College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University
Private liberal arts colleges in Minnesota From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Private liberal arts colleges in Minnesota From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University are two closely related private, Benedictine liberal arts colleges in Minnesota. The College of Saint Benedict is a college for women in St. Joseph and Saint John's University is a university for men in Collegeville. Students at the institutions have a shared curriculum and access to the resources of both campuses. Together, the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University offer over 70 areas of study to undergraduate students, plus graduate programs in nursing and theology.
Motto | Sic Luceat Lux Vestra |
---|---|
Motto in English | So Let Your Light Shine |
Type | Private liberal arts colleges |
Established | 1913 |
Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic (Benedictine) |
Academic affiliations | Phi Beta Kappa, Association of Benedictine Colleges and Universities NAICU[1] |
Endowment | $86.7 million (2020)[2] |
President | Brian J. Bruess |
Provost | Richard Ice |
Academic staff | 300 full-time; 52 part-time |
Undergraduates | 1410 |
Location | , , United States |
Campus | Rural |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division III – MIAC |
Mascot | Bennies |
Website | www |
Former names | Saint John's Seminary Saint John’s College (1857–1883)[3] |
---|---|
Motto | Induamur Arma Lucis |
Motto in English | Put on the Armor of Light |
Type | Men's college |
Established | 1857 |
Endowment | $206.0 million (2020)[2] |
Budget | $109.8 million (2016)[4] |
President | Brian J. Bruess |
Undergraduates | 1481 |
Location | , , United States 45°34′51″N 94°23′33″W |
Colors | Red and blue[5] |
Nickname | Johnnies |
Mascot | Rat (unofficial) |
The College of Saint Benedict opened in 1913, with six students enrolled, and grew out of St. Benedict's Academy, which was founded by Saint Benedict's Monastery in 1889. The Benedictine community incorporated CSB in 1961.[6]
In addition to its undergraduate offerings, CSB offers three graduate nursing tracks[7] that confer Doctor of Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing degrees.
Saint John's University is the oldest continuously operating institution of higher learning in Minnesota. It was founded in 1857 by the Benedictine monks of Saint John's Abbey. The Benedictine community incorporated SJU in 2012.
In addition to its undergraduate offerings, SJU includes Saint John's School of Theology and Seminary[8] (SOT), a graduate school that confers Master of Divinity and master of arts degrees and also prepares seminarians for the priesthood.
Minnesota Public Radio began on January 22, 1967, when KSJR signed on from the campus of Saint John's University. The station's director of broadcasting was SJU alumnus Bill Kling.
SJU has produced its own coarse-grained bread, Johnnie Bread, since 1856, and used the proceeds to fund projects such as the Abbey Church.[9]
Saint John's University operated St. John's Indian Industrial School, a Native American residential school from 1885 to 1896. In 1888, Indigenous residential school students represented 47 percent of the university's student population.[10][11]
Starting in 1955, CSB and SJU began offering joint evening classes, where men and women attend classes together on both campuses. They began sharing a common academic program in the 1960s, and a classes now are co-educational and taught by a shared faculty of approximately 300 professors, mostly full-time, permanent appointees. About 3,000 students are enrolled in CSB and SJU.
