Hilbert College
Coordinates: 42°45′17″N 78°49′14″W / 42.754741°N 78.820649°W
| Hilbert College | |
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| Established | 1957 |
| Type | Private/Catholic |
| Religious affiliation | Franciscan |
| Endowment | $3.7 Million |
| President | Cynthia Zane |
| Academic staff | 126 |
| Undergraduates | 1,089 |
| Location | Hamburg, New York, USA |
| Campus | 2 Residence Halls and 4 on-campus apartments buildings. |
| Colors | Royal Blue and White |
| Athletics | NCAA Division III |
| Sports | Men's and Women's Basketball, Cross Country,Soccer and Volleyball; Baseball; Softball; Men's and Women's Golf; Men's and Women's Lacrosse. |
| Nickname | Hawks |
| Mascot | Hawk |
| Affiliations |
Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference North East Collegiate Volleyball Association |
| Website | www.hilbert.edu |
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Hilbert College is a private Franciscan college located in the Town of Hamburg, about 20 minutes south of Buffalo, New York. The college is named after Mother Collette Hilbert of the Franciscan Sisters of Saint Joseph, who founded the school to train teachers in 1957. Hilbert College is a coeducational liberal arts college that currently enrolls approximately 1,100 students and grants both undergraduate and master’s degrees.
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History[edit]
Hilbert College, founded on the principles of the Catholic faith and the Franciscan philosophy of the Franciscan Sisters of Saint Joseph (FSSJ), was established under the vision and leadership of Sister Mary Edwina Bogel. Originally affiliated with the Catholic University of America, it was named the Immaculata Teacher Training School, and its first classes were offered to nine FSSJ sisters at the FSSJ Motherhouse in Hamburg.
Sister Edwina was named the first president and dean of the college. In 1960, the name of the institution was changed to Immaculata College; in 1969 it was renamed Hilbert College in memory of Mother Colette. Lay women were first admitted to the college in 1964. It became coeducational in 1969.
Fueled by the changes in admission policy, enrollment reached 407 by the fall of 1969, more than double the previous year’s enrollment, and topped 500 a year later. To make room for the growing student population, ground was broken in 1967 for a new campus adjacent to the Franciscan Sister Motherhouse. In the fall of 1969, the Academic Building and McGrath Library were opened, while the St. Joseph Residence Hall and Campus Center were formally dedicated in May 1970.
Sister Edwina retired as president in 1973, and the Academic Building was renamed Bogel Hall in her honor. Sister Edmunette Paczesny was named president in 1974 and would lead the college through more great changes over the next three decades.
The biggest transition came in 1992 as Hilbert moved to a four-year bachelor’s degree-granting college. Hilbert also began partnerships with other educational providers, entering into agreements with St. Bonaventure University to offer a master’s degree and certification at the Hamburg campus.
During her 32 years as president, Sister Edmunette oversaw several major capital improvements. Among the new construction projects: the Hafner Recreation Center (1979), four apartment-style residence buildings (2003), an administration building (Franciscan Hall, in 1997), the 430-seat Swan Auditorium (2006) and a new academic building named in her honor, Paczesny Hall (2006).
Enrollment continued to rise, though at a much slower rate. The student body topped 1,000 students for the first time in 2003.
Sister Edmunette retired from the presidency in 2006. Cynthia Zane, who previously served as the dean of the faculty at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, became Hilbert’s third president and its first lay president later that year.
In 2009, Hilbert opened Trinity Hall, the college’s first new residence hall in nearly 40 years. Hilbert added its first graduate programs - in public administration and criminal justice administration - in 2011, and began offering accelerated bachelor’s degree programs in conflict studies & dispute resolution and organizational development for adult learners in 2012.
Academic Programs[edit]
Hilbert College offers 16 bachelor’s degree programs, including psychology, digital media and communication, criminal justice, forensic science, computer security and information assurance, and Western New York’s first undergraduate Rehabilitation Services program.
The college also offers two bachelor’s level accelerated degree programs (conflict studies and dispute resolution and organizational development), and programs leading to Associate in Applied Science and Associate in Arts degrees.
Hilbert operates on a semester schedule with summer sessions available. The accelerated degree programs feature seven-week sessions (offered six times per year) with a hybrid classroom/online class model. The graduate program operates on five-week sessions.
The undergraduate student-faculty ratio is 13:1. Hilbert helps students transition to college life with its First-Year Experience (FYE) program, which includes faculty/staff mentoring, seminars, guest lectures, and other tools to promote academic success and persistence to graduation.
Hilbert also offers an Honors Program for its top students across all majors.
