Bellarmine University
Encyclopedia
Bellarmine University is an independent, private
, Catholic university
in Louisville, Kentucky
. The liberal arts
institution opened on October 3, 1950, as Bellarmine College, established by Archbishop
John A. Floersh
of the Archdiocese of Louisville and named after the Cardinal
Saint
Robert Bellarmine
. The name was changed by the Board of Trustees in 2000 to Bellarmine University. The university today is organized into six colleges and schools and confers numerous Bachelor's
and Master's
degrees in more than 50 academic majors, along with three doctoral degrees; it is currently classified as a Master’s university.
The university has a current enrollment of over 3,200 students on its main 135 acre (0.5463261 km²) academic and residential campus located in the Belknap
neighborhood of Louisville
. At its spring commencement on May 14, 2011, the school graduated 482 undergraduate and graduate students, contributing to a total of 780 graduates for the school year, up from 700 the previous year.
The university offers a large number of extracurricular activities to its students, including athletics, honor societies, clubs and student organizations. Bellarmine's athletic teams are known as the Knights. The university is a member of NCAA Division II and competes in the Great Lakes Valley Conference
for most sports, except men's lacrosse which competes at the NCAA Division I level in the ECAC Lacrosse League
. Bellarmine men's basketball team won the 2011 NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Tournament
, the first national championship in school history. Alumni and former students have gone on to prominent careers in government, business, science, medicine, education, sports, and entertainment.
(1950–1972), Dr. Eugene V. Petrik (1973–1990) and Dr. Joseph J. McGowan (1990–present). Each president is said to have been the right president for the time in which he has served. Horrigan, elevated to Domestic Prelate by the pope
in 1955, led the school during its formative years, laying the spiritual
, moral
, and intellectual backbone. Petrik strengthened Bellarmine's financial footing. McGowan has taken the foundations laid by his predecessors and has led the school in a massive building program, culminating thus far in his Vision 2020 plan. In addition, Fr. Raymond J. Treece served as interim President for the 1972-73 school year between Presidents Horrigan and Petrik and Dr. John Oppelt served as acting President during a sabbatical by President McGowan in 1999.
The first public announcement concerning the establishment of Bellarmine College was made in November 1949 by the Archbishop
of Louisville, John A. Floersh
. He selected Alfred F. Horrigan and Raymond J. Treece, associate editors of the Louisville Archdiocesan newspaper, The Record, to begin the school. These two men designed a curriculum
and the school's core philosophy
, taking cues from The Catholic University of America
in Washington, DC, and seeking advice from a number of Catholic institutions, including the University of Notre Dame
, the University of Scranton
, and the University of St. Thomas
in Houston, Texas
.
In 1950, The Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville founded Bellarmine College with a pioneer class of 115 freshmen. The only building, Pasteur Hall, was still without its front door on the first day of classes. Archbishop John A. Floersh called the school into existence at its first Convocation, saying, “We are looking forward to the day when the college ranks with the great colleges of our country.” From its opening day under founding President Fr. Alfred F. Horrigan, Bellarmine welcomed people of all faiths and races. In 1953 the college added The Administration Building (now Horrigan Hall). At its first commencement in 1954, Bellarmine graduated 42 students. The Korean War
had interrupted or ended the educations of many in the pioneer class, but the school went forward against rumors of closure. In December 1956, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
formally announced Bellarmine's accreditation. Enrollment rose from the initial 115 in 1950 to 1,033 in 1959.
In 1967, Thomas Merton designated Bellarmine as the official repository of all his manuscripts leading to the formation of Bellarmine’s Catholic identity in the inclusive Merton spirit. And in 1968, Bellarmine College merged with Ursuline College
, becoming co-educational, and also by mutual agreement, independent of the Archdiocese. The school now had its own self-perpetuating Board of Trustees.
In May 1971, President Horrigan issued a report describing the state of Bellarmine College, especially in light of the Second Vatican Council
, noting that the school's board of trustees consisted of representatives from a number of groups, reflecting the "open, progressive, ecumenical and experimental spirit" of that papal council. Also mentioned were the various distinctions achieved by Bellarmine's students, including 14 Woodrow Wilson Fellowships, seven National Science Foundation
Fellowships, three Fulbright Scholars, two Danforth Fellowships and two East-West Fellowships, achievements which he attributed to Bellarmine's commitment to excellence.
During the 1970s, the college welcomed its second president when Msgr. Horrigan resigned in 1972. His vice president, Fr. Raymond J. Treece, served as interim president for one year. Enrollment had fallen sharply, to 1,306 by 1973, and several years of deficit budgets put the school at risk of closure. The Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Eugene V. Petrik of California to the presidency in 1973 and he quickly began to revitalize the college with new programs and directions. He added the first graduate program – the MBA
in 1975 – found resources for marketing and publicity, and brought enrollment back above 2,000. The school also added women’s basketball in 1973, and men’s soccer and women’s volleyball in 1976.
The 1980s saw another decade of growth. Enrollment rose from 2,284 to 2,660. The Brown Activities Center (named for George G. Brown), Wyatt Center for the Arts (named for Wilson W. Wyatt), Norton Fine Arts Complex (named for Jane Morton Norton), Alumni Hall (Humanities Building), Maurice D.S. Johnson quadrangle (named for former board chair) all were added during these years, along with the W. Fielding Rubel School of Business and the Donna and Allan Lansing School of Nursing and Health Sciences (1984). The subject of changing the name of the school from "Bellarmine College" to "Bellarmine University" had been broached, but it was decided that the school should become a university in fact before it became one in name. More opportunities were added for women to participate in athletics, including softball, track, cross country, tennis and field hockey. A $20 million capital campaign would propel the college into the 1990s.
in California
, Vanderbilt University
in Tennessee
and Duke University
in North Carolina
. Indeed, he called it a "vision to be the region's premier residential liberal arts college." In 1991, McGowan began instituting change in the form of a Five Year Strategic Plan, which would later in the decade become the Master Plan. In 1994, the school began making perennial appearances in the Princeton Review and U.S. News and World Report, which both list Bellarmine among the top regional universities.
