villanova university

Radnor Township, Pennsylvania, USA Campus: Suburban, 254 acres (1.03 km2) Colors: Blue and White Nickname: Wildcats Mascot: Will D. Cat Website: www.villanova.edu Philadelphia portal

Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. Founded in 1842 by the Augustinian monastic order, the university can trace its roots to old Saint Augustine's Church in Philadelphia, which the Augustinians founded in 1796, and to its parish school, Saint Augustine's Academy, which was established in 1811. Villanova, named after Saint Thomas of Villanova, is the oldest and largest Catholic university in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.[1] Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Campus 2.1 Main Campus 2.2 West Campus 2.3 South Campus 2.4 Environmental commitment 3 Academics 3.1 University rankings 3.2 Admissions and retention statistics 4 Student life 4.1 Orientation 4.2 Blue Key Society 4.3 Campus ministry and service 4.3.1 Special Olympics 4.3.2 Habitat for Humanity 4.3.3 Pastoral Musicians 4.3.4 Engineers Without Borders 4.4 Rays of Sunshine 4.5 Greek life 4.5.1 Sororities 4.5.2 Fraternities 4.5.3 Service fraternity 4.6 Villanova Emergency Medical Service 4.7 Campus publications and media 4.8 NROTC 5 Athletics 5.1 Men's basketball 5.2 Track and Field 6 Traditions 6.1 The university seal 6.2 The Liberty Bell's "Sister Bell" 6.3 Campus myths 7 People 7.1 Commencement speakers (in year order) 8 Notes and references 9 See also 10 External links //

History

In October 1841, two Augustinians from Saint Augustine's Church in Philadelphia purchased the 200-acre (0.81 km2) "Belle Air" estate in Radnor Township with the intention of starting a school. The school, which was called the "Augustinian College of Villanova," opened in 1842. However, the Philadelphia Nativist Riots of 1844 that burned Saint Augustine's Church in Philadelphia caused financial difficulties for the Augustinians, and the college was closed in February 1845. The college reopened in 1846 and graduated its first class in 1847. In March 1848, the governor of Pennsylvania incorporated the school and gave it the power to grant degrees. In 1859, the first master's degree was conferred on a student.[2] In 1857, the school closed again as the demand for priests in Philadelphia prevented adequate staffing, and the crisis of the Panic of 1857 strained the school financially. The school remained closed throughout the Civil War and reopened in September 1865; since then it has operated continuously.[3]

The first great expansion of Villanova began in the late 1890s. Desiring an institution