Villanova University
Encyclopedia
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township
, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, in the United States
. Named for Saint Thomas of Villanova
, the school is the oldest Catholic
university in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Founded in 1842 by the Order of Saint Augustine
, the university traces its roots to old Saint Augustine's Church
, Philadelphia, which the Augustinian friars founded in 1796, and to its parish school, Saint Augustine's Academy, which was established in 1811.
from Saint Augustine's Church in Philadelphia purchased the 200 acre (0.809372 km²) "Belle Air" estate in Radnor Township with the intention of starting a school. The school, which was called the "Augustinian College of Vilanova," opened in 1842. However, the Philadelphia Nativist Riots
of 1844 that burned Saint Augustine's Church in Philadelphia caused financial difficulties for the Augustinians, and the college was closed in February 1845. The college reopened in 1846 and graduated its first class in 1847. In March 1848, the governor of Pennsylvania incorporated the school and gave it the power to grant degrees. In 1859, the first master's degree was conferred on a student. In 1857, the school closed again as the demand for priests in Philadelphia prevented adequate staffing, and the crisis of the Panic of 1857
strained the school financially. The school remained closed throughout the Civil War and reopened in September 1865; since then it has operated continuously.
The first great expansion of Vilanova began in the late 1890s. Desiring an institution that would "rank among the best in the United States," the college built more classrooms, dormitories, and recreational facilities, and bought instructional equipment.
The School of Technology was established in 1905. In 1915, a two-year pre-medical program was established to help students meet medical schools' new requirements. This led to a four-year pre-medical program, the B.S. in biology, and the founding of the sciences division in 1926.
Vilanova was all-male until 1918, when the college began evening classes to educate nun
s to teach in parochial school
s. In 1938, a laywoman received a Villanova degree for the first time. It was not until the nursing school opened in 1953 that women permanently began attending Villanova full-time. In 1958, the College of Engineering admitted its first female student; other colleges admitted women only as commuters. Vilanova University became fully coeducational in 1968.
During World War II
, Villanova was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program
which offered students a path to a Navy commission.
After World War II
, Villanova expanded, returning veterans swelling enrollments and the faculty growing fourfold. Additional facilities were built and in 1953, the College of Nursing
and the School of Law
were established. Villanova achieved university status on November 18, 1953. Between 1954 and 1963, 10 new buildings were built or bought on land adjacent to the campus, including Bartley, Mendel, and Dougherty Halls.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Vilanova worked to become a nationally recognized university. The quality of faculty and students improved dramatically and international studies programs were introduced. Additional residential and recreational facilities were constructed, and efforts to increase the endowment
were undertaken.
In the 1980s, endowed chairs were established in theology
, philosophy
, engineering
, and business
; scholarship funding was increased, and the curriculum expanded and improved. An extensive building campaign created facilities for the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Commerce and Finance, and student residences on the south and the west campuses. In 1985, the school also won the Men's NCAA basketball tournament, giving the school increased national exposure.
Over the history of the university, it has also served as a headquarters of the Order of Saint Augustine
in North America, and has provided staff to establish Catholic high schools throughout the United States, such as St. Augustine High School in San Diego, California
, which was established in 1922 with teaching staff dispatched from Vilanova.
Villanova University sits on 254 acres (1 km²) just 12 miles (19.3 km) from Philadelphia
. The campus was formerly known as Arboretum Villanova
which includes roughly 1,500 trees across campus, including the only known instance of a naturally-growing sequoia east of the Mississippi River. Official Arboretum status has been revoked due to the university's lack of upkeep to Arboretum rules and standards such as the planting of new trees and the offering of tours. There are three named areas on the campus, all within easy walking distance:
, whose dual spires are Villanova's tallest structure. The cornerstone for the church was laid in 1883, with construction continuing until 1887. The church underwent major renovations in 1943 and 1992. It is built in Gothic Revival style
. The church lies at the head of the path crossing Lancaster Avenue
into the parking lots and toward South Campus. As such, it is a popular meeting place for students, and hosts three student-oriented masses on Sunday nights at 6:00PM, 8:00PM, and 10:00PM. The church is also home to St. Thomas of Villanova Parish, whose Masses take place Sunday morning. The stained-glass windows of the church depict the life of St. Augustine of Hippo
.
Situated behind the Church is Mendel Field, around which sit six major campus buildings: Mendel Hall, Tolentine Hall, White Hall, Falvey Hall, John Barry Hall, and the Chemical Engineering Building. Mendel Hall, named for pioneering geneticist
and Augustinian monk Gregor Mendel
, holds science labs, lecture halls, and other facilities. Mendel Hall's two large buildings are connected underground and by a second-floor indoor bridge that forms the gateway between West and Main Campus. In 1998, the college commissioned a 7 feet (2.1 m) bronze sculpture
of Mendel by Philadelphia sculptor
James Peniston
, and installed it outside the hall's entrance. Tolentine Hall, one of the oldest buildings on campus, houses classrooms, academic offices such as the Registrar's Office and the Office of the President, and computer labs, and is connected to Villanova's monastery, St. Thomas Hall. White Hall, consisting mainly of classrooms and laboratories, is directly connected to the Chemical Engineering Building, which was built in 1947. "Old Falvey" is the annex
of the Falvey Memorial Library, named for Rev. Daniel Falvey who served as librarian from 1940 until his death in 1962. It is home to some classrooms in the Art History and Education departments as well as some offices, along with The Math Center, The Writing Center, and The Augustinian Heritage Institute, and the Matthew J. Ryan Center, a division of the Political Science Department. John Barry Hall, named for naval officer Commodore John Barry
, houses the Navy ROTC Program. To the West of the Church, the Center for Engineering Education and Research (CEER), which opened in 1998, holds engineering labs, engineering classrooms, an engineering computer lab, and an auditorium hall for projections and slideshows.
Slightly east of Mendel Field sits The Grotto, a landscaped haven between Falvey Library and two residence halls: Alumni Hall, home to the Service Learning Community; and Corr Hall, the location of the Center for Peace and Justice Studies. Often home to outdoor mass
es and other large gatherings, the Grotto is sometimes perfect for quiet contemplation. The grotto includes a statue depicting Our Lady of Good Counsel
and plaques dedicated to the veterans of World War II
and the Vietnam War
. Across from Alumni Hall and The Grotto are St. Rita's Hall and Austin Hall. In addition to being two residence halls, these two buildings also house the Campus Ministry Office and University Admissions Office, respectively. Falvey Library, the campus's main research library, houses over 1,000,000 books, thousands of periodicals, television production studios, and quiet places for solitary or group study. Behind Falvey Library is the Saint Augustine Center for Liberal Arts, commonly called "SAC", which is home to many departments in the College of Liberal Arts, numerous offices, several seminar-type classrooms, and is home to the Advising and Professional Development Program.
East of Corr Hall sits Kennedy Hall, which houses the University Shop, the campus bookstore. Across a small courtyard is Dougherty Hall, the campus's main dining hall, referred to as "The Pit" because of its underground location, one of three all-you-can-eat facilities on campus. Dougherty also houses several smaller eateries and many Student Activity Offices. Next to Kennedy is Connelly Center with its radically different architecture resembling an alpine ski lodge, containing: the Belle Aire Terrace, which serves a variety of food; several meeting rooms; areas for group study; the Commuter Student Lounge on the upper level; another lounge on the lower level, the campus cinema (movie theater); a large conference room; a smoothie shop; and Holy Grounds, the name of Villanova's coffee shop.
Between the dining halls of Dougherty and the meeting halls of Connelly is "The Oreo". A large black-and-white sculpture by Jay Dugan, some of the major campus celebrations have occurred in its circular shadow – including celebratory vandalism in the wake of the 1985 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. Sitting just west of The Quad, The Awakening (as it is officially known) has served as a meeting place in the heart of the campus for generations of Villanovans.
Still further east, there is "The Quad" where there lies a square formation between two dormitories, Sheehan Hall and Sullivan Hall. Bartley Hall, home to the Villanova School of Business is the last building before Ithan Avenue, which is where main campus ends. Bartley is adjacent to another entrance to Main Campus, at the intersection of Lancaster Avenue and Ithan Avenue. Behind Bartley Hall are two new buildings: The Health Services Building, home to the Counseling and Medical Centers; and Driscoll Hall, home to the College of Nursing.
. St. Mary's, a labyrinthine building of classrooms, residence rooms, a cafeteria, and large chapel, was originally built as a seminary, and was once home to the College of Nursing. Behind St. Mary's sit the Apartments – eight buildings that house junior and senior resident students.
One of three commuter train stops on campus, the Villanova Rail Station on the Paoli/Thorndale Line
provides access to the city of Philadelphia, about 30 minutes away.
The second and third of three on-campus train stops, the Villanova stop and the Stadium stop on the SEPTA Route 100 line provides access to the city of Philadelphia, about 30 minutes away.
. The new College of Nursing and the new School of Law are being built according to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) specifications.
On November 16, 2007, the College of Engineering unveiled a Solar Electric System atop its Center for Engineering Education and Research (CEER) that will supply up to 4,000 watts.
was ranked #7 in the 2011 Business Week rankings of undergraduate business schools, #69 in the 2012 U.S. News and World Report rankings of undergraduate business schools, and #29 in the Financial Times
' ranking of top executive MBA programs. Villanova University School of Law
is ranked as a Top Law School by the 2009 edition of U.S. News & World Report
's "Best Graduate Schools," placing 61st overall. In December 2006, PC Magazine
and The Princeton Review
ranked Villanova #1 in its review of top "wired colleges" in the United States. The College of Nursing has been designated a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League for Nursing in 2004 and again in 2007. Villanova’s Master’s program in Psychology was ranked among the top 10 Master’s-only departments (95th percentile) in the United States and Canada with regard to research productivity.
in the world.
Students apply to be a part of the 82-volunteer planning committee, which works for more than nine months alongside with Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA), which oversees more than 300 events statewide.
The event is put on with the aid of some 2,500 student volunteers and more than 1,000 other volunteers from the Villanova community.
s and service trips in the U.S. and abroad. In 2004, Villanova had more participants in the Habitat for Humanity
Collegiate Challenge than any other U.S. university.
, a non-profit organization that focuses on helping to improve the living conditions of communities worldwide. Villanova EWB is one of the fasting growing student organizations on campus, expanding from a mere handful of engineering students in the spring of 2006 to a current membership of approximately 75 students in multi-disciplinary programs.
The chapter’s inaugural project was to design and build a playground for a grade school in New Orleans following the tragic events of Hurricane Katrina
. Villanova EWB was the only student organization to win an award from the regional Project Management Institute
, receiving an Honorable Mention from PMI for project of the year. The most recent project involved designing and building a water treatment and distribution system which provided an orphanage and surrounding villages in northern Thailand
with drinking water and irrigation for their crops. There are also plans for a variety of projects in the Philadelphia area, including K-12 outreach programs, as well as many more international projects.
, eleven sororities, and one service fraternity. There are no fraternity or sorority houses on-campus.
The first Greek organization at the school was established in 1902 as a social organization and circle of individuals interested in classical studies.
