cavins – Catholic evangelist, author, and biblical scholar
• Regina Doman – Catholic fiction writer
• Jason Evert – Founder of the Chastity Project, Totus Tuus Press, and prominent chastity speaker
• Jeff Fortenberry – Politician, economist, and convicted felon who served in the United States House of Representatives from 2005 to 2022, representing Nebraska's 1st congressional district
• Roger Joseph Foys – Bishop of Covington, Kentucky
• Michael Gielen – Auxiliary bishop of Auckland, New Zealand
• Gintaras Grušas – Archbishop of Vilnius, Lithuania
• Jonathan Morris – Contributor and analyst for the Fox News Channel
• Michael Rodak, Jr. – Clerk of the Supreme Court of the United States
• Cornelius Sim – Cardinal and bishop of Brunei
• Anna Song – California politician
• Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg

• Official website
• Official athletics website
• The Troubadour (Franciscan's newspaper)

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