Box List SJU Collection
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Saint Joseph’s University Archives Drexel Library 5600 City Ave Philadelphia, PA 19131 610-660-1900 Collection Title: Saint Joseph’s University Records (formerly Saint Joseph’s College) Date Range: 1851-2019 Bulk Dates: 1960-1990 Finding Aid created by: Lesley Carey and Christopher Dixon, 2019 Creator: Saint Joseph’s University (formerly Saint Joseph’s College) Extent: 815.92 linear feet Location: Archives and Special Collections, basement floor, Drexel Library, and Hopkins Room, 3rd floor, Post Learning Commons. Abstract: The Saint Joseph’s University Records (formerly Saint Joseph’s College) houses the institutional, and organizational records of Saint Joseph’s University. This collection, which dates from 1851-2019, with bulk dates of 1960-1990, consists of photographs; including negatives and slides, correspondence, documents; including records, minutes, memoranda and reports, ephemera, objects, memorabilia; including audio and video recordings, scrapbooks and yearbooks which document and evidence the history of the administrative and academic units and activities of SJU’s administration, faculty, staff and students. Because of SJU’s association with Old Saint Joseph’s Church and the Jesuits who founded it, this collection not only documents the University’s history and activities but adds to the knowledge of Catholic History in the City of Philadelphia and its surrounding areas. Saint Joseph's University which is currently a Jesuit, Catholic co-educational institution, began as an all-male college in 1851. It is an institution whose history is intertwined with the religious, educational, and social history of the city of Philadelphia as well as the history of the Catholic church in Philadelphia. Old St. Joseph's Church was founded by Father Joseph Greaton (1679– 1753), an English Jesuit who came to Philadelphia from Maryland in 1729 to establish a mission. Father Barbelin was a pastor and educator who founded Saint Joseph’s College continuing the work of Father Greaton. He founded Saint Joseph's Hospital and established Saint Joseph's College, Philadelphia, serving as its first and third president. This collection gives a view of the history of Catholic Education in the Philadelphia area. While not complete in all areas and series, it speaks to the history and migration of Catholic schools in the Philadelphia area from their downtown locations, to the 1920s migration of many schools to the surrounding suburbs. Language: The bulk of the materials are in English. There are also some materials in Latin, French and Italian. Acquisition information: Materials have been collected from various departments and offices of Saint Joseph’s University, Saint Joseph’s College and from Old Saint Joseph’s Church where the school originated. There have been various donations. For more details, ask in the Archives. Access Restrictions: This collection is open for researchers, however, there are some restricted materials which are noted in the box list. Copyright: Researchers are responsible for determining copyright of materials used in their publications. Advice on determining copyright information is available at the University. Preferred citation: [item], folder (if titled or numbered), box, Saint Joseph’s University Records, Saint Joseph’s University Archives and Special Collections. History: Saint Joseph's University which is currently a Jesuit, Catholic co-educational institution, began as an all-male college in 1851. It is an institution whose history is intertwined with the religious, educational, and social history of the city of Philadelphia as well as the history of the Catholic church in Philadelphia. Saint Joseph’s College opened on September 15, 1851, with 30 students attending Mass at Saint Joseph’s Church on Willings Alley and then going on to their assigned classes, near Walnut and Fourth Streets, one block from Independence Hall, in a building adjacent to the church. Since 1741, a Jesuit college in Philadelphia had been planned for by Joseph Greaton, S.J., the first resident pastor of Old St. Joseph’s. Fr. Greaton’s plans were delayed by the suppression of the Jesuits (1773-1814) and dissension within the Philadelphia Catholic community. Saint Joseph’s College was founded by Felix J. Barbelin, S.J. Father Barbelin was also its first president. In January 1856, the College moved from Old Saint Joseph’s to a larger site on Filbert Street. Due to financial difficulties, the college returned to its Willings Alley location in 1860. Shortly after, Saint Joseph’s struggled to remain in existence throughout the Civil War as enrollments were much smaller. With the purchase of a city block between 17th and 18th Streets, fronting on Stiles Street, as a new site, Saint Joseph’s future improved. Burchard Villiger, S.J., one of the original members of the faculty, became its president in 1866. A steady and strong growth, both in student enrollment grew and more academic programs were offered by September 2, 1889, when the College moved from Willings Alley to Stiles Street. In