Former names | St. Rose Normal School (1890–1939) Viterbo College (1939–2000) |
---|---|
Type | Private university |
Established | 1890 |
Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic (Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration) |
Academic affiliations | AFCU ACCU NAICU CIC |
Endowment | $55.3 million (2020) [1] |
President | Richard C. Trietley, Jr. |
Students | 2,521 [2] |
Undergraduates | 1,630 |
Postgraduates | 891 |
Location | , , United States |
Campus | Urban |
Colors | |
Nickname | V-Hawks |
Sporting affiliations | NAIA – NSAA |
Website | www |
Viterbo University is a private Catholic university in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Founded in 1890 by the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, Viterbo is home to three colleges with nine schools offering 48 academic programs at the associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels. [3]
Viterbo is one of 23 Franciscan universities in the United States, with 2,521 undergraduate and graduate students and over 23,000 alumni. As of 2020, Viterbo's endowment was a record $55.7 million. [4] Viterbo is a member of the NAIA and the North Star Athletic Association; its athletic teams are known as the V-Hawks.
In 1890, the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration founded St. Rose Normal School, a school to prepare religious sisters to teach in elementary schools. [5] College courses were later introduced in 1923 as Viterbo began laying the foundation to evolve into a four-year degree-granting institution. About 10 years later, Viterbo developed a four-year college program, and by the 1931-32 school year became known as St. Rose Junior College with authorization from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. By 1939, Viterbo received approval as a four-year degree-granting institution for the preparation of teachers for elementary schools Around this time, the school was renamed Viterbo College, reflecting its evolving and expanding educational offerings. In 1940, Viterbo College held its first commencement exercises with certification from the State Department of Public Instruction.
During the 1950s, Viterbo continued to expand its liberal arts offerings and in 1952 it received accreditation from the University of Wisconsin Committee on College Accreditation, becoming a four-year liberal arts college. Since 1954, Viterbo had been accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. Today it is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, among many other commissions and groups. [6] [7]
On September 4, 2000, the college was renamed Viterbo University to reflect its growth into a comprehensive university with robust graduate and undergraduate offerings, including outreach programs. In 2013, the university's first doctoral program was introduced, in nursing practice. [2]
Viterbo's campus is on 21 acres of land in the Midtown district of La Crosse, Wisconsin, minutes from the city's downtown. The urban, 18-building campus is landlocked within the city's Washburn neighborhood. [8] Viterbo also has a satellite campus in Des Moines, Iowa.
Centered around the historic St. Rose of Viterbo Convent, originally built in 1871 and rebuilt in 1923 after a fire, Viterbo's campus is compact. The first building to bear the Viterbo name hosted its first classes in January 1942. In 1972, the building was named Murphy Center in honor of W. Leo Murphy, a longtime Viterbo supporter and the first chair of the Board of Advisors. [9]
In 1971, Viterbo's Fine Arts Center was completed. In 1987, the Varsity Athletic Center was built. In 2004, the D.B. and Marge Reinhart Center for Ethics, Science, and Technology was completed, and in 2005 the Amie L. Mathy Center expansion to the 1987 athletics building was completed. The Mathy Center is a collaboration between Viterbo and the local Boys and Girls Clubs of La Crosse—the first such effort in the country. A remodeling of the Todd Wehr Memorial Library within the main academic building, Murphy Center, was completed in 2006, and the school bookstore was remodeled in the summer of 2006. Between 2009 and 2011, the Student Union was remodeled at the expense of the Student Government Association, in collaboration with the Residence Hall Council. The remodel included upgrades to the security desk, flooring, computer area, television, and furniture.
The School of Nursing Building, which opened in 2011, has simulation labs dedicated to critical care, medical/surgical, maternal newborn care, child health care, nutrition and dietetics. Since 2013, Viterbo has shared space at the Weber Center for the Performing Arts, a 30,000-square-foot facility in downtown La Crosse, and the newest university facility.
The Viterbo University facilities in operation are:
Viterbo is southeast of downtown La Crosse and is served by the La Crosse MTU transit system, which offers students fare-free service. Route 1 provides bus service encircling the campus on Market Street, 11th Street and Jackson Street. [11] SMRT buses stop on 11th Street, providing regional bus service to Prairie du Chien, Viroqua, Tomah and other destinations. [12]
The bikeshare system DriftCycle has a bikeshare station between Mayo Clinic and Viterbo. [13]
As of fall 2020, 2,521 students were enrolled at Viterbo. There were 1,630 undergraduates and 891 graduate students. Viterbo has a student/faculty ratio of 11:1 and an average class size of 16. [2]
Viterbo's athletic teams are called the V-Hawks. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) since the 2015–16 academic year; while its men's volleyball team competes as an affiliate member in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC). The V-Hawks competed in the defunct Midwest Collegiate Conference (MCC) from 1989–90 to 2014–15, when the conference dissolved.
