La Roche University is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

university in

McCandless, Pennsylvania McCandless is a township with home rule status in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 29,709 at the 2020 census. Though McCandless no longer operates under the First Class Township Code, it is classified as a first- ...

. It was founded in 1963 by the

Sisters of Divine Providence The Congregation of Divine Providence (or Sisters of Divine Providence) is the name of two Roman Catholic religious institutes of women which have developed from the work of the Blessed Jean-Martin Moye (1730-1793), a French Catholic priest. Th ...

as a

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 let ...

college and now sits on an campus in McCandless within the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

History

La Roche University was founded in 1963 by the Sisters of Divine Providence as a private college for religious sisters. It was named in honor of Stephanie Amelia la Roche von Starkenfels, the first Mother Superior of the

. The first president of the university was Sister Annunciata Sohl, C.D.P., who served until 1968. The college had begun to admit its first lay students by 1965. It continued to grow, and two years later, La Roche expanded beyond its leased space to construct the first building, the John J. Wright Library. La Roche encountered financial difficulties soon after its founding. Although closing the college was considered, Sister de la Salle Mahler, C.D.P., president from 1969 to 1975, carried on. The Board amended its charter in 1970 to establish La Roche as an independent, coeducational Catholic institution, while also diversifying course offerings through an affiliation with the

Art Institute of Pittsburgh The Art Institute of Pittsburgh was a private college in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Shortly before closing in 2019, it was purchased by Dream Center Education Holdings (in turn a division of The Dream Center, a Christian non-profit 501(c)(3) or ...

. This partnership made available several new areas of study, including graphic and interior design, which count among the university's strongest programs today. An enrollment boom made the construction of two new residence halls necessary in the mid-1970s. Under College President Sister Mary Joan Coultas, C.D.P. (1975–80), the college launched its first capital campaign in 1979, garnering enough to construct the Palumbo Science Center, which opened in 1980. During Divine Providence Sister Margaret Huber's eleven-year tenure as president beginning in 1981, the college continued to grow, marking its 25th anniversary in 1987 with the dedication of the $2.5 million-Zappala College Center. The Magdalen Chapel was added in 1990, and in 1993 the college opened the Kerr Fitness and Sports Center. La Roche's sixth president,

Monsignor Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ...

William A. Kerr, was appointed in 1992 and focused his leadership on raising the college's visibility, while broadening academic, cultural and athletic programs. In 2004, the La Roche College Board of Trustees elected the college's seventh president, Sister Candace Introcaso, C.D.P.

Athletics

La Roche University teams participate as a member of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

's Division III. The Redhawks are a member of the

Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference The Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in the northeastern United States in the states of New York and Pennsylvania ...

(AMCC). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse and soccer; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball. La Roche University has won sixteen AMCC Conference Championships including Baseball (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016), Men's Basketball (2004, 2011), Softball (2000, 2001, 2002), Women's Basketball (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016), and Women's Tennis (2012). The La Roche University Baseball team also became the first team in AMCC Conference history to win an NCAA Regional Championship after defeating Randolph Macon 4–3 in the NCAA Mideast Regional Championship on May 21, 2016. La Roche advanced to the NCAA Division III College World Series before falling to Keystone 5–4 in the National Semifinals. .The head coach for women's basketball is Kamela Gissendanner, one of the most successful coaches in the country with a record of 152–39.

Facilities

The John J. Wright Library was the first building constructed for the university, built in 1967 and renovated in the early 2000s. Two residence halls were built in the mid-1970s, and the university opened the Palumbo Science Center in 1980. The 1,200-seat Kerr Fitness & Sports Center opened in 1993 and has been updated throughout the years. Current athletic facilities include a baseball field, soccer field, softball field, aerobics room, dance studio, gymnasium, indoor track and a weight room. Tennis courts of any sort, and outdoor basketball courts, have both yet to be added to the campus. Residence halls were added and expanded upon in 1997 and 2003 with the dedication of Bold Hall and Bold Hall II. A classroom building introducing electronic classroom technology was added adjacent to the Zappala College Center in 2002.

Pacem In Terris Institute

Beginning in 1993, the Pacem In Terris Institute has brought students from conflict, post-conflict and developing regions of the world to study at La Roche. The program provides scholarships and assistance, to students from 21 different countries. The students are chosen by their countries on the basis of academic and personal potential, and promise to return to their homelands upon completion of their studies to work for peace and prosperity in their regions. Notable members on the Board of the Institute are

Kim Dae-jung Kim Dae-jung (; ; 6 January 192418 August 2009), was a South Korean politician and activist who served as the eighth president of South Korea from 1998 to 2003. He was a 2000 Nobel Peace Prize recipient for his work for democracy and human ...

, past president of the

Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its ea ...

; Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, first lady of the

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

; and

Janet Museveni Janet Kainembabazi Museveni (''née'' Kataaha; born June 24, 1948) is a Ugandan politician who has been the First Lady of Uganda since 1986. She is married to President Yoweri Museveni, with whom she has four children. She has been Cabinet Minis ...

, first lady of the Republic of Uganda.

References

External links

Official websiteOfficial athletics website
{{DEFAULTSORT:La Roche University Educational institutions established in 1963 Universities and colleges in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Catholic universities and colleges in Pennsylvania Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities 1963 establishments in Pennsylvania Congregation of Divine Providence