The Science Center

The impact of a new science center

Saint Francis University has built a strong reputation for science, technology, and healthcare programs, yet as begin our journey toward a new science building, we have an opportunity to transform the way we educate our students. Your gift toward this new building will have an impact far beyond traditional bricks and mortar. Click to view live construction of the Science Center.

Teaching
Hands-on, interactive activities combined with sophisticated technological support are key features in a model science-based curriculum, yet many of our facilities are still set up primarily for passive learning in lecture halls. Our facilities must support problem-based learning in small groups as well as specialized lab and practice areas such as a marine training aquarium.

Scholarship
When Sullivan Hall was built, it was unheard of for undergraduate students to engage in original, individualized research. This was reserved for the graduate level and not considered a hallmark of a progressive liberal arts institution. Today, Saint Francis prides itself in engaging its students and their faculty mentors in original research from their freshman year onward, which requires smaller, specialized laboratories along with the more traditional laboratories housing advanced research equipment.

Community Outreach
Improved facilities will allow Saint Francis to expand efforts to serve the wider community in a manner true to Franciscan values and unique among institutions of higher education. For example, new science outreach facilities will allow our students and faculty to be more involved with K-12 STEM teachers and school children in Pennsylvania, engaging the best of the University’s energy and talents with badly needed reform in public education. New research laboratories will permit our students and faculty to apply state-of-the-art solutions to issues such as acid-mine drainage problems in Pennsylvania and internationally in counterpart communities in Bolivia.

Join us in continuing a proud tradition

Growing Science Programs and Limited Facilities
Our student body includes a growing number of science majors and many others who take science courses as part of their core curriculum. In recent years, our health and medical offerings have attracted increasing numbers of talented students, and newer areas of study such as neuroscience, environmental science, forensic science and biochemistry have gained momentum at Saint Francis. Unfortunately, our existing facilities simply can no longer support these growing programs.

Outstanding Educational Experience
For years, our faculty and staff have managed to provide an outstanding educational experience for these students, even as our facilities have aged. Our next generation of scientists and healthcare professionals now study in labs that are almost 50 years old, built at a time when setting foot on the moon was a national goal, not yet a reality. When you have considered how much has changed over these last five decades, you can truly understand the need for updated spaces.

For more information on how you may support these projects, contact the Office of Advancement at 814-472-3021.