With the gift of $50,000 for winning the 2017 St. Francis College Literary Prize, Dana Spiotta (Innocents and Others - Scribner) now has one of the most important gifts of all, the gift to spend more time working on new projects.

From looking for love or a teaching job, examining 'rape culture' to making psychology more accepted internationally, seven St. Francis College faculty members have recently published work on a variety of topics.

As most of you now know, the White House has announced plans to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in the coming months. I am writing today to profess that St. Francis College, a college dedicated to hospitality in the most profound sense of the term, stands with all members of our community who are directly or indirectly affected by this decision. As I wrote to you just a few days ago, "...we should heed the words of Pope Francis: 'authentic hospitality is our greatest security against hateful acts...'" In our deeds we can be living examples of what it means to affirm the value and dignity of each person.

With a new president ready to begin the school year, St. Francis College heads into the Labor Day weekend with an honor from Washington Monthly magazine, named for a second year in a row as a Best Bang for the Buck among colleges in the northeast.

Following up on the success of the 5 year Combined Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Applied Behavioral Psychology, St. Francis College is now accepting students into a stand-alone two year graduate program for a Master's Degree in General Psychology.

Every year Forbes offers prospective college students and their parents a way to find the best colleges for their money, and every year St. Francis College is offered as one of the choices. With the release of the 2017 rankings, St. Francis has now been ranked one of America's Top Colleges all 10 years that Forbes has published the list.

In a stellar show of appreciation for Brendan J. Dugan '68, the deceased former President of St. Francis College, friends of the College donated $375,000 at the first Brendan J. Dugan '68 Memorial Meadow Brook Club Golf Outing, on June 20.

A record number of mid-career writers are looking to claim the 2017 St. Francis College $50,000 Literary Prize, 50 more entries than for the 2015 edition of the contest.