Saint Joseph's College (Indiana)

For other schools of the same name, see Saint Joseph's College (disambiguation).

Saint Joseph's College
Motto	Religio Moralitas Scientia
Motto in English	Divinity, Morality, Knowledge
Established	1889
Type	Private, Catholic, liberal arts college welcoming students of all faiths.
President	Dr. F. Dennis Riegelnegg
Academic staff	89
Students	1,500
Location	Rensselaer, IN, USA
Campus	180 acres (72.8 ha) rural
Colors	Purple and Cardinal
Athletics	18 Division II (NCAA) teams
Nickname	Pumas
Affiliations	Roman Catholic Church; Missionaries of the Precious Blood (C.PP.S.)
Website	www.saintjoe.edu

Saint Joseph's College (SJC; colloquially, Saint Joe) is a coeducational, private, Catholic liberal arts college located in Rensselaer, Indiana, United States. It was founded in 1889 by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood (C.PP.S.). Over 1,000 students currently attend the College.

Saint Joseph's College is ranked as a "Best Midwestern College" by The Princeton Review and U.S. News. The campus has several distinctive features. The Romanesque-style Chapel and the reflecting pond in front of the Chapel are the most recognized features of campus. Drexel Hall was one of the first buildings on campus, and is distinctive for its unique atrium. Drexel has been renovated and restored to its historical appearance. The campus also includes a private recreational lake which is an old stone quarry.

The school is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the National League for Nursing (NLN), the Board of Commissioners of the International Assembly of Collegiate Business Education (IACBE), the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association (HLC), and the State of Indiana Professional Standards Board for the Training of Elementary Teachers.

Academics

Saint Joseph's College has well respected academic programs and faculty. The school is known for its groundbreaking, and nationally recognized, Core Program. Students learn the basics of history, political science, natural science, literature, and philosophy in integrated "core classes." This departs from the cafeteria-style approach to general education used by most colleges and universities in which students take discrete lower division classes in these subjects.

Saint Joseph's College has a student-faculty ratio of 15:1. 72% of full-time faculty at Saint Joseph's have their doctorates or terminal degree. SJC offers 75 major, minor, and pre-professional programs, along with the nationally acclaimed Core Curriculum, which provides a solid liberal arts education and a distinct career advantage.

Historically, 97% of graduating seniors are employed or in graduate school within a year of graduation.

History

The College was originally a secondary school established to educate Native Americans.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the Chicago Bears held their training camp at Saint Joseph's College. The 1971 film Brian's Song—about Brian Piccolo, a Chicago Bears running back who died from carcinoma in the 1970s—was filmed on campus. During training camp one year, Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus was reportedly seen out on a tractor in the cornfield adjacent to the campus. The College football all-star game was played at the College's football stadium, Alumni Stadium, for many years.

The main academic building burned to the ground in a disastrous fire in February, 1973. At the time, many thought the fire would close the school, but the school recovered. While alcohol is still not permitted in student residence halls, students of legal age can now drink in on-campus apartments and in Core XI, the school-owned private club.

Like most other Indiana colleges, SJC holds an annual "Little 500" race. Unlike the bed or bicycle races held elsewhere, Saint Joseph's College stages a go-kart race in the same manner as Purdue University's Grand Prix, albeit on a much smaller scale. The event remains popular and brings alumni back to the school every year.

Athletics

SJC competes in NCAA Division II athletics and is a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The school mascot is the Puma. It is the only post-secondary institution in the United States with the Puma as its mascot, although several have panthers and mountain lions - which are simply different names for the same species.

In 1956, the SJC football team played Montana State to a 0-0 tie in the Aluminum Bowl at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas, winning a share of the NAIA national football championship.

The school's baseball team was runner-up to the Division II National Championship in 1996. The same year, the women's soccer team was the runner-up to the Division II National Championship. The school's women's tennis team captured 6 GLVC conference titles since 1985; including 3 undefeated seasons. The Pumas football team has been dominant in their conference in recent years, winning the Great Lakes Football Conference Championship in the 2005, 2006, and 2009 seasons. In 2010, the Men's Basketball team put together a remarkable string of 3 wins in the National Tournament to reach the Elite Eight for the first time in school history.

Alumni

• Major League Baseball Hall of Fame player Gil Hodges played college ball at Saint Joseph's College, and later went on to play for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets.
• Philip F. Deaver, writer and poet, graduated from St. Joseph's College in 1968. He went on to win O. Henry and Flannery O'Connor awards for short fiction, and to publish poetry and fiction in dozens of literary journals.
• Award-winning sports columnist Jim Sacco
• Former Canadian Member of Parliament and Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons Gilbert Parent.
• Former Chicago Alderman Edward Vrdolyak
• National Football League player John McGarry.
• Current University of Washington women's basketball coach Kevin McGuff
• Arena Football League player Devin DuBose
• Jeff Feinendegen, Managing partner of TS Financial Group and a 2010 FIVE STAR wealth manager in Chicago.
• James Echle, current USSEC Japan County Representative. Previously served as a Japan Director with the ASA. Also did much work with the Biomin Laboratory.
• William B. Krantz, recipient of Guggenheim, NSF-NATO and three Fulbright fellowships. Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and the American Society for Engineering Education. Krantz is an author, scientific researcher and co-inventor on 7 US Patents.
• Norbert Krapf, Indiana State Poet Laureate from 2008-2010.
• Phillip Williams, Executive Producer of BET
• Director, Ad Sales Marketing & Promotions at Radio Disney, Kara Meyer
• Jenna Mullins, Associate Editor at E! Online
• Michael J. Georgeson, Executive Casino Host at Caesars Palace

External links

• Official website
• Official athletics website
• Campus map
• Great Lakes Valley Conference Athletics