Prior to 2022, the two institutions were led by separate presidents. Brian J. Bruess became the first person to serve as president of both the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University on July 1, 2022, succeeding transitional presidents Laurie Hamen and James Mullen.[12]
Ninety percent of CSB and SJU graduates finish in four years, 95% of CSB and SJU students receive financial aid, and 95% of CSB and SJU alums rate their college experience as good or excellent.[13] CSB and SJU have produced four Rhodes Scholars[14] and nine Truman Scholars.[15] CSB and SJU are also a consistent producer of Fulbright scholarship winners. From 2013 to 2020, 39 students from CSB/SJU received Fulbright Scholarships.[16] CSB/SJU has also been recently recognized as a top producer of Peace Corps volunteers.[17]
The most popular majors at CSB, by 2021 graduates, were:[18]
The most popular undergraduate majors at SJU, by 2021 graduates, were:[19]
85% of CSB and SJU professors are full-time, the student-to-faculty ratio is 12:1, and the average class size is 19.[20][21]
Phi Beta Kappa is the nation's oldest academic honor society. CSB/SJU's Phi Beta Kappa chapter, Theta of Minnesota, was established in 2009.[22]
CSB and SJU have achieved national recognition for strength in study abroad and international education opportunities. The Institute of International Education ranks CSB and SJU among the top baccalaureate institutions in the nation for the number of students who study abroad.[23] According to Open Doors 2018, CSB and SJU ranked second in the nation among undergraduate institutions for participation in semester-long study abroad programs.[24] There are 17 semester-long study abroad sites available on six different continents. These destinations include: Austria, Chile, China, France, Germany, Greece/Italy, Japan, London, Australia, Guatemala, South Africa, Spain, Northern Ireland and multiple cities in Republic of Ireland.[25]
CSB and SJU enroll approximately 250 students from 50 countries and offer 200 undergraduate courses that have a global focus. In 2012, CSB and SJU received the Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization.[17][26]
In 2017, an anonymous donor provided a $10-million gift to create the Center for Ethical Leadership in Action at the College of Saint Benedict. This gift is now used to fund student experiences and research as well as provide financial assistance for students completing unpaid internships.[27]
The campuses are located on 3,500 acres (1,400 ha) of forests, prairies, and lakes. Since CSB and SJU are located about three and a half miles apart, a regular inter-campus bus service[28] known as "The Link" connects the campuses.
Marcel Breuer, renowned Brutalist architect, designed several buildings on the Saint John's campus in the 1960s, including the Saint John's Abbey Church and bell banner; Alcuin Library; Peter Engel Science Center; the Ecumenical Institute, and Saints Thomas, Bernard, Boniface, and Patrick Residence Halls.[29]
The central cores of the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University are both listed as historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places.[30][31]
The campus area first appeared as a census-designated place (CDP) in the 2020 Census with a population of 1,585.[32]
CSB and SJU were listed in "The Princeton Review's Guide to 361 Green Colleges: 2016 Edition" as an institution that "demonstrates notable commitments to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation."[33] The campuses each have their own sustainability office to foster a strong culture of sustainability among the students and the broader community. The institutions signed the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) in 2007, which formalized their goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2035. Dramatic steps have been taken by CSB/SJU to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In the most recent report, Saint John's reported a 56 per cent reduction in emissions since 2008 levels.[34] Both institutions also complete STARS reports on sustainability and are signatories of the Catholic Climate Covenant.[35]
Saint John's Abbey Energy Farm. The Saint John's Abbey is well known for having one of the largest solar fields in the state.[36] The original 3.9-acre facility was built in 2009, and its tracking panels provide the university with about 4% of its annual energy needs and up to 20% of its real-time needs in peak conditions. In 2014, the Solar Farm was expanded to include 616 additional fixed panels.[37][38] These new panels will allow the Solar Farm to produce more than 600 kilowatts of electricity—enough energy to power up to 30% of the SJU campus in peak conditions, and 6% of its energy annually. This project creates a research opportunity for students and others to compare the performance differences between the two types of panels.[39]
Fine Arts Programming is a department of CSB and SJU that presents professional performances and art exhibitions from a range of national and international artists, and also supports and enhances the academic mission of CSB-SJU through its programming, resources, and personnel. Events take place in either the Benedicta Arts Center, a performing and visual arts center located on the CSB campus, or the Stephen B. Humphrey Theater or Alice R. Rogers Gallery and Target Gallery in the Art Center at SJU.[40]
The Benedicta Arts Center is home to Escher Auditorium, Gorecki Family Theater, Colman Black Box Theater, Darnall Amphitheater, Helgeson Dance Studio, Gorecki Gallery & Gallery Lounge, the BAC Box Office, and classroom and rehearsal spaces, faculty and staff offices, and other music, theater, and art-related spaces.[41]
Both the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University are residential liberal arts colleges that require students to live on-campus for four years.[42]
The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University both consistently rank among the top 100 liberal arts colleges in the country. In 2017, U.S. News & World Report ranked St. John's University as tied for the 77th-best liberal arts college in the United States,[43] and College of St. Benedict as tied for the 87th-best liberal arts college in the United States.[44]
CSB and SJU are two of the nation's best colleges for students seeking great academics, outstanding career preparation, and generous financial aid, according to The Princeton Review's book Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Best Value Colleges and What It Takes to Get In – 2015 Edition.[45]
CSB and SJU were rated very highly in MONEY's list of Best Liberal Arts Colleges for 2016 (SJU was No. 3, while CSB was No. 11) and lower as Best Colleges overall (SJU was No. 25, while CSB was No. 47). In the Best Colleges list, CSB and SJU were the only two institutions in Minnesota ranked in the top 50.[46][47] They also rated well in MONEY's 2015 lists.[48]
The Saint John's Senate (SJS) is SJU's elected student government, and the Saint Ben's Senate (SBS) is CSB's elected student government.
