Saint Francis University

Saint Francis University ("sfu"), founded in 1847 by the franciscans of the third order regular, is the oldest franciscan college in the nation. Located in loretto, pa, the University is an integral part of the region, providing higher education, cultural events, performing arts, athletic competition, and numerous community outreach programs for cambria county and beyond. Over 98% of the University's undergraduate students receive some sort of financial aid. Sfu provides educational opportunities to the community and serves both traditional and non-traditional students. In addition to sfu's main campus location in loretto, the University conducts instruction at various locations in western pa in both undergraduate and graduate programs. Continued on "schedule o".sfu currently has approximately 1,438 full-time and 187 part-time undergraduate students and 398 graduate students. All full-time undergraduate students are required to perform community service. Sfu estimates that over 8,000 hours were dedicated to service by sfu students.the University's centers offer a wide variety of services for the area: the small business development center (sbdc) provides expertise in financing, marketing, and operational management to local businesses and entrepreneurs. These projects are funded through federal and state grants and services are provided to businesses at no cost.the dorothy day center serves as the major arm of outreach for the University through faith, educational, and social services. The center offers a variety of assistance to the economically disadvantaged, including emergency financial aid, food, and clothing, as well as direct student assistance through many volunteer programs. Major programs include the smile and plus-1 programs. These programs use University staff and students to work with economically disadvantaged youth of the area, in the areas of reading skills, tutoring, and other life experience skills.the upward bound center is a federal program funded by the u.s. department of education and designed to prepare low income, potential first-generation college students for the rigors of post-secondary education. Provided at no cost to the participants, the program offers a wide variety of academic, career, and cultural development activities for students. From september to may, students participate in saturday follow-ups held on campus and tutorials held after school in their communities. Additional academic year activities include college visits, sat cram sessions, and college fairs. During the six-week residential summer program, students attend five academic classes each day and participate in a wide variety of career and cultural activities. On average, 93% of upward bound students go on to college immediately after high school. After completing high school, 80% of upward bound graduates earn a college degree within five years.the University hosts approximately 430 high school students in a variety of academic programs including science day and business day. These services are provided to participants at little or no cost. They include a day of working with various University professors, guest professors, and students to present area high school students with the opportunity to experience exciting topics in various concentrations. Additionally, the University hosts forensic competitions for high schools in the region and week long science academies and kid science camps all through the summer months for all age groups.