In 2000, the schools 50th Anniversary, the Board of Trustees changed the name from Bellarmine College to Bellarmine University in order to reflect its status as a Masters-I university. In 2005, the president announced Vision 2020, the University’s plan to become, "the premier Independent Catholic University in the South, and thereby the leading private institution in the Commonwealth and region." Among other things, the plan calls for tripling enrollment, doubling the number of buildings on campus, and adding schools of architecture
, law
, pharmacy
, and veterinary medicine
by the year 2020. In addition, the possibility of moving the remaining athletic programs to NCAA Division I (joining lacrosse) will be considered. Under President McGowan’s leadership, a construction, acquisition and renovation boom that continues still today included Our Lady of the Woods Chapel, The President’s Residence in Glenview, the 2120 Building, the Norton Health Sciences Center (named in honor of Norton Healthcare support), The Siena Residence Halls complex, Owsley B. Frazier Stadium, Joseph A. and Janet P. Clayton Field, Via Cassia and Ponte Juneja; and the expansion of Miles Hall. Enrollment reached a record 2,881 students by 2009, with more than 700 in residence on the campus, and the average ACT score of entering Bellarmine students reached a record high. Bellarmine launched many new academic programs including The School of Continuing and Professional Studies, the Institute of Media, Culture and Ethics and the School of Communication, The Center for Regional Environmental Studies and Bellarmine Farm.
Bellarmine University completes 60 years of operation. Growth includes 20 new academic programs, a 60% increase in full-time enrollment and a 56% increase in the number of residential students. The 135 acre (0.5463261 km²) campus was expanded from 15 buildings in 1990 to 40 buildings, winning 11 architectural awards. Future plans include a new life fitness and recreation center with an Olympic pool, and Bellarmine Centro. Bellarmine Centro is the future campus center and will be anchored by an extensively remodeled Horrigan Hall connected to three new buildings. They will house a Graduate School of Management
, an expanded Thomas Merton Center, student life space and a Welcome Center that will also provide enrollment services. Bellarmine Centro will be the main hub of the university.
(SACS), the school is perennially ranked by U.S. News & World Report
as a top-tier Southern masters university. The Bellarmine W. Fielding Rubel School of Business is one of the select few to receive AACSB accreditation. Bellarmine offers more than 50 majors in the arts and sciences, business, communication, education, nursing and health sciences The university comprises six colleges and schools:
.
, lacrosse
, and track and field
teams. The stadium opened on August 24, 2007 in a Bellarmine Knights women's soccer game, and was officially dedicated on August 28, 2007. Construction took approximately 18 months and was completed at an estimated cost of $5.1 million. Featured at the stadium is Joseph P. and Janet A. Clayton field which is composed of artificial turf with permanent markings for soccer, field hockey and lacrosse games. Surrounding the field is a eight-lane, 400 meter track. The surface of the track is a dual-durometer, polyurethane poured surface provided by Beynon Sport Surfaces, the same company which has installed tracks at other college facilities over the past three years including Illinois, Maryland, and Purdue.
, who was the Archbishop
of Louisville
and founded Bellarmine in 1950. The surrounding community celebrates Mass
in the chapel on Sundays and holy days, and uses the chapel for retreats and interfaith services. Because it does not have parish status, its use is restricted. No weddings, baptisms, or funerals are held there. There is no "Our Lady of the Woods" in Catholic tradition. The statue in the chapel is actually Our Lady of Grace
. The earliest administrators of Bellarmine College had a particular devotion to Mary
and suggested the chapel be named for her. Because of its setting, the chapel committee chose the name, "Our Lady of the Woods."
, the main town center of Siena, Italy
. Bellarmine’s namesake, St. Robert Bellarmine, is a native of the Tuscan region of Italy, where Siena is located. They Siena buildings were built by F.W. Owens Co. Inc. and designed by Godsey Associates Architects Inc. They have private restrooms, wireless Internet access, kitchens, balconies, laundry facilities, group study spaces and lobby gathering areas; a 200-seat dining hall is also part of the project. The four buildings in the complex, when completed, will enclose a landscaped courtyard with fountains, a small amphitheater and possibly bocce courts. The Siena Housing Project is aimed at bringing about a plan to have half of the school’s undergraduate population live on campus. Cumulatively, the Siena Complex will house a population of 519 students and cost $33.6 million.
and has since featured some great matchups starting in the ’60s with rival and NAIA
national champion Kentucky State, to Fly Williams
and his teams from Austin Peay State University
, all the way up to the Knights women’s basketball regional championship games of the ’90s. The arena has also hosted some very special guests including Mother Teresa
, the Grateful Dead
, Jimmy Buffett
and Pete Rose
among others. In 2007, Knights Hall was featured on ESPN
when NBA greats such as Bill Walton
, Darrell Griffith, and Kenny Walker
judged the McDonald’s High School All-American Slam Dunk Contest.
roofs. The building has long spanning brick arches with vertical piers, limestone
columns and banding, steep sloping roofs, and a clock tower marking the entry, that establishes a focal point
on the Bellarmine campus.
The library supports 150,000 volumes and includes a print and electronic-based reference center, micro forms, media services, periodicals, general collections, and a special-collections center. The library houses the campus computer center and is wired throughout to promote flexibility in computer usage.
and Bellarmine sports teams. The complex houses 6 outdoor tennis courts with 3 additional indoor courts in the SuRF Center. Inside the SuRF Center are two multi-purpose basketball courts, the exercise and fitness area, locker rooms, and offices. The fitness area is supplied with treadmills, bikes, elliptical weight machines, and free weights.
. The exterior is of rough textured brick with limestone trim. It is composed of three stories sitting atop the peak of a hill on campus, featuring a six story tower
. Originally known as the Administration Building, Horrigan Hall was constructed in February 1953 costing $1 million. The facility was completely funded by private donations. Horrigan Hall has gone through a few remodeling and upgrades over the years. In December 1961 a new sound system was added with central air following in 1970. In 1986-87 a elevator
was installed and a new 2001 Newburg Road entrance was added as an alternative to the original 2000 Norris Place street entrance. Further remodeling and expansion of Horrigan Hall is planned for the future. Being proposed are three new buildings added in front of and connected to the existing Horrigan Hall. The project is dubbed, "Bellarmine Centro" and calls for the addition of more than 65000 square feet (6,038.7 m²) of new space and approximately 39000 square feet (3,623.2 m²) of remodeled space in the existing building. There will be space for a new Graduate School of Management, bookstore, admissions, registrar
, bursar
and financial aid
offices. Classrooms will be added and expanded and a new space dedicated to triple the size of the Thomas Merton Center
, the official repository of Merton’s manuscripts, which currently hosts approximately 3,000 research international scholars and visitors annually. A garden
and green space will be added including a green roof that will be accessible to students and faculty. Bellarmine Centro is estimated to cost $38 million and funded entirely from private sources.
Stands Alma Mater Bellarmine the pride of Louisville
Her scarlet, silver colors true, shine brightly in the sun
And warm our hearts and memories, your daughters and your sons
The hopes and dreams and values born in our Kentucky home
Will stir our hearts and minds and lives wherever we may roam
And as we grow, dear Bellarmine, in the love of truth
Alma Mater Bellarmine, so grows our love for you.