The Senates, while individually governing in the interest of their own student body, work closely together with students, faculty, staff, and university administrators to enhance all aspects of student life.
All student media are run independently of the CSB and SJU administration.
The Saint John's Bible is an entirely handwritten and illuminated Bible, believed to be the first handwritten and illuminated Bible commissioned by a monastery since the invention of the printing press. It is viewable in The Saint John's Bible Gallery in Alcuin Library and is cared for by the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library (HMML), an independent nonprofit located on the campus of Saint John's.
The College of Saint Benedict (CSB) and Saint John's University (SJU) are members of the Division III level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), competing in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC).[53] Their athletic teams are respectively known as the Bennies and the Johnnies.
Saint John's (SJU) has been in the MIAC since the 1920–21 academic year, and competes in 11 intercollegiate varsity sports, which are: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, ice hockey, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field and wrestling.
The Johnnies finished the 2012 season second with a MIAC record of 14–6 and a total of 29 wins. This tied an SJU record for most wins in a season. The team also qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1998. This was the third time the Johnnies were able to claim the MIAC Playoff championship.[54] The head coach, Jerry Haugen, has coached the SJU baseball team for 36 seasons with a career record of 665–567–5. He is in the top 25 on the NCAA Division III most winning active coaches win list.[54]
SJU tied for fifth and played in the playoffs. The SJU basketball team ended the 2012–2013 season with a loss to Augsburg in the quarterfinal round of the MIAC playoffs. Their record for the season was 74–67. Three Johnnies earned All-MIAC recognition. The head coach of this team is Jim Smith, and he has a 755–535 career record. The 2013–2014 season will be his 50th season coaching the Johnnies.[55]
The cross country team of Saint John's finished fourth of 27 teams at the NCAA Central Regional. They followed behind St. Olaf, Central of Iowa, and Luther of Iowa. The Johnnies were ranked seventh in regular season. The 2012 SJU cross country team earned U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches' Association All-Academic recognition.[56]
St. John's is widely known for its football program, which consistently ranks in the top 25 in the nation at the NCAA Division III level. They had a 653–251–24 record following the 2019 season.[57] SJU is a 34-time conference champion, and four time national champion, having most recently won in 2003 against the University of Mount Union by a score of 24–6.[58] Their former rivalry with the nearby University of St. Thomas, who in 2021 moved to NCAA Division I, was considered to be one of the greatest rivalries in Division III football, with games regularly drawing tens of thousands of fans and national media attention.[59] Former St. John's offensive tackle Ben Bartch was drafted in the 4th round (116th overall) by Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2020 NFL draft. He is the first MIAC player to be drafted into the NFL since 2003.
The 2012 SJU golf team was ranked third in the final Golf World/Nike Golf Coaches' Division III poll. They were ranked behind Oglethorpe (Ga.) and Methodist (N.C.). The Johnnies moved up a total of 15 spots throughout the year.[60]
The 2012–2013 SJU hockey season ended in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men's Hockey Tournament in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The Johnnies lost to Wisconsin-Eau Claire 4–2. Wisconsin was ranked fourth and had beaten the Johnnies earlier in the season 5 to 1. SJU's record was 16–8–4 (9–4–3 MIAC).[61]
Thomas Haigh, an instructor in the St. John's department of mathematics, founded the St. John's Rugby Club in the spring of 1968. A former St. John's Prep School student, he learned the game while an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. Rugby is a club sport at Saint John's.[62] The Saint John's University rugby team captured the National Small College championship with a 31–16 win over Duke University Sunday, April 28, 2013, at Infinity Park, Glendale, Colo. They repeated this accomplishment again, defeating New England College 37–25 in a comeback win on April 27, 2014, at Infinity Park. A total of 211 teams competed for the National Small College championship, which is based on men's enrollment (schools must have fewer than 4,500 male students to compete in this division).[63][64]
SJU opened its new soccer complex in the 2013 season. In 2012, the Johnnies ended the soccer season with a 9-6-4 (6-2-2 MIAC) record and finished fourth.[65]
The SJU track and field team is the reigning MIAC outdoor champion for 2023 and won the indoor and outdoor championships in 2022. Saint John's 4x100 meter team also won the NCAA Division III national championship in 2019 with a team of Nick Gannon, Drew Shanebaur, Brady Labine, and Ryan Miller.
