Saint Vincent College

For the English sixth form college, see St Vincent College.

For the Philippine college, see Saint Vincent's College.

Saint Vincent College
Established	1846
Type	Private
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic (Benedictines)
Endowment	$67 million
Chancellor	Rt. Rev. Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B., B.A. M.Div., Ph.D.
President	Br Norman W. Hipps, O.S.B., Ph.D.
Vice-president	Vacant
Academic staff	152 (2006)
Undergraduates	1,652 (2006)
Postgraduates	188 (2006)
Location	Latrobe, Pennsylvania, USA
Campus	Suburban, 200+ acres
Tuition	$37,000 (2010)
Colors	Blue and Gray (academic) Green and Gold (athletic)
Sports	baseball, soccer, cross country, golf, lacrosse, basketball, tennis, ice hockey, swimming (men's); soccer, cross country, volleyball, golf, lacrosse, basketball, softball, tennis, swimming (women's)
Nickname	Bearcats, Lady Bearcats
Mascot	Bearcat
Affiliations	NCAA
Website	www.stvincent.edu

Saint Vincent College is a four-year, coeducational, Roman Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, located about 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. It was founded in 1846 by Boniface Wimmer, a monk from Bavaria, Germany. It was the first Benedictine monastery in the United States. It is operated by the Benedictine monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey.

History

Saint Vincent Archabbey and College was founded in 1846 by Boniface Wimmer, a monk from Metten Abbey in Bavaria. On April 18, 1870, the Pennsylvania state legislature incorporated the school. Saint Vincent College became coeducational in 1983. In 1996, the college, along with the archabbey, seminary, and parish, observed the 150th anniversary of its founding.

Mission statement

Saint Vincent College is an educational community rooted in the tradition of the Catholic faith, the heritage of the Benedictine monasticism, and the love of values inherent in the liberal approach to life and learning, Its mission is to provide quality undergraduate and graduate education for men and women to enable them to integrate their professional aims with the broader purposes of human life. The programs, activities, and encounters that make up student life at Saint Vincent College encourage the intellectual gifts, professional aptitudes and personal aspirations of students to mature harmoniously.

Academics

Saint Vincent is organized into four schools; each includes a number of departments and major and minor programs offering undergraduate or graduate degrees, as well as special programs and public service outreach activities. Each school has its own Dean who works closely with students, faculty and prospective students and a Council of Advisors composed of representatives of business, industry, and academia to advise and direct policy and programs.

The four schools are:

Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics, and Government

Formed in 2001, the current Dean is Gary Quinlivan, B.A., Ph.D. It includes the departments and programs of Accounting, Economics, Business Education, Environmental Affairs, Finance, International Business, Management, Marketing, Political Science, and Public Policy.

Alex G. McKenna was a leading industrialist, civic leader, and philanthropist. He was the past chairman, president and chief executive officer, and a founding general partner of Kennametal Inc., a global corporation headquartered in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Throughout his life he promoted the principles of free market economics, limited constitutional government and traditional civic values.

School of Social Sciences, Communication, and Education

The school was formed in 2004, and the current Dean is Mary Beth Spore, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. It includes the departments of Communication, Education, Psychology, and Sociology/Anthropology.

School of Humanities and Fine Arts

Formed in 2004, the current Dean is Fr. Rene Kollar, O.S.B., B.A. M.Div., M.A., Ph.D., F.R. Hist. S. It contains the departments and programs of English, Fine Arts (Art and Music), History, Liberal Arts, Modern and Classical Languages, Philosophy, and Theology.

The Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Science, Mathematics, and Computing

Formed in 2004, currently the position of dean is vacant. It includes the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Computing and Information Science, Mathematics, and Physics. Majors are also offered in Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, and Environmental Science.

The college offers a five-year cooperative liberal arts and engineering program. Students spend three years at St. Vincent, fulfilling core requirements and prerequistes for an engineering major, then two years at the engineering college. Upon completion of coursework and recommendation by the Mathematics Department, students are guaranteed acceptance at Penn State University. The college also has agreements with the University of Pittsburgh and The Catholic University of America. Under this program, the student receives a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Vincent and a Bachelor of Science degree from the engineering college.

Herbert W. Boyer is a recipient of the 1990 National Medal of Science, and co-recipient of the 1996 Lemelson-MIT Prize and a co-founder of Genentech. He served as Vice President of Genentech from 1976 through his retirement in 1991.

Athletics

St. Vincent has intercollegiate teams in football, baseball, softball, women's volleyball, basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, women's field hockey, swimming, and tennis. The college is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). They compete in the Presidents' Athletic Conference, at the Division III level. The school also offers men's ice hockey as a club sport.

The men's teams are known as the Bearcats and the women's as the Lady Bearcats. The athletic colors are green and gold.

Football

In the fall of 2007, the college resumed their varsity football program after a 44-year hiatus. The team went 0-10 in 2007, 1-9 in 2008, and 0-10 in 2009. The first win since the resumption of the program came in 2008, when the Bearcats defeated Gallaudet University 23-22.

