Rashford years at SJU
December, 1985
Nicholas S. Rashford, S.J., dean of the School of Management at Rockhurst College, Kansas City, Mo., is elected the 25th president of Saint Joseph's University, succeeding Donald I. MacLean, S.J.
October, 1986
Father Rashford's inaugural week concludes with ceremonies at the Philadelphia Academy of Music.
April, 1987
Saint Joseph's is named one of America's "most competitive colleges" by Peterson's, a distinction it still holds.
October, 1988
The region's first fully-networked living/learning center, $11 million McShain Hall, is dedicated along with a $1M gothic bridge over City Avenue. Named after legendary builder and Saint Joseph's alumnus John McShain, whose first major project was Barbelin Hall some 60 years earlier, the new facility houses 288 students and classrooms on each floor. The fifth-floor executive conference center is named for German retailer Erivan Karl Haub, a noted philanthropist with a deep interest in higher education.
May, 1989
The $60M "Building Bridges" capital campaign is launched.
September, 1989
New master's degree programs are added in Training and Development and Food Marketing, along with a joint M.B.A./D.O. with the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
October, 1989
Legendary singer Tony Bennett highlights the largest homecoming celebration in university history.
January, 1990
Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse re-opens after its first major refurbishing in 40 years.
September, 1990
An EMBA program is added, the university's first venture into executive education.
October 1990
Saint Joseph's is included in the inaugural edition of the Barron's 300: Best Buys in College Education.
January 1991
NBC News reports the beginning of the Gulf War with live coverage of a student vigil at Saint Joseph's University.
September, 1991
An MBA in Pharmaceutical Marketing, the first industry-specific program in the field, becomes part of the curriculum.
October, 1991
SJU cracks the Top 15 for the first time in the U.S. News & World Report regional rankings.
October, 1992
The university dedicates the Chapel of St. Joseph-Michael Smith, S.J., Memorial. It is the university's first freestanding chapel and is named for perhaps the most beloved Jesuit in Saint Joseph's history.
April, 1993
University College, once called the "evening division," celebrates its 50th anniversary.
September, 1993
Saint Joseph's enrolls the largest freshman class in its history. The record of 751 new freshmen would be broken several times over the next decade.
March, 1994
The Peters Collection, a permanent exhibition of Mexican devotional retablos, opens in Regis Hall.
September, 1994
SJU and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital partner for joint allied health programs in physical therapy, nursing, diagnostic imaging, laboratory sciences and occupational therapy.
October, 1994
Albert Reynolds, prime minister of Ireland and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, receives an honorary degree in a special academic convocation.
April, 1995
The Wolfington Center for Ministry, Faith and Service opens in a renovated Gest Hall, adjacent to the Chapel of St. Joseph. It is named and dedicated for Mary Margaret Wolfington, mother of trustee J. Eustace Wolfington '56.
July, 1995
Saint Joseph's University makes its formal debut on the World Wide Web at www.sju.edu.
October, 1996
A new capital initiative, "Campaign 21: Bridge to the World," is launched as ground is broken for a state-of-the-art academic center at 54th and City Avenue. The campaign goal is $40M.
March, 1997
The men's and women's basketball teams become the first from one school to capture Atlantic 10 conference championships in the same season. The men's squad advances to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and finishes No. 12 in the final Associated Press poll.
October, 1997
The College of Business and Administration is named the Erivan K. Haub School of Business as part of a daylong celebration. The Morris Quad, which includes off-campus townhouses for 118 students, is named that same weekend for longtime trustee Michael J. Morris '56.
November, 1997
The first endowed chair in the College of Arts and Sciences is named for Donald I. MacLean, S.J. By the end of the Rashford Years, there will be a total of six endowed chairs at Saint Joseph's University.
January 1998
Project Mexico, the first in a number of service immersion experiences for SJU students, celebrates its 10th anniversary.
October, 1998
Mandeville Hall and the new Haub School of Business are dedicated at 54th and City Avenue. The $25 million facility, with a lead grant of $12.4 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (in support of SJU's food marketing programs), is named for the late Owen A. Mandeville.
May, 1999
The men's rowing team makes its first appearance at Royal Henley Regatta in England.
June, 1999
An international conference, Jesuit Higher Education 21, draws more than 300 college and university educators from around the world to Saint Joseph's.
September, 1999
Saint Joseph's first doctoral program, an Ed.D. in educational leadership, is launched.
October, 1999
The former Villiger building is renamed Post Hall, in honor of John R. Post '60, who supported state-of-the-art technology and networking for the College of Arts and Sciences.
November, 1999
The inaugural class of the SJU Athletics Hall of Fame, including national basketball hall of famer Dr. Jack Ramsay '49, is inducted as part of the 50th anniversary of Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse.
February, 2000
The Haub School of Business and its accounting department receive accreditation from AACSB, the International Association for Management Education, capping a multi-year effort by Saint Joseph's to gain the highest possible endorsement for its business programs.
March, 2000
Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel was the keynote speaker and honorary degree recipient when Saint Joseph's hosted the 30th annual Scholars Conference on the Holocaust.
April, 2000
Saint Joseph's and the University of Pennsylvania co-host the NCAA women's basketball Final Four in Philadelphia.
September, 2000
Saint Joseph's University begins its Sesquicentennial (1851-2001) with the annual Mass of the Holy Spirit. A yearlong calendar of special events highlights the history and heritage of Philadelphia's Jesuit University, including an internationally covered visit and address from Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., superior general of the Society of Jesus.
October, 2000
Saint Joseph's is awarded a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, joining an exclusive group of fewer than 150 universities nationwide to hold both Phi Beta Kappa and AACSB endorsements. SJU also earns its highest-ever regional ranking from U.S. News & World Report, reaching the Top 10 in the Northern Universities category.
December, 2000
Philadelphia's Jesuit University: 150 Years is published to great acclaim by Saint Joseph's University Press.
May, 2001
ABC News journalist Cokie Roberts and her mother, U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Lindy Boggs, are honored at the Sesquicentennial Commencement ceremonies.
August, 2001
The world's first accredited online MBA program in Pharmaceutical Marketing enrolls 19 students from eight states. Master's programs in Financial Services and Human Resources are also added to the graduate business curriculum.
September, 2001
The federally-funded Early Responders Distance Learning Center at SJU is at the forefront of those reacting to the psychological aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
February, 2002
Nicholas S. Rashford, S.J., announces he will complete his term as term as president at the close of the 2002-03 academic year. A national search is begun for his successor.
March, 2002
Saint Joseph's affiliate programs in China expand to six universities in five Chinese cities.
April, 2002
The annual Hand-in-Hand Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary as the university's largest student-run service project. In all, more than half the SJU student body participates in a host of volunteer initiatives that have been recognized nationally for their size and scope.
June, 2002
The Robert M. Gillin, Jr., Boathouse, a joint undertaking with St. Joseph's Preparatory School, is dedicated on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia.
September, 2002
The entering Class of 2006 is the most competitive in university history. More than 7,200 applicants are considered for approximately 1,000 seats.