November 1922, a building campaign to raise $1,000,000 was organized and successfully implemented by Matthew Fortier, S.J. Subsequently, Saint Joseph’s College was able to purchase 23 acres in the Overbrook area at the western edge of the city. Construction of a building in modern collegiate Gothic architectural style began in 1925. Its dedication took place on November 14, 1927. Since that move, Saint Joseph’s has been located on City Avenue. In 1943, an evening college was founded. It was also at this time that Saint Joseph’s acquired several homes adjacent to the campus, which were converted to its first student residences. Through the 1960s, Saint Joseph’s experienced even more physical growth. Five residences were added to the campus, including the nine-acre estate of Margaret Gest, a Jesuit faculty residence, the Villiger classroom building, a science center, the Drexel Library building, a six-story student dormitory and expansion of the Campion Student Center. In the fall of 1970, the College began accepting women as full-time students, officially becoming a co-educational institution. The Secretary of Education of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania recognized Saint Joseph’s as a university on July 24, 1978. The corporate charter was formally changed to reflect university status on December 27, 1978. From 1978 through 1982, the University experienced a strong period of growth and development. The University added a College of Business and Administration to complement the existing College of Arts & Sciences, and added graduate programs including health administration, criminal justice, gerontology, public safety and computer science. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, Saint Joseph’s shifted dramatically from a commuter school with a Philadelphia base to a residential institution drawing a majority of its students from outside of Pennsylvania. As the University welcomed larger classes, the number of full-time faculty increased by nearly 80 percent. Approximately 45 Jesuits live on campus with 15 serving as faculty (as of the 2016-2017 year). The University's Jesuit community lives in the Loyola Center, directly across the street from Barbelin Hall. The Loyola Center joins Manresa Hall, the infirmary for Jesuits. The property features a Carriage House which serves as a meeting place and guest house. Other Jesuit residences include St. Alphonsus House (at 5800 Overbrook Avenue) and Faber Hall (39 Berwick Road). The University extensively uses its Jesuit identity in its branding. It began the Magis ("greater") campaign in 2013 to highlight commitment to living "For the greater glory of God" (Ad maiorem Dei gloriam), the motto of the Society of Jesus. SJU also promotes the Jesuit principle of cura personalis or "care for the whole person." Undergraduates must complete a general education program that focuses heavily on traditional liberal arts disciplines. Every general education class is titled "154", which stands for the year 1540 AD when the Society of Jesus was accepted by the Pope. On September 27, 2015, Pope Francis, a Jesuit, made a stop at the university during his two-day visit to Philadelphia. To accommodate the increased student body, Saint Joseph’s added the McShain Hall residence center, Rashford and Lannon Halls and the Michael J. Morris Quadrangle townhouses. A new Chapel of Saint Joseph, named for revered longtime administrator Michael J. Smith, S.J. was built in 1995. Mandeville Hall was built to house the renamed Erivan K. Haub School of Business, and the original Villiger building on Overbrook Avenue was renovated, made the new home of the University’s social science departments and re-named John R. Post ’60 Hall. The 2008 purchase of the adjacent 38-acre Episcopal Academy in Merion was Saint Joseph’s largest expansion since the move to City Avenue. It was then named the James J. Maguire ’58 Campus and is home to multiple academic departments, athletic fields, the Saint Joseph’s University Gallery and the Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support. That same year, the University opened Hawks Landing, a parking and retail facility on 54th Street. The following fall, the Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse was expanded into the Michael J. Hagan ’85 Arena. The John R. Post ’60 Academic Center and the John and Maryanne Hennings Post Learning Commons were completed in 2012, bringing high-tech facilities and collaborative learning environments to the University with a three-story, addition to the Drexel Library. The new Villiger Hall, a 400-bed residence hall for first-year students opened in August 2012, on the corner of Cardinal and City Avenues. In 2012, Saint Joseph’s acquired the former Cardinal’s Residence from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Contiguous to the University’s 48-acre Philadelphia campus, the 8.9-acre property includes a three-story, main house and two additional buildings. The property has been renamed the Marcy Dugan Wolfington Campus and the main building has been transformed into the Maguire Wolfington Welcome Center.