Sororities
National Pan-Hellenic Council
Sorority
National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations
Sorority
National APIA Panhellenic Association
Sorority
Fraternities
National Pan-Hellenic Council Fraternity
National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations
Fraternity
, whose motto is "Leadership, Friendship, and Service," meets weekly on Villanova's campus to plan service projects on and off campus, including school cleanups through Philly Cares Day, working at soup kitchens and tutoring children in Math and Science at Philadelphia public schools.
has been the officially recognized and accredited student newspaper since its founding in 1916. The newspaper of record of Villanova University, the tabloid-sized weekly produces usually 12 issues per semester at a circulation of 6,500 copies. The paper's awards include 2nd Place for Tabloid Feature Cover from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association's Collegiate Circle (2007); Certificate of Merit for Editorial Writing from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association's Collegiate Circle (2007); Certificate of Merit for portfolio of work in the Feature Photograph category from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association's Collegiate Circle (2007); Pennsylvania Newspaper Association
's Keystone Award for Best Feature Story; and 1st Place with Special Merit and Outstanding Sports Coverage from the American Scholastic Press Association.
The Villanova Times, the independent, free speech, bi-weekly student newspaper, won the Collegiate Network
Award for Layout and Design in 2005–2006, 2007–2008 and 2008–2009.
WVTV (Villanova)
, the student-run campus television station
broadcasts on channel 17. Starting in 1999 as the Villanova TV Production Club, the station produces news, events, films and other programming for the Villanova community.
WXVU
, the student-operated FM
radio station
, operates at 89.1 megahertz. With an output of 75 watts, WXVU can be heard in an 8 miles (12.9 km) radius around the campus. Since 1991, the station has supplied the Villanova community with a varied program of music, news, sports, public affairs, and specialty programming.
POLIS Literary Magazine, a student publication printed once a semester by the Villanova University Honors Program, features writing and artwork by Villanova students and professors. Each issue features creative nonfiction, poetry, short fiction, and black-and-white photography focusing on a central theme. Each issue also features articles on literature, entertainment, and dining.
mentally, morally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, and loyalty, and with the core values of honor, courage and commitment in order to commission college graduates as naval officers who possess a basic professional background, are motivated toward careers in the naval service, and have a potential for future development in mind and character so as to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.
Villanova NROTC is part of the Philadelphia NROTC Consortium; consisting of Villanova University and University of Pennsylvania
(including the cross town agreements with Drexel
and Temple University
). Located in Commodore John Barry
Hall, it is institution that has been a part of the University since World War Two. The battalion consists of more than 100 Navy and Marine Corps midshipmen under the advisement of a staff of highly trained and motivated Navy and Marine Corp Officers and Senior Enlisted. Known for its dedication to excellence, motivation, and pride, the NROTC unit has provided our nation with the finest Navy and Marine Corps Officers for over 50 years.
Midshipmen in the Villanova NROTC program are required to take specific Navy and Marine Corps classes, wear their service's uniform on Tuesdays, attend physical training events, participate in extra-curricular programs that range from sports teams to rifle-shooting, and adhere to the basic premise that “a midshipman does not lie, cheat, or steal”. By the time their four years have come to a close, these values have been deeply ingrained into each midshipman, and they know what it means to be a commissioned officer and a Villanovan. Thousands of midshipmen have gone through this experience to join the ranks of what can be considered the “extended” Villanova community in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Although times have changed as well as the specifics of training, the program remains largely unchanged from the program that has descended from World War Two.
Since its inception in the summer of 1946, the NROTC unit on campus has produced 22 Admirals and Generals in the United States Navy and Marine Corps. At one point, there had only been two four-star generals in the U.S. Marine Corps, one of them the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and they had both been graduates of Villanova NROTC. In 2004, the commanders of both U.S. Naval Forces Atlantic
(Admiral William J. Fallon
) and U.S. Naval Forces Pacific (Admiral Walter F. Doran
) were Villanova NROTC graduates. Admiral Fallon was later assigned as Commander, U.S. Central Command from March 2007 to March 2008. ADM Fallon was the first Navy officer to hold that position.
groups on campus. Musicians on campus are from every school in the University. Located on the lower floor of St. Mary's Hall, the Office of Music Activities coordinates the activities of over 600 students — nearly 10% of the student body.
, Puerto Rico
, Montreal
, and South Carolina
. The Scramble Band performs for Villanova Football games between plays and at halftime on the field. The Villanova Pep Band performs at Villanova Men's and Women's Basketball games, including post-season games such as the Big East Tournament. The Jazz Ensemble and Orchestra also has end-of-semester concerts but also performs around the Philadelphia area several times a year. The band is made up of students of every school within Villanova.
, the Villanova Singers, was founded in 1953 by Dean Harold Gill Reuschlein, then Dean of the Law School
. Established for the purpose of singing various types of music and enriching the cultural life of the University, Dean Reuschlein was known to say that he was "as proud of the Villanova Singers as I am of what the Law School has become."
Since 1963, the Singers have toured extensively; recent highlights include 7-day tours of Italy
in the Spring 2001, Austria
and Germany
in the Spring of 2003, Puerto Rico
in the Spring of 2004, and Rio de Janeiro
in Spring of 2009. In concert with the Villanova Voices, the Singers perform two concerts each year: one for Christmas
, and one in the Spring.
Entirely student-run, the Singers are governed by an 9-member board of students and sing an eclectic repertoire, ranging from sacred to patriotic, gospel to contemporary, as well as several arrangements by their director, Brian Meneely. Within the Singers, there exists a smaller, student-directed a cappella
group known as the Spires. Alumni of the Spires include Jim Croce
, Tommy West
and Tim Hauser
from The Manhattan Transfer
.
. Their attendant a cappella group, the Haveners, is student-directed.
Villanova University's varsity
men's athletics
programs include baseball
, basketball
, cross country running
, football
, golf
, lacrosse
, soccer
, swimming
and diving
, tennis
, and track and field
. Women's varsity athletics programs include basketball, cross country running, field hockey
, lacrosse, rowing
, soccer, softball
, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball
, and water polo
.
Sports teams participate in the NCAA
's Division I and in the Big East Conference
, except for football and women's lacrosse. Football plays in the Colonial Athletic Association
. Women's lacrosse plays in the Patriot League. The Wildcats are also part of the Philadelphia Big 5
, the traditional Philadelphia-area basketball rivalry. Their fiercest city rivalry, which is called the "Holy War
", is with St. Joseph's University.
In the NCAA graduation report released on November 18, 2009, Villanova has a graduation-success rate of 96 percent for student-athletes who entered college in 2002-03. Villanova women's basketball team is among the athletic program's 14 teams with a 100 percent graduation rate for 2002-03. The Wildcats' nationally ranked men's basketball and football teams are both at 92 percent. The men's basketball team's graduation-success rate places it fifth nationally among Division I schools.
In 2009, Villanova's football team won the national title in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA)."Our number-one priority at Villanova has always been recruiting kids who want to get a good education," Wildcats football coach Andy Talley said. Talley added that no matter how many games or titles Villanova wins, the athletic department's goal is to prepare students for life after college. Despite those comments, Villanova is currently evaluating whether or not the football program should accept a possible invitation to join the Big East Conference if so invited. Joining the Big East would allow Villanova to generate much more revenue from membership in a BCS conference. "Our football evaluation is ongoing," Villanova AD Vince Nicastro told The Associated Press. "We are moving forward as quickly as we can, but not at the expense of being absolutely thorough. We still don't have a specific decision date, but it is likely to be resolved some time during this academic year."
, the men's basketball team won the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
in the first year of the 64-team field. The final game, against defending champion and ten-point-favorite Georgetown
, is often cited among the greatest upsets in college basketball history. In 2005, under the direction of coach Jay Wright
, Villanova's men's basketball team reached the NCAA Tournament
Sweet 16
, losing to #1 seed and eventual champion North Carolina
by one point on a traveling call on Allan Ray
. In 2005-2006, the team began the year ranked #4 in the major polls from USA Today and the Associated Press. A 75-62 loss to eventual champion Florida
ended the team's run for a second NCAA championship in the Regional Final. This team was led by a four guard set, a unique type of lineup designed by coach Jay Wright. In the 2006-2007 season, the Wildcats had a record of 22-11, and lost to Kentucky
in the first round of the 2007 tournament
. In the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
, the team
was eliminated by the top-seeded, eventual champion Kansas Jayhawks
in the Sweet 16, after upsetting the fifth seeded Clemson Tigers in the 1st round and defeating the thirteenth seeded Siena
Saints in the 2nd round. In the 2009 tournament
, the Wildcats
upset the #1 seed Pittsburgh Panthers
on a last second shot by guard Scottie Reynolds to win the East Region and advance to the Final Four. The team was then defeated by the eventual champion North Carolina Tar Heels
in the 2009 Final Four
game.
The home venues for the Wildcats include the on-campus 6,500 seat Pavilion
for smaller attendance games, as well as the larger, 21,600 seat Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia) (formerly, Wachovia Center
) at the Philadelphia sports complex. The February 13, 2006 meeting between Villanova and the University of Connecticut
set the record for the highest attendance at a college basketball game in Pennsylvania, with 20,859 attendees.
. On December 18, 2009 the team defeated the Montana Grizzlies
to be crowned the 2009 NCAA Division I-AA champions, and were co-conference champions with the Richmond Spiders
in the same year. On September 10, 2010, ESPN reported that the Big East Conference
had informally invited the program to compete in that BCS conference. The same report stated that the University was considering the invite.
team competes in NCAA Division I as a member of the Big East Conference
. Through 2009, Villanova men's lacrosse was a member of the Colonial Athletic Association
and in 2009, Villanova won the CAA tournament as the fourth seed (the lowest-seeded championship team in conference history) for its first title. The team also made its first NCAA tournament appearance that year.
of Villanova. The Wildcats also hold the NCAA record for the most Division 1 team and individual wins in women's cross country with 9 team victories ('89, '90, '91, '92, '93, '94, '98, '09, '10) and 8 individual champions, 7 of which coincided.
team has a long history of athletic success that has spanned from Big East Conference Championships to NCAA Championships.
The Men's Team has produced 69 NCAA Championships, 36 Indoor and 33 Outdoor. The team has had 8 NCAA team Championships (4 Cross Country, 3 Indoor, 1 Outdoor). Villanova has produced 28 athletes who have made appearances in the Olympics, 10 of whom have medaled (7 Gold medals, 3 Silver medals). The men's team has also won 112 Penn Relay Championships, which stands as the most wins by any school. The men's current coaches include head coach Marcus O'Sullivan
and assistant head coach Anthony Williams.
The Women's team has also had a multitude of success, producing 11 Big East team Championships and 9 NCAA team Championships, most recently winning the 2009 and 2010 NCAA Championships. They have also produced 7 Olympians including Vicki Huber
, Sonia O'Sullivan
, Kim Certain, Kate Fonshell, Jen Rhines, Carmen Douma, and Carrie Tollefson
. The Women's team has won 28 Penn Relay Championships, which is the most wins by any women's team. The current women's coaches include head coach Gina Procaccio and assistant head coach Anthony Williams.
At least one Villanovan athlete has competed in every Summer Olympics since 1948, winning a total of 13 medals (9 gold, 4 silver).
, Unity
, and Charity
), virtue
s to which every member of the Villanova community should aspire. A book symbolizes Augustine's dedication to education and the New Testament
where he found Christianity. A cincture
is part of the habit
worn by members of the Order of Saint Augustine. Hovering above is the flaming heart, symbol of Augustine's search for God and his love of neighbors. Behind the book is the crosier
— a staff traditionally held by a Bishop
— commemorating Augustine's service as Bishop of Hippo
. Above and behind the book are two cross
es, symbolic of Augustine's conversion and the University's commitment to Christianity. Framing the central portion of the seal is a laurel wreath
exemplifying victory through the pursuit of knowledge, and 1842 is the year of the University's founding. Surrounding the seal is the incorporated fide of the University: Universitas Villanova In Statu Pennsylvaniae.
