About SBU

Points of Pride

We're looking ahead to another 150 years of excellence in education

We are dedicated to the pursuit of educational excellence in the Franciscan tradition.

St. Bonaventure University marked its 150th anniversary in 2008-2009, celebrating a rich history of providing extraordinary educational experiences and opportunities. We continue to have distinguished faculty, excellent academic offerings and a community of Franciscan friars and sisters committed to our mission.

In the past few years, we have invested millions of dollars in updating and expanding our facilities, which has transformed our campus and infused our curriculum. We invite you to join us as we journey into the future! 

We build pathways to success

CPRC color loglOur Career and Professional Readiness Center empowers students with the skills needed to find an internship, land that first job, or win acceptance to their graduate school of choice.

We're among the "Best in the North"

USNews 2012

U.S. News & World Report's annual listing of "Best Colleges" includes St. Bonaventure University among the best colleges and universities in the "North Region." 

Our students look to serve

BonaResponds in Texas

Bona’s studentsfind challenge and opportunity inside and outside the classroom. In March 2006, 10 percent of our student population – more than 200 students and alumni – traded in flip-flops for sledgehammers and headed to the Katrina-ravaged Gulf Coast for 12 days of service to those affected by the hurricane. 


The BonaResponds program continues to answer calls for help, whether they come from miles away or right in the University's backyard.  


The University’s soup kitchen, The Warming House, has operated for more than 30 years and is believed to be oldest student-run soup kitchen in the nation. It was honored in 2003 with a national award for “Forming Christian Conscience” from the Catholic Campus Ministry Association.  
 

Five of our alumni are Pulitzer Prize winners

From left: Robert Dubill, John Hanchette, Charles Hanley, Brian Toolan and Dan Barry.St. Bonaventure University has five graduates who have earned journalism's highest honor, the Pulitzer Prize:  

  • Robert Dubill, '58 (USA Today) 
  • John Hanchette, '64 (Gannett News Service) 
  • Charles Hanley, '68 (The Associated Press) 
  • Brian Toolan, '72 (Hartford Courant) 
  • Dan Barry, '80 (New York Times).  

   

After his news career, Hanchette returned to St. Bonaventure as a faculty member and taught in the Russell J. Jandoli School of Journalism and Mass Communication from 2002 to 2012. 

We're beaming with pride over our accreditations

St. Bonaventure is accredited by the Commission on High Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation. Other accreditations include: 

  • Business – St. Bonaventure's School of Business has joined an elite group, achieving accreditation of its bachelor's and master's degree programs in business from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools in Business (AACSB). Accreditation represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools, worldwide. Institutions that earn accreditation confirm their commitment to quality and continuous improvement through a rigorous and comprehensive peer review. 
  • Education – As a small liberal arts university, St. Bonaventure is particularly proud to have achieved accreditation from the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Through the process of professional accreditation of schools, colleges and departments of education, NCATE works to make a difference in the quality of teaching, teachers, school specialists and  
 

The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts

World-class art in a world-class facility

The permanent art collection at The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts encompasses a broad spectrum of art history from the beginning of Western civilization into the 21st century. Always exhibited are European and American paintings, sculpture, works on paper, and Asian and Native American art and artifacts. 

The renowned Franciscan Institute

The Franciscan Institute is the premier Franciscan resource library in the Americas, offering a unique interdisciplinary M.A. and Advanced Certificate taught by world-renowned faculty. It supports world-class scholars who produce critical editions of the Franciscan masters and translations of the works of Saint Bonaventure.   

Outstanding faculty and small classes

More than 80 percent of SBU's full-time faculty hold a Ph.D. or terminal degree. With a student to faculty ratio of 14:1, our class sizes are small and feature a personal touch. 


Support from alumni and friends

While honoring a century-and-a-half of service, the university surpassed the goal of its 150th Anniversary Campaign, garnering more than $95 million in cash and pledges. 


Student-run radio station a national hit

SBU's student-run radio station, WSBU.FM 88.3 The Buzz is rated No. 1 in the Princeton Review's top 10 hottest college stations in the country. 


Student-athletes excel in many ways

Athletics continues to be an important part of a well-rounded Bonaventure education. Student-athletes at St. Bonaventure regularly achieve at high levels both in the classroom and in their sports.  

  • SBU students who compete in Division I athletics earned an average semester GPA of 3.097 for the spring 2012 semester. The student body's average GPA was 3.019.
    • Ten of the university's 14 intercollegiate teams earned a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher for the 2011-12 school year. Women's cross-country, coached by Bob Macfarlane, had a team GPA of 3.596; women's tennis, coached by Mike Bates, was 3.559; softball, coached by Mike Threehouse, was 3.451; women's soccer, coached by Manoj Khettry, was 3.389; and men's golf, coached John Powers, was 3.314.
    • Sixteen of the 233 students who compete in Division I athletics achieved a spring semester GPA of 4.0; 68 attained a 3.5 or higher; and 102 made the dean's list. 57 Bonnies made the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll.
    • The average semester GPA for women was 3.285; the average semester GPA for men was 2.926.
     
  • Andrew Nicholson at the free throw lineAndrew Nicholson, the rare physics major selected in the first round of the NBA Draft, led the Bonnies to the Atlantic 10 Championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000. As a senior in 2011-12 Nicholson earned A-10 Player of the Year and AP All-American honors on his way to being selected 19th overall by the Orlando Magic.
     
  • The women's basketball team completed their best season ever, winning the Atlantic 10 regular season crown with a record of 31-4 and advancing to the Sweet 16. The team's unprecedented success earned head coach Bob Crowley A-10 and National Coach of the Year honors, while seniors Jessica Jenkins and Megan Van Tatenhove were named to the A-10 First Team and All-Academic Team.

  • Sophomore swimmer James Martin competed in the 100 meter freestyle at the U.S. Olympic Trials for the 2012 Summer Games after winning the Atlantic 10 gold medal.

  • Manuela Marin SalcedoManuela Marin Salcedo, a three-time All-Conference honoree on the tennis court, was selected as the Ideal Bonaventure Woman at the University's 152nd Commencement Exercises in May 2012. The honor student also won the 2012 Dr. Mary A. Hamilton Woman of Promise Award, given to SBU's top female journalism and mass communication senior. Sarcedo was also one of two Atlantic 10 nominees for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.