The Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities (AFCU) is an association of over 20

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

colleges and universities and is located in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. The group is varied, ranging from large and established universities, to junior colleges, to newer institutions. Most of the schools are located in what is now called the American

Rust Belt The Rust Belt is a region of the United States that experienced industrial decline starting in the 1950s. The U.S. manufacturing sector as a percentage of the U.S. GDP peaked in 1953 and has been in decline since, impacting certain regions an ...

, reflecting the activities of the Franciscan movement in the United States. Surprisingly, few Franciscan institutions are located in the

Southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

, an area first settled by Franciscan missionaries.

Member institutions

Alvernia University , mottoeng = To Learn, To Love, To Serve , established = 1958 , type = Private , affiliation = Franciscan Roman Catholic , president = John R. Loyack , city = Reading , state = Pennsylvania , country = U.S. , students = 2,900 (1,500 unde ...

, Reading, Pennsylvania *

Alverno College Alverno College is a private Roman Catholic women's college in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. History Chartered in 1887 as St. Joseph's Normal School, Alverno became Alverno Teachers College in 1936. It adopted its current name in 1946. Academics Alve ...

, Milwaukee, Wisconsin *

Briar Cliff University Briar Cliff University is a private Franciscan university in Sioux City, Iowa. History In March 1929, Mother Mary Dominica Wieneke, Major Superior of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Dubuque, Iowa, along with the Most Rev. Edmond Heelan, Bishop ...

, Sioux City, Iowa *

Cardinal Stritch University , mottoeng = To value the better things , established = 1937 ( years ago) , type = Private university , religious_affiliation = Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi (Roman Catholic) , endowment ...

, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; the largest Franciscan university in America and home of the Association. * Felician University, Lodi, New Jersey * Franciscan School of Theology, Berkeley, California *

Franciscan University of Steubenville Franciscan University of Steubenville is a private Franciscan university in Steubenville, Ohio. The university had 3,040 students as of fall 2019, including 2,317 students on campus, in 40 undergraduate and 8 graduate degree programs. The studen ...

, Ohio *

Hilbert College Hilbert College is a private Franciscan college in Hamburg, New York. The college is named after Mother Colette Hilbert of the Franciscan Sisters of Saint Joseph, who founded the school in 1957 to train teachers. Hilbert College enrolls approxim ...

, Hamburg, New York *

Lourdes University Lourdes University is a private Franciscan university in Sylvania, Ohio. Established in 1958, the university is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania. History In 1916 Mother Adelaide Sandusky traveled from Minnesota to Northwest O ...

, Sylvania, Ohio * Madonna University, Livonia, Michigan * Marian University, Indianapolis, Indiana *

Neumann University Neumann University is a private Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Aston, Pennsylvania. It is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia. History The roots of Neumann University began in 1855 when Bishop (later Saint) John ...

, Aston, Pennsylvania *

Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University, formerly Our Lady of the Lake College, is a private Catholic university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was founded in 1923 and is sponsored by the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady, North Ameri ...

, Baton Rouge, Louisiana *

Quincy University Quincy University (formerly known as St. Francis Solanus College, and today abbreviated as QU) is a private Franciscan university in Quincy, Illinois. It was founded in 1860 and enrolls about 1,100 students. History A small group of Francisca ...

, Quincy, Illinois * St. Bonaventure University, Olean, New York *

Siena College Siena College is an American private Franciscan college in Loudonville, New York. Siena was founded by the Order of Friars Minor in 1937. The college was named after Bernardino of Siena, a 15th-century Italian Franciscan friar and preacher. S ...

, Loudonville, New York *

St. Francis College , mottoeng = My God, My All , established = , type = Private college , chancellor = , president = Miguel Martinez-Saenz , provost = Jennifer Lancas ...

, Brooklyn, New York *

Saint Francis University Saint Francis University (SFU) is a private Catholic university in Loretto, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1847 and conducted under the tradition of the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular. The university is situated on in the fore ...

, Loretto, Pennsylvania * University of St. Francis, Joliet, Illinois * University of Saint Francis, Fort Wayne, Indiana * Villa Maria College, Buffalo, New York * Viterbo University, La Crosse, Wisconsin * The Franciscan Institute, Olean, New York

External links

Official website
{{Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities # College and university associations and consortia in the United States