Villanova University is also home to the Liberty Bell
's "Sister Bell," the replacement bell ordered from the Whitechapel Bell Foundry after the original bell cracked in 1753. This new bell was installed at the Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall), and attached to the State House clock. The Sister Bell rang the hours until the late 1820s, when the bell was removed during a renovation and loaned to the Olde St. Augustine Church in Philadelphia. In 1829, the bell was hung in a new cupola and tower designed by architect William Strickland
. There it remained until May 8, 1844, when it was destroyed, along with the Olde St. Augustine Church, during the Philadelphia Nativist Riots
. The friars of the Order of Saint Augustine
had the "Sister Bell" recast and transferred to Villanova University.
At the university's centennial celebration, the bell was rung by Archbishop Dennis Joseph Dougherty
to open the ceremonies. In 1954, the bell was displayed as part of an exhibit at Gimbels department store in Philadelphia that focused on the growth and development of the university. The Sister Bell is currently enshrined in the Heritage Room on the basement floor of the St. Augustine Monastery on Villanova's campus.
A number of legends are spread around campus by students. Some of these include the existence of secret tunnels and catacombs under campus, the haunting of some of the older dormitories (sometimes linked to their use as hospitals during the Civil War
), and speculation over the existence of an entire wing of St. Mary's Hall which is completely blocked off.
The three buildings most commonly discussed as being haunted are Alumni Hall (located by St. Thomas of Villanova church on the main campus), St. Mary's Hall and Dundale (both located on the west campus).
Alumni Hall dates back to 1848 and stands as one of the oldest structures on campus. The school was closed in 1861 due to the Civil War and reopened in 1865. In that time this hall is believed to have been used as a military hospital and potential evidence of that use, such as a pulley located at the top of the main stairwell for moving bodies up and down, can still be seen. The building was used as a hospital again for influenza patients after World War I. This history has led to rumors that the building is haunted.
St. Mary's Hall was built in 1962 and served as an Augustinian Seminary until 1972. Laid out with long corridors and over a thousand rooms, there is a large chapel and many partial floors, basements and sub-basements to feed the legends of blocked off wings.
The property on which Dundale Hall is located was originally purchased by an industrialist, Israel Morris II, in 1874, and was built as a mansion for his family. Purchased from his family in 1978, it has been used for a variety of meetings and is home to several offices. On more than a handful of occasions, the school's Public Safety officers have been called out late at night to investigate lights in the building coming on inexplicably.
Golden Globe-nominated actress Maria Bello
got her first taste of the stage in a production at Vasey Hall. Actor and Coen Brothers
favorite Jon Polito
has garnered both stage and screen awards, and NFL Hall of Famer, longtime FOX commentator and feature film actor Howie Long
graduated in 1982. Tim Hauser
, founder of Manhattan Transfer
, Jim Croce
, and Don McLean
have all been prominent members of the musical tradition at Villanova. Tony Award
-winning playwright and screenwriter David Rabe premiered In the Boom Boom Room
at Villanova's Vasey Hall. Brian Westbrook
and Michael Bradley
both attended Villanova before launching their careers in professional sports.
In addition to former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell
, Villanova has produced several military and governmental officials. Wife to the governor and federal judge
for the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
, Marjorie Rendell
, is also a graduate. Numerous Marine generals and Naval Admirals are products of Villanova's Naval ROTC program, including William J. Fallon
, Admiral in the United States Navy and Commander of United States Central Command
; George B. Crist
, Marine General and the first Marine to be designated Commander in Chief, Central Command; and Anthony Zinni
, retired four-star General in the United States Marine Corps.
The business world, too, has had several prominent businessmen who got their start at Villanova. Robert J. Darretta, Jr.
– chief financial officer and vice chairman of Johnson & Johnson
, John Drosdick
– former CEO of Sunoco
, Thomas G. Labrecque
– former Chairman and CEO of Chase Manhattan Bank
, Francis Saul – president of Chevy Chase (Bank), and Martin McGuinn – former CEO of Mellon Financial Corp. have all studied at Villanova at some point in their careers.
John Joseph O'Connor, Cardinal Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York, obtained a Masters degree in Advanced Ethics at Villanova University. John L. Hennessy
, president of Stanford University
earned a Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering, and Deirdre Imus
, Head of the Diedre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology (and wife to radio host Don Imus
) is also a graduate.
Radnor Township, Pennsylvania
Radnor Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 30,878. Radnor Township lies along the Main Line, a collection of highly affluent Philadelphia suburbs....
, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Named for Saint Thomas of Villanova
Thomas of Villanova
St. Thomas of Villanova, O.S.A. , was a preacher, ascetic, writer andSpanish friar of the Order of Saint Augustine....
, the school is the oldest Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
university in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Founded in 1842 by the Order of Saint Augustine
Order of Saint Augustine
The Order of St. Augustine —historically Ordo Eremitarum Sancti Augustini", O.E.S.A.), generally called Augustinians is a Catholic Religious Order, which, although more ancient, was formally created in the thirteenth century and combined of several previous Augustinian eremetical Orders into one...
, the university traces its roots to old Saint Augustine's Church
St. Augustine Church, Philadelphia
St. Augustine Catholic Church, also called Olde St. Augustine's, is a historic Catholic church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Consecrated in 1848, the Palladian-style church was designed by Napoleon LeBrun. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.The church was...
, Philadelphia, which the Augustinian friars founded in 1796, and to its parish school, Saint Augustine's Academy, which was established in 1811.
History
In October 1841, two Augustinian friarsOrder of Saint Augustine
The Order of St. Augustine —historically Ordo Eremitarum Sancti Augustini", O.E.S.A.), generally called Augustinians is a Catholic Religious Order, which, although more ancient, was formally created in the thirteenth century and combined of several previous Augustinian eremetical Orders into one...
from Saint Augustine's Church in Philadelphia purchased the 200 acre (0.809372 km²) "Belle Air" estate in Radnor Township with the intention of starting a school. The school, which was called the "Augustinian College of Vilanova," opened in 1842. However, the Philadelphia Nativist Riots
Philadelphia Nativist Riots
The Philadelphia Nativist Riots were a series of riots that took place between May 6 and 8 and July 6 and 7, 1844, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, and the adjacent districts of Kensington and Southwark...
of 1844 that burned Saint Augustine's Church in Philadelphia caused financial difficulties for the Augustinians, and the college was closed in February 1845. The college reopened in 1846 and graduated its first class in 1847. In March 1848, the governor of Pennsylvania incorporated the school and gave it the power to grant degrees. In 1859, the first master's degree was conferred on a student. In 1857, the school closed again as the demand for priests in Philadelphia prevented adequate staffing, and the crisis of the Panic of 1857
Panic of 1857
The Panic of 1857 was a financial panic in the United States caused by the declining international economy and over-expansion of the domestic economy. Indeed, because of the interconnectedness of the world economy by the time of the 1850s, the financial crisis which began in the autumn of 1857 was...
strained the school financially. The school remained closed throughout the Civil War and reopened in September 1865; since then it has operated continuously.
The first great expansion of Vilanova began in the late 1890s. Desiring an institution that would "rank among the best in the United States," the college built more classrooms, dormitories, and recreational facilities, and bought instructional equipment.
The School of Technology was established in 1905. In 1915, a two-year pre-medical program was established to help students meet medical schools' new requirements. This led to a four-year pre-medical program, the B.S. in biology, and the founding of the sciences division in 1926.
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s to teach in parochial school
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
s. In 1938, a laywoman received a Villanova degree for the first time. It was not until the nursing school opened in 1953 that women permanently began attending Villanova full-time. In 1958, the College of Engineering admitted its first female student; other colleges admitted women only as commuters. Vilanova University became fully coeducational in 1968.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Villanova was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program
V-12 Navy College Training Program
The V-12 Navy College Training Program was designed to supplement the force of commissioned officers in the United States Navy during World War II...
which offered students a path to a Navy commission.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Villanova expanded, returning veterans swelling enrollments and the faculty growing fourfold. Additional facilities were built and in 1953, the College of Nursing
Nursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
and the School of Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
were established. Villanova achieved university status on November 18, 1953. Between 1954 and 1963, 10 new buildings were built or bought on land adjacent to the campus, including Bartley, Mendel, and Dougherty Halls.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Vilanova worked to become a nationally recognized university. The quality of faculty and students improved dramatically and international studies programs were introduced. Additional residential and recreational facilities were constructed, and efforts to increase the endowment
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
were undertaken.
In the 1980s, endowed chairs were established in theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, and business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
; scholarship funding was increased, and the curriculum expanded and improved. An extensive building campaign created facilities for the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Commerce and Finance, and student residences on the south and the west campuses. In 1985, the school also won the Men's NCAA basketball tournament, giving the school increased national exposure.
Over the history of the university, it has also served as a headquarters of the Order of Saint Augustine
Order of Saint Augustine
The Order of St. Augustine —historically Ordo Eremitarum Sancti Augustini", O.E.S.A.), generally called Augustinians is a Catholic Religious Order, which, although more ancient, was formally created in the thirteenth century and combined of several previous Augustinian eremetical Orders into one...
in North America, and has provided staff to establish Catholic high schools throughout the United States, such as St. Augustine High School in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, which was established in 1922 with teaching staff dispatched from Vilanova.
Campus
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. The campus was formerly known as Arboretum Villanova
Arboretum Villanova
Arboretum Villanova is the former name of a 222 acre arboretum located throughout the campus of Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It is open to the public daily without charge....
which includes roughly 1,500 trees across campus, including the only known instance of a naturally-growing sequoia east of the Mississippi River. Official Arboretum status has been revoked due to the university's lack of upkeep to Arboretum rules and standards such as the planting of new trees and the offering of tours. There are three named areas on the campus, all within easy walking distance:
- Main Campus contains most of the educational buildings, administration buildings, Student Center, Library, Bookstore, the Villanova Chapel, the main cafeteria along with a variety of coffee shops and eateries, the newly built Athletic Center as well as the Pavilion and Villanova Stadium, and many freshmen, sophomore and junior student residences.
- West Campus contains the Law School, St. Mary's hall (a large building for single housing, a cafeteria, classrooms, indoor swimming pool, market, etc.) some administrative buildings, and housing for juniors as well as some seniors who are permitted to live on campus. Also included are basketball and tennis courts, soccer fields, volleyball courts and barbecueBarbecueBarbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
pits. The SEPTA Paoli/Thorndale station - Villanova is also located here. There is also the Law School parking garage in addition to apartment parking. - South Campus contains 7 freshman and sophomore residence halls, Donohue Court (South Campus Cafeteria) and Donohue Market (South Campus Market). The SEPTA Route 100 line has a stop right behind Stanford Hall.
Main Campus
The most prominent feature of the Villanova campus is St. Thomas of Villanova ChurchSt. Thomas of Villanova Church
St. Thomas of Villanova Church is a Roman Catholic church on the campus of Villanova University. Completed in 1887, it had long been the center of Augustinian activity in the United States, and still plays an important role within the province. Today, the church functions as the parish church for...
