GENERAL INFORMATION

John Carroll University, one of twenty-eight colleges and universities established in the United States by the Society of Jesus, was founded as St. Ignatius College in 1886.  It has been in continuous operation as a degree-granting institution since that time.

In 1923 the college was renamed John Carroll University, after the first archbishop of the Catholic Church in the United States.  In 1935 it was moved from its original location on the West Side of Cleveland to its present site in University Heights, a suburb ten miles east of downtown Cleveland.

In September 1968 the University made the transition from full-time male enrollment to a fully coeducational institution as women were admitted to the College of Arts and Sciences for the first time.

Jesuit Tradition

As a Jesuit university, John Carroll University draws upon the intellectual resources and educational experience of the Society of Jesus, which has operated colleges and universities for more than four centuries.  Jesuits on the faculty and in the administration help impart the particular character and value of Jesuit education that make John Carroll University a unique institution in its region.  In 2005 the Reverend Robert L. Niehoff, S.J., took office as the University’s twenty-fourth president.  A full-time faculty of more than 200 men and women, religious and lay, share the educational enterprise of service to its students and the community.

Planning and Assessment

The Office of Planning and Assessment was established in 1999.  The office is lead by the Associate Academic Vice President for Planning and Assessment, and the office is responsible for both the University planning process and the assessment process.  Working with the University Planning Group, the office has facilitated the University’s strategic planning process and is also responsible for the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the plan.

An integral component of understanding and improving the student experience is a coordinated program of assessing student learning.  Assessment of student learning is a University-wide effort, bridging both academic and student affairs, with the support of the University administration.  The assessment program requires the systematic collection of information in order to both document and improve student learning.  Ultimately, the information collected as part of the assessment program serves as a basis for curricular reform, program development, budgets, and strategic planning.

Effective assessment of student learning relies on collaboration between students, faculty, and administrative staff.  Assessment of student learning occurs in the academic major, the core curriculum, and student life.  Student participation in the assessment program is essential in meeting the University’s commitment to student learning.  John Carroll University requires students to take active part in the institution’s assessment program by completing surveys, tests, writing assignments, interviews, and other assessment-related activities.

The University Assessment Committee (UAC) is the primary oversight body for the student outcomes assessment programs of the University.  Working with the UAC, the office provides support for the University’s assessment efforts.  These include the formation of institution-wide student learning goals, and the development, implementation, and review of the assessment program of the University and the academic departments.

The UAC is comprised of five appointed faculty, the director of Institutional Research, the director of the University Core Curriculum, the associate academic vice president, two appointed representatives from the Division of Student Affairs, and an undergraduate and a graduate student.  The committee is chaired by the Associate Academic Vice President for Planning and Assessment, Dr. Nicholas R. Santilli.

Academic Divisions

The University maintains two major academic divisions:  the College of Arts and Sciences and the John M. and Mary Jo Boler School of Business.  Enrollment for credit ranges from 3,800 to 4,000 students.  In 2007-2008 the six-year graduation rate for freshmen who entered the university in 2002 on a full-time basis was 82%.

Degree programs are offered in more than forty major fields of the arts, social sciences, natural sciences, and business. They include curricula for preprofessional study in medicine, law, dentistry, engineering, and teaching.  A wide range of courses is available in day, evening, and summer sessions.

Campus

More than twenty major buildings, predominantly Gothic in architecture, and sixty beautifully landscaped acres make up the Carroll campus.  Thorne Acres, a thirty-eight-acre property in nearby Chardon, provides additional recreational and educational facilities.  Major buildings include the Grasselli Library and its John G. and Mary Jane Breen Learning Center, the T.P. O’Malley, S.J., Center for Communications and Language Arts, and the D.J. Lombardo Student Center.  This center includes the Little Theatre, the Harold C. Schott Dining Hall, the Inn Between, the Underground, recreational facilities, public conference rooms, and offices for student organizations; it is also the location of the Fritzsche Religious Center containing the campus ministry offices and the Saint Francis Chapel.  The complex also includes the DeCarlo Varsity Center, the William H. Johnson Natatorium, and the Ralph Vince Fitness Center.

Other important facilities are the Administration Building, the Boler School of Business, Rodman Hall, Kulas Auditorium, and Wasmer and Schweickert fields for outdoor athletic events.  There are eight student residence halls.

Two major additions to the campus opened in September 2003.  The Dolan Center for Science and Technology is a state-of-the-art teaching and research facility.  Taking over the functions of the James A. Bohannon Science Center, the Dolan Center houses the Departments of Art History and Humanities, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Computer Science, Physics, and Psychology; the Center for Mathematics and Science Education, Teaching, and Technology, and the Lighting Innovations Institute.  This beautiful Georgian-style building also contains many spaces intended for use by the entire University community, including study areas, conference rooms, the Muldoon Atrium, and the 250-seat Donahue Auditorium.  The Don Shula Stadium is the new home of the Blue Streak football, soccer, and track teams.  The stadium also has offices for coaches, a weight training facility, locker rooms, athletic training room, and the Don Shula Memorabilia Room, featuring photographs and artifacts donated by the family of its namesake.

