Saint Peter's College (New Jersey)

Infobox University


name = Saint Peter's College
motto = "ad majorem Dei gloriam" (Latin: "For the Greater Glory of God.")
established = 1872 by Society of Jesus
type = Private coeducational
affiliation= Roman Catholic (Jesuit)
endowment = $33.45 million [ [http://www.nacubo.org/documents/research/News%20release%20&%20fact%20sheet_2007_NES.pdf All Institutions Listed by FY 2007 Market Value of Endowment Assets With Percent Change Between 2006 and 2007 Endowment Assets] . Published by the National Association of College and University Business Officers on January 24, 2008. Accessed January 24, 2008.]
president = Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D.
city = Jersey City
state = NJ
country = USA
undergrad = 3,200
postgrad = 500
faculty = 118
campus = Urban, 15 acres
colors = Blue and White
athletics = NCAA Division I
mascot = Peacock
affiliations= Association of Jesuit Colleges
website = http://www.spc.edu

Saint Peter's College is a private, coeducational Roman Catholic college in the United States. Located in Jersey City, New Jersey, it was founded in 1872 by the Society of Jesus. Today, Saint Peter's College is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. Saint Peter's College offers over 33 majors to more than 3,200 undergraduate and 500 graduate students. Its college mascot is the Peacock (the women's sports teams are called the Peahens), and its sports teams play in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

The school is located on a 15 acre (61,000 m²) campus 2 mi (3 km) west of New York City. Evening and weekend classes are offered in Jersey City, Englewood Cliffs, and South Amboy.

History

The college was chartered in 1872 and enrolled its first students in 1878 at Warren Street, in Jersey City, on the present site of the St. Peter's Preparatory School. In September 1918, the college was closed, along with several other Jesuit colleges and high schools, because of declining enrollment in the face of World War I. Although the war ended only two months after its closing, and despite clamoring from alumni, it took until 1930 to re-open the college. The college was temporarily located on Newark Avenue, before moving in 1936 to its current location on Hudson (now Kennedy) Boulevard, between Montgomery Street and Glenwood Avenue.

Civil rights have had a long tradition at the college. It was first desegregated in 1936, when the college admitted its first black student. The college granted an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree to Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1965, and the next year it became coeducational.

The college has made an effort to reach out into the New Jersey suburbs, with a satellite campus at Englewood Cliffs opened in 1975 and an extension at South Amboy's McCarrick High School opened in 2003.

Recent years have seen much construction for the college. In 1975, the college constructed the Yanitelli Recreational Life Center, a sports complex. Beginning with the 1983 acquisition of its first residence hall, the college has converted four apartment buildings to dormitory use, and constructed two brand new dormitories.

Recent Developments

Gannon Hall, the science building and one of the first structures on campus, recently underwent an $8.2 million renovation, bringing it up to state-of-the-art standards.

In 2004, the long-awaited pedestrian bridge over Kennedy Boulevard linked the East Campus and the West Campus. As of 2006, the college is embarking on a $50 million capital campaign, designed to raise funds for a new student center.

On December 24, 2006, sitting college President James N. Lougran, S.J. was found dead in his home [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/28/obituaries/28loughran.html Rev. James N. Loughran, 66, College Head, Dies] , "The New York Times", December 28, 2006. Accessed on November 29, 2007.] . On May 10, 2007, the Board of Trustees appointed Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D., as the 22nd President of Saint Peter's College. Dr. Cornacchia is the first layperson to serve as President of the 135 year-old Catholic, Jesuit College in Jersey City, New Jersey.

On the day after his narrow defeat in the 2008 New Hampshire Presidential primary election, Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama held a rally at the college [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/us/politics/10obama.html Obama Swipes at Clinton, but Takes Aim at Bush] , "The New York Times", January 9, 2008. Accessed on January 10, 2008.] .

tudent Clubs and Activities

Saint Peter's College has numerous clubs and organizations that participate in a broad range of activities. Saint Peter's College has over 50 active student-run organizations. Ms. Jan M. Reimer, an alumna of the college, is the current Director of Student Activities.

Cultural:Asian American Student Union (AASU),Black Action Committee (BAC),Indian & Pakistani Culture Club (Indo-Pak),Irish American Club,Italian Club,Latin American Service Organization (LASO),Middle Eastern Culture Club (MECC),Multicultural Heritage Club (MHC),Students of Caribbean Ancestry (SOCA).