In the 2010 season, St. Vincent had an overall record of 3-7 and was 3-4 in conference play. The Bearcats' victories came against Thiel College (17-3), Grove City College (42-17) and Westminster College (21-14). In the win against Grove City, the team set single-game records for points (42), total offense (435 yards), total defense (241 yards), and passing touchdowns (four). Bearcats roll in win over Grove City

The games are played on campus at Chuck Noll Field, named in honor of the former coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pittsburgh Steelers training camp

Since 1966, the college has served as the training camp host of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rooney Hall, completed in 1995, is a residence hall which is used by the Steelers during their stay on campus each summer. It is named in honor of the Steelers' founder, Arthur J. Rooney Sr.. The Steelers regularly attract tens of thousands of fans to training camp and the Rooney family in conjunction with the College administration have vowed to keep with tradition and always have the camp open and free to the public.

The site of camp, Chuck Noll Field, is one of the most storied in the NFL and NCAA with Peter King of SI.com describing it as: ". . . I love the place. It's the perfect training-camp setting, looking out over the rolling hills of the Laurel Highlands in west-central Pennsylvania, an hour east of Pittsburgh. On a misty or foggy morning, standing atop the hill at the college, you feel like you're in Scotland. Classic, wonderful slice of Americana. If you can visit one training camp, this is the one to see."

Other sports

The main athletic center is the Robert S. Carey Student Center. It was formerly known as Sportsman's Hall, after the original name of St. Vincent Parish, and Kennedy Hall, after President John F. Kennedy. It contains the gymnasium, swimming pool, student union and fitness center.

In 2011, the Lady Bearcat basketball team, led by All-American Brittany Sedlock, became the first team in school history to qualify for the NCAA Division-III postseason since the school made the move from the NAIA. Ranked among the top-20 nationally throughout the season, the Lady Bearcats were defeated in their opening-round National Tournament game by Greensboro College.

The women's basketball team overcame a major tragedy during the 2010-11 season, with the Christmas Day 2010 death of Kristen Zawacki (1958-2010), the lone women's basketball coach in the program's 25-year history. Zawacki, also the school's Associate Athletic Director, won over 500 games in her career. She was succeeded by assistant coach Jimmy Petruska, who was named interim coach immediately following her death, before being officially named the team's head coach on April 27, 2011.

Residence Life

Housing on campus is available in six residence halls for approximately 1,280 students. First-year students under the age of 21 and living more than 50 miles from Saint Vincent College must reside on campus.

Saint Benedict Hall serves as the center for the first-year student population. Upperclass students are housed in Bonaventure Hall, Gerard Hall, Wimmer Hall, Rooney Hall and Aurelius Hall. Housing in most residence halls in single sex by floor. Aurelius is the oldest dorm, built in 1923. Wimmer Hall was built in 1952. Gerard and Bonaventure, better known as "Gerry" and "Bonny" to students, were built in 1963. Rooney Hall opened in 1995 and Saint Benedict Hall opened in 2002.

Within each residence hall, each area is led by at least one student resident adviser. At St. Vincent, they are known as prefects. Each hall is supervised by a residence hall director and assistant residence hall directors. The latter are known as moderators.

Presidents

Current President

On July 1, 2010, Brother Norman W. Hipps, O.S.B., Ph.D., began his service as the 17th President of Saint Vincent College. Brother Norman formerly served as Executive Vice president of Saint Vincent College from 2002 until June 30, 2010. He served as Dean of the Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Science, Mathematics and Computing. Prior to 2002, Brother Norman acted in the capacity of Provost of Saint Vincent College.

Brother Norman was officially inaugurated as the 17th President of Saint Vincent College on October, 11, 2010.

List of College presidents

• Rt. Rev. Boniface Wimmer, O.S.B. (1871–1887)
• Rt. Rev. Andrew Hintenach, O.S.B. (1887–1892)
• Rt. Rev. Leander Schnerr, O.S.B. (1892–1920)
• Rt. Rev. Aurelius Stehle, O.S.B. (1920–1930)
• Rt. Rev. Alfred Koch, O.S.B. (1930–1950)
• Rt. Rev. Denis Strittmatter, O.S.B. (1950–1955)
• Rev. Quentin Schaut, O.S.B. (1955–1962)
• Rev. Maximilian Duman, O.S.B. (1962–1963)
• Rev. Maynard Brennan, O.S.B. (1963–1968)
• Rev. Fintan R. Shoniker, O.S.B. (1968–1971)
• Rev. Cecil G. Diethrich, O.S.B. (1971–1982)
• Rev. Augustine Flood, O.S.B. (1982–1985)
• Rev. John F. Murtha, O.S.B. (1985–1995)
• Rev. Martin R. Bartel, O.S.B. (1995–2000)
• James F. Will (2000–2006)
• Jim Towey (2006–2010)
• Br. Norman W. Hipps, O.S.B. (2010- )

Commencement Speakers

President George W. Bush spoke at the spring commencement ceremony in 2007. Then-President Towey had previously served as director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Intiatives from 2002 to 2006.

