St. Francis College was founded in 1859 by Franciscan Brothers from Ireland to educate Irish immigrants and help them assimilate and succeed in New York City. The demographics of Brooklyn have changed over the years, but the mission has not. St. Francis still proudly educates immigrants, now from dozens of countries around the world, many the first in their family to attend college.

As a Franciscan institution, we are proud to uphold the traditions of hospitality and care for our entire St. Francis community, no matter their religion, country of origin, or ethnicity.

We want to assure all our students, faculty, and administrators that we will respect their privacy and protect their personal information.

If any student has concerns, we urge you to speak with the Dean of Students, Jose Rodriguez. He may be reached at [email protected] or 718.489.5315.

Faculty and administrators should speak with Richard Grasso. He may be reached at [email protected] or 718.489.3450.

The Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU), of which we are a member, offered this powerful statement on Saturday:

Pope Francis has said that "authentic hospitality is our greatest security against hateful acts of terrorism." As ACCU gathers this weekend in Washington, DC to celebrate the value of diversity within Catholic higher education, we reaffirm the commitment of our institutions to creating inclusive, welcoming campus environments that embrace people of all faiths and cultures. Catholic higher education was founded precisely to serve the children of Catholic immigrants who in their own time were excluded from higher education. This is a legacy that we proudly pledge to continue.

St. Francis College, founded in 1859 by the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, is located in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. Since its founding, the College has pursued its Franciscan mission to provide an affordable, high-quality education to students from New York City's five boroughs and beyond.

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