Seniors Mitch Hagen and Chris Stevermer will compete at the NCAA Division III Championships on March 15–16.[when?] Hagen is ranked fourth in the 2013 tournament. Stevermer was third at regionals and is unranked in the tournament. Both competed in the tournament in 2012, but lost against higher-ranked opponents. Four other Johnnies will compete in the national tournament. Ryan Arne, Ryan Michaelis, John Scepaniak, and Nick Schuler are all appearing at the national tournament for the first time.[66]
The club was founded in 1986 by Peter Farrell, under faculty advisement of Brother Dietrich Reinhardt, OSB. The club is a non-varsity, athletic program affiliated with and partially funded by SJU Student Services. A student board of directors consists of a president, vice-president, treasurer and secretaries that help run the administrative part of the club. The Johnnies participate in the Men's College Lacrosse Association and the Upper Midwest Lacrosse Conference.[67] The Johnnies have been the UMLC Division II Champions in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2014. They have earned a trip to the MCLA Division II National Championship Tournament in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014—appearing in the Final Four of the Tournament in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013 and 2014. The streak of 10-straight appearances in the National Championship Tournament is an MCLA record. The Johnnies were the National Runner-Up in 2006, 2007 and 2014.[68]
Saint Benedict (CSB) joined the MIAC in the 1985–86 academic year, and competes in 12 intercollegiate varsity sports, which are: basketball, cross country, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field and volleyball. In 2019 the athletic teams at CSB were officially rebranded from the "Blazers" to the "Bennies".
In the history of CSB Athletics, 36 teams have won conference titles and seven other playoff titles, while making 53 team and 80 individual national postseason appearances. CSB finished second in the MIAC All-Sports rankings in both 2023 and 2024. CSB has had 1,033 all-conference student-athletes, 110 All-Americans, and 24 conference coaches of the year.
CSB basketball has won 15 conference titles. CSB basketball coach Mike Durbin is MIAC career wins leader and celebrated his 500th win in the 2008–2009 basketball season.[69]
CSB runner Fiona Smith has won six individual NCAA DIII National Championships in 2023 and 2024, including indoor 3K & 5K (2023 and 2024), cross country (2023), and outdoor 5K (2024). Bennie Jaylyn Ahlberg also qualified for the 2024 NCAA DIII women's outdoor pole vault.[70]
CSB golf is coached by Daryl Schomer, who started as head coach in the 2011–2012 season.[71] In his first season at CSB as head coach, Schomer led the Blazers to finish third in the MIAC.[72] The Blazers finished in fifth place at the 2012 MIAC Championships. The Blazers shot the seventh-best round of the tournament in the final round, led by a 79 from Bridget Cummings, who placed 11th individually.
CSB soccer has won five conference titles.
In 2024, CSB Swim & Dive was named a CSCAA Scholar All-American Team, for the 13th straight year.[73]
Bennie hockey is coached by Lindsay Macy and assisted by Dale Sager.
CSB volleyball had made appearances in the NCAA National Tournament 14 times, most recently in 2012, and has won the MIAC Conference Championship seven times, most recently in 2009.[74] The volleyball team has been coached by Nicole Hess since 2009, with assistant coaches Amanda Anderson, Theresa Naumann, and Heather Piper-Olsen.[75] Coach Nicole Hess achieved her 100th win as a coach on November 1, 2011, against Gustavus Adolphus College.[76]
CSB and SJU offer a variety of club sports for students to stay active and involved. At CSB, club sports include crew, dance team, figure skating, lacrosse, Nordic skiing, rugby, soccer, clay target team, ultimate Frisbee, and volleyball. At SJU, club sports include hockey, crew, lacrosse, Nordic skiing, rugby, clay target team, ultimate Frisbee, and volleyball.
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