Saint Joseph's College
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|
| Name |
Saint Joseph's College
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| Address |
PO Box 870
U.S. Highway 231 |
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| Town |
Rensselaer, IN 47978
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| Established |
1889
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| Community |
Urban
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| Type |
Private coeducational
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| Classification |
Liberal arts college
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| Religion |
Roman Catholic
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| Enrollment |
Slightly less than 1000
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| Faculty |
140
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| President |
Ernest R. Mills III
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| Nickname |
St. Joe's
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| Mascot |
Puma
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| Colors |
Purple, cardinal, black
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| Motto |
Religio Moralitas Scientia
(Religion, Morality, Knowledge)
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| Newspaper |
The Observer
|
| Yearbook |
Argus
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| Website |
Link
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|
Saint Joseph's College (SJC; colloquially, St. Joe) is a coeducational, private, Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Rensselaer, Indiana. It founded in 1889 by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. Almost 1,000 students currently attend the college.
The school is known for its unique core education program, which uses an integrated studies format for its general education courses instead of the ubiquitous cafeteria-style method used by most colleges and universities. History, political science, English studies, and philosophy are combined into "core classes" instead of the students taking the subjects are discreet subjects.
The campus has several distinctive features. The Gothic-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 and condemned 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.
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.
History
The school was originally a secondary school established for educating Native Americans.
During the 1960s and 1970s, the Chicago Bears held their training camp at Saint Joseph's Colleget. The 1971 film Brian's Song —about Brian Piccolo, a Chicago Bear running back who died from carcinoma in the 1970s—was filmed on campus. During training camp on 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 for many years.
The main academic building burned to the ground in a disastrous fire in the 1970s. 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. That tradition was ended when a drunken student fell through a glass window in the early 1980s, leading to the prohibition of alcoholic beverages on campus.
Like every college in Indiana, an annual "Lil' 500" race is held. For other schools in Indiana, this event is a bed race or a bicycle race; the version at Saint Joseph's College is a go-kart race. It is long tradition that was nearly ended several times because the weekend largely centers on drinking. However, the event remains popular and brings alumni back to the school every year.
The school's baseball team was runners-up to the Division II National Championship in 1996. The same year, the women's soccer team were the runners-up the Division II National Championship.
Alumni
External link
Last updated: 05-17-2005 18:07:46
