Saint Louis University Fact Sheet

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	Saint Louis University DESCRIPTION: Saint Louis University is a Jesuit, Catholic university ranked among the top research institutions in the nation. The University fosters the intellectual and character development of 11,800 students on campuses in St. Louis and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi and the second oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Through teaching, research, health care and community service, Saint Louis University is the place where knowledge touches lives. St. Francis Xavier College Church sets the north boundary of the campus at the corner of Grand and Lindell boulevards in midtown St. Louis. The campus extends a mile south to Grand Boulevard and Highway 44, the location of the University’s Water Tower Inn. The south end of campus also includes the Saint Louis University Medical Center, home of the University’s Schools of Medicine, Health Sciences and Public Health. The campus generally extends west to Vandeventer and east to Compton. The University established a second campus in Madrid, Spain in 1969. It’s the first free-standing campus operated by an American university in Europe and is also recognized by Spain’s higher education authority as an official foreign university, the first U.S. institution ever so recognized. Saint Louis University is one of the region’s largest employers and has played a major role in the revitalization of St. Louis’ Grand Center Arts District. The physical plant of the University consists of 124 buildings on 244 acres. SLOGAN: Where Knowledge Touches Lives ADDRESS: 221 N. Grand Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63103 LOCATION: Grand Center area, Midtown St. Louis. PHONE: 314-977-2222, 1-800-SLU-FOR-U WEB SITE: www.slu.edu GETTING THERE: From downtown, take I-64/40 west to the Grand Boulevard exit. Turn right on Grand. The north end of campus is clustered around Grand between I-64 and Lindell. CAMPUS TOURS: Campus tours are available at noon and 3 p.m. daily Monday through Friday, noon on Saturday and by appointment. Tours start from Room 119 DuBourg Hall at 221 North Grand. For information or an appointment call 314-977-2500 or email visitslu@slu.edu WHAT’S NEW: Under the leadership of Lawrence Biondi, S.J., Saint Louis University has fueled a renaissance of midtown St. Louis. The University plans to build an $80.5 million arena on campus which will raise SLU’s Midtown St. Louis investment to a total of more than $400 million in the past 19 years that Father Biondi has been president. The 10,000-seat arena will be used by the Division I, Saint Louis University Billiken basketball teams, as well as other campus activities and community events. Construction is underway for the new Edward A. Doisy Research Center, which is located at SLU’s Medical Center. The new research building will provide state-of-the-art facilities for sponsored health sciences research studies including wet bench laboratories and support spaces for basic and clinical research. Popular Busch Memorial Center underwent a renovation and expansion, which added 51,000 square feet to the student center. The new Busch Student Center provides a central focus for campus and includes a bookstore, florist, copy center, eateries, lounges and other amenities. The facility is large enough to host major events, with a multipurpose room that seats 1,600 or may be divided for groups of less than 200. For information on planning an event on the SLU campus call 314-977-MEET or visit the web site: www.slu.edu/events/. In 2002, a four-story, historic French revival mansion at 3663 Lindell Blvd. was renovated into the Saint Louis University Museum of Art (SLUMA). The 55,000-square-foot building, originally built in 1900 as the home of the St. Louis Club, underwent a complete restoration and now provides a variety of intimate galleries and a setting befitting the University’s extensive art collection. (For detailed information call 314-977-3399 or click on sluma.slu.edu). Other museums on campus include a fully restored Richardsonian Romanesque mansion built in 1890, Samuel Cupples House (314-977-3025), and the Museum of Contemporary and Religious Art (MOCRA) (314-977-7170). MOCRA is the world’s first museum dedicated to the ongoing dialogue between contemporary artists and the world’s faith traditions. Pere Marquette Gallery in DuBourg Hall houses more than 20 intricate stained-glass windows that deal with the history of the word and themes pertinent to SLU and the Jesuits. Information on all museums may be found at www.slu.edu/events/. Also in 2002, the University opened the Water Tower Inn, a 62-room hotel at 3545 Lafayette Ave. on the south end of campus located in the Salus Center. The hotel features spacious guest rooms, exercise facility, complimentary breakfast and lounges with views of downtown St. Louis and the Arch. Salus Center also houses the SLU School of Public Health and administrative offices. For information or reservations at the Water Tower Inn call 314-977-7500 or click on: www.slu.edu/events/water_tower_inn.html. The University also opened the Saint Louis University Cancer Center, a renovated, state-of-the-art facility, which combines the latest advances in research, prevention and education with compassionate, personalized care. It occupies 50,000 square feet at 3655 Vista Ave., in Saint Louis University Hospital’s West Pavilion, which had been Bethesda General Hospital. Other major improvements include the 