A campus-wide computer network facilitates access to the Internet and World Wide Web as well as providing a vehicle for internal communication via e-mail.

Accreditation

John Carroll University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association (30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400; Chicago, Illinois 60602-2504; tel.: (800) 621-7440; www.ncahigherlearningcommission.org).  The graduate and undergraduate business programs offered by the Boler School of Business are accredited by AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.  In addition, the Department of Accountancy’s programs are accredited separately by AACSB.  The University is approved by the Ohio Department of Education and accredited by the National Council for Accreditation for Teacher Education for the preparation of Early Childhood (EC), Middle Child (MC), Multi-Age (MA), and Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) school teachers, counselors, school psychologists, and principals, with the master’s degree as the highest approved.  Programs in chemistry have been approved by the American Chemical Society.  The Community Counseling Program and the School Counseling Program are accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

In addition to many other affiliations in specialized areas and disciplines, the University holds memberships in the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, American Council on Education, American Schools of Oriental Research, Association of American Colleges and Universities, Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, Association of College Admissions Counselors, Association of Graduate Schools in Catholic Colleges and Universities, Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio, Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, Council of Graduate Schools in the United States, Council of Independent Colleges, EDUCAUSE – Association for Information Technology in Higher Education, Midwest Association of Graduate Schools, National Association of College and University Attorneys, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, National Catholic Educational Association, Ohio Athletic Conference, Ohio College Association, Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges, Inc., and Sponsoring Consortium for the Joint Archeological Expedition to Tell el-Hesi (Israel).

Affiliations

Through several administrative understandings, the University has cultivated a series of institutional relationships that notably enlarge the educational opportunities it offers.

The University enjoys long-standing student exchange agreements with Sophia University in Tokyo, Nanzan University in Nagoya, and Kansai Gaidai University in

Kyoto, Japan.  In addition, the University is a member of the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), which offers study abroad opportunities worldwide.  In recent years the University has also added exchange programs with the University of Hull, England; the University of Dortmund, Germany; Rhodes University, South Africa; RAI Institute, India; and Fatih University, Turkey.

The University is a member of the consortium of American Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) that supports the Beijing Program for undergraduate study in China as well as the CASA de La Solidaridad in El Salvador.

Students can entertain several program offerings in Europe for one semester or two, depending on the program.  In England, business students can enroll in the University’s Boler Business Semester in London; non-business students can enroll in the London Liberal Arts Semester in cooperation with Regent’s College.  In Italy, students can participate in the University’s own Vatican Program in cooperation with the Pontifica Universitá Urbaniana; Loyola University of Chicago’s Rome Center; or John Cabot University in Rome.  The University has recently established study abroad programs in Ireland (Maynooth), Spain (Madrid), and Costa Rica.

Besides the program offerings listed above, cooperative agreements exist with programs in numerous countries on all continents. 

John Carroll University also participates in agreements with many colleges and universities in the Cleveland area to offer cross-registration opportunities to all full-time undergraduate students.

In cooperation with the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, the University provides the academic component of the formation program for college-level seminarians of the diocese.

In cooperation with Case Western Reserve University of Cleveland, the natural science departments provide a five-year joint dual-degree program by which students may receive a Bachelor’s Degree from John Carroll University as well as a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Case Western Reserve University.  A similar dual-degree program culminates in a Bachelor of Science in Biology from John Carroll University, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Case Western University.

John Carroll University is affiliated with the Washington Center, which provides internships and academic seminars in Washington, D.C.  This affiliation gives students the opportunity to live, work, and study full-time there while receiving a semester of academic credit from John Carroll University.

John Carroll University Alumni Association

John Carroll University has more than 38,000 alumni, each of whom has a lifetime connection to the institution.  As a result, the odds of a future employer, colleague, neighbor, or service provider being found among our alumni are fairly high.

The John Carroll Alumni Association, led by a volunteer advisory board of alumni, works to establish a life-long, meaningful relationship between the University and its current and future alumni.  The Association furthers the spiritual, intellectual, and social welfare of its members and the John Carroll community.  It also promotes both student and alumni interests through active participation in student recruitment, community service, athletic programs, career networking, scholarships, and the City Club program. 

The Alumni Medal, the highest honor awarded annually by the Alumni Association, is presented to alumni and others who have distinguished themselves in their personal lives and careers, thereby reflecting credit upon John Carroll’s educational efforts, moral principles, and philosophical tenets.  Each year, the Alumni Awards program honors those who bring distinction to John Carroll University through their superior talents and selfless service.
For more information about the John Carroll Alumni Association, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 216-397-4336 or alumni@jcu.edu, or visit the alumni web site at www.jcu.edu/alumni.