Words by Joseph J. McGowan, Jr., 1992
Tune: "Aura Lea"
Division II level as members of the in the Great Lakes Valley Conference
for most sports. The men's lacrosse
team, the only NCAA Division I lacrosse team in Kentucky, is a member of the ECAC Lacrosse League
. On March 26, 2011, the Knights won the NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship
.
Men's sports
Women's sports
(GWLL) after the league lost Butler
to athletic department cuts. In 2010 the GWLL ceased operations after Notre Dame
left the league for the Big East. Bellarmine and the remaining members of the GWLL joined the ECAC Lacrosse League
.
Tragedy stuck the Knights Lacrosse program in October 2010 when coach McGetrick passed away after a long battle with cancer. Since founding the program he led the Knights to a 45-41 record. Before Bellarmine, McGetrick coached of the University of Hartford
Hawks
for 11 seasons. McGetrick ranks in the top-50 of Division I men's lacrosse coaches with a record of 132-115.
. The basketball program has been coached by 11 different men and is currently headed by Louisville
native, Scott Davenport. Davenport is one of two Bellarmine coaches who have also guided teams to the state
high school
championship. He did it in 1988 at Ballard High School (Louisville, Kentucky). The other coach who moved up to the college level was Joe Reibel, who won with St. Xavier High School (Louisville) in 1962. Reibel is Bellarmine’s winningest coach with a record of 346-277. A unique Bellarmine coach was Bob Valvano
. Valvano is an ESPN
personality and was a member of Mensa
, an international organization for only the brightest two percent of people on Earth
. Arguably the most famous Bellarmine coach was Alex Groza
, the Fabulous Five
great at the University of Kentucky
. Groza was an All-American, Gold Medal winner in the 1948 London Olympics and first team NBA.
In its history, the Knights have won two GLVC
men's basketball titles, made 12 appearances in the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament, and won one NCAA Mid-west Regional title. On March 26, 2011 the Knights won its first NCAA Division II National Championship. The Knights defeated BYU-Hawaii for the title, 71-68. The championship game aired on national television
on the CBS
network. An estimated 2,906 fans were in attendance for the championship game. Most of which were Bellarmine fans that had made the 900 miles (1,448.4 km) trip from Louisville to watch the Knights compete in the championship held in Springfield, Massachusetts
at the MassMutual Center
.
Let the halls ring out with voices clear.
Let the scarlet and silver
Fly high on the hill
For all the other schools to see.
Let’s give a cheer one and all
For the school that tops them all
For its K-N-I-G-H-T-S
It’s the spirit that ranks the best!
Private university
Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...
, Catholic university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. The liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
institution opened on October 3, 1950, as Bellarmine College, established by Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
John A. Floersh
John A. Floersh
John Alexander Floersh was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. Becoming Bishop of Louisville in 1924, he was elevated to the rank of Archbishop in 1937 and served until his retirement in 1967....
of the Archdiocese of Louisville and named after the Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
Robert Bellarmine
Robert Bellarmine
Robert Bellarmine was an Italian Jesuit and a Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was one of the most important figures in the Counter-Reformation...
. The name was changed by the Board of Trustees in 2000 to Bellarmine University. The university today is organized into six colleges and schools and confers numerous Bachelor's
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
and Master's
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
degrees in more than 50 academic majors, along with three doctoral degrees; it is currently classified as a Master’s university.
The university has a current enrollment of over 3,200 students on its main 135 acre (0.5463261 km²) academic and residential campus located in the Belknap
Belknap, Louisville
Belknap is a neighborhood five miles southeast of downtown Louisville, Kentucky, USA. The neighborhood is bound by Bardstown Road, Douglass Boulevard, Dundee Road and Newburg Road. It is part of a larger area of Louisville called the Highlands...
neighborhood of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. At its spring commencement on May 14, 2011, the school graduated 482 undergraduate and graduate students, contributing to a total of 780 graduates for the school year, up from 700 the previous year.
The university offers a large number of extracurricular activities to its students, including athletics, honor societies, clubs and student organizations. Bellarmine's athletic teams are known as the Knights. The university is a member of NCAA Division II and competes in the Great Lakes Valley Conference
Great Lakes Valley Conference
The Great Lakes Valley Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes at the NCAA's Division II level. Member institutions are located in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, and Wisconsin....
for most sports, except men's lacrosse which competes at the NCAA Division I level in the ECAC Lacrosse League
ECAC Lacrosse League
The ECAC Lacrosse League is an NCAADivision I college athletic conference and part of the Eastern College Athletic Conference. This part of the conference only sponsors men's lacrosse. The league was founded in 2000...
. Bellarmine men's basketball team won the 2011 NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Tournament
2011 NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Tournament
The 2011 NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Tournament involves 64 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college basketball as a culmination of the 2010–11 basketball season...
, the first national championship in school history. Alumni and former students have gone on to prominent careers in government, business, science, medicine, education, sports, and entertainment.
History
Early history
Bellarmine University has been led by three Presidents: Msgr. Alfred HorriganAlfred F. Horrigan
Monsignor Alfred F. Horrigan was born in 1914. He is notable for being the founding president of Bellarmine University. Ordained in 1940, he was named a monsignor by Pope Pius XII. Msgr. Horrigan was frequently involved in social justice issues and headed the Louisville, Kentucky Human Relation...
(1950–1972), Dr. Eugene V. Petrik (1973–1990) and Dr. Joseph J. McGowan (1990–present). Each president is said to have been the right president for the time in which he has served. Horrigan, elevated to Domestic Prelate by the pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
in 1955, led the school during its formative years, laying the spiritual
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
, moral
Morality
Morality is the differentiation among intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good and bad . A moral code is a system of morality and a moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code...
, and intellectual backbone. Petrik strengthened Bellarmine's financial footing. McGowan has taken the foundations laid by his predecessors and has led the school in a massive building program, culminating thus far in his Vision 2020 plan. In addition, Fr. Raymond J. Treece served as interim President for the 1972-73 school year between Presidents Horrigan and Petrik and Dr. John Oppelt served as acting President during a sabbatical by President McGowan in 1999.
The first public announcement concerning the establishment of Bellarmine College was made in November 1949 by the Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of Louisville, John A. Floersh
John A. Floersh
John Alexander Floersh was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. Becoming Bishop of Louisville in 1924, he was elevated to the rank of Archbishop in 1937 and served until his retirement in 1967....
. He selected Alfred F. Horrigan and Raymond J. Treece, associate editors of the Louisville Archdiocesan newspaper, The Record, to begin the school. These two men designed a curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
and the school's core philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, taking cues from The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...
in Washington, DC, and seeking advice from a number of Catholic institutions, including the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, the University of Scranton
University of Scranton
The University of Scranton is a private, co-educational Catholic and Jesuit university, located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the northeast region of the state. The school was founded in 1888 by Most Rev. William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. It was elevated to a...
