LEFT: In 1866, Fr. Barbelin purchased a new tract of land, measuring 395 by 295 feet, for the University, just east of Girard College in North Philadelphia. Under the direction of Burchard Villiger, S.J., a temporary church was constructed first at 17th and Stiles Streets. After the completion of the Church of the Gesu in 1888, the original church was renovated to become the first college building on the site.

RIGHT: Today, Saint Joseph’s University is part city, part suburbs. The central location allows students to experience the kinetic energy and opportunities of urban life and enjoy the ease and sprawling green spaces of the Main Line suburbs.

Hawk Hill spans 125 acres in western Philadelphia and Montgomery County. There are 83 campus buildings and more academic opportunities than ever: 55 undergraduate day majors and 67 minors, over 20 degree completion and certificate programs, including online options, and 55 graduate programs.

LEFT: Exterior front view of Barbelin Hall with two students walking, 1975. As of 1976, there were two distinct kinds of alumni chapters, geographical (Philadelphia, Atlantic City, New York City, South Jersey, Trenton, Washington, D.C., and Wilmington) and professional (accounting, law and medicine).

RIGHT: Exterior view of Barbelin Hall 2021. Today there are six regional and five affinity chapters, six programmatic areas, including diversity and inclusion and career connections, and seven ambassador areas, including Puerto Rico, Atlanta and Pittsburgh.

LEFT: View of Mass of the Holy Spirit in the Field House, Oct. 8, 1963. In 1963, the first Mass of the Holy Spirit was held with the Celebrant facing the congregation. The Mass of the Holy Spirit, originally the Mass of the Holy Ghost, was held annually in various notable locations on campus beginning Sept. 15, 1851.

RIGHT: Mass of the Holy Spirit 2021. Now known as the Mass of the Holy Spirit, it continues to be held at the start of each fall semester in Saint Joseph’s Chapel to celebrate the opening of the academic year and to ask for the Holy Spirit’s blessings and divine guidance, care and hope.

LEFT: Students processing by the Cardboard College* and Veteran's Barracks as part of the 1957 commencement. In 1955, the Alumni Association started its first ever scholarship to support juniors experiencing financial difficulties, to fulfill their senior year and become graduates of Saint Joseph’s College.

* In 1947, to solve the increased need for more classrooms due to the GI Bill, the College purchased a former Naval Operations building from a base in Solomon, Maryland. The building was erected on the grounds of what is now Mandeville Hall. It had 11 classrooms, two lecture halls, nine offices and a student lounge. It got its name because the whole building shook when classes changed. It was demolished in 1960 when Bellarmine was opened for classes.

RIGHT: Commencement 2018. Thanks to the generous donations of our alumni and community networks, Saint Joseph’s University has had over 500 scholarships and more than $81 million raised to support our Hawks and help them reach commencement.

LEFT: Several women students from the first co-ed class standing on an inside stairwell, 1970. On October 23, 1969, the Board of Trustees gave approval to admit women into the undergraduate day program. Women had been enrolled at the University going back as far as the night program in 1915, but fall 1970 saw 160 women enter as freshmen, nearly 30% of the entire class.

RIGHT: McNulty Scholars at graduation, 2018. There are over 5,000 women enrolled in different degree programs at the University and females make up 47% of alumni. Young female alums currently comprise six of seven existing roles on the National Alumni Board Executive Committee.

LEFT: Young Alumni Association members and their guests attending formal dinner, 1949. Within a week after the call for dues for the 1948-49 Alumni Association was sent, $500 had been collected. The annual dues requested were $2 for young alumni and $5 for alumni of 10 years or more.

RIGHT: Young Alumni Association Reception, 2019. The first Young Alumni Beer Garden was held in 2016 during Hawktoberfest and has become a preeminent event for alumni of 10 years or less.

LEFT: Couple in dress clothes with Barbelin building in background, 1980. The 1980s introduced the first Hawktoberfest, created to bring together alumni, including the Alumni Association’s presentation of the Shield of Loyola. The highlight of the four-day celebration was a concert by Tony Bennett in Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse.

RIGHT: Hawk Mates Robert Muller ’13 and Rosella Romano ’13 are pictured near Barbelin Hall for their engagement photos in 2019.

LEFT: Exterior view of steps in Barbelin quadrangle with Rob McChesney, S.J., and two students descending steps, 1990. Two years later, the Class of 1996 — the 100th of the Alumni Association — entered the University with 558 students from 18 states and nine foreign countries. Forty percent were in the top fifth of their class, 15% were legacy students and 10% were students of color.

RIGHT: The latest incoming class of Hawks has continued to expand the diversity of Saint Joseph’s. The Class of 2025 is made up of more than 25% students of color and comes from 25 different states and 10 foreign countries, as well as from Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico.

LEFT: View of Saint Joseph's College Alumni Board of Governors and their guests during quarterly meeting, Sept. 19, 1955. Included is Joseph S. Hogan, S.J. In 1961, the Hogan Award — created in honor of Fr. Hogan to be awarded to an individual who exemplifies the Christian principles of faith, hope and love and outstanding loyal service to Saint Joseph’s University — was first bestowed at the annual Alumni Communion Mass and Supper.

RIGHT: Photo of National Alumni Board virtual meeting, 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 NAB meeting was held virtually. Despite the distance between them, the team came out of the meeting with even more ideas and energy than ever before.

LEFT: J. Joseph Bluett, S.J., Robert Cranage and Ray Trainer of the Alumni Association check total funds raised on blackboard during fundraising drive, 1959. The 1958/59 fundraising drive sought to raise $2,385,000 to erect four new structures on campus: the library, new classroom building, a student center and a faculty residence. The push for more space was due to a jump in enrollment, going from 500 to 1,200 in undergraduates and over 2,000 in the evening division.

RIGHT: Saint Joseph’s Day 2021 raised over $500,000 in a single day to support a variety of giving initiatives. The Saint Joseph’s Fund, which directly supports student scholarships and financial aid, raised over $1.3M in 2021 to benefit current Hawks. Stay tuned for Hawks With and For Others Day of Giving in spring 2022!

LEFT: Trustee Michael Bantom ’73 in a game against Mount St. Mary’s in 1973. The Hawks men’s basketball team has been playing in Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse since 1950 and the women’s basketball team since 1974. The Fieldhouse was the first project to be planned in conjunction with the Centennial Celebration of the College and was named to honor the 2,114 alumni who served in four wars since the founding of the University. In 2009, the Fieldhouse was renovated and renamed the Michael J. Hagan ’85 Arena, adding an additional 1,000 seats, mainly in the student section, for alumni, students and friends to show their support.

RIGHT: In 1997, the University became the first Atlantic 10 member school to win both men's and women's basketball championships in the same season. This year, a full student section cheered for the women’s and men’s basketball teams as they both secured wins for the first home games of the 2021 regular season in the Michael J. Hagan ’85 Arena.