St. Edward's University is a private Roman Catholic institution of higher learning located south of Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas. The university is known for offering a quality liberal arts education and for its picturesque campus situated on a hill overlooking the city of Austin. The campus's most notable landmark is the recognizable Main Building.
History
The school was founded by the Rev. Edward Sorin, CSC , Superior General of the Congregation of Holy Cross, who also founded the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Father Sorin established the institution on farmland south of Austin in 1878 and named it St. Edward's Academy in honor of his patron saint, Edward the Confessor and King. It is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross.
In 1885, the president, Rev. P.J. Franciscus, strengthened the prestige of the Academy by securing a charter, changing its name to St. Edward's College, assembling a faculty, and increasing enrollment. Subsequently, St. Edward's began to grow, and the first school newspaper, the organization of baseball and football teams, and approval to erect an administration building all followed. Well-known architect Nicholas J. Clayton of Galveston, Texas was commissioned to design the College's Main Building. The structure was built four-stories tall in the Gothic Revival style and was constructed with local white limestone.
In the spring of 1903, a mysterious fire destroyed the majority of the Main Building, but it was restored by the fall. In 1922, the Main Building sustained damage from a tornado that caused significant damage all over the campus. The Main Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
In 1925, St. Edward's received its university charter. Most of the personnel at the time were Holy Cross priests. Women arrived at St. Edward's in 1966 as students for Maryhill College, a coordinate institution. By 1970, Maryhill was absorbed and St. Edward's became co-educational.
By 1971, the university carried bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration. Also added were the College Assistance Migrant Program (1972); a professionally oriented theatre arts curriculum (1972); an innovative degree program for adults called New College (1974); and Freshman Studies (1975).
In 1984, Dr. Patricia Hayes became the first woman and only the second layperson to lead St. Edward's University. In 1990, enrollment reached 3,000 for the first time. This decade also ushered in a revised undergraduate curriculum, and capital and technological improvements. In 1999, Dr. George E. Martin became the 23rd president of St. Edward's University.
1990s and 2000s
In 2000, St. Edward’s University, under the leadership of President George E. Martin and the Board of Trustees, identified seven strategic priorities to achieve its vision. These include objectives for enrollment growth, faculty and staff recruitment and retention, curricular and co-curricular program development, facility and technology development, financial management, endowment growth, and marketing.
Progress on the priorities began immediately. Enrollment grew from 3,669 in Fall 1999 to 5,224 in Fall 2006. New academic programs have been added, including undergraduate majors in Bioinformatics, Entrepreneurship, Forensic Chemistry, Nonprofit Management and Graphic Design, as well as graduate programs in Computer Information Systems, Project Management, Teaching, and Organizational Leadership and Ethics.
The university’s master plan, which details how St. Edward’s will construct new facilities while maintaining the overall architectural character of campus, supports the strategic priorities for academic excellence, enrollment growth, and recruiting and retaining the best students, faculty and staff. Trustee Hall, a 33,000-square-foot (3,100 m2) academic facility, was the first building completed under the plan. It opened in Fall 2002. The completion of Basil Moreau Residence Hall in 2003 and Jacques Dujarié Hall in 2005 further enhanced residence life. The John Brooks Williams Natural Sciences Center, a 65,000-square-foot (6,000 m2) facility that opened in Fall 2006, is the first phase of a two-building science complex housing all programs of the School of Natural Sciences except for Computer Science, Mathematics and Physics; the second phase will house these programs. Plans for a new chapel are being drawn up by architect Rick Joy, winner of the 2004 National Design Award from the Smithsonian Institution’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. Major renovations of Fleck Hall ended in the Fall of 2007. Future plans also include a major renovation of Andre Hall.
The university has maintained a balanced operating budget — currently about $80 million — for 30 years. The endowment has steadily increased to more than $54 million. Total university assets exceed $184 million. Fundraising has grown each year as well, and 87 percent of faculty and staff contributed to the annual fund last year — more than triple the giving levels of benchmark universities.
In 2006 100% of St. Edward's pre-medical students were accepted into medical school.
St. Edward's University has been named by U.S. News & World Report as being one of the "best colleges" in the western region since 2004 in the category of master's-granting institutions[2].
Student body
More than 5,300 students attend St. Edward's, with undergraduates coming from 37 states and 38 countries. The average SAT score of 1131 for the 2006 freshman class has risen more than 80 points since 1999. More than 52 percent of incoming freshmen rank in the top 25 percent of their high school class. The acceptance rate for freshmen applicants is 64%.
More than 1,100 students live on campus in five residence halls and two apartment communities. Students at St. Edward's University are also involved in more than 80 campus organizations, including: student government, service organizations, academic honor societies, cultural clubs and intramural sports.
Academic programs
St. Edward's offers five bachelor's degrees in more than 50 areas of study through the schools of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Education, Humanities, Management and Business, and Natural Sciences. New College, called one of the "Top 30" adult education programs in the country by William Maehl in his book Lifelong Learning at Its Best, offers similar bachelor's degrees for adults 24 years of age and older. St. Edward's was an early adopter of adult education beginning in 1974 with New College. St. Edward's also offers eight master's degrees.
St. Edward's boasts that it has an impressive Theater Arts program department, which features a U/RTA contract with the Actors' Equity Association, allowing students who successfully complete the requirements of a Membership Candidate Program to become eligible to join Actors' Equity Association. St. Edward's has one of the only undergraduate programs in the country with this affiliation. In 2005, actor Ed Begley, Jr. brought his play, César & Ruben to St. Edward's University for its Texas premiere.
Athletics
NCAA Division II athletic teams include men's and women's baseball/softball, basketball, golf, soccer and tennis. Women also compete in Division II volleyball. The 2004-2005 season resulted in conference championships for the men's and women's basketball teams, the men's golf team, and the women's soccer, tennis and volleyball teams. The 2006 season saw the Mens Cross Country team (then in its 3rd season)crowned Heartland Conference Team Champions.
In January 2009, the cross country team was disbanded by the university's administration, causing several students to lose scholarships and opportunities to compete. The means by which the team was notified sparked outrage among the team and the general student body. This led to actions from the Student Government Association, which authored and passed a letter of dissent towards the administration.
The college also hold two club lacrosse teams. The men's team (a member of the MCLA) was formed in 1999, winning the SWLA Division B championship in 2002 and the LSA Division B championship in 2003. The women's team was recently brought together in early 2008.
The university's student-athlete graduation rate of 76 percent is 13th in the country out of 278 Division II institutions. The university mascot is the Hilltopper. St. Edward's is a founding member of the Heartland Conference.
The Dallas Cowboys football team has used the campus for pre-season training, from 1990 to 1997. [1]
Residences
The following dormitories serve the university [2]:
- Doyle (Opened 1960, Male on Floors 1-2 and Female on Floor 3) - Doyle served as a male-only hall, a female-only hall, and a coeducational hall. [3] - Closed as a dorm in fall 2008
- Jacques Dujarié Hall (Opened August 2005, coeducational) [4]
- East (Opened 1966, Female only) - East served as a female-only hall and a coeducational hall. [5]
- Basil Moreau Hall (Opened February 2003, coeducational) [6]
- Teresa Hall (Opened 1968, renovated 1999, coeducational) - Teresa served as a female-only hall and a coeducational hall. [7]
The Casa and two Casitas, for upperclassmen, serve as "house-style living." The Casa residents use the facilities of Dujarié Hall. [8]
Three new residence halls, (Hunt, LeMans, and Lady Bird Johnson) opened for residents at the start of the Spring 2009 semester, containing freshmen in suite-style rooms in Hunt and Le Mans, as well as upperclassmen in LBJ's single rooms. In addition, the new residential village has multiple dining venues and a convenience store located on the ground floor.
St. Edward's maintains two apartment communities, Maryhill Apartments (Buildings 1-11) and Hilltopper Heights Apartments (Buildings 12-17) for students. [9]
Notable alumni
Notable professors
- Dr. Joseph E. Pluta
- Patricia J. Baynham
- Dr. Anna Skinner
- Dr. Mary Rist
- Dr. Barbara Filippidis
- Harald A. Becker
- Sue Currey
- Edward Early
- Eamonn Healy
- Timothy Green
- Allan Hook
- David M. Horton
- Susan Loughran
- J.D. Lewis
- Paula Marks
- Dr. Catherine Rainwater
- Emily Sandbach, MD
- Danney Ursery
- Neal Wise
- Thomas Reul
- Ev Lunning, Jr.
- David Long
- Ed Shirley
Gallery
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Southeast view of the main building
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Historical marker on the main building
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References
- ^ "Camp Returning to Oxnard", Dallas Morning News (Cowboys Blog), 29 Feb 2008
- ^ "Residence Life," St. Edward's University
- ^ "Doyle Hall," St. Edward's University
- ^ "Jacques Dujarié Hall," St. Edward's University
- ^ "East Hall," St. Edward's University
- ^ "Basil Moreau Hall," St. Edward's University
- ^ "Teresa Hall," St. Edward's University
- ^ "Casas and Casita," St. Edward's University
- ^ "SEU Apartments," St. Edward's University
- ^ http://video.aol.com/video-detail/project-freshman-justin-episode-6/2314407945
External links