, whose dual spires are Villanova's tallest structure. The cornerstone for the church was laid in 1883, with construction continuing until 1887. The church underwent major renovations in 1943 and 1992. It is built in Gothic Revival style
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
. The church lies at the head of the path crossing Lancaster Avenue
U.S. Route 30
U.S. Route 30 is an east–west main route of the system of United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. It is the third longest U.S. route, after U.S. Route 20 and U.S. Route 6. The western end of the highway is at Astoria, Oregon; the...
into the parking lots and toward South Campus. As such, it is a popular meeting place for students, and hosts three student-oriented masses on Sunday nights at 6:00PM, 8:00PM, and 10:00PM. The church is also home to St. Thomas of Villanova Parish, whose Masses take place Sunday morning. The stained-glass windows of the church depict the life of St. Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
.
Situated behind the Church is Mendel Field, around which sit six major campus buildings: Mendel Hall, Tolentine Hall, White Hall, Falvey Hall, John Barry Hall, and the Chemical Engineering Building. Mendel Hall, named for pioneering geneticist
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
and Augustinian monk Gregor Mendel
Gregor Mendel
Gregor Johann Mendel was an Austrian scientist and Augustinian friar who gained posthumous fame as the founder of the new science of genetics. Mendel demonstrated that the inheritance of certain traits in pea plants follows particular patterns, now referred to as the laws of Mendelian inheritance...
, holds science labs, lecture halls, and other facilities. Mendel Hall's two large buildings are connected underground and by a second-floor indoor bridge that forms the gateway between West and Main Campus. In 1998, the college commissioned a 7 feet (2.1 m) bronze sculpture
Bronze sculpture
Bronze is the most popular metal for cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply a "bronze".Common bronze alloys have the unusual and desirable property of expanding slightly just before they set, thus filling the finest details of a mold. Then, as the bronze cools, it...
of Mendel by Philadelphia sculptor
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
James Peniston
James Peniston
James Peniston is an American sculptor whose monumental bronze works include Gregor Mendel and Keys To Community .-Life:...
, and installed it outside the hall's entrance. Tolentine Hall, one of the oldest buildings on campus, houses classrooms, academic offices such as the Registrar's Office and the Office of the President, and computer labs, and is connected to Villanova's monastery, St. Thomas Hall. White Hall, consisting mainly of classrooms and laboratories, is directly connected to the Chemical Engineering Building, which was built in 1947. "Old Falvey" is the annex
Annex
Annex or Annexe may refer to:* Annex , a Marvel Comics character* Annex, an early name for the Bangkok Adventist Hospital* Annex, addendum or appendix at the end of a book or report* Annex, an addition or extension...
of the Falvey Memorial Library, named for Rev. Daniel Falvey who served as librarian from 1940 until his death in 1962. It is home to some classrooms in the Art History and Education departments as well as some offices, along with The Math Center, The Writing Center, and The Augustinian Heritage Institute, and the Matthew J. Ryan Center, a division of the Political Science Department. John Barry Hall, named for naval officer Commodore John Barry
John Barry (naval officer)
John Barry was an officer in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War and later in the United States Navy. He is often credited as "The Father of the American Navy"...
, houses the Navy ROTC Program. To the West of the Church, the Center for Engineering Education and Research (CEER), which opened in 1998, holds engineering labs, engineering classrooms, an engineering computer lab, and an auditorium hall for projections and slideshows.
Slightly east of Mendel Field sits The Grotto, a landscaped haven between Falvey Library and two residence halls: Alumni Hall, home to the Service Learning Community; and Corr Hall, the location of the Center for Peace and Justice Studies. Often home to outdoor mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
es and other large gatherings, the Grotto is sometimes perfect for quiet contemplation. The grotto includes a statue depicting Our Lady of Good Counsel
Our Lady of Good Counsel
Our Lady of Good Counsel is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary, after an allegedly miraculous painting now found in the thirteenth century Augustinian church at Genazzano, near Rome, Italy. Measuring 40 by 45 centimeters the image is a fresco executed on a thin layer of porcelain no thicker...
and plaques dedicated to the veterans of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Across from Alumni Hall and The Grotto are St. Rita's Hall and Austin Hall. In addition to being two residence halls, these two buildings also house the Campus Ministry Office and University Admissions Office, respectively. Falvey Library, the campus's main research library, houses over 1,000,000 books, thousands of periodicals, television production studios, and quiet places for solitary or group study. Behind Falvey Library is the Saint Augustine Center for Liberal Arts, commonly called "SAC", which is home to many departments in the College of Liberal Arts, numerous offices, several seminar-type classrooms, and is home to the Advising and Professional Development Program.
East of Corr Hall sits Kennedy Hall, which houses the University Shop, the campus bookstore. Across a small courtyard is Dougherty Hall, the campus's main dining hall, referred to as "The Pit" because of its underground location, one of three all-you-can-eat facilities on campus. Dougherty also houses several smaller eateries and many Student Activity Offices. Next to Kennedy is Connelly Center with its radically different architecture resembling an alpine ski lodge, containing: the Belle Aire Terrace, which serves a variety of food; several meeting rooms; areas for group study; the Commuter Student Lounge on the upper level; another lounge on the lower level, the campus cinema (movie theater); a large conference room; a smoothie shop; and Holy Grounds, the name of Villanova's coffee shop.
Between the dining halls of Dougherty and the meeting halls of Connelly is "The Oreo". A large black-and-white sculpture by Jay Dugan, some of the major campus celebrations have occurred in its circular shadow – including celebratory vandalism in the wake of the 1985 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. Sitting just west of The Quad, The Awakening (as it is officially known) has served as a meeting place in the heart of the campus for generations of Villanovans.
Still further east, there is "The Quad" where there lies a square formation between two dormitories, Sheehan Hall and Sullivan Hall. Bartley Hall, home to the Villanova School of Business is the last building before Ithan Avenue, which is where main campus ends. Bartley is adjacent to another entrance to Main Campus, at the intersection of Lancaster Avenue and Ithan Avenue. Behind Bartley Hall are two new buildings: The Health Services Building, home to the Counseling and Medical Centers; and Driscoll Hall, home to the College of Nursing.
West Campus
Situated across the SEPTA tracks north and west of Mendel hall is West Campus: home to St. Mary's Hall, the West Campus Apartments, and the Law SchoolVillanova University School of Law
Villanova University School of Law is the law school of Villanova University, the oldest and largest Catholic University in Pennsylvania. Villanova was founded 150 years ago by the Augustinians, a prominent Roman Catholic teaching order...
. St. Mary's, a labyrinthine building of classrooms, residence rooms, a cafeteria, and large chapel, was originally built as a seminary, and was once home to the College of Nursing. Behind St. Mary's sit the Apartments – eight buildings that house junior and senior resident students.
One of three commuter train stops on campus, the Villanova Rail Station on the Paoli/Thorndale Line
Paoli/Thorndale Line
The Paoli/Thorndale Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line running from Center City Philadelphia to Thorndale in Chester County.-Route:This branch utilizes one of the oldest sections of what is now Amtrak's Keystone Corridor, an electrified 104-mile two to four-track high-speed route between Harrisburg...
provides access to the city of Philadelphia, about 30 minutes away.
South Campus
Sitting diagonally across Lancaster Ave. and Ithan Ave. from Bartley Hall, South Campus is home to several residence halls – usually reserved for underclassmen – and Donahue Hall, home to "The Spit", short for "South Pit". Donahue hall also houses Donahue Market, commonly referred to by students as "The Sparket".The second and third of three on-campus train stops, the Villanova stop and the Stadium stop on the SEPTA Route 100 line provides access to the city of Philadelphia, about 30 minutes away.
Environmentalism
In May 2007, the University’s president signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, promising to support research and education to end global warmingGlobal warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
. The new College of Nursing and the new School of Law are being built according to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
(LEED) specifications.
On November 16, 2007, the College of Engineering unveiled a Solar Electric System atop its Center for Engineering Education and Research (CEER) that will supply up to 4,000 watts.
Academics
| Academic Divisions of Villanova University | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate, Graduate & Professional Studies | Graduate & Professional Studies | |||
| College of Liberal Arts and Sciences 1842 |
College of Engineering 1905 |
Villanova School of Business Villanova School of Business The Villanova School of Business is Villanova University's business school and offers seven undergraduate degrees in the fields of accounting, economics, and business administration; seven graduate programs; an executive MBA program; and several executive education programs including a Mini-MBA... 1922 |
College of Nursing 1953 |
School of Law Villanova University School of Law Villanova University School of Law is the law school of Villanova University, the oldest and largest Catholic University in Pennsylvania. Villanova was founded 150 years ago by the Augustinians, a prominent Roman Catholic teaching order... 1953 |
University rankings
For more than a decade, Villanova University has been ranked #1 by U.S. News and World Report in the Best Universities-Masters category in the northern region, a ranking for schools in the North which offer strong Masters, and undergraduate programs while having lesser doctorate programs. Villanova has several highly regarded academic programs, including an engineering school that is ranked #9 among undergraduate engineering programs whose highest degree is a masters. The Villanova School of BusinessVillanova School of Business
The Villanova School of Business is Villanova University's business school and offers seven undergraduate degrees in the fields of accounting, economics, and business administration; seven graduate programs; an executive MBA program; and several executive education programs including a Mini-MBA...
was ranked #7 in the 2011 Business Week rankings of undergraduate business schools, #69 in the 2012 U.S. News and World Report rankings of undergraduate business schools, and #29 in the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
' ranking of top executive MBA programs. Villanova University School of Law
Villanova University School of Law
Villanova University School of Law is the law school of Villanova University, the oldest and largest Catholic University in Pennsylvania. Villanova was founded 150 years ago by the Augustinians, a prominent Roman Catholic teaching order...
is ranked as a Top Law School by the 2009 edition of U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
's "Best Graduate Schools," placing 61st overall. In December 2006, PC Magazine
PC Magazine
PC Magazine is a computer magazine published by Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009...
and The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review is an American-based standardized test preparation and admissions consulting company. The Princeton Review operates in 41 states and 22 countries across the globe. It offers test preparation for standardized aptitude tests such as the SAT and advice regarding college...
ranked Villanova #1 in its review of top "wired colleges" in the United States. The College of Nursing has been designated a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League for Nursing in 2004 and again in 2007. Villanova’s Master’s program in Psychology was ranked among the top 10 Master’s-only departments (95th percentile) in the United States and Canada with regard to research productivity.
Admissions and retention statistics
Villanova University has an overall undergraduate acceptance rate of 39.1%, accepting just over 6,000 of the 15,398 applicants in 2011. Of the accepted students, 84% ranked in the top 10% of their high school class, and 99% ranked in the top 20%. The GPA range for a typical student is 3.81-4.21/4.00 on a weighted scale. The middle 50 percent range of SAT scores for the typical accepted applicant was 1340-1440/1600, and the middle 50 percent range of the composite ACT score for the typical accepted applicant was 30-33.Student life
Villanova's student organizations include standard club sports, cultural organizations, Greek-letter fraternities and sororities, and more. Villanova students participate in charitable and philanthropic activities and organizations, including the largest student-run Special OlympicsSpecial Olympics
Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....
in the world.
