U.S.News Latest to Recognize St. Francis for Excellence

Students were met with some good news as they returned to St. Francis College for their first full week of classes; U.S.News & World Report has once again ranked St. Francis as a Top Regional College in the North.

“These rankings have become an annual confirmation of the success of our educational mission at St. Francis,” said Provost Timothy Houlihan. “The consistent recognition tells us that students who choose to use their hard-earned money on us are receiving the education they want, need, and deserve to become our next generation of leaders.” St. Francis was also selected as the fifth most Ethnically Diverse Regional College in the North by U.S.News. “We’re proud that our students in the classroom reflect the world outside our windows,” said Associate Dean Allen Burdowski. “We’ve created an environment where anyone and everyone can come together to learn and be successful.”

Other institutions have also given St. Francis College high marks for a variety of reasons. In August, Forbes.com ranked St. Francis College on its America’s Best Colleges list for the sixth year in a row. Forbes also gave St. Francis one of the highest financial grades in New York on its measure of financial strength and operational soundness of colleges across the country.

“President Obama is now taking up the challenge of providing an affordable college education to all and we are proud to show that we have been fighting this fight since we were founded more than 150 years ago,” said St. Francis College President Brendan J. Dugan ’68. “We know how important a college education is and we want to make sure parents can spend thousands of dollars less than they expect and still get a quality, private college education with opportunities for success.”

The U.S. News rankings are based on a number of criteria including assessments from peer colleges, graduation and retention rates, and alumni giving. In past years St. Francis has also been ranked as a top Comprehensive College and Baccalaureate College.

Other organizations have also ranked St. Francis on their lists, like Best Catholic Colleges (bestcolleges.com) and Financial Return on Investment (College Database).

The attraction to St. Francis is also shown by the increase in students living in campus housing. This fall the St. George Residence Hall welcomed the College’s largest population of students ever, all living just a few blocks from the College. St. Francis has also made room for another large class of more than 580 incoming freshmen.

To keep pace with changing demand, St. Francis continually tries to improve its educational offerings. Two important enhancements are now being offered to students.

Center for Entrepreneurship
Taking advantage of the motivated students and wealth of resources in and around Brooklyn, St. Francis has launched the new Center for Entrepreneurship, run by Executive in Residence Mary Gelormino, M.B.A. Mary has more than thirty years of experience in banking with an emphasis on marketing and new business development. She also has more than twenty years of experience teaching in College and leading seminars.

The Center, under Department of Management Chair Dennis Anderson, is beginning with the course, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, which will guide students through the process of establishing their own business. The course will feature guest speakers who have succeeded in their chosen fields and help students build a network for future success.

New HDTV Studio
The College completely rebuilt its HDTV Studio, giving students access to state-of-the-art recording and production capabilities. The new system also allows students to operate cameras remotely and record events in spaces across campus, all from one central location.

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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St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street, Brooklyn Heights, NY 11201
www.sfc.edu