, and the University of St. Thomas
University of St. Thomas (Houston)
The University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas, United States is a comprehensive Catholic university, grounded in the liberal arts...
in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
.
In 1950, The Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville founded Bellarmine College with a pioneer class of 115 freshmen. The only building, Pasteur Hall, was still without its front door on the first day of classes. Archbishop John A. Floersh called the school into existence at its first Convocation, saying, “We are looking forward to the day when the college ranks with the great colleges of our country.” From its opening day under founding President Fr. Alfred F. Horrigan, Bellarmine welcomed people of all faiths and races. In 1953 the college added The Administration Building (now Horrigan Hall). At its first commencement in 1954, Bellarmine graduated 42 students. The Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
had interrupted or ended the educations of many in the pioneer class, but the school went forward against rumors of closure. In December 1956, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...
formally announced Bellarmine's accreditation. Enrollment rose from the initial 115 in 1950 to 1,033 in 1959.
Expansion and growth
The 1960s was an era of growth for the University.The University added Knights Hall, Bonaventure Hall, Lenihan Hall, Newman Hall, Kennedy Hall, an addition to Pasteur Hall and a small student activities building. 1963 witnessed the arrival of students from 17 states and two foreign countries. In 1964 the school awarded its 1,000th diploma. By the end of the decade enrollment exceeded 2,000 and the college installed its first computer.In 1967, Thomas Merton designated Bellarmine as the official repository of all his manuscripts leading to the formation of Bellarmine’s Catholic identity in the inclusive Merton spirit. And in 1968, Bellarmine College merged with Ursuline College
Ursulines
The Ursulines are a Roman Catholic religious order for women founded at Brescia, Italy, by Saint Angela de Merici in November 1535, primarily for the education of girls and the care of the sick and needy. Their patron saint is Saint Ursula.-History:St Angela de Merici spent 17 years leading a...
, becoming co-educational, and also by mutual agreement, independent of the Archdiocese. The school now had its own self-perpetuating Board of Trustees.
In May 1971, President Horrigan issued a report describing the state of Bellarmine College, especially in light of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
, noting that the school's board of trustees consisted of representatives from a number of groups, reflecting the "open, progressive, ecumenical and experimental spirit" of that papal council. Also mentioned were the various distinctions achieved by Bellarmine's students, including 14 Woodrow Wilson Fellowships, seven National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
Fellowships, three Fulbright Scholars, two Danforth Fellowships and two East-West Fellowships, achievements which he attributed to Bellarmine's commitment to excellence.
During the 1970s, the college welcomed its second president when Msgr. Horrigan resigned in 1972. His vice president, Fr. Raymond J. Treece, served as interim president for one year. Enrollment had fallen sharply, to 1,306 by 1973, and several years of deficit budgets put the school at risk of closure. The Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Eugene V. Petrik of California to the presidency in 1973 and he quickly began to revitalize the college with new programs and directions. He added the first graduate program – the MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
in 1975 – found resources for marketing and publicity, and brought enrollment back above 2,000. The school also added women’s basketball in 1973, and men’s soccer and women’s volleyball in 1976.
The 1980s saw another decade of growth. Enrollment rose from 2,284 to 2,660. The Brown Activities Center (named for George G. Brown), Wyatt Center for the Arts (named for Wilson W. Wyatt), Norton Fine Arts Complex (named for Jane Morton Norton), Alumni Hall (Humanities Building), Maurice D.S. Johnson quadrangle (named for former board chair) all were added during these years, along with the W. Fielding Rubel School of Business and the Donna and Allan Lansing School of Nursing and Health Sciences (1984). The subject of changing the name of the school from "Bellarmine College" to "Bellarmine University" had been broached, but it was decided that the school should become a university in fact before it became one in name. More opportunities were added for women to participate in athletics, including softball, track, cross country, tennis and field hockey. A $20 million capital campaign would propel the college into the 1990s.
Recent history
Bellarmine’s third and current president, Dr. Joseph J. McGowan, became president of the University in 1990. Dr. McGowan named buildings on campus for his predecessors, Horrigan and Petrik, and oversaw the addition of Miles Hall and the W.L. Lyons Brown Library. The Annsley Frazier Thornton School of Education was added in 1998, study abroad jumped from seven students in 1995 to 70 in 1999, and the school added women’s soccer and women’s golf. The decade also saw the beginning of Bellarmine’s transition from a commuter school to a residential college. In 1995, a record 396 students were in the residence halls. From his October 12, 1990, inauguration speech forward, Dr. McGowan has sought to make Bellarmine the premier private institution in Kentucky, citing Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. Indeed, he called it a "vision to be the region's premier residential liberal arts college." In 1991, McGowan began instituting change in the form of a Five Year Strategic Plan, which would later in the decade become the Master Plan. In 1994, the school began making perennial appearances in the Princeton Review and U.S. News and World Report, which both list Bellarmine among the top regional universities.
In 2000, the schools 50th Anniversary, the Board of Trustees changed the name from Bellarmine College to Bellarmine University in order to reflect its status as a Masters-I university. In 2005, the president announced Vision 2020, the University’s plan to become, "the premier Independent Catholic University in the South, and thereby the leading private institution in the Commonwealth and region." Among other things, the plan calls for tripling enrollment, doubling the number of buildings on campus, and adding schools of architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
, and veterinary medicine
Veterinary medicine
Veterinary Medicine is the branch of science that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, disorder and injury in non-human animals...
by the year 2020. In addition, the possibility of moving the remaining athletic programs to NCAA Division I (joining lacrosse) will be considered. Under President McGowan’s leadership, a construction, acquisition and renovation boom that continues still today included Our Lady of the Woods Chapel, The President’s Residence in Glenview, the 2120 Building, the Norton Health Sciences Center (named in honor of Norton Healthcare support), The Siena Residence Halls complex, Owsley B. Frazier Stadium, Joseph A. and Janet P. Clayton Field, Via Cassia and Ponte Juneja; and the expansion of Miles Hall. Enrollment reached a record 2,881 students by 2009, with more than 700 in residence on the campus, and the average ACT score of entering Bellarmine students reached a record high. Bellarmine launched many new academic programs including The School of Continuing and Professional Studies, the Institute of Media, Culture and Ethics and the School of Communication, The Center for Regional Environmental Studies and Bellarmine Farm.
Bellarmine University completes 60 years of operation. Growth includes 20 new academic programs, a 60% increase in full-time enrollment and a 56% increase in the number of residential students. The 135 acre (0.5463261 km²) campus was expanded from 15 buildings in 1990 to 40 buildings, winning 11 architectural awards. Future plans include a new life fitness and recreation center with an Olympic pool, and Bellarmine Centro. Bellarmine Centro is the future campus center and will be anchored by an extensively remodeled Horrigan Hall connected to three new buildings. They will house a Graduate School of Management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
, an expanded Thomas Merton Center, student life space and a Welcome Center that will also provide enrollment services. Bellarmine Centro will be the main hub of the university.
