St. John's University (New York City)

	St. John's University Coat of Arms
Motto	Educatio Christiana Animae Perfectio (Christian Education Perfects the Soul)
Type	Private school
Established	1870
Endowment	$500 million
President	Rev. Donald J. Harrington
Academic staff	1,456
Undergraduates	15,092
Postgraduates	5,254
Location	Queens, New York, USA
Campus	Urban, 105-acre (425,000 m²) Queens campus
Athletics	17 BIG EAST, Division I, NCAA teams
Mascot	Red Storm
Website	www.stjohns.edu

St. John's University is a private Roman Catholic university that was founded by the Vincentian Fathers in New York City. The primary campus is located in Jamaica, Queens, a neighborhood in the NYC borough of Queens. It is known for its programs in the liberal arts, business, pharmacy, and law. St. John's has over 140,000 alumni, many of whom reside in the Greater New York Metropolitan Area.[1] As of 2006, the university had a total undergraduate and graduate enrollment of 20,346 students, making St. John's University one of the largest Catholic universities in the United States. It is also the home of the St. John's University strike of 1966-1967

History

St. John's University was founded in 1870, by the Vincentian Fathers of the Roman Catholic Church in response to an invitation by the first Bishop of Brooklyn, John Loughlin, to provide the youth of the city with an intellectual and moral education. Following the Vincentian tradition, the university sought to provide an education that encouraged greater involvement in social justice, charity, and service.[2] Originally located in Brooklyn, St. John's moved to its current 100 acre location in Queens during the 1960's. Until 2003, St. John's was primarily a commuter school, but since that time the university constructed several dormitories allowing the student population to include a higher number of students from outside the New York Area. It now has an enrollment of over 20,000 students in six schools and colleges spread across five campuses in New York and Rome.

Tuition

The annual tuition rate at St. John's University is currently $26,200 [3] per academic year for undergraduates(exclusive of housing), $30,200 for pharmacy majors (Pharm.D), and $38,500 for Law School students. [4] This is over a 250% increase in tuition in about 10 years. In 1994, St. John's University tuition was $9,400.00 without housing. [5]

Recent News (2007)

St. John's along with several other Univerities settled among allegations of receiving kickbacks from student loan corporations. New York State attorney general Andrew Cuomo (son of former NY Governor, and St. John's University Alum, Mario Cuomo). St. John's agreed to settle for about $80,000.00. [6]

Scandals

In the 1961 gambling charges caused 37 arrests of players from 22 colleges including Columbia, St. John's, New York University, North Carolina State and Connecticut. [7]

In July 23, 1990, several members of the St. John's University Lacrosse team (Walter Grabinowitz, Adam Gerber, Michael Calandrillo, Matthew Grandinetti, and Andrew Draghi) were acquitted of gang rape charges of an African American female [8] [9][10]. One student Joseph Reilly pleaded guilty to second degree sexual abuse. [11]. Another Adam Gerber pleaded guilty to sexual assault [12] and a third Michael Calandrillo to two counts of sexual misconduct and unlawful imprisonment. [13]

In 1997, A St. John's University professor was attacked and left for dead in her car at a St. John's University Parking lot. [14].

In March 2001, Two St. John's University students were shot on a campus parking lot by another man. One man Cory Prince, a St. John's University football player, was left paralyzed by the attack. [15]

In 2002, St. John's University stated that it would eliminate 6 athletic programs (of which 5 were mens teams and one womens team) in order to comply with Title IX gender equality rules. It than added a mens lacrosse team. [16] which had been closed since the rape incident

"In November 2003, Willie Shaw, a senior guard, and former star Marcus Hatten—in what can only be called a serious lapse of race-profile-defusing street smarts—were busted for smoking pot as they sat in a white Caddy with Maryland plates outside the St. John’s off-campus players’ residence. Three weeks later, Mike Jarvis, the Storm coach who had led the team to twenty-win seasons in four of five years, was fired."[17]

In 2003, St. John's basketball player Grady Grady Reynolds [18] was charged with third-degree assault and second-degree harassment against a member of the St. John's University Womens Swim team Rachel Seager. Grady contended that the accuser was a stalker [19]. He was represented by St. John's University Professor and Lawyer Oscar Holt. (which may have been a conflict of interest due to his ties to the university) [20] He received an ACD and was ordered to undergo anger management. [21]

In 2004 the St Johns basketball team were accused of gang raping a woman in the locker room. It was later revealed they hired the prostitute for $1000 to perform sexual acts on them. They then paid her $6 which caused her to go to the police and make false accusations that she was raped. The several players involved were expelled. [22] [23]

In September 2005, a woman was allegedly raped in the dorms at St. John's University. The accused, Alleged rapist Rodney Syndor, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 3 years probation. [24] [25]

A player was being given a monthly allowance to be on the team, which is illegal according to NCAA standards, along with free tuition and school books. "Fearful of impending NCAA penalties regarding alleged under-the-table payments to Keita, a six-ten Ivory Coast native, St. John’s announced a self-imposed two-year ban on postseason play, taking itself out of the Big East tournament."[26]

In 2007, A student with a history of psychiatric problems, [27] brought a rifle onto the St. John's University campus. He was restrained and arrested. [28]. He had been charged with weapons charges [29]

Academics

Baccalaureate, master, law, and doctoral degrees are conferred by the university, and over 100 programs are offered through the St. John's College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Peter J. Tobin College of Business, School of Risk Management, College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, College of Professional Studies, School of Education, and School of Law.