Orientation
Under the four-day New Student Orientation Program, about 25 new students are assigned to each Orientation Counselor, or "O.C.," who guides them through various activities concerning diversity, academics, athletics, sexual awareness, the Philadelphia Area, and student concerns. The program is run by a staff director, a student chairperson, a student administrative coordinator, and a student steering committee.Blue Key Society
The Blue Key Society consists of around 200 volunteer campus tour guides who work with the Admissions Office to give three tours each weekday, various special tours as needed and selected weekend tours throughout the school year.Campus ministry and service
Reflecting traditions of Roman Catholic and Augustinian spirituality, Campus Ministry touches every aspect of University life through prayer, liturgy, community service, and pastoral care. Campus Ministry encourages all to integrate personal faith into the academic and social environment of the University. Campus Ministry promotes the Augustinian ideal of an intellectual community seeking both wisdom and a fuller spiritual life.Special Olympics
The annual Special Olympics Fall Festival at Villanova University is the largest and most successful student-run Special Olympics in the world. It draws more than 1,000 athletes and 400 coaches from 44 Pennsylvania counties. Athletes may advance through the festival to regional and international competition.Students apply to be a part of the 82-volunteer planning committee, which works for more than nine months alongside with Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA), which oversees more than 300 events statewide.
The event is put on with the aid of some 2,500 student volunteers and more than 1,000 other volunteers from the Villanova community.
Habitat for Humanity
Villanova students participate in charitable organizationCharitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
s and service trips in the U.S. and abroad. In 2004, Villanova had more participants in the Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat For Humanity International , generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or simply Habitat, is an international, non-governmental, non-profit organization devoted to building "simple, decent, and affordable" housing, a self-described "Christian housing ministry." The international...
Collegiate Challenge than any other U.S. university.
Pastoral Musicians
The second-largest musical group at Villanova, the Pastoral Musicians have about 60 voices and 35 instrumentalists, primarily undergraduates, up from 30 musicians in 1995. Their musical selection shows the diversity of style within the Roman Catholic tradition: contemporary praise music from different cultures, Bach, Palestrina, Mozart, Lauridsen, and others.Engineers Without Borders
Villanova EWB is a student chapter of Engineers Without BordersEngineers Without Borders (USA)
Engineers Without Borders – USA is a non-profit humanitarian organization established to partner with developing communities worldwide in order to improve their quality of life...
, a non-profit organization that focuses on helping to improve the living conditions of communities worldwide. Villanova EWB is one of the fasting growing student organizations on campus, expanding from a mere handful of engineering students in the spring of 2006 to a current membership of approximately 75 students in multi-disciplinary programs.
The chapter’s inaugural project was to design and build a playground for a grade school in New Orleans following the tragic events of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. Villanova EWB was the only student organization to win an award from the regional Project Management Institute
Project Management Institute
The Project Management Institute is a not-for-profit professional organization for the project management profession with the purpose of advancing project management.- Overview :...
, receiving an Honorable Mention from PMI for project of the year. The most recent project involved designing and building a water treatment and distribution system which provided an orphanage and surrounding villages in northern Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
with drinking water and irrigation for their crops. There are also plans for a variety of projects in the Philadelphia area, including K-12 outreach programs, as well as many more international projects.
Rays of Sunshine
Formerly known as Project Sunshine, The Office of Community Service, commonly called "Rays of Sunshine", is a student-led community service organization dedicated to reaching out to all kinds of communities with kindness and compassion. Through tutoring, mentoring, or visiting the elderly, sick, and disabled, Rays of Sunshine works to "bring some sunshine" into the lives of others.Greek life
Roughly 15% of Villanova students identify with one of twelve fraternitiesFraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
, eleven sororities, and one service fraternity. There are no fraternity or sorority houses on-campus.
The first Greek organization at the school was established in 1902 as a social organization and circle of individuals interested in classical studies.
Sororities
National Panhellenic ConferenceNational Panhellenic Conference
The National Panhellenic Conference , founded in 1902, is an umbrella organization for 26 national women's sororities.Each member group is autonomous as a social, Greek-letter society of college women and alumnae...
Sororities
- Alpha Chi OmegaAlpha Chi OmegaAlpha Chi Omega is a women's fraternity founded on October 15, 1885. Currently, there are 135 chapters of Alpha Chi Omega at colleges and universities across the United States and more than 200,000 lifetime members...
- Alpha PhiAlpha PhiAlpha Phi International Women's Fraternity was founded at Syracuse University on September 18, 1872. Alpha Phi currently has 152 active chapters and over 200,000 initiated members. Its celebrated Founders' Day is October 10. It was the third Greek-letter organization founded for women. In Alpha...
- Delta Delta DeltaDelta Delta DeltaDelta Delta Delta , also known as Tri Delta, is an international sorority founded on November 27, 1888, the eve of Thanksgiving Day. With over 200,000 initiates, Tri Delta is one of the world's largest NPC sororities.-History:...
- Delta GammaDelta GammaDelta Gamma is one of the oldest and largest women's fraternities in the United States and Canada, with its Executive Offices based in Columbus, Ohio.-History:...
- Kappa DeltaKappa DeltaKappa Delta was the first sorority founded at the State Female Normal School , in Farmville, Virginia. It is one of the "Farmville Four" sororities founded at the university...
- Kappa Kappa GammaKappa Kappa GammaKappa Kappa Gamma is a collegiate women's fraternity, founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois, USA. Although the groundwork of the organization was developed as early as 1869, the 1876 Convention voted that October 13, 1870 should be recognized at the official Founders Day, because no...
- Pi Beta PhiPi Beta PhiPi Beta Phi is an international fraternity for women founded as I.C. Sorosis on April 28, 1867, at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois. Its headquarters are located in Town and Country, Missouri, and there are 134 active chapters and over 330 alumnae organizations across the United States and...
- Chi OmegaChi OmegaChi Omega is a women's fraternity and the largest member of the National Panhellenic Conference. Chi Omega has 174 active collegiate chapters and over 230 alumnae chapters. Chi Omega's national headquarters is located in Memphis, Tennessee....
National Pan-Hellenic Council
National Pan-Hellenic Council
The National Pan-Hellenic Council is a collaborative organization of nine historically African American, international Greek lettered fraternities and sororities. The nine NPHC organizations are sometimes collectively referred to as the "Divine Nine"...
Sorority
- Alpha Kappa AlphaAlpha Kappa AlphaAlpha Kappa Alpha is the first Greek-lettered sorority established and incorporated by African American college women. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of nine students, led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle...
National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations
National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations
The National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations is an umbrella council for 19 Latino Greek Letter Organizations established in 1998...
Sorority
- Lambda Theta AlphaLambda Theta AlphaLambda Theta Alpha is a Latina sorority in the United States.The idea for Lambda Theta Alpha began in the late 1970s, when colleges and universities experienced an influx of Latino enrollment; the organization came into being at Kean University in 1975 with Lambda Theta Alpha's seventeen founding...
National APIA Panhellenic Association
National APIA Panhellenic Association
The National APIA Panhellenic Association is an association of collegiate fraternities and sororities that was formally organized in 2006, although it began in 2005....
Sorority
- Sigma Psi ZetaSigma Psi ZetaSigma Psi Zeta , a Multicultural, Asian-Interest sorority, was founded on March 23, 1994 at the University at Albany and incorporated in New York on March 15, 1996 by the 10 Founding Mothers. The sorority's colors are red and gold and its flower is a yellow rose with baby's breath.Sigma Psi Zeta is...
Fraternities
North-American Interfraternity ConferenceNorth-American Interfraternity Conference
The North-American Interfraternity Conference , is an association of collegiate men's fraternities that was formally organized in 1910, although it began on November 27, 1909. The power of the organization rests in a House of Delegates where each member fraternity is represented by a single delegate...
Fraternities
- Beta Theta PiBeta Theta PiBeta Theta Pi , often just called Beta, is a social collegiate fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, where it is part of the Miami Triad which includes Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. It has over 138 active chapters and colonies in the United States and Canada...
- Delta Tau DeltaDelta Tau DeltaDelta Tau Delta is a U.S.-based international secret letter college fraternity. Delta Tau Delta was founded in 1858 at Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia, . It currently has around 125 student chapters nationwide, as well as more than 25 regional alumni groups. Its national community service...
- Lambda Chi AlphaLambda Chi AlphaLambda Chi Alpha is one of the largest men's secret general fraternities in North America, having initiated more than 280,000 members and held chapters at more than 300 universities. It is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference and was founded by Warren A. Cole, while he was a...
- Phi Gamma DeltaPhi Gamma DeltaThe international fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta is a collegiate social fraternity with 120 chapters and 18 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania, in 1848, and its headquarters are located in Lexington, Kentucky, USA...
- Phi Sigma KappaPhi Sigma Kappa-Phi Sigma Kappa's Creed and Cardinal Principles:The 1934 Convention in Ann Arbor brought more changes for the fraternity. Brother Stewart W. Herman of Gettysburg wrote and presented the Creed, and Brother Ralph Watts of Massachusetts drafted and presented the Cardinal Principles.-World War II:The...
- Pi Kappa PhiPi Kappa PhiPi Kappa Phi is an American social fraternity. It was founded by Andrew Alexander Kroeg, Jr., Lawrence Harry Mixson, and Simon Fogarty, Jr. on December 10, 1904 at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina...
- Sigma Alpha EpsilonSigma Alpha EpsilonSigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South...
- Sigma ChiSigma ChiSigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
- Sigma NuSigma NuSigma Nu is an undergraduate, college fraternity with chapters in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Sigma Nu was founded in 1869 by three cadets at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia...
- Sigma Phi EpsilonSigma Phi EpsilonSigma Phi Epsilon , commonly nicknamed SigEp or SPE, is a social college fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College , and its national headquarters remains in Richmond, Virginia. It was founded on three principles: Virtue,...
National Pan-Hellenic Council Fraternity
- Kappa Alpha PsiKappa Alpha PsiKappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin...
National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations
National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations
The National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations is an umbrella council for 19 Latino Greek Letter Organizations established in 1998...
Fraternity
- Phi Iota AlphaPhi Iota AlphaPhi Iota Alpha , established December 26, 1931, is the oldest Latino fraternity still in existence, and works to motivate people, develop leaders, and create innovative ways to unite the Latino community. The organization has roots that stem back to the late 19th century to the first Latino...
Service Fraternity
The Sigma Eta chapter of Alpha Phi OmegaAlpha Phi Omega
Alpha Phi Omega is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses, an active membership of approximately 17,000 students, and over 350,000 alumni members...
, whose motto is "Leadership, Friendship, and Service," meets weekly on Villanova's campus to plan service projects on and off campus, including school cleanups through Philly Cares Day, working at soup kitchens and tutoring children in Math and Science at Philadelphia public schools.
Villanova Emergency Medical Service
Villanova Emergency Medical Service (VEMS), is a student-run ambulance service licensed and dedicated to serving the campus community. VEMS membership consists of more than 40 undergraduate student volunteers; the majority of whom are certified as Emergency Medical Technicians, volunteering more than 25,000 hours annually. Villanova is one of only a handful of colleges to provide EMS services to their campus, and one of only 52 who provide emergency response and transport to at least the Basic Life Support (BLS) Level. VEMS has been recognized on a national level multiple times by the National Collegiate EMS Foundation (NCEMSF), specifically being named 2001 Campus Organization of the Year and receiving EMS website of the year in 2000, 2004, and 2006. Their skills competition team also placed in second at the 2011 Annual Physio-Control BLS Skills Competition. The team consisted of Capt. William Pandos, Lt. Christopher Cahill, Lt. John Skinner, Treasurer Philip Walker, EMT Erin Mack, and EMT Kyle Lewis. VEMS hosted the second annual NCEMSF Conference in 1995 as well as the twelfth annual conference in Philadelphia in 2005.Campus Publications and Media
The VillanovanThe Villanovan
The Villanovan has been the officially recognized and accredited student newspaper of Villanova University since its founding in 1916. The tabloid-style, weekly paper publishes every Thursday during the semester and maintains a circulation of 5,000 copies which are distributed throughout the...
has been the officially recognized and accredited student newspaper since its founding in 1916. The newspaper of record of Villanova University, the tabloid-sized weekly produces usually 12 issues per semester at a circulation of 6,500 copies. The paper's awards include 2nd Place for Tabloid Feature Cover from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association's Collegiate Circle (2007); Certificate of Merit for Editorial Writing from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association's Collegiate Circle (2007); Certificate of Merit for portfolio of work in the Feature Photograph category from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association's Collegiate Circle (2007); Pennsylvania Newspaper Association
Pennsylvania Newspaper Association
The Pennsylvania Newspaper Association is a trade group serving newspapers in Pennsylvania. The PNA seeks to "advance the interests of Pennsylvania newspapers" and protect the "free and independent press." It represents the newspaper industry in governmental affairs and provides public educational...
