St. Edward's 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 recorded ...

, Catholic university in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

, United States. It was founded and is operated in the Holy Cross tradition.

History

Founding and early history

St. Edward's University was founded by the Reverend

Edward Sorin Edward Frederick Sorin, C.S.C. (French: Édouard Sorin; February 6, 1814October 31, 1893) was a French-born Catholic priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross and the founder of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and of St. Edward's Universi ...

, Superior General of the

Congregation of Holy Cross The Congregation of Holy Cross (), abbreviated CSC, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men founded in 1837 by Basil Moreau, in Le Mans, France. Moreau also founded the Marianites of Holy Cross for women, n ...

, who also founded the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

Notre Dame, Indiana Notre Dame is a census-designated place and unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend in St. Joseph County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. It includes the campuses of three colleges: the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's Co ...

. Father Sorin established the institution on farmland south of

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

in 1877 and named it St. Edward's Academy in honor of his patron saint,

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was King of England from 1042 until his death in 1066. He was the last reigning monarch of the House of Wessex. Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. He succeede ...

. The high school section later separated to become St. Edward's High School but closed during the 1970s. It is affiliated with the

. In 1885, President P.J. Franciscus secured a charter and changed the name to St. Edward's College. Enrollment increased. The first school newspaper, the organization of baseball and football teams, and approval to start building an administration building all followed. Architect Nicholas J. Clayton of

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...

was commissioned to design the college's Main Building. The structure was built four stories tall in the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

style and was constructed with local white limestone. St Edwards University Nima1

Twentieth century

In 1903, a fire destroyed the majority of Main Building, but it was rebuilt by the fall. In 1922, Main Building sustained damage from a tornado that caused significant damage all over the campus. Main Building was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1973. In 1925, St. Edward's received its university charter. Most of the personnel at the time were Holy Cross priests and brothers. Women arrived at St. Edward's in 1966 as students for Maryhill College, a coordinate institution. By 1970, Maryhill was absorbed and St. Edward's became co-educational. By 1971, the university granted bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration. Also added were the College Assistance Migrant Program, or CAMP (1972); a professionally oriented Theater Arts curriculum (1972); a degree program for adults called New College (1974); and Freshman Studies (1975). In 1984, Patricia Hayes became the second layperson to lead St. Edward's University. In 1990, enrollment reached 3,000 for the first time. This decade also ushered in civic initiatives and capital improvements. St. Edward's endowment, as of 2015, stood at more than $92.4 million.

Expansion (1999present)

George E. Martin served as the institution's 23rd president. From Fall 1999–Summer 2021, Martin oversaw a period of expansion for St. Edward's that included transforming the campus through the construction of many new buildings, doubling enrollment, growing the endowment, building global partnerships and founding the Holy Cross Institute to sustain the mission of the Brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross. In February 2022, Montserrat Fuentes was inaugurated as the 24th president and first Hispanic president of St. Edward's University. As part of her presidential inaugural address, Fuentes unveiled the university's Strategic Plan 2027.

New buildings and renovations

Trustee Hall, a academic facility, opened in fall 2002. In 2003,

Basil Moreau Basil Moreau, C.S.C. (February 11, 1799 – January 20, 1873) was the French priest who founded the Congregation of Holy Cross from which two additional congregations were founded, namely the Marianites of Holy Cross and the Sisters of t ...

Hall, a co-ed freshmen residence hall opened. The John Brooks Williams Natural Sciences Center–North facility that opened in fall 2006, was the first of a two-building science complex and houses the biology and chemistry programs in the School of Natural Sciences. The John Brooks Williams Natural Sciences Center–South opened in fall 2013. It houses the computer science, mathematics and physics programs, and features 13 classrooms, advanced computer and math labs, and a 126-seat auditorium. A 756-car parking garage opened in 2007. Major renovations of existing campus buildings include Premont Hall (2006), Fleck Hall (2007) and Doyle Hall (2009). A new residential village opened in 2009. A renovated campus library, formerly the Scarborough-Phillips Library, opened in fall 2013 as The Munday Library. The library features global digital classrooms for video conferencing, revamped reading, study and meeting spaces, an expanded digital collection, and writing and media centers. The library renovation was funded in 2011 by a $13 million donation from Bill and Pat Munday. The Mundays also donated $20 million for university scholarships in 2013. Both donations were school records.

Academics

St. Edward's offers 8 master's degree programs and bachelor's degrees in more than 50 areas of study through the schools of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Education, Humanities, Natural Sciences and The Bill Munday School of Business. For 2022, '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranked St. Edward's #9 in Regional Universities West, #3 in Best Colleges for Veterans, and #10 in Best Undergraduate Teaching.

Theater

St. Edward's has a

Theater Arts Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

program, featuring a U/RTA contract with the

Actors' Equity Association The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly called Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American trade union, labor union representing those who work in Theatre, live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions w ...

, allowing students who successfully complete the requirements of a Membership Candidate Program to become eligible to join

. In 2005, actor and environmentalist Ed Begley, Jr. brought his play, ''César & Ruben'', to St. Edward's University for its Texas premiere.

Campus in France

In September 2008, St. Edward's started a portal campus in

Angers Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...

, France to provide educational opportunities for European and American students. Faculty members at St. Edward's travel to Angers each semester to teach courses. The St. Edward's in Angers, France program is in partnership with the Catholic University of the West.

