Strategic Initiatives
¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ University has launched more than 40 new academic programs at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels since 2016 through the Office of Academic Innovation and Planning. The Office provides faculty with the resources they need to conduct marketplace research, develop and begin new academic programs that help meet regional workforce needs. Through this effort, new programs are able to be rapidly brought to market in response to rapid changes in the technology, healthcare, and business sectors in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
The Setonian Mission Formation Program is a formalized and comprehensive program that helps ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ maintain and strengthen its Catholic, Setonian tradition for current and future students, faculty and staff. Developed through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and drawing significantly on the history and charism of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton and the Sisters of Charity of ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ, the Program expands Mission-focused activities to build a foundation of leaders who will preserve the heritage and the charism of the Sisters of Charity of ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ; continue to foster Catholic intellectual life across campus; and help students explore the liberal arts in a distinctive and enriching Catholic framework.
Career readiness is integrated into the academic journey for ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ students right from the start through our award-winning Fit for the World Career Readiness Program. Hailed as a national model by University Business in 2016, the Program ensures that every student engages in career and major exploration activities; resume building and writing opportunities; and internships, research experiences, and study abroad programs that make them competitive in the global marketplace. As a result, 98 percent of ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ graduates are employed or pursuing advanced degrees within six months of their undergraduate graduation.
The President’s Task Force on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion expands upon and builds on decades of work ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ has conducted in this important area. With participation from students, faculty, staff, administrators and alumni, the Task Force has been and will continue working in concert with existing campus programs and structures as well as with offices throughout campus in the development of a comprehensive program of change to foster and safeguard inclusive practices on campus. The Task Force examines ways that ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ can be a place where all people feel welcomed with a particular focus on mission and the student experience in the classroom and outside of the classroom. The University has a legacy of engaging in dialogue and coalition building. We value diversity and the benefit brought by multiple cultures and perspectives living and learning together in our search for truth.
The Ruth O'Block Grant Endowed Scholarship Program was created in 2018 during the University’s Centennial by Ruth's grandson, Grant Verstandig; daughter, Toni Verstandig; and son-in-law, Lee Verstandig through the Verstandig Family Foundation to celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit of Ruth Grant, a ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Distinguished Alumna and former Chair of the University’s Board of Trustees.Through the Grant Scholars program, selected students benefit from the mentorship and guidance of exceptional leaders and entrepreneurs, like Ruth Grant, and participate in experiences that will help them hone their leadership skills and prepare them for success after ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ. Each Grant Scholar is paired with a mentor, who meets with them regularly to provide guidance and help them navigate their educational path throughout the undergraduate experience.
The Eva Fleischner Program on Truth Finding was launched at ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ through a gift from the Fleischner family in honor of the late Holocaust Scholar Eva Fleischner. Through The Eva Fleischner Program on Truth Finding, ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ aims to help ensure students have meaningful opportunities to engage in collaborative, rigorous analysis and transparent dialogue in order to develop the skills and dispositions necessary to search for and recognize truth.
The Program helps students to:
The Program helps students to:
- identify disinformation;
- understand analytical interpretations of facts and data;
- discern opinion from fact;
- examine multi-ethnic and multi-cultural perspectives;
- recognize cognitive biases;
- study political trends and recognize those that are antithetical to democracy;
- understand social media and changes to the information environment;
- curate reliable sources of information;
- listen to understand; and,
- determine the impact of political and social polarization on truth finding.