Performing Arts:Argus Eyes Drama Society,Dance Team,SPC McMullen Chorale,Voices of Praise Gospel Choir.Pre-Professional/Academic:
Accounting Society,Collins Chemistry Club,
Computer Science Club,
Criminal Justice Student Association,
Delta Sigma Pi,
English Club,Gannon Debate Society,John T. Coughlin History Club,Mendel Biology Society,
Philosophy Club,
Psychology Club,Society of Physics Students,
Sociology Club,Saint Peter's Art, Culture & Entertainment (S.P.A.C.E.),Student Education Association,
Theology Club.

Service-Oriented:
Circle K,Project Peace,Peer Educators.

Special Interest:Alliance of EOF Students of New Jersey (AESNJ),Alpha Phi Delta,Commuter Student Association,Female Organization for Campus Unity & Solidarity (F.O.C.U.S),Protecting & Respecting Individuality Diversity & Equality (P.R.I.D.E),Students Against Violating the Earth (S.A.V.E.),Student Alumni Association (SAA),Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC),Student Entertainment Board,Student Senate.

Honor Societies:
Alpha Phi Sigma (Criminal Justice),
Alpha Sigma Nu (Jesuit Honor Society),
Beta Beta Beta (Biology),
Eta Sigma Phi (Classics),Kappa Alpha Alpha (Honors),Kappa Delta Pi (Education),Kappa Pi (Art),Order of the Cross Keys,
Pi Mu Epsilon (Math),
Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science),
Phi Alpha Theta (History),
Psi Chi (Psychology),
Sigma Tau Delta (English),Will and Ariel Durant Society,Most Noble Order of the Peacock (MNOP).

Publications and Media:Broadcast Club,Pauw Wow (Newspaper),Pavan (Literary Magazine),Peacock Pie (Yearbook).

As of September 2008, a Graduate Student Union, is being formed by current graduate student, Niamh Sarno. The purpose of the GSU is to provide money for underprivileged graduate students to travel to educational leadership conferences throughout the country, and to have speakers talk at the Saint Peter's Lecture Hall, Pope Hall.

Athletics

The college fields 17 athletic teams. The men's teams are known as the Peacocks, and the women's teams are the Peahens; Saint Peter's is the only NCAA Division I institution with this mascot. The baseball, softball and soccer teams play at Joseph J. Jaroschak Field, in Lincoln Park. All other teams play at the The Victor R. Yanitelli, S.J. Recreational Life Center, located on campus. On June 14, 2007, it was announced that the football team would be disbanded. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2904419 St. Peter's drops football program due to trouble competing] . Accessed on November 29, 2007.]

The Saint Peter's College Women's Bowling team has a National Ranking at 17th in the country, the best at the school. [ [http://www.ncaa.com/bowling/rankings.aspx?id=74838 NCAA.com ] ]

Basketball has long been the most popular sport at the college. Under legendary coach Don Kennedy, the men's team gained national attention by defeating heavily-favored and nationally-ranked Duke University in the 1968 NIT Tournament quarterfinals, en route a fourth place finish.

Saint Peter's has won the MAAC conference men's basketball championship and the accompanying automatic bid to the NCAA tournament twice (1991 and 1995), and has appeared in the NIT 12 times, (1957, 1958, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1987 and 1989). The women's basketball team has won seven MAAC championships and automatic bids to the NCAA tournament, (1982, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2002); it also won the MAAC championship in 1983 and 1984, years when the MAAC champion did not receive an automatic NCAA tournament berth.

In recent years the basketball program has seen a resurgence, owing much to the success of Keydren "Kee-Kee" Clark '05. In 2004 and 2005, Clark led the nation in points scored per game, becoming just the eighth player to repeat as NCAA Division I scoring champion. On March 4, 2006, Clark became only the seventh NCAA player to score more than 3,000 points in his career; on the next day, he passed Hersey Hawkins to become the sixth-leading scorer of all time. At the time of his final game on March 6, 2006, Clark held the NCAA all-time record for 3-point shots, with 435. A second fourth-year student and a forward on the basketball team, George Jefferson, died on June 21, 2005, due to a previously undiagnosed heart condition.

John Dunne was named the 14th head coach in Saint Peter’s College men’s basketball history on May 24, 2006. On November 25, 2007, the Peacocks defeated Rutgers University 65-58 at the Jersey City Armory. This victory was Saint Peter's first win against a Big East Conference opponent since knocking off Seton Hall University at the Meadowlands in 1995. [ [http://www.nj.com/sports/jjournal/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1196060317103600.xml&coll=3 Peacocks Strut Their Stuff] by Andrew Cangiano in "The Jersey Journal", November 26, 2007. Accessed on November 29, 2007.]

Alma Mater

The Alma Mater was composed by Frederick Joslyn, with lyrics by Richard I. Nevin.

