We continue the series of in-depth studies on the Universities in our network. After ODU (Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia) we move further north, to the heart of the Big Apple.
St. John’s University
St. John’s University is a Vincentian Catholic university founded in 1870 and located in Queens, a few miles from Manhattan (New York City). It currently has more than 21000 students (full and part-time) and a network of over 180000 alumni (former students).
The university is organized into six schools and colleges that encompass a varied educational offer ranging from arts to sciences:
- St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- School of Education,
- Peter J. Tobin College of Business
- College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
- The Lesley H. and William L. CollinsCollege of Professional Studies (St. Vincent’s College)
- St. John’s School of Law
The Pharmacy School has been ranked among the top 100 in the nation; Majors in Business Administration and Management, Accounting, Rhetoric and Composition, Economics and Biology/Biological Sciences are also very popular.
St. John’s is an international and inclusive university, which hosts students from all over the world and has always been attentive to minorities.
As for the athletic department, the university sponsors 16 sports programs that compete in the BIG EAST CONFERENCE (NCAA Division I):
- Men’s Baseball
- Men’s and women’s basketball
- Men’s and women’s football
- Women’s Volleyball
- Men’s and women’s fencing
- Men’s and women’s tennis
- Men’s and women’s golf
- Men’s Lacrosse
- Softball
- Women’s Athletics
The men’s basketball team is certainly the best known: the legendary coach Lou Carnesecca, inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame, was named National Coach of the Year 2 times and in 1985 led the Johnnies to the national Final Four. The basketball team plays its home games between the Carnesecca Arena (which also hosts the other team sports) and the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York.
The women’s volleyball team in 2019 won the Big East Conference title for the fifth time in history. The team is made up of athletes from 8 different nations and two are Italian. Erica Di Maulo, who has just graduated and ended her career with the victory of the tournament and Rachele Rastelli, who is preparing to start her third year as a student-athlete in St. John’s.
Joanne Persico, the team’s head coach, is the coach with the most appearances in the history of the college: in 2019 she achieved the 500th victory of her career and next fall she is preparing to face her 27th season at the helm of the team.
Finally, St. John’s University counts among its graduates several prominent personalities in the world of politics, sports and entertainment. Here are some of them:
– Mario Cuomo (former Governor of New York and father of current Governor Andrew Cuomo)
– William J. Casey (CIA Director from 1981 to 1987)
– Ron Brown (Secretary of Commerce under Bill Clinton)
– J. Cole (Rapper and producer)
– Amir Garret (professional baseball player)
– Rima Fakih (Miss USA 2010)
– Lou Carnesecca (NBA Hall of Fame Coach)
– Chris Mullin (NBA Hall of Famer)
For more information, you can visit the institutional and sports website of St. John’s University.