Academics
Bellarmine is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and SchoolsSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...
(SACS), the school is perennially ranked by U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
as a top-tier Southern masters university. The Bellarmine W. Fielding Rubel School of Business is one of the select few to receive AACSB accreditation. Bellarmine offers more than 50 majors in the arts and sciences, business, communication, education, nursing and health sciences The university comprises six colleges and schools:
- Bellarmine College of Arts & Sciences
- Donna and Allan Lansing School of Nursing and Health Sciences
- W. Fielding Rubel School of Business
- Annsley Frazier Thornton School of Education
- School of Communication
- School of Continuing and Professional Studies
Study Abroad
Bellarmine offers study abroad options on six continents in over 50 countries around the globe, ranging from departmental programs to summer enclave programs and semester or academic year exchanges at over 150 partner universities. Study abroad is available not only for foreign language students but for all other academic areas as well, and that it is accessible to all students, regardless of social and economic background. More than 35% of Bellarmine's full time students engage in an international experience during their tenure at Bellarmine.Campus facilities
Over 40 buildings stand on the hills of Bellarmine's 135 acre (0.5463261 km²) campus in the Highlands neighborhood of LouisvilleThe Highlands (Louisville)
The Highlands is an area of Louisville, Kentucky which contains a high density of nightclubs, eclectic businesses, and many upscale and fast food restaurants. It is centered along a three-mile stretch of Bardstown Road and Baxter Avenue and is so named because it sits atop a ridge between the...
.
The Owsley B. Frazier Stadium
The multi-purpose stadium serves as home to Bellarmine's soccer, field hockeyField hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, and track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
teams. The stadium opened on August 24, 2007 in a Bellarmine Knights women's soccer game, and was officially dedicated on August 28, 2007. Construction took approximately 18 months and was completed at an estimated cost of $5.1 million. Featured at the stadium is Joseph P. and Janet A. Clayton field which is composed of artificial turf with permanent markings for soccer, field hockey and lacrosse games. Surrounding the field is a eight-lane, 400 meter track. The surface of the track is a dual-durometer, polyurethane poured surface provided by Beynon Sport Surfaces, the same company which has installed tracks at other college facilities over the past three years including Illinois, Maryland, and Purdue.
Our Lady of The Woods Chapel
The chapel was dedicated on May 11, 2001, as a place of worship for Bellarmine students. Made of glass, wood, and steel, the chapel stands in memory of John A. FloershJohn A. Floersh
John Alexander Floersh was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. Becoming Bishop of Louisville in 1924, he was elevated to the rank of Archbishop in 1937 and served until his retirement in 1967....
, who was the Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
and founded Bellarmine in 1950. The surrounding community celebrates Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
in the chapel on Sundays and holy days, and uses the chapel for retreats and interfaith services. Because it does not have parish status, its use is restricted. No weddings, baptisms, or funerals are held there. There is no "Our Lady of the Woods" in Catholic tradition. The statue in the chapel is actually Our Lady of Grace
Our Lady of Grace
Our Lady of Grace is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It may also refer to:England*A Roman Catholic church in Chiswick, London, England, in the Archdiocese of Westminster*Our Lady of Grace School , in Prestwich, Greater Manchester...
. The earliest administrators of Bellarmine College had a particular devotion to Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
and suggested the chapel be named for her. Because of its setting, the chapel committee chose the name, "Our Lady of the Woods."
Siena Complex
The Siena Complex is composed of four residence halls: Siena Primo, Siena Secondo, Siena Terzo and Siena Quarto. The complex is modeled after the Piazza del CampoPiazza del Campo
Piazza del Campo is the principal public space of the historic center of Siena, Tuscany, Italy and is one of Europe's greatest medieval squares. It is renowned worldwide for its beauty and architectural integrity. The Palazzo Pubblico and its Torre del Mangia, as well as various palazzi signorili...
, the main town center of Siena, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Bellarmine’s namesake, St. Robert Bellarmine, is a native of the Tuscan region of Italy, where Siena is located. They Siena buildings were built by F.W. Owens Co. Inc. and designed by Godsey Associates Architects Inc. They have private restrooms, wireless Internet access, kitchens, balconies, laundry facilities, group study spaces and lobby gathering areas; a 200-seat dining hall is also part of the project. The four buildings in the complex, when completed, will enclose a landscaped courtyard with fountains, a small amphitheater and possibly bocce courts. The Siena Housing Project is aimed at bringing about a plan to have half of the school’s undergraduate population live on campus. Cumulatively, the Siena Complex will house a population of 519 students and cost $33.6 million.
University Dining Hall
In 2010, Bellarmine opened a new 540-seat, 21500 square feet (1,997.4 m²) dining hall. The building features indoor and outdoor seating areas with a 25 feet (7.6 m) tall panoramic window that provides natural light and view of rolling hills. It was built as part of a $7.5 million overhaul of the George G. Brown Center, which also includes a renovated and expanded School of Communication and the Amelia Brown Frazier Convocation Hall. The dining hall is managed by Sodexo Inc., which operated the previous cafeteria.Knights Hall
Knights Hall is home to Bellarmine basketball and volleyball teams. The arena was built in 1960 and can seat up to 2,600 fans. Knights Hall is also used for numerous high school games, graduation ceremonies, and concerts. The Hall was dedicated in 1960 with a home game against the University of LouisvilleUniversity of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
and has since featured some great matchups starting in the ’60s with rival and NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
national champion Kentucky State, to Fly Williams
Fly Williams
James "Fly" Williams is a retired American professional basketball player. He once scored 100 points in an IS8 League a game in 1978.-Early life:...
and his teams from Austin Peay State University
Austin Peay State University
Austin Peay State University is a four-year public university located in Clarksville, Tennessee, and operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools .-History:...
, all the way up to the Knights women’s basketball regional championship games of the ’90s. The arena has also hosted some very special guests including Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
, the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, Jimmy Buffett
Jimmy Buffett
James William "Jimmy" Buffett is a singer-songwriter, author, entrepreneur, and film producer. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett's musical hits include "Margaritaville" , and "Come Monday"...
and Pete Rose
Pete Rose
Peter Edward Rose , nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Rose played from 1963 to 1986, and managed from 1984 to 1989....
among others. In 2007, Knights Hall was featured on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
when NBA greats such as Bill Walton
Bill Walton
William Theodore "Bill" Walton III is a retired American basketball player and television sportscaster. The "Big Red-Head", as he was called, achieved superstardom playing for John Wooden's powerhouse UCLA Bruins in the early '70s, winning three straight College Player of the Year Awards, while...