Rankings

St. John's is ranked #7 nationwide in The Princeton Review for "Least Happy Students."[30][31]
St. John's was recently named one of Intel's Top 10 Wireless Universities in the nation. [32] St. John's University is ranked top 10 nationwide by The Princeton Review for "Professors Make Themselves Scarce" [33] [34].
Top 10 for "Professors Make Themselves Scarce"[35]
Number 19 nationwide for "Professors Make Themselves Scarce" in 2007 [36]
Top 10 for Most Competitive Law School Students [37]

The US News & World Report Best Graduate School Rankings consistently places St. John's University in the following categories:

Top 100 Law Schools [38]
Top 100 Graduate Schools in Education [39]

Additionally, St. John's has been named one of Intel's Top 10 Wireless Universities in the nation two years in a row (2006,2007). [40]

Campuses

St. John's University Locations:

Queens - The main campus of St. John's University is located in the Queens borough of New York City. This 105 acre campus houses several academic buildings, 6 residence halls, athletic facilities, the St. Augustine Library, and provides easy access to Manhattan via the subway system. The Queens campus features stone buildings and student residence halls. Facilities include laboratory and classroom buildings, the main collections of its 1.7 million-volume library; and athletic facilities for students and St. John's Division I athletic teams.

Staten Island - In addition to the Queens campus, St. John's also has two other residential New York City campuses, one located in lower Manhattan, and the other in Staten Island. Today the Staten Island Campus has expanded to include 16.5 acres serving over 2,000 students who are enrolled in undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The 16.5 acre campus features lawns, apartment-style student residences, and architectural styles that range from red-brick colonial to the modern. The campus is located in the residential Grymes Hill section of Staten Island.

Manhattan - St. John’s officially opened its Manhattan Campus in June 2001, after its merger with The College of Insurance (TCI). Through the merger, TCI became the School of Risk Management and operates as a unit of the Peter J. Tobin College of Business. This ten-story, prize-winning "vertical campus" features an five-story entrance atrium, 16 conference and seminar rooms, dormitories, 24 high-tech classrooms, and a variety of computer labs. [41]

The locations in Oakdale and Rome are home to several graduate programs, but do not have residence halls. The Rome campus offers programs in government and business, while the Oakdale location offers graduate programs in education, psychology, crimial justice, and library science.

Centers & Institutes

St. John's University houses several centers, committees, and institutes. Some of the most notable are listed below, but reflect only a portion of the programs operating out of the university.

The Center for Community Services seeks to provide community health and human services to members of the community surrounding St. John's University who could not otherwise afford it. This facility houses the Center for Psychological Services, Speech and Hearing Center, and Reading and Writing Education Center. Previously located on St. John’s campus, these centers now are easily accessible to the entire community with a new location on Union Turnpike.

File:STJLaw2.jpg

St. John's Law School

"The Vincentian Center for Church and Society at St. John's University Center has deep roots in the Catholic Church, and supports the community at large with a number of service and educational programs. It is the site of many academic and cultural events, and the home of the Vincentian Chair of Social Justice, the Institute on Poverty Studies, and the Religion and Science Dialogue. The Center also conducts and disseminates research on topics related to poverty and social justice, and acts as a clearinghouse for gathering, developing and exchanging Vincentian-related information." [42]

"Committee on Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) was established in 1994. Its policy is grounded in the University's Vincentian mission and a commitment to global education, as put forward by St. John's President Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M. St. John's is aware of the increasing importance of the U.S. economy on Latin American and Caribbean trading sectors through NAFTA and other agreements, and promotes an increase in education in that field through the various research and courses associated with the Committee." [43]

The Italian Cultural Center was established at St. John's in 1992. The center conducts various educational and cultural activities that increase the awareness of Italian-Americans of their heritage, and strives to foster a greater appreciation of the significant contributions of Italians to American culture. In addition, the center seeks to preserve, communicate and celebrate Italian and Italian-American culture, values, and heritage, while supporting the mission of the University.

"The Center for Professional Education offers, workshops, certificate programs and professional designation examination preparation courses, as well as consulting services to industry, governments and regulators worldwide. For more than 30 years, the Center has served the educational needs of more than 10,000 professionals in the insurance, risk management and financial services industries."[44]

"Institute for Biotechnology gives students an understanding of the scientific theory and advanced laboratory research techniques vital to success in pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries through graduate level course work leading to a masters degree. The Institute draws upon such disciplines as microbiology, biochemistry and molecular and cellular biology to aid in the advancement of pharmaceutical biotechnology. This interdisciplinary program is a joint effort of the College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions and St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences."[45]

University Gallery "began with its first season in September, 1994. The gallery is dedicated to the exhibition of all forms of contemporary art, and it brings to the Queens campus works of art created by well known and emerging artists of regional, national and international backgrounds. The gallery is housed in Sun Yat Sen Hall." [46]