's Keystone Award for Best Feature Story; and 1st Place with Special Merit and Outstanding Sports Coverage from the American Scholastic Press Association.
The Villanova Times, the independent, free speech, bi-weekly student newspaper, won the Collegiate Network
Collegiate Network
The Collegiate Network is a non-profit, non-partisan tax-exempt 501 organization that provides financial and technical assistance to student editors and writers of almost 100 independent, conservative and libertarian publications at leading colleges and universities around the country. The project...
Award for Layout and Design in 2005–2006, 2007–2008 and 2008–2009.
WVTV (Villanova)
WVTV (Villanova)
Villanova Television is a Student television station within Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania. The channel is only available through the on campus cable TV network....
, the student-run campus television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
broadcasts on channel 17. Starting in 1999 as the Villanova TV Production Club, the station produces news, events, films and other programming for the Villanova community.
WXVU
WXVU
WXVU, known as Villanova University Radio, is a college radio station which is broadcast in the Philadelphia area via a 100-watt transmitter that covers an radius around the Villanova University campus. WXVU offers a variety of music, news, sports, public affairs and specialty programming...
, the student-operated FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
, operates at 89.1 megahertz. With an output of 75 watts, WXVU can be heard in an 8 miles (12.9 km) radius around the campus. Since 1991, the station has supplied the Villanova community with a varied program of music, news, sports, public affairs, and specialty programming.
POLIS Literary Magazine, a student publication printed once a semester by the Villanova University Honors Program, features writing and artwork by Villanova students and professors. Each issue features creative nonfiction, poetry, short fiction, and black-and-white photography focusing on a central theme. Each issue also features articles on literature, entertainment, and dining.
NROTC
The Villanova Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) Program mission is to develop midshipmenMidshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
mentally, morally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, and loyalty, and with the core values of honor, courage and commitment in order to commission college graduates as naval officers who possess a basic professional background, are motivated toward careers in the naval service, and have a potential for future development in mind and character so as to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.
Villanova NROTC is part of the Philadelphia NROTC Consortium; consisting of Villanova University and University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
(including the cross town agreements with Drexel
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...
and Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
). Located in Commodore John Barry
John Barry (naval officer)
John Barry was an officer in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War and later in the United States Navy. He is often credited as "The Father of the American Navy"...
Hall, it is institution that has been a part of the University since World War Two. The battalion consists of more than 100 Navy and Marine Corps midshipmen under the advisement of a staff of highly trained and motivated Navy and Marine Corp Officers and Senior Enlisted. Known for its dedication to excellence, motivation, and pride, the NROTC unit has provided our nation with the finest Navy and Marine Corps Officers for over 50 years.
Midshipmen in the Villanova NROTC program are required to take specific Navy and Marine Corps classes, wear their service's uniform on Tuesdays, attend physical training events, participate in extra-curricular programs that range from sports teams to rifle-shooting, and adhere to the basic premise that “a midshipman does not lie, cheat, or steal”. By the time their four years have come to a close, these values have been deeply ingrained into each midshipman, and they know what it means to be a commissioned officer and a Villanovan. Thousands of midshipmen have gone through this experience to join the ranks of what can be considered the “extended” Villanova community in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Although times have changed as well as the specifics of training, the program remains largely unchanged from the program that has descended from World War Two.
Since its inception in the summer of 1946, the NROTC unit on campus has produced 22 Admirals and Generals in the United States Navy and Marine Corps. At one point, there had only been two four-star generals in the U.S. Marine Corps, one of them the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and they had both been graduates of Villanova NROTC. In 2004, the commanders of both U.S. Naval Forces Atlantic
U.S. Atlantic Fleet
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
(Admiral William J. Fallon
William J. Fallon
William Joseph Fallon is a retired United States Navy four-star admiral who retired after serving for over 41 years. His last military assignment was as Commander, U.S. Central Command from March 2007 to March 2008. ADM Fallon was the first Navy officer to hold that position. His other four-star...
) and U.S. Naval Forces Pacific (Admiral Walter F. Doran
Walter Doran
Walter F. Doran is a retired admiral in the United States Navy, who served as the Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet from May 2002 to July 2005...
) were Villanova NROTC graduates. Admiral Fallon was later assigned as Commander, U.S. Central Command from March 2007 to March 2008. ADM Fallon was the first Navy officer to hold that position.
Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures
All rules regarding student behavior are outlined in the Student Handbook, colloquially known as the "Blue Book." This handbook is amended yearly to ensure that it is up to date with any new fads or caprices of the student body. Because of the religious nature of the school, all policies in the Blue Book are founded in the "Catholic intellectual and moral tradition." As a result, discipline is not taken lightly at Villanova. The Blue Book strictly forbids drug and alcohol consumption; indecency; sexual activity; dangerous, disruptive or illegal behavior; gambling; the possession of "illegal video and recoring equipment" or electrical appliances; the use of candles, open flames or incense; illegal elevator access; and other serious offenses. Any student found in violation of these policies is likely subject to substantial fines and probation, and oftentimes suspension, expulsion and loss of residency privileges.Music Activities
Villanova University is without a formal music department; therefore, the Office of Music Activities is charged with the organization of the student performing artsPerforming arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
groups on campus. Musicians on campus are from every school in the University. Located on the lower floor of St. Mary's Hall, the Office of Music Activities coordinates the activities of over 600 students — nearly 10% of the student body.
Villanova Band
The Villanova Band is the largest and oldest musical group at Villanova with over 100 members. The Villanova Band has five divisions: the Concert Band, the Scramble Band, the Pep Band, the Jazz Ensemble, and the Villanova Orchestra. Any student or faculty at Villanova can participate in any or all of these bands. The Concert Band plays two concerts; one at the end of each semester. It also performs throughout the Villanova community and on its annual "Fall Tour". Past Fall Tour destinations include FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, and South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. The Scramble Band performs for Villanova Football games between plays and at halftime on the field. The Villanova Pep Band performs at Villanova Men's and Women's Basketball games, including post-season games such as the Big East Tournament. The Jazz Ensemble and Orchestra also has end-of-semester concerts but also performs around the Philadelphia area several times a year. The band is made up of students of every school within Villanova.
Villanova Singers
Villanova's men's chorusMen's chorus
A men's chorus or male voice choir , is a choir consisting of men who sing with either a tenor or bass voice, and whose voices are arranged into high and low tenors , and high and low basses —and shortened to the letters TTBB...
, the Villanova Singers, was founded in 1953 by Dean Harold Gill Reuschlein, then Dean of the Law School
Villanova University School of Law
Villanova University School of Law is the law school of Villanova University, the oldest and largest Catholic University in Pennsylvania. Villanova was founded 150 years ago by the Augustinians, a prominent Roman Catholic teaching order...
. Established for the purpose of singing various types of music and enriching the cultural life of the University, Dean Reuschlein was known to say that he was "as proud of the Villanova Singers as I am of what the Law School has become."
Since 1963, the Singers have toured extensively; recent highlights include 7-day tours of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in the Spring 2001, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in the Spring of 2003, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
in the Spring of 2004, and Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
in Spring of 2009. In concert with the Villanova Voices, the Singers perform two concerts each year: one for Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, and one in the Spring.
Entirely student-run, the Singers are governed by an 9-member board of students and sing an eclectic repertoire, ranging from sacred to patriotic, gospel to contemporary, as well as several arrangements by their director, Brian Meneely. Within the Singers, there exists a smaller, student-directed a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
group known as the Spires. Alumni of the Spires include Jim Croce
Jim Croce
James Joseph "Jim" Croce January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973 was an American singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, Croce released five studio albums and 11 singles...
, Tommy West
Tommy West
-External links:* *...
and Tim Hauser
Tim Hauser
Tim Hauser is an accomplished singer who was a member of the vocal group The Manhattan Transfer.-Early life:He was born in Troy, New York. Hauser, his sister Fayette, and their parents moved to the Jersey Shore when he was seven years old. He lived in Ocean Township, New Jersey and Asbury Park,...
from The Manhattan Transfer
The Manhattan Transfer
The Manhattan Transfer is an American vocal music group. There have been two manifestations of the group, with Tim Hauser being the only person to be part of both...
.
Villanova Voices
The Villanova Voices, the University's women's chorus, is the oldest women's organization at the University. Originally called the Villanova Women's Glee Club, the group was founded by twenty women from the University's College of Nursing in 1960, shortly after Villanova became coeducational. They sing at various Wildcat games, Special Olympics ceremonies, at local charity events, and "spread holiday cheer" to senior citizens at several nursing homes and to the people of Philadelphia at the King of Prussia MallKing of Prussia Mall
The King of Prussia Mall is the largest shopping mall on the East Coast of the United States, and largest shopping mall in the United States of America in terms of leasable retail space....
. Their attendant a cappella group, the Haveners, is student-directed.
Athletics
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
men's athletics
College athletics
College athletics refers primarily to sports and athletic competition organized and funded by institutions of tertiary education . In the United States, college athletics is a two-tiered system. The first tier includes the sports that are sanctioned by one of the collegiate sport governing bodies...
programs include baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
, basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
, cross country running
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, lacrosse
College lacrosse
College lacrosse refers to lacrosse played by student athletes at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. In both countries, men's field lacrosse and women's lacrosse are played in both the varsity and club levels...
, soccer
College soccer
College soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
and diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, and track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. Women's varsity athletics programs include basketball, cross country running, field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, lacrosse, rowing
College rowing (United States)
Rowing is one of the oldest intercollegiate sports in the United States. However, rowers comprise only 2.2% of total college athletes. This may be in part because of the status of rowing as an amateur sport and because not all universities have access to suitable bodies of water. In the 2002-03...
, soccer, softball
College softball
College softball is softball as played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education, predominantly in the United States. College softball is normally played by women at the intercollegiate level, whereas college baseball is normally played by men.As with other intercollegiate...
, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, and water polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
.
Sports teams participate in the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
's Division I and in the Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
, except for football and women's lacrosse. Football plays in the Colonial Athletic Association
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...
. Women's lacrosse plays in the Patriot League. The Wildcats are also part of the Philadelphia Big 5
Philadelphia Big 5
The Philadelphia Big 5 is an informal association of college athletic programs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It is not a conference; indeed the five schools that are members of the Big 5 are members of three separate conferences: the Atlantic 10, the Big East, and the Ivy League.The five...