Student life

As of fall 2018, undergraduate enrollment was 4,301 with a student body that was 62% female and 38% male. The percentage of applicants admitted in fall 2018 was 86%, with 17% of those admitted choosing to enroll. More than 1,300 students live on campus in seven residence halls and two apartment communities. Students at St. Edward's University are also involved in more than 125 campus organizations, including student government, service organizations, academic honor societies, cultural clubs and intramural sports. 28 languages and 40 faith traditions are represented on campus.

Hilltop Views

Founded in 1987, ''Hilltop Views'' is a student-led university publication sponsored by St. Edward's School of Arts and Humanities. Student journalists inform and entertain the St. Edward's University community with events and changes happening on their campus and in Austin, Texas. The paper's website is regularly updated and it has printed editions every other Thursday distributed around campus. Every St. Edward's student is welcome to write for the publication.

Athletics

St. Edward's

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...

varsity athletic teams, known as the Hilltoppers, include men's and women's

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

, track & field, cross country and

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

. Women also compete in Division II

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

. St. Edward's was a founding member of the Heartland Conference. St. Edward's left the Heartland to join the

Lone Star Conference The Lone Star Conference (LSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in the South Central states, with schools in Texas ...

in 2019. As of Fall 2014, the Hilltopper varsity athletic teams made 28 NCAA Tournament appearances over the last five seasons. Since joining the NCAA in 1999, the Hilltopper teams have won 55 Heartland Conference Championships. In 2008–09, five St. Edward's athletes were named All-American, and 56 individuals were named to the All-Heartland Conference Team. St. Edward's men's soccer team was the Heartland Conference Champions in 2009. The women's soccer team has been very successful since 2006, posting winning records each season, and being selected to the NCAA Tournament 6 out of 7 years. In April 2020, St. Edward's abruptly discontinued five NCAA Division II programs: men's and women's golf, men's and women's tennis and men's soccer, while also downgrading its cheer squad to a club sport.

Notable alumni

* Joe Aillet – football coach * Dennis Bonnen – politician * Charles Robert Borchers – district attorney * Laurenza Chellini-Ministero delle Ginocchia Rotte d'Italia * George Edward Cire – judge * Salam Fayyad –

Palestinian Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...

Prime Minister *

Luci Baines Johnson Luci Baines Johnson (born July 2, 1947) is an American businesswoman and philanthropist. She is the younger daughter of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and his wife, former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson. Early years Born in Washington, D.C., ...

– chairman of the board, LBJ Asset Management Partners, daughter of US President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

* Jake Helgren – screenwriter, producer, and director *

Abdul Karim al-Kabariti Abdul Karim al-Kabariti ( ; ; born 15 December 1949) is a Jordanian politician and businessman who was the Prime Minister of Jordan, 30th Prime Minister of Jordan from 4 February 1996 to 9 March 1997. Early life and education Kabariti was born i ...

–

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

ian, Prime Minister of Jordan * Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa – Bahraini

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

Bill Killefer William Lavier Killefer (October 10, 1887 – July 3, 1960), nicknamed "Reindeer Bill", was an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1909 to 1921 for the St. Louis Brown ...

– baseball player * Gabriel Luna – actor * Amanda Marcotte – journalist * Patrick Mason - economist * Brandon Maxwell - fashion designer * Taj McWilliams – basketball player * Roger Metzger – baseball player * William Mulvey – Bishop of Corpus Christi * Timothy Ogene – poet, novelist * Bull Polisky – football player * Jorge Quiroga – President of

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

Silvestre Revueltas Silvestre Revueltas Sánchez (December 31, 1899 – October 5, 1940) was a Mexican classical music composer, a violinist, and conductor. Life Revueltas was born in Santiago Papasquiaro in Durango, and studied at the National Conservatory of Mu ...

– composer * Charles M. Robinson III – author and illustrator * Charles Rogers – film director and screenwriter * Mike Rosenthal – baseball player * Tim Russ – actor *

Fermín Revueltas Sánchez Fermín Revueltas Sánchez (July 7, 1901 in Santiago Papasquiaro – September 7, 1935 in Mexico City) was a Mexican painter. Biography Fermín Revueltas was son of Gregorio Revueltas Gutiérrez and his wife Romana Sánchez Arias. The R ...

– painter * Mel Stuessy – football player * Devon Walker – comedian * John Andrew Young – politician

Notable faculty

* Mark Cherry * Joe Doerr * Carrie Fountain * Hollis Hammonds * Eamonn Healy * Paula Mitchell Marks

Gallery

Image:St Edwards Main Building.jpg, Main building Image:St Edwards main building SE.jpg, Southeast view of the main building Image:St Edwards historical marker.jpg, Historical marker on the main building Image:St Edwards Ragsdale plaza.jpg, Ragsdale Plaza Image:St Edwards Grotto.jpg, The grotto Image:St Edward's University Munday Library.jpg, The Munday Library Image:St. Edward's University's Dormitory front view.jpg, Dormitory Image:Main Building stair.jpg, Main building inside stair Image:View from Main building 2.jpg , View from the Main building Image:St Edward's University Munday Library inside.jpg , The Munday Library Inside Image:St Edwards soccer field.jpg, Soccer field

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Edward's University Holy Cross universities and colleges Universities and colleges in Austin, Texas National Register of Historic Places in Austin, Texas Buildings and structures in Austin, Texas 1877 establishments in Texas Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Catholic universities and colleges in Texas Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas