Motto | Fortitudo et Prudentia |
---|---|
Motto in English
|
Fortitude and Prudence |
Type | Private |
Established | 1946 |
Religious affiliation
|
Roman Catholic (Third Order Regular of St. Francis of Penance) |
Endowment | $55.126 million (2015) |
Chancellor | Terence Henry, TOR |
President | Sean Sheridan, TOR |
Academic staff
|
254 |
Students | 2,716 |
Undergraduates | 2,103 |
Postgraduates | 351 |
Other students
|
262 (Online/Distance) |
Location | Steubenville, Ohio, U.S. |
Campus | Suburban |
Colors | Forest Green & Vegas Gold |
Athletics | NCAA Division III – AMCC |
Nickname | Barons |
Affiliations | AFCU, ACCU, NAICU, CIC, NCA |
Mascot | Baron von Steuben |
Website | franciscan.edu |
Franciscan University of Steubenville is a private and coeducational Catholic university located in Steubenville, Ohio, 40 miles (64 km) west of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania . The university had 2,716 students as of fall 2015, including 2,454 students on campus, in 40 undergraduate and 8 graduate degree programs. The student body is 97 percent Catholic, and the university has the greatest number of students majoring in theology, catechetics, and philosophy of any Catholic university in the United States.
The school was established as the College of Steubenville in 1946 by the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular at the request of Bishop Mussio, the first bishop of the Diocese of Steubenville. In 1974, Fr. Michael Scanlan, T.O.R., became President and began a series of major reforms to restore the school to its Catholic heritage. The school changed its name to the University of Steubenville upon achieving university status in 1980, and adopted the current title Franciscan University of Steubenville in 1986.
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. 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.