, Darrell Griffith, and Kenny Walker
Kenny Walker
Kenneth "Kenny" "Sky" Walker is a former professional basketball player, primarily for the New York Knicks of the NBA. Walker played college basketball at the University of Kentucky. He is currently a radio host for WVLK in Lexington, Kentucky.-College career:After being named Mr...
judged the McDonald’s High School All-American Slam Dunk Contest.
The W.L. Lyons Brown Library
The campus library was completed in the fall of 1996, costing $6.5 Million dollars. The exterior of the building is made up of brown brick, anodized aluminum-frame windows and slateSlate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roofs. The building has long spanning brick arches with vertical piers, limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
columns and banding, steep sloping roofs, and a clock tower marking the entry, that establishes a focal point
Focus
Focus, FOCUS, or foci may refer to:In science, mathematics or computing:*Focus , selectively concentrating on one aspect of the environment while ignoring other things...
on the Bellarmine campus.
The library supports 150,000 volumes and includes a print and electronic-based reference center, micro forms, media services, periodicals, general collections, and a special-collections center. The library houses the campus computer center and is wired throughout to promote flexibility in computer usage.
Eddie Weber Tennis Complex & SuRF Center
The Eddie Weber Tennis Complex was dedicated on September 12, 2009 and is adjacent to the Student Recreation and Fitness Center (SuRF). The courts are named after Eddie Weber who is the only man thats has been a head coach for both the University of LouisvilleUniversity of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
and Bellarmine sports teams. The complex houses 6 outdoor tennis courts with 3 additional indoor courts in the SuRF Center. Inside the SuRF Center are two multi-purpose basketball courts, the exercise and fitness area, locker rooms, and offices. The fitness area is supplied with treadmills, bikes, elliptical weight machines, and free weights.
Norton Health Science Center
Bellarmine's main science and research facility is the Norton Health Science Center (NHSC). NHSC was completed in 2004 and has 30000 sq ft (2,787.1 m²). of floor space. The floor space is divided up into state-of-the-art laboratories, faculty offices and classrooms. The facility also includes a courtyard for the science quadrangle and an animal holding facility for the Psychology Department. The total cost to build the NHSC was $6.5 million and was funded primarily through private donations.Horrigan Hall
Horrigan Hall is named after the University's first president, Msgr. Alfred Horrigan and serves as the campus center. Architects Thomas J. Nolan & sons designed the facility in "modern" 1950's style and Al J. Schneider Company was hired as the general contractorGeneral contractor
A general contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and communication of information to involved parties throughout the course of a building project.-Description:...
. The exterior is of rough textured brick with limestone trim. It is composed of three stories sitting atop the peak of a hill on campus, featuring a six story tower
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
. Originally known as the Administration Building, Horrigan Hall was constructed in February 1953 costing $1 million. The facility was completely funded by private donations. Horrigan Hall has gone through a few remodeling and upgrades over the years. In December 1961 a new sound system was added with central air following in 1970. In 1986-87 a elevator
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
was installed and a new 2001 Newburg Road entrance was added as an alternative to the original 2000 Norris Place street entrance. Further remodeling and expansion of Horrigan Hall is planned for the future. Being proposed are three new buildings added in front of and connected to the existing Horrigan Hall. The project is dubbed, "Bellarmine Centro" and calls for the addition of more than 65000 square feet (6,038.7 m²) of new space and approximately 39000 square feet (3,623.2 m²) of remodeled space in the existing building. There will be space for a new Graduate School of Management, bookstore, admissions, registrar
Registrar (academic)
In education outside the United Kingdom, a registrar or registrary is an official in an academic institution who handles student records. Typically, a registrar processes registration requests, schedules classes and maintains class lists, enforces the rules for entering or leaving classes, and...
, bursar
Bursar
A bursar is a senior professional financial administrator in a school or university.Billing of student tuition accounts are the responsibility of the Office of the Bursar. This involves sending bills and making payment plans with the ultimate goal of getting the student accounts paid off...
and financial aid
Financial aid
Student financial aid in the United States is funding intended to help students pay education expenses including tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, etc. for education at a college, university, or private school. General governmental funding for public education is not called...
offices. Classrooms will be added and expanded and a new space dedicated to triple the size of the Thomas Merton Center
Thomas Merton Center
The Thomas Merton Center is the home of the largest collection of the works of Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani. It is located on the second floor of the W.L...
, the official repository of Merton’s manuscripts, which currently hosts approximately 3,000 research international scholars and visitors annually. A garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
and green space will be added including a green roof that will be accessible to students and faculty. Bellarmine Centro is estimated to cost $38 million and funded entirely from private sources.
Alma mater
In the City of the Falls, high upon a hillStands Alma Mater Bellarmine the pride of Louisville
Her scarlet, silver colors true, shine brightly in the sun
And warm our hearts and memories, your daughters and your sons
The hopes and dreams and values born in our Kentucky home
Will stir our hearts and minds and lives wherever we may roam
And as we grow, dear Bellarmine, in the love of truth
Alma Mater Bellarmine, so grows our love for you.
Words by Joseph J. McGowan, Jr., 1992
Tune: "Aura Lea"
Athletics
The athletic teams of Bellarmine University are known as the Knights, the university competes at the NCAANational Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division II level as members of the in the Great Lakes Valley Conference
Great Lakes Valley Conference
The Great Lakes Valley Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes at the NCAA's Division II level. Member institutions are located in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, and Wisconsin....
for most sports. The men's lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
team, the only NCAA Division I lacrosse team in Kentucky, is a member of the ECAC Lacrosse League
ECAC Lacrosse League
The ECAC Lacrosse League is an NCAADivision I college athletic conference and part of the Eastern College Athletic Conference. This part of the conference only sponsors men's lacrosse. The league was founded in 2000...
. On March 26, 2011, the Knights won the NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship
NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship
The NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship is an annual championship tournament for colleges and universities that are members of NCAA Division II, a grouping of schools in the United States that are generally smaller than the higher-profile institutions of Division I...
.
Men's sports
- BaseballCollege baseballCollege baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
- BasketballCollege basketballCollege basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
- Cross countryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
- GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- LacrosseCollege lacrosseCollege lacrosse refers to lacrosse played by student athletes at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. In both countries, men's field lacrosse and women's lacrosse are played in both the varsity and club levels...
- SoccerCollege soccerCollege soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
- TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
- Track and fieldTrack and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
Women's sports
- BasketballCollege basketballCollege basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
- Cross countryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
- Field hockeyField hockeyField Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
- GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- SoccerCollege soccerCollege soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
- SoftballCollege softballCollege softball is softball as played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education, predominantly in the United States. College softball is normally played by women at the intercollegiate level, whereas college baseball is normally played by men.As with other intercollegiate...
- TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
- Track and fieldTrack and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
- VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
Lacrosse
The university announced the athletic department would begin sponsoring men's lacrosse in 2004. BU hired Jack McGetrick as the program's first head coach. In 2005 the team competed as independent members in NCAA Division I. In 2007 the Knights joined the Great Western Lacrosse LeagueGreat Western Lacrosse League
The Great Western Lacrosse League, also known as the GWLL, was a NCAA Division I men's college lacrosse athletic conference that existed from 1994 to 2009...
(GWLL) after the league lost Butler
Butler Bulldogs
All but one of Butler University's 19 intercollegiate teams compete in the Horizon League, along with Cleveland State, Detroit, Green Bay, Loyola, Milwaukee, UIC, Valparaiso, Wright State and Youngstown State...
to athletic department cuts. In 2010 the GWLL ceased operations after Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's lacrosse
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's lacrosse team represents the University of Notre Dame in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's college lacrosse...
left the league for the Big East. Bellarmine and the remaining members of the GWLL joined the ECAC Lacrosse League
ECAC Lacrosse League
The ECAC Lacrosse League is an NCAADivision I college athletic conference and part of the Eastern College Athletic Conference. This part of the conference only sponsors men's lacrosse. The league was founded in 2000...
.
Tragedy stuck the Knights Lacrosse program in October 2010 when coach McGetrick passed away after a long battle with cancer. Since founding the program he led the Knights to a 45-41 record. Before Bellarmine, McGetrick coached of the University of Hartford
University of Hartford
The University of Hartford is a private, independent, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in West Hartford, Connecticut. The degree programs at the University of Hartford hold the highest levels of accreditation available in the US, including the Engineering Accreditation Commission of...
Hawks
Hartford Hawks
The Hartford Hawks are the athletic teams of the University of Hartford. The school sponsors 18 varsity sports , all of which compete in the Division I America East Conference. The Hawks' colors are scarlet and white.-Teams:...
for 11 seasons. McGetrick ranks in the top-50 of Division I men's lacrosse coaches with a record of 132-115.
Basketball
Men’s basketball has been a part of Bellarmine’s athletic department since the schools founding in 1950. That same year student Ted Wade became the first black player on an integrated college basketball team in KentuckyKentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. The basketball program has been coached by 11 different men and is currently headed by Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
native, Scott Davenport. Davenport is one of two Bellarmine coaches who have also guided teams to the state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
championship. He did it in 1988 at Ballard High School (Louisville, Kentucky). The other coach who moved up to the college level was Joe Reibel, who won with St. Xavier High School (Louisville) in 1962. Reibel is Bellarmine’s winningest coach with a record of 346-277. A unique Bellarmine coach was Bob Valvano
Bob Valvano
Bob Valvano is an American sportscaster based in Louisville, Kentucky.During the college-basketball season, he is an analyst for ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN Plus, mostly covering Big East basketball. When not doing those games, Valvano is the color analyst for University of Louisville men's basketball...
. Valvano is an ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
personality and was a member of Mensa
Mensa
Mensa meaning table in Latin, may refer to:*Mensa International, an organization for people with high IQs*Mensa , a southern star constellation*Mensa , a term used by geologists to refer to an extraterrestrial mesa...
, an international organization for only the brightest two percent of people on Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. Arguably the most famous Bellarmine coach was Alex Groza
Alex Groza
Alex John Groza was an American professional basketball player from Martins Ferry, Ohio who was banned from the NBA for life in 1951 for point shaving...
, the Fabulous Five
Fabulous Five
The Fabulous Five is an American book series by Betsy Haynes in the late 1980s. Written mainly for preteen girls, it is a spin-off of Haynes' other series about Taffy Sinclair. It centers around five best friends; Jana Morgan, Melanie Edwards, Beth Barry, Christie Winchell,and Katie Shannon, along...
great at the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
. Groza was an All-American, Gold Medal winner in the 1948 London Olympics and first team NBA.
In its history, the Knights have won two GLVC
Great Lakes Valley Conference
The Great Lakes Valley Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes at the NCAA's Division II level. Member institutions are located in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, and Wisconsin....
men's basketball titles, made 12 appearances in the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament, and won one NCAA Mid-west Regional title. On March 26, 2011 the Knights won its first NCAA Division II National Championship. The Knights defeated BYU-Hawaii for the title, 71-68. The championship game aired on national television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
network. An estimated 2,906 fans were in attendance for the championship game. Most of which were Bellarmine fans that had made the 900 miles (1,448.4 km) trip from Louisville to watch the Knights compete in the championship held in Springfield, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
at the MassMutual Center
MassMutual Center
The MassMutual Center is a multi-purpose arena and convention center, in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. Built in the city's Metro Center across from Court Square, the facility opened in 1972 as the Springfield Civic Center and was at that time considered to be the largest arena in the...
.
Fight song
On Knights of BellarmineLet the halls ring out with voices clear.
Let the scarlet and silver
Fly high on the hill
For all the other schools to see.
Let’s give a cheer one and all
For the school that tops them all
For its K-N-I-G-H-T-S
It’s the spirit that ranks the best!
Alumni
- John Young Brown III, Secretary of State of KentuckySecretary of State of KentuckyThe Secretary of State of Kentucky is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is now an elected office, but was an appointed office prior to 1891. The current Secretary of State is Democrat Elaine Walker, who was appointed by Governor Steve Beshear to fulfill the...
from 1996 to 2004 - Joseph C. BurkeJoseph C. BurkeJoseph C. Burke is an American educator who is most notable for having served as President of the State University of New York at Plattsburgh and Acting Chancellor of the State University of New York....
, former President of State University of New York at PlattsburghState University of New York at PlattsburghThe State University of New York at Plattsburgh is a four-year, public liberal arts college in Plattsburgh, New York. The college was founded in 1889 and opened in 1890. The college is currently part of the State University of New York system and is accredited by the Middle States Association of...
; former Acting Chancellor of the State University of New YorkState University of New YorkThe State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus... - Joseph P. Clayton, President and CEO of Dish NetworkDish NetworkDish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
; former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sirius Satellite RadioSirius Satellite RadioSirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of... - Kelly DownardKelly DownardPatrick Kelly Downard is the Republican Councilman for the 16th District of Louisville Metro in Kentucky in the United States of America and served as Metro Council President from 2004 to 2005. Downard previously held the title of President of Louisville Community Development Bank, which he was...
