Saint Francis University

This article is about the university in Pennsylvania. For the college in New York, see St. Francis College. For the university in Indiana, see University of Saint Francis (Indiana). For the university in Hong Kong, see Saint Francis University (Hong Kong). For other uses, see University of Saint Francis.

Saint Francis University (SFU) is a private Catholic university in Loretto, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1847 and conducted under the tradition of the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular. The university is situated on 600 acres (243 ha) in the forests and farmland of Loretto.

Saint Francis University

Former name	Saint Francis College (1847–2001)
Type	Private university
Established	1847; 178 years ago (1847)
Religious affiliation	Catholic Church
Endowment	$51.9 million (2020)[1]
President	Malachi Van Tassell
Academic staff	131[2]
Undergraduates	1,691[3]
Postgraduates	540[3]
Location	Loretto , Pennsylvania , United States 40°30′15″N 78°38′15″W
Campus	Rural, 600 acres (243 ha)
Colors	Red and White
Nickname	Red Flash
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division I – NEC      CWPA
Website	www.francis.edu

History

Saint Francis College was established in 1847 by six Franciscan teaching Brothers from Mountbellew, Ireland, who had been given land in Loretto by Michael O'Connor, the first Bishop of Pittsburgh, to establish a school.^[4] The university was one of the first Catholic universities in the United States and the first Franciscan college in the nation. Although it originally only admitted males, it became one of the first Catholic Universities to become co-educational. Loretto is the site of the first English-language Roman Catholic settlement established west of the Allegheny Front, in what is now the United States, by Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin in 1799.

In 2001, Saint Francis College was approved to become a university by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and renamed "Saint Francis University".

Academics

Saint Francis University enrolls approximately 1,658 undergraduate students (of whom 1,392 are traditional students and 266 are continuing education students) and 527 graduate students.^[5] The university offers 25 undergraduate majors and 7 graduate fields of study (including Physical Therapy, in which the university awards a doctorate) to its students.^[4] The university maintains an average graduation rate of 70.3%.^[2]

Campus

The main building for the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, which also has a number of smaller facilities across the local region, is located on campus. Also on the campus are The DiSepio Institute for Rural Health and Wellness,^[6] the Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation (CSOR),^[7] Center for Watershed Research & Service,^[8] and The Institute for Contemporary Franciscan Life.^[9]

Immergrün Golf Course is a semi-private, nine-hole, regulation-length 3,234-yard, par-36 course on rye grass located on the campus of Saint Francis University at 105 Saint Elizabeth Street. Immergrün has not been altered since Donald Ross built it for the steel magnate Charles M. Schwab in 1917.^[10]

Saint Francis University also runs a campus at Ambialet France in the Midi-Pyrénées.^[11] All classes are in English.

Saint Francis University campus

• 
  The John F. Kennedy Center
• 
  DeGol Field
• 
  North Campus
• 
  Mt. Assisi Gardens, which are located on the former Schwab Estate.

Athletics

Main article: Saint Francis Red Flash

See also: Saint Francis Red Flash men's basketball and Saint Francis Red Flash football

Saint Francis's NCAA Division I program includes 22 varsity teams, with 9 sports for men and 13 for women. The school is a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC).

On March 25, 2025, Saint Francis announced that it would move to NCAA Division III beginning with the 2026–27 athletic year.^[12]

Notable alumni

• Jeff Bower – professional basketball manager and college basketball coach.^[13][14]
• Captain Paul Boyton (1848–1924) - author, inventor, and member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.^[15]
• James Casorio (Master's Degree in 1995) – Representative Pennsylvania House of Representatives 1997–2010.^[16]
• Dominic Joseph Mike Ryba (1903–1971) – professional baseball player.^[17]
• Calvin Fowler (1940–2013) – professional and Olympic basketball player.^[18]
• Mike Iuzzolino – professional basketball player and coach.^[19]
• Lorenzo Jerome - professional football player.^[20]
• Nick Kolarac – professional soccer player.^[21]
• Rob Krimmel – college basketball coach.^[22]
• John Michael Kudrick – Eastern Catholic prelate and the current bishop of Parma for the Byzantines.
• Scott Layden – professional basketball manager and team owner.^[23]
• Brennan Manning (christened Richard Francis Xavier Manning) (1934–2013) – Christian author (e. g., The Ragamuffin Gospel), friar, priest and speaker.
• John A. Nagy – author on espionage and mutinies of the American Revolution.
• John Naioti (1921–1990) – professional football player.^[24]
• Steve Oroho – Republican Party politician, who has served since January 2008 in the New Jersey Senate, where he represents the 24th Legislative District.
• Tadeusz Piotrowski – author and sociologist.^[25]
• Kevin Porter – professional basketball player.^[26]
• Charles M. Schwab (1862–1939) – industrialist and member of the American Metal Market Steel Hall of Fame.^[27]
• Brian Sell – Distance runner and member of USA 2008 Olympic men's marathon team.^[28]
• Maurice Stokes (1933–1970) – professional basketball player; the NBA Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year Award is named in his honor.^[29]
• Thomas Joseph Tobin – Retired bishop of Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island.
• Norm Van Lier (1947–2009) – "Stormin' Norman," professional basketball player.^[30]
• Jason M. Walsh - District Attorney of Washington County, Pennsylvania.
• Justin Walsh - Court of Common Pleas Judge in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.