Saint Joseph's College, Indiana

Infobox_University
name=Saint Joseph's College


motto="Religio Moralitas Scientia"
Religion, Morality, Knowledge
type=private coeducational
established=1889
city=Rensselaer
state=IN
country=USA
faculty=89
students=1,031
undergrad=1,030
president=Dr. Ernest R. Mills III
campus=180 acres (0.728 km²)
free_label=Athletics
free=18 Division II NCAA teams, called Pumas
colors=Purple and Cardinal
affiliations=Roman Catholic Church; Missionaries of the Precious Blood (C.PP.S.)
website= [http://www.saintjoe.edu www.saintjoe.edu]

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

The school is known for its groundbreaking, and nationally recognized, Core Education 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.

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 was long vacant but could not be torn down because of its historic status. It has recently been renovated and restored to its historical appearance. The campus also includes a private recreational lake which is an old stone quarry (divers have reported that the lake still contains some of the heavy machinery submerged at that bottom.) The student center houses Core XI, a student-operated bar open to students of legal age to drink.

It has a NCAA Division II sports program 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 just different names for the same species.

The school is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association, 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. Saint Joseph's College has a faculty to student ratio of 1:15. 72% of full-time faculty at Saint Joseph's have their doctorates or terminal degree.

History

.

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.

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. In the same decade, the school was listed as one of the "Top 10 Party Schools" by "Playboy" magazine. 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 holds a go-kart race. The event remains popular and brings alumni back to the school every year.

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.

Alumni

*Major League Baseball 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

External links

* [http://www.saintjoe.edu/ Official website]
* [http://www.saintjoe.edu/athletics Official athletics website]
* [http://www.saintjoe.edu/about/campusmap.html Campus map]
* [http://www.glvc.org GLVC Communication]