, Louisville Metro Councilman (16th District) and former candidate for Louisville Metro Mayor (2006) - Shawn Evans, National Lacrosse LeagueNational Lacrosse LeagueThe National Lacrosse League is a men's professional indoor lacrosse league in North America. It currently has nine teams; three in Canada and six in the United States. Unlike other lacrosse leagues which play in the summer, the NLL plays its games in the winter and spring. Each year, the playoff...
player - Chad Hall, television actor
- Liz Curtis Higgs, author, public speaker, and former radio personality
- Susan IveySusan IveySusan M. Ivey is an American business person who is the chairman, president and CEO of Reynolds American, Inc.-Early life and education:...
, Reynolds AmericanReynolds AmericanReynolds American, Inc. is the second-largest tobacco company in the United States. Its holdings include R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, American Snuff Company , Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company and Niconovum AB...
CEO; former CEO at Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation - John F. Lansing, President of Scripps Networks and Executive Vice-President of Scripps Networks InteractiveScripps Networks InteractiveScripps Networks Interactive is an American media company formed on July 1, 2008 as a spin out of the E.W. Scripps Company. Since launching HGTV in 1994, Scripps has become a leader in lifestyle media, developing relevant content for television, the Internet satellite radio, books, magazines, and...
- Quentin LettsQuentin LettsQuentin Richard Stephen Letts is a British journalist and theatre critic, writing for The Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, The Oldie and New Statesman, and previously for The Times.- Early life :...
, Daily MailDaily MailThe Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
journalist - John MacLeod, veteran NBANational Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
coach - Shawn James Seymour, founder and member of the band LullatoneLullatoneLullatone is a popular music group based in Nagoya, Japan, whose music is characterized by an innocent, child-like quality and spare, lo-fi sounds. Although the group refers to their style of music as "pajama-pop", it is commonly included in such musical subgenres as Twee pop, Indie pop and...
- Marianne Rafferty, reporter for Fox News ChannelFox News ChannelFox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
- Kyle SorensenKyle SorensenKyle Sorensen is a Canadian lacrosse player who plays defense for the Washington Stealth of the National Lacrosse League and the Toronto Nationals of Major League Lacrosse...
, National Lacrosse LeagueNational Lacrosse LeagueThe National Lacrosse League is a men's professional indoor lacrosse league in North America. It currently has nine teams; three in Canada and six in the United States. Unlike other lacrosse leagues which play in the summer, the NLL plays its games in the winter and spring. Each year, the playoff...
player - David T. Stosberg, JudgeJudgeA judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
, United States Bankruptcy CourtUnited States bankruptcy courtUnited States bankruptcy courts are courts created under Article I of the United States Constitution. They function as units of the district courts and have subject-matter jurisdiction over bankruptcy cases. The federal district courts have original and exclusive jurisdiction over all cases arising... - Michael D. Thieneman, retired Executive Vice President of Whirlpool Corporation
- Tom Thomas, President and COO of GXS, Inc.; former Chief Information OfficerChief information officerChief information officer , or information technology director, is a job title commonly given to the most senior executive in an enterprise responsible for the information technology and computer systems that support enterprise goals...
at 3Com3Com3Com was a pioneering digital electronics manufacturer best known for its computer network infrastructure products. The company was co-founded in 1979 by Robert Metcalfe, Howard Charney, Bruce Borden, and Greg Shaw...
, Palm, Inc.Palm, Inc.Palm, Inc., was a smartphone manufacturer headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, that was responsible for products such as the Pre and Pixi as well as the Treo and Centro smartphones. Previous product lines include the PalmPilot, Palm III, Palm V, Palm VII, Zire and Tungsten. While their older...
, and Dell Computer - Bruce TinsleyBruce TinsleyEdward Bruce Tinsley IV is an American cartoonist, best known for his politically conservative comic strip Mallard Fillmore.-Early life and education:...
, syndicated cartoonist and creator of the Mallard FillmoreMallard FillmoreMallard Fillmore is a comic strip written and illustrated by Bruce Tinsley that has been syndicated by King Features Syndicate since May 30, 1994. The strip follows the exploits of its title character, an anthropomorphic green-plumaged duck who works as a politically conservative reporter at...
comic stripComic stripA comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions.... - Todd WellemeyerTodd WellemeyerTodd Allen Wellemeyer is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is the brother of American entrepreneur Jeff Wellemeyer...
, Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player
Faculty
- Jerry Abramson - Executive-in-residence and former Mayor of Louisville Metro
- Thomas E. Bennett, Ph.D. - Professor of biologyBiologyBiology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
and human physiologyHuman physiologyHuman physiology is the science of the mechanical, physical, bioelectrical, and biochemical functions of humans in good health, their organs, and the cells of which they are composed. Physiology focuses principally at the level of organs and systems...
who has twice had experiments flown on the NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Space ShuttleSpace ShuttleThe Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons... - Robert L Brown, Ph.D. Cambridge, Ph.D. London School of Economics, CPA & Attorney - Professor of accounting & business law; author of several published works
- Richard BurchardRichard BurchardRichard Burchard is an American composer most noted for his Salzburg Mass, "Miserere Mei," and "When David Heard." He is the head of the music department at Bellarmine University and was Kentucky's 2008 Commissioned Composer. He is a respected expert on Gregorian chant.-References:...
, M.A. - Chair of the music department who is a published composer and recognized expert on Gregorian chantGregorian chantGregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services... - David Domine, M.A., M.A., M.A. - Foreign language instructor and best-selling author
- Akhtar Mahmood, Ph. D. Astrophyics - Professor of physicsPhysicsPhysics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
; member researcher for LHCLHCLHC may refer to:* Large Hadron Collider, a particle accelerator and collider located on the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva, SwitzerlandLHC also may refer to:* La hora Chanante, a Spanish comedy television show...
project at CERNCERNThe European Organization for Nuclear Research , known as CERN , is an international organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory, which is situated in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border...
; correspondent with NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research... - Edward E. Manassah - Executive Director of the Bellarmine Institute for Media, Culture and Ethics; formerly President and Publisher at The Courier-JournalThe Courier-JournalThe Courier-Journal, locally called "The C-J", is the main newspaper for the city of Louisville, Kentucky, USA. According to the 1999 Editor & Publisher International Yearbook, the paper is the 48th largest daily paper in the United States and the single largest in Kentucky.- Origins :The...
- Eric P. Roorda, Ph.D. - History and political science professor and recognized authority on US/Dominican relations. Dr. Roorda is also a co-director of The Frank C. Munson Institute of American Maritime Studies at Mystic SeaportMystic SeaportMystic Seaport, the Museum of America and the Sea, in Mystic, Connecticut, is notable both for its collection of sailing ships and boats, and for the re-creation of crafts and fabric of an entire 19th century seafaring village...
. - Frederick Smock, M.A. - English professor and poet-in-residence with several published works
- Meme Tunnell - Associate music professor and pianist for the Louisville Symphony Orchestra