Neumann University is a private

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

liberal arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...

college in

Aston, Pennsylvania Aston Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 16,592 at the 2010 census. History Aston was first settled in 1682 as a municipality and was incorporated as a township in 1688 (one of the first to ...

. It is sponsored by the

Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia are a women's religious congregation of the Third Order of Saint Francis founded in 1855 by Maria Anna Boll Bachmann, an immigrant from Bavaria. The congregation is known for its work in education and hea ...

History

The roots of Neumann University began in 1855 when Bishop (later Saint) John Neumann approved the request of Anna Maria Boll Bachmann to start a religious community of Franciscan Sisters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Over the course of the next century, the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia grew to the point where they needed a college to assist in their mission of educating and caring for the people in southeastern Pennsylvania and beyond. Neumann University was founded as Our Lady of Angels College with 115 female students in 1965 by the

. The name was changed to Neumann College in 1980 in honor of Saint

John Neumann John Nepomucene Neumann (german: link=no, Johann Nepomuk Neumann, cs, Jan Nepomucký Neumann; March 28, 1811 – January 5, 1860) was a Catholic priest from Bohemia. He immigrated to the United States in 1836, where he was ordained, joined t ...

, a former Bishop of Philadelphia.History
Neumann University; updated February 10, 2014. Neumann admitted its first male undergraduate students in 1980. The college was granted approval to offer its first doctoral program (the Doctorate in Physical Therapy) in 2004 and its second doctoral program (an Ed.D. in educational leadership) in 2005. Neumann achieved "university status" from the

Pennsylvania Department of Education The Pennsylvania Department of Education is the executive department of the state charged with publicly funded preschool, K-12 and adult educational budgeting, management and guidelines. As the state education agency, its activities are directed by ...

in 2009. On June 30, 2021, Dr. Chris Everett Domes, Neumann’s president, and Sr. Mary Kathryn Dougherty, OSF, congregational minister of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, signed an agreement of sale for the university to purchase Our Lady of Angels Convent, three smaller buildings, and 63 acres from the Sisters, the congregation that founded the university in 1965. The land is adjacent to the university’s campus, which almost doubled in size (from 70 acres to 133) with the sale.

Academics

Neumann University is made up of five academic divisions: the Division of Arts and Sciences, the Division of Business and Information Management, the Division of Nursing and Health Sciences, the Division of Education and Human Services, and the Division of Continuing Adult and Professional Studies. Neumann offers graduate degrees in education, educational leadership, physical therapy, clinical mental health counseling, accounting, nursing, business, sport business, athletic training, organizational leadership, and clinical laboratory science. Some programs are offered online. As of 2021, the university has a total enrollment of 2,500, with an acceptance rate of 62%. Neumann University has been expanding into the health care field by introducing new concentrations such as pre-Physical Therapy, pre-Occupational Therapy, pre-Athletic Training as well as introducing a new Health Sciences Major with tracks in exercise physiology and strength and conditioning. All of these new concentrations will be housed in Neumann's new Health Science Center which is expected to be completed in the fall of 2018. The Health Science Center will contain a state of the art undergraduate nursing teaching auditorium that seats close to 300 students. About 49% of undergraduate students are white, 31% are black, and 9% are Hispanic. Some 65% of undergraduates are female, and 35% are male. As of fall 2017, about 60% of undergraduates were from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, 16% were from

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, and 18% were from

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

Athletics

Neumann University is a member of the

Atlantic East Conference The Atlantic East Conference is an NCAA Division III collegiate athletic conference in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. History Beginning play in July 2018, the league consists of seven private universities, each former members o ...

as well as the

United Collegiate Hockey Conference The United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) is a college athletic conference which operates in Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania in the eastern United States. It participates in NCAA Division III as a hockey-only conference. The confer ...

(UCHC). It competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Division III. In 2009 Neumann University's men's ice hockey team won the NCAA Division III National Championship. In the summer of 2012, Neumann University constructed the Mirenda Center, a 72,000 square foot athletic complex which houses an indoor track, NCAA Division III regulation basketball court, dance studios, student lounges, a classroom, weight and cardio rooms as well as the Center for Sport Spirituality and Character Development. Neumann sponsors 12 women's athletic teams and 10 men's teams. In addition the 22 varsity teams, Neumann University also has a very active club sports roster which includes baseball, basketball, cheer leading, a dance team, ice hockey, roller hockey as well as men's and women's rugby. Most recently, Neumann University won back to back national championships (2015 and 2016) as part of the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association (NCHRA).

Campus

At Neumann University, there are four residence halls: three on-campus "Living and Learning Centers" plus one nearby apartment complex leased for student housing known as the Buoni Building.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Franciscan universities and colleges Catholic universities and colleges in Pennsylvania Universities and colleges in Delaware County, Pennsylvania Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities Educational institutions established in 1965 Liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania 1965 establishments in Pennsylvania