History of the University of Scranton

[3] In 1938, the Christian Brothers renamed St. Thomas "The University of Scranton"[11][12][13] and also began admitting women, but only in the evening college.

[6][14] In the 1920s a few women had been permitted to enroll, including Marywood College student Nellie Brown who took a course required for entrance into medical school.

[3] By the beginning of 1942 Bishop Hafey had come to recognize that the Brothers’ first priority in assigning their manpower went to those schools, like La Salle College in Philadelphia, which they not only administered, but also owned.

[10][15] In February he made an overture to the Society of Jesus inviting them to assume not merely the University's administration, but its ownership (including its debts) as well, an offer they accepted in May.

[16][17][18] In 1941 Bishop William J. Hafey had acquired Dr. Charles E. Thomson's Scranton Private Hospital as part of his plan to expand the University.

"[19] The Christian Brothers, because of their strained finances and the University's low enrollment did not make use of the Scranton Estate before their departure.

[6][22] Because the former Christian Brothers residence on Wyoming Ave. next to Old Main could not accommodate all of the Jesuits, they moved into the Estate, which had been donated by the Scranton family in 1941.

[24][25] Beginning in 1942, the regular four-year course was accelerated and converted into a three-year degree program, done by eliminating summer vacation and reducing holidays, to more quickly prepare graduates for military service.

[28][29] In 1941, Bishop William J. Hafey acquired Dr. Charles E. Thomson's Scranton Private Hospital, called the Annex, on the corner of Wyoming Avenue and Mulberry Street for the University just as enrollment dropped with the beginning of U.S. involvement with the Second World War in Europe.

[30] The school used The University's former building, Old Main, for a couple of years before moving to its present location at 1000 Wyoming Ave.

In keeping with their long-established emphasis on scholastic philosophy, a prescribed sequence of courses covering logic, cosmology, metaphysics, epistemology and ethics was required of all students, regardless of major.

Bill, legislation intended to help veterans reintegrate after the war which included cash payments for college tuition, enrollment exploded.

[33][34][35] In order to accommodate this dramatic increase in enrollment, the University acquired three former Navy barracks in 1947 which they constructed on the 900 block of Linden Street, part of the former Scranton Estate.

[6] Administrative offices and the pre-med program were housed in Old Main while the arts and sciences, business, and engineering divisions held classes in the naval barracks.

[47] The school hoped to move all of its operations to the Scranton Estate, replace the barracks with safer and more permanent buildings, and expand its facilities to better serve its growing student body.

It created four dorms arranged in a quad, providing housing for 200 students: Casey, Fitch, Martin, and McCourt Halls.

When Worthington Scranton had donated his family's estate to the University, he had reserved the former carriage house, which he had converted into an office, the greenhouse, and the squash court for his own personal use.

The center of campus life, at the time of its dedication, Gunster housed a cafeteria, the University bookstore, the 400-seat Eagen Auditorium, lounges, a game room, and a rifle range.

[54][55][56] The final major construction project of the era was creating a classroom building to replace the rest of the navy barracks.

Since the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) was established at the University of Scranton in 1951, participation in the program had been mandatory for freshmen and sophomores.

[76][77] The last change to in loco parentis policies concerned parietals, rules regulating the presence of members of the opposite sex in dormitories.

[85][86][87] On May 31, 1987, Margaret Heckler, the then United States Ambassador to Ireland, became the first woman to deliver the commencement address at the University of Scranton in the school's history.

The campaign includes the DeNaples Center, The Dionne Green, Condron Hall, renovations to the Estate as a new home for admissions and the development of a new science facility.

Other campaign priorities include building endowment for financial aid, scholarships and faculty development and growing support in annual giving.

On May 6, 2010, the university announced plans to build a new apartment style Residence Hall with a food option as well as a new fitness facility on the first floor.

[90] In fall 2011, Scranton welcomed two new facilities to the city's skyline: the Loyola Science Center and an apartment and fitness complex on the 900 block of Mulberry Street.

It is a fitting home to Scranton's rich legacy of science education, and serves as a center of collaborative learning for all members of the campus and community.

In these early years of the 21st century, the University is building on its historical and educational heritage guided by its "Engaged, Integrated, Global" strategic plan for 2015–2020.

Integrated teaching and learning opportunities across disciplines and programs emphasize understanding, discernment and action in a global context.