, the traditional Philadelphia-area basketball rivalry. Their fiercest city rivalry, which is called the "Holy War
Holy War (Villanova vs. St. Joe's)
The Holy War is a basketball rivalry game in the Philadelphia Big 5 between Saint Joseph's University and Villanova University, which is considered the most intense of all the Big 5 games. It's called the "Holy War" because both universities have Roman Catholic religious affiliations: Villanova...
", is with St. Joseph's University.
In the NCAA graduation report released on November 18, 2009, Villanova has a graduation-success rate of 96 percent for student-athletes who entered college in 2002-03. Villanova women's basketball team is among the athletic program's 14 teams with a 100 percent graduation rate for 2002-03. The Wildcats' nationally ranked men's basketball and football teams are both at 92 percent. The men's basketball team's graduation-success rate places it fifth nationally among Division I schools.
In 2009, Villanova's football team won the national title in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA)."Our number-one priority at Villanova has always been recruiting kids who want to get a good education," Wildcats football coach Andy Talley said. Talley added that no matter how many games or titles Villanova wins, the athletic department's goal is to prepare students for life after college. Despite those comments, Villanova is currently evaluating whether or not the football program should accept a possible invitation to join the Big East Conference if so invited. Joining the Big East would allow Villanova to generate much more revenue from membership in a BCS conference. "Our football evaluation is ongoing," Villanova AD Vince Nicastro told The Associated Press. "We are moving forward as quickly as we can, but not at the expense of being absolutely thorough. We still don't have a specific decision date, but it is likely to be resolved some time during this academic year."
Men's Basketball
In 1985, under the direction of coach Rollie MassiminoRollie Massimino
Roland V. "Rollie" Massimino is an American basketball coach and former player. He is currently the head men's basketball coach at the Florida campus of Northwood University in West Palm Beach, a position he has held since 2006...
, the men's basketball team won the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
1985 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1985 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. This was the first year the field was expanded to 64 teams, from 53 in the previous year's tournament. It began...
in the first year of the 64-team field. The final game, against defending champion and ten-point-favorite Georgetown
Georgetown Hoyas
Georgetown's nickname is The Hoyas, but its mascot is "Jack the Bulldog." Various breeds of dogs have been used by the sports teams as mascots since the early 1900s. Several notable bull terriers like Sergeant Stubby and "Hoya" were used at football games in the 1920s, as was a Great Dane in the...
, is often cited among the greatest upsets in college basketball history. In 2005, under the direction of coach Jay Wright
Jay Wright (coach)
Jerold Taylor "Jay" Wright, Jr. is an American basketball coach. He is currently the men's coach at Villanova University. He was born in Churchville, Pennsylvania, U.S., and is married to a former Villanova cheerleader...
, Villanova's men's basketball team reached the NCAA Tournament
2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 15, 2005, and ended with the championship game on April 4 at the Edward Jones Dome in St...
Sweet 16
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
, losing to #1 seed and eventual champion North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
by one point on a traveling call on Allan Ray
Allan Ray
Allan Ray is an American professional basketball player. He currently plays for the French team Pau-Orthez. He played college basketball for four years at Villanova University. He played one season with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association...
. In 2005-2006, the team began the year ranked #4 in the major polls from USA Today and the Associated Press. A 75-62 loss to eventual champion Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
ended the team's run for a second NCAA championship in the Regional Final. This team was led by a four guard set, a unique type of lineup designed by coach Jay Wright. In the 2006-2007 season, the Wildcats had a record of 22-11, and lost to Kentucky
Kentucky Wildcats
The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky , a founding member of the Southeastern Conference...
in the first round of the 2007 tournament
2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 NCAA schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2006–07 basketball season...
. In the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2007–08 basketball season...
, the team
2007-08 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team
The Villanova Wildcats entered the 2007–08 season with much uncertainty, after losing star Curtis Sumpter, guard Mike Nardi, and center Will Sheridan to graduation. The departure of three experienced starters leaves the Wildcats a young team with no seniors...
was eliminated by the top-seeded, eventual champion Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas Jayhawks
The sports teams at the University of Kansas are known as the Jayhawks. They are one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a member of the Big 12 Conference...
in the Sweet 16, after upsetting the fifth seeded Clemson Tigers in the 1st round and defeating the thirteenth seeded Siena
Siena College
Siena College is an independent Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Loudonville, in the town of Colonie, New York, United States. Siena is a four-year, coeducational, independent college in the Franciscan tradition, founded by the Franciscan Friars in 1937. It has 3,000 full-time students and...
Saints in the 2nd round. In the 2009 tournament
2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The first and second round games were played at the following sites:First and Second Rounds: Thursday and Saturday, March 19 and 21, 2009-Qualifying teams:-Brackets:Results to date * – Denotes overtime periodAll times in U.S. EDT....
, the Wildcats
2008–09 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team
The Villanova Wildcats had a 22–13 record in the 2008 season. Their season resulted in a trip to the Final Four, with their last second win over the Pittsburgh Panthers in the Elite 8.For the 2008–09 season, Villanova returned all but one from their entire roster that made it to the Sweet 16 of...
upset the #1 seed Pittsburgh Panthers
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
on a last second shot by guard Scottie Reynolds to win the East Region and advance to the Final Four. The team was then defeated by the eventual champion North Carolina Tar Heels
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
in the 2009 Final Four
2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The first and second round games were played at the following sites:First and Second Rounds: Thursday and Saturday, March 19 and 21, 2009-Qualifying teams:-Brackets:Results to date * – Denotes overtime periodAll times in U.S. EDT....
game.
The home venues for the Wildcats include the on-campus 6,500 seat Pavilion
The Pavilion
The Pavilion is a 6,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States, about 20 miles outside of Philadelphia. It was built in 1985, and is home to the Villanova University Wildcats basketball teams. It is recognizable from the outside for its hyperbolic paraboloid roofline,...
for smaller attendance games, as well as the larger, 21,600 seat Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia) (formerly, Wachovia Center
Wachovia Center
The Wells Fargo Center is an indoor arena located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
) at the Philadelphia sports complex. The February 13, 2006 meeting between Villanova and the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
set the record for the highest attendance at a college basketball game in Pennsylvania, with 20,859 attendees.
Men's Football
The Villanova men's football team competes in NCAA Division I-AA as a member of the Football Championship Subdivision in the Colonial Athletic AssociationColonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...
. On December 18, 2009 the team defeated the Montana Grizzlies
Montana Grizzlies football
The Montana Grizzlies football program represents the University of Montana in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision of college football. The Grizzlies have competed in the Big Sky Conference, where it is a founding member, since 1963...
to be crowned the 2009 NCAA Division I-AA champions, and were co-conference champions with the Richmond Spiders
Richmond Spiders football
The Richmond Spiders are a college football team representing the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia. Richmond was the Division I Football Championship Subdivision champion for the 2008 season. Richmond currently competes in the Colonial Athletic Association of the NCAA's Division I...
in the same year. On September 10, 2010, ESPN reported that the Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
had informally invited the program to compete in that BCS conference. The same report stated that the University was considering the invite.
Men's Lacrosse
The Villanova men's lacrosseLacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
team competes in NCAA Division I as a member of the Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
. Through 2009, Villanova men's lacrosse was a member of the Colonial Athletic Association
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...
and in 2009, Villanova won the CAA tournament as the fourth seed (the lowest-seeded championship team in conference history) for its first title. The team also made its first NCAA tournament appearance that year.
Women's cross country
In 2010 and 2009, the women's cross country team won the NCAA National Championships under Coach Gina Procaccio. The 2010 victory was led by individual national champion Sheila ReidSheila Reid
Sheila Reid is a Scottish actress, best known for her performance as Madge Barron in Benidorm.-Career:Reid has had a long and distinguished career in theatre, film and television, and worked with Laurence Olivier at the Royal National Theatre. In 1980, she played the long-suffering wife of Trevor...
of Villanova. The Wildcats also hold the NCAA record for the most Division 1 team and individual wins in women's cross country with 9 team victories ('89, '90, '91, '92, '93, '94, '98, '09, '10) and 8 individual champions, 7 of which coincided.
Track and Field
Villanova University's Track and FieldTrack and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
team has a long history of athletic success that has spanned from Big East Conference Championships to NCAA Championships.
The Men's Team has produced 69 NCAA Championships, 36 Indoor and 33 Outdoor. The team has had 8 NCAA team Championships (4 Cross Country, 3 Indoor, 1 Outdoor). Villanova has produced 28 athletes who have made appearances in the Olympics, 10 of whom have medaled (7 Gold medals, 3 Silver medals). The men's team has also won 112 Penn Relay Championships, which stands as the most wins by any school. The men's current coaches include head coach Marcus O'Sullivan
Marcus O'Sullivan
Marcus O'Sullivan is a retired Irish middle distance runner. Although he wasn't planning to go to any of Ireland's universities, O'Sullivan's running encouraged him to go to Villanova University at 19...
and assistant head coach Anthony Williams.
The Women's team has also had a multitude of success, producing 11 Big East team Championships and 9 NCAA team Championships, most recently winning the 2009 and 2010 NCAA Championships. They have also produced 7 Olympians including Vicki Huber
Vicki Huber
Vicki Huber is a retired American middle distance and cross country runner.-Biography:Vicki Huber was born on May 29, 1967 in Wilmington, Delaware. Huber attended Concord High School where she began running as conditioning for field hockey...
, Sonia O'Sullivan
Sonia O'Sullivan
Sonia O'Sullivan in Cobh, County Cork. She began her running career in Ballymore Running Club which is located in the eastern side of Cobh Town. She was one of the world's leading female 5000 m runners for most of the 1990s and early first decade of the 21st century...
, Kim Certain, Kate Fonshell, Jen Rhines, Carmen Douma, and Carrie Tollefson
Carrie Tollefson
Carrie Tollefson is an American middle distance runner who was on the US 2004 Summer Olympic team....
. The Women's team has won 28 Penn Relay Championships, which is the most wins by any women's team. The current women's coaches include head coach Gina Procaccio and assistant head coach Anthony Williams.
At least one Villanovan athlete has competed in every Summer Olympics since 1948, winning a total of 13 medals (9 gold, 4 silver).
The University Seal
An adaptation of the seal of the Order of St. Augustine, the seal of Villanova University is one of the campus's most ubiquitous images, adorning everything from buildings to chairs to backpacks. A ribbon carries the University motto: Veritas, Unitas, Caritas (TruthTruth
Truth has a variety of meanings, such as the state of being in accord with fact or reality. It can also mean having fidelity to an original or to a standard or ideal. In a common usage, it also means constancy or sincerity in action or character...
, Unity
Cooperation
Cooperation or co-operation is the process of working or acting together. In its simplest form it involves things working in harmony, side by side, while in its more complicated forms, it can involve something as complex as the inner workings of a human being or even the social patterns of a...
, and Charity
Charity (virtue)
In Christian theology charity, or love , means an unlimited loving-kindness toward all others.The term should not be confused with the more restricted modern use of the word charity to mean benevolent giving.- Caritas: altruistic love :...
), virtue
Virtue
Virtue is moral excellence. A virtue is a positive trait or quality subjectively deemed to be morally excellent and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being....
s to which every member of the Villanova community should aspire. A book symbolizes Augustine's dedication to education and the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
where he found Christianity. A cincture
Cincture
The cincture is a liturgical vestment, worn encircling the body around or above the waist. The term has two distinct meanings, the usage generally dividing along denominational lines...
is part of the habit
Religious habit
A religious habit is a distinctive set of garments worn by members of a religious order. Traditionally some plain garb recognisable as a religious habit has also been worn by those leading the religious eremitic and anachoritic life, although in their case without conformity to a particular uniform...
worn by members of the Order of Saint Augustine. Hovering above is the flaming heart, symbol of Augustine's search for God and his love of neighbors. Behind the book is the crosier
Crosier
A crosier is the stylized staff of office carried by high-ranking Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and some Lutheran and Pentecostal prelates...