The 2008 speaker was Mike Tomlin, head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. was scheduled to speak in 2009, but decided to withdraw for unknown reasons. He was replaced by J. Christopher Donahue, the Chairman of the Board of the St. Vincent College Corporation. Donahue is president and CEO of Federated Investors.

In 2010, the commencement speaker was Manfred Honeck, director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Controversies

Conflict with faculty

Towey has faced some difficulties in his relationships with faculty members at St. Vincent. In April 2008, he attributed much of the dissension to a clash of cultures with the predominantly Benedictine faculty, who were not accustomed to rapid change, and to the fact that he was "new to academia". In early 2008 a letter to the school board, signed by three-quarters of the school's tenured faculty, said that Towey had created "an unparalleled crisis", accusing Towey of "sanitizing the self-study portion of the school's re-accreditation effort and displaying heavy-handed tactics in the search for an academic vice president," when he hired an untenured academic dean.

Fr. Mark Gruber controversy

In November 2009 reports began emerging in which Towey accused a Priest/Professor, Father Mark Gruber, of sexual misconduct. In August 2009, local police were summoned to campus to investigate alleged instances of child pornography found on an open access computer outside Gruber's office. The police closed the case noting that, in addition to the open access to the computer, there was no evidence a crime had been committed - images of nude men were found, but no subjects could be identified as being under 18. Nonetheless, President Towey, Archabbot Douglas Nowicki and Bishop of the Greensburg Diocese Lawrence Brandt acted to immediately ban Gruber from his pastoral duties and to relieve him from his post as Professor of Anthropology.

Some suggested these actions were in retaliation for Fr. Gruber's outspoken criticisms of the Towey administration. While Towey himself has not addressed these critics, administration spokespeople have denied the charges. Criticisms arguing that the administration perverted canon law in an attempt to subvert longstanding traditions of academic freedom, integrity and collegiality have not been addressed. The American Association of University Professors, alumni of Saint Vincent College as well as thousands of Fr. Gruber's friends and colleagues have come to his defense.

In December 2009, a former student of Gruber came forward stating that he had downloaded the pornography. College officials did not immediately reveal this information to police, who later found out of the man's name from another source. The young man stated that Gruber knew of his actions but did not tell police when questioned because the student had told Gruber in sacramental confession, the contents of which are protected by canon law.

In late 2010 Gruber dropped his defamation lawsuit against the college. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Archabbot Douglas Nowicki (Fr. Gruber's Benedictine superior) stated that during a deposition Gruber "finally had to confront his egregious misconduct." An attorney for the college has stated that Gruber admitted under oath that he created pornographic materials on a college computer, including "grossly inappropriate depictions of himself", and that when Father Gruber was confronted with pornographic photographs during the deposition he admitted creating and e-mailing the images. According to Father Gruber's attorney the evidence at deposition has been taken "completely out of context."

Basilica

Saint Vincent College Basilica

Saint Vincent Parish was founded in 1790. It was the first Catholic parish in Pennsylvania west of the Allegheny Mountains. Father Theodore Brouwers, O.F.M., purchased 300 acres (121 ha) of land called "Sportsmen's Hall Tract." A church was built and dedicated on July 19, 1835. It was named after St. Vincent de Paul because July 19 is his feast day.

The cornerstone of the basilica was laid in 1892, and the consecration took place on August 24, 1905. The basilica was completely restored in 1996, as part of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the college.

Traditions

Each year, on the Thursday before Thanksgiving, the Saint Vincent Community celebrates Founders Day, honoring all those who founded the college and have been a part of its community since its inception. The day features Honors Convocation (held in the Archabbey Basilica), a candle-lit turkey dinner in the gym, Zambelli fireworks and the campus light-up, featuring lighted arches in Melvin Platz.

The Saint Vincent College fight song, "Forward, Saint Vincent," was approved by the college's student government in 1996 and was written by Jen Waldmann, Heather Fields, and Chris Rodkey.

Notable alumni

• Herbert W. Boyer, Founder and Director, Genentech
• John J. Degnan, Vice Chairman, The Chubb Corporation
• Daniel Hugh Kelly, Actor (Hardcastle & McCormick, Cujo, Ryan's Hope)
• Adam Maida, Cardinal Archbishop of Detroit
• Frank E. Resnik (1928–1995), CEO (1984–89) and Chairman (1989–91), Phillip Morris USA
• Mark E. Seremet, Founder and CEO, Take-Two Interactive
• Joseph Yorio, President & CEO, Xe Services, formerly Blackwater Worldwide

See also

• Saint Vincent Seminary
• List of Benedictine Colleges

References

Additional sources

• Oetgen, Jerome (2000). Mission to America: A History of Saint Vincent Archabbey, the First Benedictine Monastery in the United States. Washington: Catholic University of America Press. ISBN 0-8132-0957-9. 

External links

• Official website