- Accounting (three tracks offered: commercial, economic crime investigation, 5 year MA with St. Bonaventure University)
- Business Management
- Small Business Management
- Sports Industry Management
- Global Business Management
- Criminal Justice
- Digital Media & Communication
- Computer Security & Information Assurance
- English
- Forensic Science/Crime Scene Investigation
- Human Services
- Liberal Studies
- Paralegal Studies
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Rehabilitation Services
In 2011, Hilbert College began offering Masters level degree programs in the fields of Criminal Justice Administration and Public Administration.[1]
Campus[edit]
Hilbert College is situated on a park-like 60-acre suburban campus that consists of 11 buildings and several athletic fields. Bogel Hall and McGrath Library were the first buildings to open when the college moved from the FSSJ Motherhouse to the new Hamburg campus. St. Joseph Residence Hall and the Campus Center opened the following year. In the past decade, the college added four new apartment-style residence buildings (2003); a new residence hall, Trinity Hall (2009); an academic building, Paczesny Hall (2006); a 430-seat theater, Swan Auditorium (2006); and made renovations to the Hafner Recreation Center (2005). Franciscan Hall, the main administrative building, was opened in 1997.
Student Life[edit]
The college offers more than 30 student-run clubs and organizations plus intramural athletics. Students can take part in academic clubs, honor societies, club sports, literary and drama clubs, a student newspaper, military and criminal justice clubs, as well as student government.
Hilbert offers nearly 300 housing spaces in two residence halls and four campus apartments. Trinity Hall houses more than 150 students in doubles and six-person suites. It includes a 24-hour computer lab, a game room and free laundry facilities. St. Joseph Hall includes singles and doubles with two lounges, cooking and laundry facilities and recreational spaces. Hilbert’s safe suburban campus is patrolled around the clock by campus safety officers with support from Town of Hamburg police. The campus dining hall is located in the upper level of the Campus Center and is open for 19 meals per week.
The college has a Wellness Center for timely medical care and offers counseling and wellness workshops to students throughout the year.
Leadership opportunities for students include the Leadership Scholarship Program, Emerging Leaders Program, Leadership Workshop Series and Leadership Training Camp.
Hilbert’s student body is 58 percent female, 42 percent male. Eighty-seven percent of students are from Western New York and 85 percent are full-time students. Approximately 40 percent are first-generation college students.
Athletics[edit]
The Hilbert College Hawks participate in NCAA Division III athletics. Most of the college’s 13 intercollegiate teams compete in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC). Hilbert became the conference’s eighth member when it was granted membership in 2005. The Hawks field teams in men’s and women’s cross country, golf, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, baseball and softball. The men’s lacrosse team competes in the North Eastern Athletic Conference. The men’s volleyball team competes in both the AMCC and the United Volleyball Conference. The college also offers nearly a dozen club and intramural sports open to the entire college community.
Hilbert’s men’s basketball team won a school record 20 games (20-6) and shared the AMCC regular-season championship in 2012-13. Coach Rob DeGrandpre was named AMCC Coach of the Year and Jerame Owens was named co-Newcomer of the Year. CJ Hodge was the conference’s Newcomer of the Year in 2010-11 and Dallas Reinard was named Player of the Year in 2006-07.
Lindsay Bergman was name co-Newcomer of the Year in women’s basketball in 2005-06. Nick Sherman was Baseball Pitcher of the Year in 2012.
Hafner Recreation Center is the college’s home for basketball and volleyball and includes a 2,000-square-foot fitness center, four locker rooms and administrative offices. Hilbert also has two multipurpose fields for soccer and lacrosse as well as baseball and softball diamonds on campus.
Clubs and Organizations on Campus[edit]
- Alpha Beta Gamma
- Adventure Club
- Campus Activities Advisory Board
- Campus Ministry Club
- Chi Alpha Sigma
- Common Ground Club
- Communications Club
- Criminal Justice and Forensic Investigation Association
- Dirty Dogs Lacrosse Club
- Drama Club
- Economic Crime and Investigation Club
- Great Expectations
- H-Files (Student Newspaper)
- Hockey Club
- Human Services Association
- Hilbert Horizons
- Lambda Epsilon Chi
- Phi Beta Lambda Student Business and Accounting Association
- Sigma Beta Delta
- Sigma Tau Delta
- Ski/Snowboarding Club
- Society of Fine Arts
- Student Ambassadors
- Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
- Students in Free Enterprise
- Students Against Destructive Decisions
Notable Alumni[edit]
- Patrick Johnson ’02 - Served as forward liaison to President Bush as part of the Marine Corps White House liaison staff.
- Marc Smith ’72 – Former college professor (Hilbert, Keene State College). Was named a Teacher of Excellence by the New York State English Council in 1990.
- Nichole Becker ’01 – Former captain, coordinator Buffalo Jills cheerleaders.
- James Iglewski ’85 – Managing director and regional investment executive, U.S. Trust Company.
- Jack Gaylord Jr. ’79 - President of Drums Along the Waterfront.
- Ruth Lovelace ’89 – Boys varsity high school basketball coach named 2007 Brooklyn Sports Person of the Year. Profiled in ESPN documentary “A Woman Among Boys.”
- Kyle Schmelzle ’07 – Former professional lacrosse player for Buffalo Bandits.
- Diane Lanpher ’75 - Vermont State representative.
- Joseph Giglio ’75 – New York State assemblyman.
- Allen Leight ’06 – photojournalist, WKBW-TV Buffalo, NY.
- Dick Wipperman ’74 – Former professional heavyweight boxer. Inducted into Buffalo Boxing Hall of Fame, 2002.
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