— a staff traditionally held by a Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
— commemorating Augustine's service as Bishop of Hippo
Hippo Regius
Hippo Regius is the ancient name of the modern city of Annaba, in Algeria. Under this name, it was a major city in Roman Africa, hosting several early Christian councils, and was the home of the philosopher and theologian Augustine of Hippo...
. Above and behind the book are two cross
Christian cross
The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity...
es, symbolic of Augustine's conversion and the University's commitment to Christianity. Framing the central portion of the seal is a laurel wreath
Laurel wreath
A laurel wreath is a circular wreath made of interlocking branches and leaves of the bay laurel , an aromatic broadleaf evergreen. In Greek mythology, Apollo is represented wearing a laurel wreath on his head...
exemplifying victory through the pursuit of knowledge, and 1842 is the year of the University's founding. Surrounding the seal is the incorporated fide of the University: Universitas Villanova In Statu Pennsylvaniae.
The Liberty Bell's "Sister Bell"
Liberty Bell
The Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol of American Independence, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formerly placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House , the bell was commissioned from the London firm of Lester and Pack in 1752, and was cast with the lettering "Proclaim LIBERTY...
's "Sister Bell," the replacement bell ordered from the Whitechapel Bell Foundry after the original bell cracked in 1753. This new bell was installed at the Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall), and attached to the State House clock. The Sister Bell rang the hours until the late 1820s, when the bell was removed during a renovation and loaned to the Olde St. Augustine Church in Philadelphia. In 1829, the bell was hung in a new cupola and tower designed by architect William Strickland
William Strickland (architect)
William Strickland , was a noted architect in nineteenth-century Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Nashville, Tennessee.-Life and career:...
. There it remained until May 8, 1844, when it was destroyed, along with the Olde St. Augustine Church, during the Philadelphia Nativist Riots
Philadelphia Nativist Riots
The Philadelphia Nativist Riots were a series of riots that took place between May 6 and 8 and July 6 and 7, 1844, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, and the adjacent districts of Kensington and Southwark...
. The friars of the Order of Saint Augustine
Order of Saint Augustine
The Order of St. Augustine —historically Ordo Eremitarum Sancti Augustini", O.E.S.A.), generally called Augustinians is a Catholic Religious Order, which, although more ancient, was formally created in the thirteenth century and combined of several previous Augustinian eremetical Orders into one...
had the "Sister Bell" recast and transferred to Villanova University.
At the university's centennial celebration, the bell was rung by Archbishop Dennis Joseph Dougherty
Dennis Joseph Dougherty
Dennis Joseph Dougherty was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1918 until his death in 1951, and was created a cardinal in 1921.-Early life and education:...
to open the ceremonies. In 1954, the bell was displayed as part of an exhibit at Gimbels department store in Philadelphia that focused on the growth and development of the university. The Sister Bell is currently enshrined in the Heritage Room on the basement floor of the St. Augustine Monastery on Villanova's campus.
Campus Myths
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
), and speculation over the existence of an entire wing of St. Mary's Hall which is completely blocked off.
The three buildings most commonly discussed as being haunted are Alumni Hall (located by St. Thomas of Villanova church on the main campus), St. Mary's Hall and Dundale (both located on the west campus).
Alumni Hall dates back to 1848 and stands as one of the oldest structures on campus. The school was closed in 1861 due to the Civil War and reopened in 1865. In that time this hall is believed to have been used as a military hospital and potential evidence of that use, such as a pulley located at the top of the main stairwell for moving bodies up and down, can still be seen. The building was used as a hospital again for influenza patients after World War I. This history has led to rumors that the building is haunted.
St. Mary's Hall was built in 1962 and served as an Augustinian Seminary until 1972. Laid out with long corridors and over a thousand rooms, there is a large chapel and many partial floors, basements and sub-basements to feed the legends of blocked off wings.
The property on which Dundale Hall is located was originally purchased by an industrialist, Israel Morris II, in 1874, and was built as a mansion for his family. Purchased from his family in 1978, it has been used for a variety of meetings and is home to several offices. On more than a handful of occasions, the school's Public Safety officers have been called out late at night to investigate lights in the building coming on inexplicably.
Alumni
Villanova University has produced several notable alumni.Golden Globe-nominated actress Maria Bello
Maria Bello
Maria Elena Bello is an American actress and singer known for her appearances in the movies Coyote Ugly, The Jane Austen Book Club, Permanent Midnight, Thank You for Smoking, A History of Violence, Payback, and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. For television she is known for her role as Dr...
got her first taste of the stage in a production at Vasey Hall. Actor and Coen Brothers
Coen Brothers
Joel David Coen and Ethan Jesse Coen known together professionally as the Coen brothers, are American filmmakers...
favorite Jon Polito
Jon Polito
Jon Polito is an American actor and voice artist, who is known for working with the Coen Brothers, most notably in the major supporting role of Italian gangster Johnny Caspar in Miller's Crossing. He also appeared in the first two seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street and on the first season of...
has garnered both stage and screen awards, and NFL Hall of Famer, longtime FOX commentator and feature film actor Howie Long
Howie Long
Howard "Howie" Matthew Moses Long is an American former National Football League defensive end and actor. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000...
graduated in 1982. Tim Hauser
Tim Hauser
Tim Hauser is an accomplished singer who was a member of the vocal group The Manhattan Transfer.-Early life:He was born in Troy, New York. Hauser, his sister Fayette, and their parents moved to the Jersey Shore when he was seven years old. He lived in Ocean Township, New Jersey and Asbury Park,...
, founder of Manhattan Transfer
The Manhattan Transfer
The Manhattan Transfer is an American vocal music group. There have been two manifestations of the group, with Tim Hauser being the only person to be part of both...
, Jim Croce
Jim Croce
James Joseph "Jim" Croce January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973 was an American singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, Croce released five studio albums and 11 singles...
, and Don McLean
Don McLean
Donald "Don" McLean is an American singer-songwriter. He is most famous for the 1971 album American Pie, containing the renowned songs "American Pie" and "Vincent".-Musical roots:...
have all been prominent members of the musical tradition at Villanova. Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
-winning playwright and screenwriter David Rabe premiered In the Boom Boom Room
In the Boom Boom Room
In the Boom Boom Room is a play by David Rabe. It focuses on a go-go dancer whose difficult relationship with her parents has propelled her into a series of unfortunate affairs with both men and women....
at Villanova's Vasey Hall. Brian Westbrook
Brian Westbrook
Brian Collins Westbrook is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft after playing college football at Villanova...
and Michael Bradley
Michael Bradley (basketball)
Michael Thomas Bradley is an American professional basketball player and businessman. He is a 6 ft 10 in , 235 lb , power forward/center....
both attended Villanova before launching their careers in professional sports.
In addition to former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell
Ed Rendell
Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell is an American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania. Rendell, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003...
, Villanova has produced several military and governmental officials. Wife to the governor and federal judge
Federal judge
Federal judges are judges appointed by a federal level of government as opposed to the state / provincial / local level.-Brazil:In Brazil, federal judges of first instance are chosen exclusively by public contest...
for the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts:* District of Delaware* District of New Jersey...
, Marjorie Rendell
Marjorie Rendell
Marjorie Osterlund Rendell is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and a former First Lady of Pennsylvania. In 2003, she was named to the PoliticsPA list of "Pennsylvania's Most Politically Powerful Women".- Personal background :Rendell was born in...
, is also a graduate. Numerous Marine generals and Naval Admirals are products of Villanova's Naval ROTC program, including William J. Fallon
William J. Fallon
William Joseph Fallon is a retired United States Navy four-star admiral who retired after serving for over 41 years. His last military assignment was as Commander, U.S. Central Command from March 2007 to March 2008. ADM Fallon was the first Navy officer to hold that position. His other four-star...
, Admiral in the United States Navy and Commander of United States Central Command
United States Central Command
The United States Central Command is a theater-level Unified Combatant Command unit of the U.S. armed forces, established in 1983 under the operational control of the U.S. Secretary of Defense...
; George B. Crist
George B. Crist
George B. Crist is a retired four-star General of the United States Marine Corps and was the first Marine to be designated as a Unified Commander — serving as Commander in Chief, United States Central Command from 1985 to 1988...
, Marine General and the first Marine to be designated Commander in Chief, Central Command; and Anthony Zinni
Anthony Zinni
Anthony Charles Zinni is a retired four-star General in the United States Marine Corps and a former Commander in Chief of U.S. Central Command...
, retired four-star General in the United States Marine Corps.
The business world, too, has had several prominent businessmen who got their start at Villanova. Robert J. Darretta, Jr.
Robert J. Darretta, Jr.
Robert J. Darretta, Jr. is the former chief financial officer and vice chairman of the board for Johnson & Johnson. He has served as CFO since 1997 and he has been with Johnson & Johnson since 1968. He attended Villanova University where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics.-External...
– chief financial officer and vice chairman of Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
, John Drosdick
John Drosdick
John G. Drosdick is an American businessman.Since May 2000, he has been President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sunoco Inc....
– former CEO of Sunoco
Sunoco
Sunoco Inc. is an American petroleum and petrochemical manufacturer headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, formerly known as Sun Company Inc. and Sun Oil Co. ....
, Thomas G. Labrecque
Thomas G. Labrecque
Thomas G. Labrecque served as a former President, CEO, and COO of Chase Manhattan Bank.-Life:Labrecque, the third child of eight, was born to Theodore J. Labrecque, a New Jersey Superior Court Judge of French Canadian descent and Marjorie Labrecque...
– former Chairman and CEO of Chase Manhattan Bank
Chase Manhattan Bank
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., doing business as Chase, is a national bank that constitutes the consumer and commercial banking subsidiary of financial services firm JPMorgan Chase. The bank was known as Chase Manhattan Bank until it merged with J.P. Morgan & Co. in 2000...
, Francis Saul – president of Chevy Chase (Bank), and Martin McGuinn – former CEO of Mellon Financial Corp. have all studied at Villanova at some point in their careers.
John Joseph O'Connor, Cardinal Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York, obtained a Masters degree in Advanced Ethics at Villanova University. John L. Hennessy
John L. Hennessy
John LeRoy Hennessy is an American computer scientist and academician. Hennessy is one of the founders of MIPS Computer Systems Inc. and is the 10th President of Stanford University.-Background:...
, president of Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
earned a Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering, and Deirdre Imus
Deirdre Imus
Deirdre Coleman Imus is the founder and president of the Deirdre Imus Environmental Health Center, part of Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, United States...
, Head of the Diedre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology (and wife to radio host Don Imus
Don Imus
John Donald "Don" Imus, Jr. is an American radio host, humorist, philanthropist and writer. His nationally-syndicated talk show, Imus in the Morning, is broadcast throughout the United States by Citadel Media and relayed on television by the Fox Business Network.-Personal life:Imus was born in...
) is also a graduate.
See also
- Education in Philadelphia
- Roman Catholicism in the United StatesRoman Catholicism in the United StatesThe Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, the Christian Church in full communion with the Pope. With more than 68.5 registered million members, it is the largest single religious denomination in the United States, comprising about 22 percent of the population...