90,000-square-foot McDonnell Douglas Hall Building for Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology, the Edward and Margaret Doisy College of Health Sciences Building and the 60,000-square-foot John and Lucy Cook Hall expansion of the School of Business. The University also bought the McPherson Mansion, which was built in the mid-1800’s and was one of the largest homes in the city’s “West End.” The mansion, located just north of the campus, was completely renovated and turned into Manresa Center, a conference and retreat center. For information call 314-977-MEET or click on: www.slu.edu/events/manresa.html. HIGHLIGHTS: U. S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges 2006 has ranked Saint Louis University among the top 50 national, doctoral universities on the “Great Schools at Great Prices” list for eight consecutive years. U. S. News & World Report ranked the health law program at the SLU School of Law number one in the nation in its 2006 “America’s Best Graduate Schools” listing. U. S. News & World Report ranked the Saint Louis University’s physician assistant program 17th in the country. The University offers masters degrees in 60 disciplines and undergraduate degrees in its schools or colleges of Health Sciences, Arts and Sciences, Business, Engineering and Aviation, Philosophy and Letters, and Public Service. The University’s centers and institutes include the Academic Services Center, the Center for Advanced Dental Education, the Anheuser-Busch Institute, the Institute for Biosecurity, the Boeing Institute of International Business, the Institute for Disability Studies, the Early Childhood Learning Center, the Emerson Center for Business Ethics, the Ethics Across the Curriculum Program, the Center for Fertility Education, the Center for Environmental Education and Training, the Center for Health Care Ethics, the Center for Health Law Studies, the Center for Integrated Emergency Management, the Center for International & Comparative Law, the Center for Interprofessional Education and Community Service, the Center for Liturgy, the Loyola Center for Campus Ministry, the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, the Midwest OSHA Education Center, the Institute for Molecular Virology, the Center for Organizational Earning and Renewal, the School of Public Health Prevention Research Center, the Simon Center for Regional Economic Forecasting, Region Wise, the Pediatric Research Institute, the Institute of Religious Formation, the Center for Risk Reduction, the Center for Social Justice Education and Research, the Sleep Disorders Center, the Student Educational Services Center, the Center for Teaching Excellence, the Center for the Study of Communication and Culture, the Consortium for Supply Chain Management, the We & God Spiritually Center and the David P. Wohl Memorial Mental Health Institute. Saint Louis University has study abroad programs in Madrid, Spain; Beijing, China; Lyon, France; Masstricht, The Netherlands; Brussels, Belgium; San Salvador, El Salvador, Heidelberg, Germany; Rome, Italy and London, England. Of practicing attorneys in the St. Louis area, some 45 per cent are Saint Louis University graduates. Students, faculty and staff contributed more than 750,000 community service and volunteer hours in the community in 2005. The University’s community outreach program includes the Center for Leadership and Community Service; Health Resource Center; the Law Clinics at the School of Law which provide free legal counsel to indigent and homeless individuals in the community; the Clinics for Family and Child Development which provide counseling, outreach and prevention services for individuals and families in the St. Louis area; and the Health Education Assessment Linkage for homeless individuals. The Monsanto Science Scholars Program brings African-American students to the campus in the summer to encourage their interest in science and to inspire them to seek full scholarships to the University. The Pius XII Library is one of the largest research libraries in the state. Also on the campus of Saint Louis University are the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art (MOCRA), a museum featuring permanent and temporary exhibits of works by artists of diverse religious traditions; Cupples House, a historic home built in 1888 by wealthy entrepreneur Samuel Cupples and the Saint Louis University Museum of Art. ANNUAL SPECIAL EVENTS: Annual special events on campus include Homecoming, SLU Make a Difference Day, the fourth Saturday in October each year, a spring alumni Easter egg hunt; Spring Fest, commencement in May; among others. SPORTS: The Saint Louis University Billikens compete at the NCAA Division I level in men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, baseball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, field hockey, softball, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s cross country and men’s and women’s track and field. Saint Louis University is a member of the Atlantic 10, a 14-member conference that covers 9 states. Before moving to the Atlantic 10 Conference, Saint Louis University received Conference USA’s Institutional Excellence Award for ten consecutive years. The award recognizes the highest cumulative GPA for student-athletes during an academic year. In the fall of 2005, 108 student-athletes were named to the A-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll after completing the Fall semester with a 3.5 grade point average or better. SLU men’s soccer has made 