The Institute for Asian Studies, founded in 1959, is housed in Sun Yat-Sen Hall. The main goal for all programs at the Institute of Asian Studies is to foster, facilitate and enhance a global, multicultural, multiethnic and multilingual education. Sun Yat-Sen Hall, where the Institute for Asian Studies is housed, reflects East Asian architecture and is home to the Dr. M. T. Geoffrey Yeh Art Gallery (University Gallery). [47]

Demographics

As of 2006, St John's has a total student population both undergraduate and graduate enrollment of 20,346 students. The undergraduate enrollment of 15,092 students are from 88 countries and 40 states. The 5,254 graduate school students are represented by students from 53 countries and 32 states. [48]

There are 1456 faculty members, over 90% of whom hold doctoral or equivalent degrees in their field. St. John's boasts an 18:1 faculty to student ratio.[49]

There are over 147,800 St John's alumni, many of whom reside in the greater metropolitan area. Standard and Poor's consistently ranks St. John's graduates among the top universities in the nation with alumni who hold executive positions at Fortune 500 companies.[50]

St. John's was recently named one of the Top 10 Wireless Universities in the nation. The university maintains over 2,900 microcomputers on campus, and has over 100 high-tech multi-media classrooms. St. John's provides every undergraduate student with a wireless internet capable laptop. St. Augustine Library, on the Queens campus, is completely wired and provides students access to over 1.7 million volumes, making it one of the largest university libraries on the east coast.[51]

Athletics

Big East Conference

St. John's 17 NCAA Division I teams compete in the Big East Conference, with the exception of the fencing and lacrosse teams, which compete in the ECAC.

Men's Sports

Basketball
Soccer
Baseball
Lacrosse
Tennis
Golf
Fencing

Women's Sports

Basketball
Soccer
Softball
Volleyball
Tennis
Track and Field
Cross Country
Golf
Fencing

St. John's Athletic Accomplishments:

Basketball - St. John's is the 5th most successful program in college basketball history (1673 wins), and has the 7th best winning percentage (.680) in the NCAA. St. John's boasts the 7th most NCAA tournament appearances (27), two Wooden National Player of the Year Award Winners, 11 consensus All-Americans, 6 members of the Hall of Fame and has sent 59 players to the NBA. The Red Storm play most of their home games at Madison Square Garden,"The World's Most Famous Arena", while their early non-conference games are held at Carnesseca Arena on the St. John's campus in Queens.[52]

Soccer - St. John's soccer has recently climbed to national prominence, appearing in 15 straight NCAA tournaments, advancing to the Sweet 16 in each of the last ten seasons, and the Final Four on 3 occasions. They have captured 11 Big East Championships, including the 2006 season title, and in 1996, St. John's won the NCAA National Championship. Their home games are hosted at Belson Stadium, a state of the art 2,300 seat stadium on the university campus.[53]

Baseball - The St. John's Red Storm have been to the College World Series 6 times, recorded 26 NCAA appearances, 6 Big East Championships and have sent 70 players on to professional baseball careers. Most recently, St. John's won the Big East Regular Season Title two of the last three years (2005/2007). The 3,500 seat "Ballpark at St. John's" was renamed "Jack Kaiser Stadium" in 2007 after the Hall of Fame Coach and former St. John's Athletic Director. The stadium is one of the largest college baseball stadiums in the northeast, and is a featured venue on the EA Sports MVP NCAA Baseball video game.[54]

Fencing - The St. John's fencing program has also attained national prominence. In 2001, St. John's won the NCAA Fencing Championship. The team has ranked in the top five each of the last 10 years, and finished 2nd in the NCAA during 1995, 2000, 2002, and 2007 seasons. In addition to team accolades, St. John's has won eleven NCAA Individual National Championship titles.[55]

Campus Renovations

The 2004-2005 academic years saw $35 million in capital projects, including the completion of St. Thomas More church, the DaSilva academic building, Carnesecca Hall Fitness Center, and Belson Stadium. In 2005 the science labs and student life facilities were the target of an additional $60 million in capital enhancements.

St. John's University has recently constructed the Taffner Athletic Field House, a $23 million initiative. The two-story, 38,000 sq. ft. structure adjacent to Carnesecca Hall includes:

Four full size basketball courts-two for Student Life, two for Varsity Basketball
Academic support classrooms and study space for student-athletes
Office and meeting space for recreation and intramural activities
Audio/visual rooms for all varsity athletic teams
Dedicated locker rooms for both student recreation and men's and women's basketball
New offices and meeting rooms for men's and women's basketball
Exclusive Sports Medicine and weight training facilities

Carnesecca Hall and University Center renovations include:

A 6400 sq. ft. Health Center in Carnesecca Hall, for use by Student Life and Athletics, including weight training equipment, aerobic and dance studios and a student lounge
Reconfigured office and meeting space for Student Life and Academic Clubs
Additional audio/visual rooms for all varsity athletic teams.

The current capital campaign has surpassed the $200 million mark prompting the Board of Trustees to increase the goal to $250 million.