University News

Young children develop as they explore their environment. Most are able to independently crawl, roll, scoot, creep, or walk around to explore and learn. When they are unable to do this independently they are at a disadvantage. They are limited to what toys are within reach and are often times stationary and only mobile by means of a caregiver leading the exploration. The Physical Therapy Department at Saint Francis University has a solution. In collaboration with the national organization, GoBabyGo , the university will begin producing ride along, modified battery powered cars for children

For the ninth year, Saint Francis University has been named a “Military Friendly School” by VIQTORY. This year, the university earned the organization’s Gold Award , which suggests that its programs scored within 10 percent of the 10 th ranked institution within a given category. This designation reflects the high standards upheld by the university in serving military families. The university's service-focused mission couples well with their duties as active duty or reservist men and women. SFU also welcomes veterans who have honorably served and seek to successfully transition into the

The number one ranked nursing program in Pennsylvania by RegisteredNursing.org has achieved yet another milestone. Saint Francis University’s Nursing Program received notice from the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing that their 2018 National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) pass rate was 100 percent. This news makes Saint Francis Nursing the only nursing program in the state to have a 100 percent first-time pass rate for the past five consecutive years. “We are delighted by this accomplishment, and so grateful for all of the time and effort that the faculty, students, and

The Saint Francis University theatre community lost one of its brightest stars in Anne Crusan ’73 when she recently passed away on August 26, 2018. Anne had a huge presence in the theater department during her time at SFU. After graduation, Anne pursued an acting career in New York City and New Jersey before returning to Pennsylvania to continue her craft. Through the years, Anne acted in many productions and held many roles including Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Mother Superior in Nunsense, Sancho Panza in Man of La Mancha, and many others. A

For Tami Clark, Saint Francis was the last stepping stone on a long journey. After serving overseas with the Army in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, she returned home in 2004 and started a family. While Tami’s education remained on the back-burner for the next several years, her desire to earn her degree was never far from her mind.

Saint Francis University President Fr. Malachi Van Tassell, T.O.R., Ph.D. has appointed Dr. Karan Hinman Powell to serve as interim vice president for academic affairs effective June 4. Dr. Powell will assume the duties of interim vice president when Dr. Wayne Powel, the current provost, steps down at the end of the month. She will continue in the role while a national search for a permanent successor is underway. Fr. Van Tassell thanked Dr. Powel for his nearly twelve years of service as provost (and previously vice-president of academic affairs) at Saint Francis University stating, “I am

The hoop house closed its first semester with a successful harvest, producing over 100 pounds of cold-season crops. The greens were used by Torvian Dining Hall, providing farm-to-table food options for the university. The greenhouse-like structure was built in January to be used by students in the Environmental Studies program . Students in the Sustainability in Food Production course , taught by Professor Marie Olson , grew crops from seedling through harvest, and were responsible for maintaining all aspects of the hoop house. This process allowed them to put their classroom coursework into

Jim Donovan is an Instructor and the Chair of the Fine Arts Department at Saint Francis University. He was also the drummer and founding member of the multi-platinum band Rusted Root from 1990-2005. Currently, Mr. Donovan is the founder and lead singer of Jim Donovan & Sun King Warriors , where their first self-titled album hit the Billboard Americana Charts. Here, he discusses their latest album, We See Through It . This is Sun King Warriors second album. What was the mindset going into the second record? This time around, I aimed at writing music that considered each of the musicians in the

Saint Francis University’s first “Become that Someone” Community Engagement Awards & Community Partner Appreciation Breakfast was held on Monday, April 9, 2018, at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art in Loretto. Lisa Georgiana, Director of the Center for Service and Learning organized the first of what she hopes to be an annual event. “The purpose of the event is to celebrate our community partners, faculty, staff and students who are participating in and initiating community engagement activities and embracing the mission of the University with their hearts for service.” The mission at the

Mr. David Bolt, Vice President of Cormorant Engineering, visited Saint Francis University to do mock interviews with students during the week of March 12th. Bolt has over 30 years of experience in hiring both prospective and veteran engineers. The one-on-one interviews were also filmed for further learning feedback. The purpose of filming the interviews is not for students to manage their behavior, but instead to see how they appear and to notice any nervous habits of which they might not have been aware. Mr. Bolt encourages the students to review the videos, but not have too narrow of a focus