Viterbo competes in 20 intercollegiate varsity sports. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball; women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball; and co-ed sports include competitive dance and eSports. [14]
Loras College is a private Catholic college in Dubuque, Iowa. It has an enrollment of approximately 1,600 students and is the oldest post-secondary institution in the state of Iowa. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. It is one of four four-year post-secondary institutions in the City of Dubuque, one of four Catholic colleges in the Archdiocese of Dubuque, and one of six Catholic colleges in the state of Iowa. The campus was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Loras College Historic District in 2020.
The University of Wisconsin–Parkside is a public university in Somers, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and has 4,644 students, 161 full-time faculty, and 89 lecturers and part-time faculty. The university offers 33 undergraduate majors and 11 master's degrees in 22 academic departments. UW-Parkside is one of two universities in the UW System not named for the city in which it is located, the other being UW-Stout. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Aquinas College is a private Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Edgewood College is a private Dominican college in Madison, Wisconsin. The college occupies a 55 acres (22 ha) campus overlooking the shores of Lake Wingra.
Dominican University (DU), known from 1922 to 1997 as Rosary College, is a private Roman Catholic university in River Forest, Illinois, affiliated with the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters. It offers bachelor's and master's degrees, certificate programs, and a PhD in information studies. Dominican University offers more than 50 majors in the Rosary College of Arts and Sciences and 20 programs in five graduate academic divisions.
The University of Wisconsin–La Crosse is a public university in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Established in 1909, it is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. With 9,600 undergraduate and 1,000 graduate students, UW-La Crosse is composed of four schools and colleges offering 102 undergraduate programs, 31 graduate programs, and 2 doctoral programs. UW-La Crosse has over 95,000 alumni across all 50 U.S. states and 57 countries as of 2021.
Mount Mary University is a private Roman Catholic women's university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The university was founded in 1913 by the School Sisters of Notre Dame and was Wisconsin's first four-year, degree-granting Catholic college for women. Today, the university serves women at the undergraduate level and both women and men at the graduate level.
The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (FSPA) is a Roman Catholic religious congregation for women whose motherhouse, St. Rose of Viterbo Convent, is in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in the Diocese of La Crosse. The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration founded Viterbo University and staffed Aquinas High School in La Crosse. The congregation traces its roots to 1849.
Hope International University is a private Christian university in Fullerton, California. It enrolls around 1,140 students. While Hope is non-denominational, it has strong ties to the Restoration Movement and the Christian churches and churches of Christ. Hope is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Hope International University's Fullerton campus sits adjacent to California State University, Fullerton, with which it has contract programs. Enrollment stands at just under 1,200 students.
Aurora University (AU) is a private university in Aurora, Illinois, United States. In addition to its main campus, AU offers programs online and at its George Williams College campus in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. Approximately 6,200 students are enrolled in bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs at Aurora University.
Mount Senario College was a private non-profit college located in Ladysmith, Wisconsin, in the Diocese of Superior.
Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC) is a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod and located on the border of Milwaukee and Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. It has an enrollment of about 1,200 students and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Missouri Baptist University (MBU) is a private Southern Baptist university in Creve Coeur, Missouri. It is one of three universities of the Missouri Baptist Convention. The main campus is located on a 68-acre site near Creve Coeur and Town and County in West St Louis County, off highway 64-40. There are currently 12 MBU locations including its regional learning centers throughout the St. Louis region and Illinois. The school enrolled 5,309 students in 2019.
Thomas More University is a private Roman Catholic university in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. It serves about 2,000 full and part-time students. The university was founded in 1921 by the local Benedictine Sisters as Villa Madonna College.
Western Technical College is a public technical college in La Crosse, Wisconsin. A member of the Wisconsin Technical College System, the Western Technical College District serves 11 counties and enrolls over 5,000 students. The college has six campus locations in western Wisconsin and its main campus is in downtown La Crosse. Western is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Nichols College is a private business college in Dudley, Massachusetts. Founded in 1931 as Nichols Junior College, Nichols College offers both bachelor's and master's degrees, as well as certificate programs.
Marian University is a private Roman Catholic university in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. It was founded in 1936 by the Congregation of Sisters of Saint Agnes, which continues to sponsor the university today.
St. Rose of Viterbo Convent is the motherhouse of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, an American religious congregation, which is located in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The convent is dedicated to Rose of Viterbo, a 13th-century Franciscan tertiary who was a noted mystic and street preacher in Italy who died while still a teenager.
Mary Thea Bowman, FSPA was a Black Catholic religious sister, teacher, musician, liturgist and scholar who made major contributions to the ministry of the Catholic Church toward African Americans.
C. Frederick "Todd" Wehr was an industrialist and philanthropist. He was co-founder of the Wehr Steel Company and founder of the Todd Wehr Foundation, Inc.