Largest Incoming Class, Most Applications in History

More than 550 St. Francis College freshmen, the largest class in history, packed the College gyms Tuesday to celebrate Terrier Tuesday for the start of the 2008-09 school year.

Student Government Association (SGA) President Jamaal Womack emceed the event, which included a scavenger hunt, 3-point shootout and raffles for prizes like t-shirts an iPod Touch and Nintendo Wii.

"Terrier Tuesday was an enormous success this year," said SGA President and captain of the Men's NCAA Division I Basketball team Jamaal Womack. "The energy and participation showed how excited the incoming freshmen were to join our SFC family. It was a remarkable sight to see so many new faces fill up both sides of the gymnasium and is a testament to the enormous progress St. Francis College is making and showed that we have a very bright future."

Freshmen also signed up for a variety of clubs and activities at the College, like The Voice student newspaper, Troopers acting club and SFC Dance Team.

"An event like this lets the new students meet their fellow classmates in a relaxed and fun environment. It's a great way to start the year," added Ruben Gonzalez, Assistant Director of Student Activities.

New St. Francis President Brendan J. Dugan '68 welcomed the class as the College continues to celebrate 150 years of Franciscan education. A week of events to celebrate President Dugan's formal inauguration begins September 29 with an Academic Symposium and Ice Cream Social for students.

"One of the best things we can do as far as making the college experience as beneficial as possible is to get our students involved in more than just coursework," said President Dugan. "We know that students who take an active role in the St. Francis community not only perform better in class, but are more likely to see their education through to the end and are more successful both in life and career once they do graduate."

Also new to the College is a renovated sleek and stylish cafeteria with modern, Frank Gehry designed furniture. Computer labs and lecture halls were renovated, equipping them with the latest available technology for experimentation and learning.

"We are always trying to improve the College in every way possible," said June McGrisken, Vice President for Finance & Administration. "A key part of that is to always make sure the physical spaces where our students come every day are the best they can be."

Student Housing also received a major push this summer with the College's first long term agreement aimed at greatly increasing the number of students who can live at or near campus.

In the past month, St. Francis College was ranked in the Top 5 of New York City schools by Forbes.com and one of the Top Baccalaureate Colleges in the North by U.S.News & World Report.

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