• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Saint Vincent College Announces Formation of Three New Schools

Posted on: Tuesday, 6 April 2004, 06:00 CDT

LATROBE, Pa., April 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Saint Vincent College today announced the formation of three new schools that will enhance academic excellence by providing a broad range of interdisciplinary opportunities for its students.

James F. Will, President of Saint Vincent College, said that this reorganization of 16 academic departments is the centerpiece of the College's strategic plan to achieve national academic prominence. "We have been working with the faculty and moving toward this organizational model for nearly three years," Mr. Will said. "We are now ready to proceed to put them in place." The College plans to name each of the schools for major benefactors sometime in the future.

The three new schools -- The School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Computing and Information Science, The School of the Humanities and Fine Arts, and The School of Communication, Education, and Social Sciences -- follow the formation of The Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics, and Government which was created in the summer of 2001 by bringing together the Departments of Business Administration, Economics, Political Science, and Public Policy.

"The success of the McKenna School in providing a top-notch business education and placing graduates in some of the nation's top graduate schools and in productive employment with major corporations has resulted in significant growth since it has made Saint Vincent very attractive to prospective students. This has provided the confidence for us to move forward with our plans for the other three schools since it benefits both the students and the academic quality of the school itself," Mr. Will said.

The School of Natural Sciences will encompass the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Computing and Information Science, Environmental Science, Physics, and Mathematics. It will also include the Environmental Education Center.

The School of Humanities and Fine Arts will include the Departments of English, Fine Arts (art and music), History, Liberal Arts, Modern and Classical Languages, Philosophy, and Religious Studies. It will also encompass Saint Vincent Gallery and the College's Stage and Theatre programs.

The School of Communication, Education, and Social Sciences combines the Departments of Communication, Education, Psychology and Sociology/Anthropology. It will also include the pre-college activities of the Pathways to Success Program and the outreach programs of the Saint Vincent College Prevention Projects.

"The concept on which we built our first school is the guiding principle for these new schools," Mr. Will explained. "Each school will be distinguished by a demanding academic curricula, outstanding faculty with top credentials, opportunities for cross-disciplinary interaction, and the integration of discipline-specific educational goals rooted in Saint Vincent College's core curriculum."

"These schools will be built on the foundation of strong academic departments that have outstanding reputations," Mr. Will continued. "These include consistently high acceptance rates into prestigious graduate and professional programs, the professional activities of the faculty, and the success of graduates in obtaining productive employment."

Mr. Will also announced several administrative appointments in conjunction with the reorganization: Br. Norman W. Hipps, O.S.B., Executive Vice President and Dean of the School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Computing and Information Science; Fr. Rene M. Kollar, O.S.B., Dean of the School of Humanities and Fine Arts; Dr. Thomas C. Mans, Vice President and Chief Academic Officer and Dean of the School of Communication, Education, and Social Sciences; Dr. Lucas C. Lamadrid, Vice President and Chief Student Affairs Officer; and James A. Caridi, Assistant Dean of Students to Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students.

Saint Vincent College is a Catholic, liberal arts college in Latrobe, Pennsylvania offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in more than 20 fields. Founded in 1846, it is sponsored by the Benedictine monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey.

Saint Vincent College

CONTACT: Don Orlando of Saint Vincent College, +1-724-537-4560

More News in this Category