Hail, Alma Mater, deathless Saint Peter's. Our loving hearts acclaim thy resurrected name.

Nor war nor time has power to bind thee, thine is the spirit proud and free. And as year on year comes winging, we will still be singing praises to thy fame.

Hail, Alma Mater, hallowed Saint Peter's. With each new day we see how much we owe to thee

Truth is our guide, we shall not wander, God is our strength, we shall not fail. And our love will ever bind us, so that death will find us thine eternally.

Peacock mascot

As mentioned above, Saint Peter's College is the only NCAA Division I institution whose mascot is the peacock. This choice was made for several reasons. Primarily, the land on which Saint Peter's now stands was once owned by a man named Michael Pauw, whose last name means "peacock" in Dutch. Second, a section of Jersey City (albeit not encompassing Saint Peter's) is named Pavonia, in reference to the Latinized form of Pauw's name.

In pagan and Christian mythology, the peacock is considered to be a symbol of rebirth, much like the phoenix. For Saint Peter's, it is a reference to the closing and reopening of the college in the early 20th century.

At one point in the 1960s, live peacocks roamed the campus. Many institutions within the college derive their name from the peacock:
*The school newspaper is titled the "Pauw Wow".
*The literary magazine is titled the "Pavan".
*The school's yearbook is titled the "Peacock Pie".
*The drama society calls itself "Argus Eyes", in reference to Argus "Panoptes", who, according to Greek mythology, had his 100 eyes preserved by Hera in the tail of the peacock.
*One of the major dining facilities is named the Pavonia Room.

uccession of Presidents

Notable alumni

*Keydren Clark, Two-time NCAA basketball scoring champion and seventh all-time leading scorer in NCAA history.
*Lawrence R. Codey, New Jersey businessman and cousin of former New Jersey acting governor Richard Codey.
*Joseph V. Doria, Jr., Former mayor of Bayonne, New Jersey, currently New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. [ [http://www.state.nj.us/dca/about/commissioner/index.html About the Commissioner] . Accessed on December 17, 2007.]
*Will Durant, Philosopher and author. He and his wife co-authored the 11-volume history known as "The Story of Civilization". [ [http://www.willdurant.com/bio.htm Will Durant biography] from the Will Durant Foundation. Accessed December 17, 2007.]
*Ken Jennings (1959-), actor. [Janiga, Bruce. [http://www.sondheim.com/features/ken_jennings.html "Side by Side with Ken Jennings"] , "Sondheim.com", undated. Accessed July 23, 2008. "I lived in Jersey City, went to St. Peter's Prep, went to St. Peter's College on a dramatic scholarship."]
* Stanley L. Klos, Author, Professional Basketball Player in Italy, 1994 US Senate Candidate for West Virginia. [ [http://www.spc.edu/Include/Athletics/06mbasketballstats/histseas.htm Saint Peter's College Basketball Single-Season History] . Accessed on November 29, 2007.]
*Thomas P. Mac Mahon, President & CEO, LabCorp, Inc.
*William J. Marino, President & CEO, Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey.
*Senator Bob Menendez, Junior Senator from New Jersey
*Charles F.X. O'Brien, Represented New Jersey's 12th congressional district from 1921 to 1925. [ [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=O000008 Charles Francis Xavier O'Brien] , Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed August 16, 2007.]
*John P. Sheridan Jr., Former NJ Commissioner of Transportation and current President and CEO of Cooper University Hospital. [ [http://blog.nj.com/southjerseylife/2008/02/sheridan_appointed_cooper_ceo.html Sheridan Appointed Cooper CEO] , February 8, 2008. Accessed March 18, 2008.]
*Judge Peter Sheridan, Judge for the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. [ [http://www.usdoj.gov/olp/sheridanresume.htm Peter G. Sheridan resume] . Accessed December 17, 2007.]
*Congressman Albio Sires, Represents ushr|New Jersey|13, former New Jersey Assemblyman and Mayor of West New York, New Jersey. [ [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=s001165 Albio Sires] , "Biographical Directory of the United States Congress". Accessed September 25, 2007.]
*Anthony P. Terracciano, Chairman, Sallie Mae.
*Joseph Patrick Tumulty, Chief of Staff to President Woodrow Wilson.

References

External links

* [http://www.spc.edu/ Official website]
* [http://schools.spc.edu/ Saint Peter's College, Englewood Cliffs]
* [http://schools.spc.edu/?SITE=SA_Undergrad&PG=1 Saint Peter's College, South Amboy]
*Geolinks-US-cityscale|40.727027|-74.071045