16 NCAA Final Four appearances, won 10 national championships and is consistently ranked in the top 10 of Division I programs in attendance. In 2005, men’s soccer captured the A-10 regular-season title. In 2005, SLU’s women’s soccer team claimed the A-10 championship, and in doing so qualified for the NCAA Tournament. It marked the first time in SLU history that a women’s team advanced to an NCAA Tournament. In 2006, the baseball team won an Atlantic 10 title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1966. In December of 2006, Saint Louis University and the St. Louis Sports Commission will host the 2006 Men’s College Cup at Robert R. Hermann Stadium on SLU’s campus. Saint Louis University’s mascot is the Billiken, a chubby little fellow with a protruding belly. The Billiken was designed and manufactured in the early 1900s as a bank and statuette that carried good luck. It was a national rage for a short time and by 1912 it was a good luck charm for loyal fans of Saint Louis University. St. Louis sports writer William O’Connor had decided that SLU football coach John Bender resembled the Billiken and later someone drew a cartoon of Bender in the form of a Billiken and posted it in the window of a drugstore. The football team soon became known as Bender’s Billikens. Legend has it that to buy a Billiken gives the purchaser luck, but to have one given to you is better luck. HISTORY: Saint Louis University traces its origins to 1818 when Bishop Louis William DuBourg opened Saint Louis Academy near the present site of the Gateway Arch. It was the first institution of higher learning west of the Mississippi. In its earliest days, the school served as a mission for Kickapoo Indians, became a shelter for Swiss and Italian priests forced out of Europe by revolution and provided aid to German refugees and Irish immigrants. Thousands of people were the beneficiaries of Jesuit priest Peter DeSmet’s missionary journeys into the wilderness. The school’s first presence was in a rented house on the riverfront as a place of scholarship and prayer. Later it moved to Walnut Street, then to Ninth and Washington and finally, in 1888, to its present location at Grand and Lindell in what was the city’s “western suburbs” at the time. In 1828, the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) assumed responsibility for the college, and in 1832, the Missouri legislature chartered the school as “Saint Louis University.” In 1834, the University conferred the first degrees west of the Mississippi – two bachelor of arts and one masters of arts degrees. Saint Louis University was the first institution west of the Mississippi to begin schools of philosophy, divinity, medicine, law and business. In 1836, the School of Medicine was initiated as a department of medicine and in 1839, the University conferred the first doctor of medicine (M.D.) conferred west of the Mississippi River and the first ever conferred by a Catholic University in the U.S. In 1842 the city’s first Catholic school for girls opened on the University campus. It was run by Sisters of Charity. The University’s School of Law was established in 1844. In May 1861, a Civil War skirmish was fought on what is now SLU campus grounds near Grand Boulevard at Pine Street. Then known as Camp Jackson, the area was in the hands of Southern sympathizers and the Missouri State militia under the command of Brigadier-General D.M. Frost. The Union leadership was intent on keeping the port of St. Louis free from Confederate control. Rumors swirled that the Southern force planned to destroy the Union arsenal located near the current site of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. In a preemptive strike, Union forces under the command of General Nathaniel Lyon, raided Camp Jackson, thereby foiling any future attacks on the invaluable arsenal. WHAT’S COMING UP: The University plans to build an on-campus arena for Billiken basketball, commencement exercises and other entertainment and special events. SLU is also in the process of building the Edward A. Doisy Research Center on the south end of campus. HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBILITY: 95% of the buildings on campus are handicapped accessible. WHERE TO GET LUNCH: Bannister House provides a more formal location for breakfast or lunch. Busch Student Center provides three eateries: Au Bon Pain, Salsarita’s and The Grand Marketplace. There are several other places to lunch on the campus such as Fusz Food Court which is home to Freshens, The West Pine Grill and Pizza Hut. Also Subway is located on the west end of campus. A wide variety of restaurants also are located within walking distance from the University. GIFT SHOP: The campus bookstore is located within the Busch Student Center. It is a full service Barnes & Noble bookstore. In addition, the University bookstore provides a variety of T-shirts, sweatshirts and other college memorabilia. WHAT’S NEARBY: Nearby are the Fabulous Fox Theatre, the Portfolio Gallery and Educational Center, the Sheldon Theatre and Powell Symphony Hall and the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. About a mile to the west is Forest Park with its four free major attractions – the world-famous Saint Louis Zoo, the Art Museum, the Science Center and the Missouri History Museum. PUBLIC RELATIONS CONTACT: Kathryn Hundman, 314-922-7413 or hundmank@slu.edu
	Readers should call 1-800-916-0040 to request a free copy of the Official St. Louis Visitor Guide or point, click and explore St. Louis at www.explorestlouis.com