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Former names | St. Bonaventure's College (1858–1950) |
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| Type | Private university |
| Established | 1858; 167 years ago (1858) |
Religious affiliation | Catholic Church (Franciscan) |
Academic affiliations | ACCU AFCU NAICU CIC |
| Endowment | $92.3 million (2021)[1] |
| President | Jeff Gingerich |
| Provost | David Hilmey |
Administrative staff | 166 FT/ 74 PT |
| Students | 2,760 (2024) |
| Undergraduates | 2,048 (2024) |
| Postgraduates | 712 (2024) |
| Location | , U.S. |
| Campus | Small town/rural, 500 acres (200 ha) |
| Colors | Brown and white[2] |
| Nickname | Bonnies |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division I –Atlantic 10 |
| Mascot | The Bona Wolf[3] |
| Website | www |
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St. Bonaventure University is aprivateFranciscan university inSt. Bonaventure, New York, United States. TheWestern New York campus is home to 2,210 undergraduate and graduate students, with an additional 550 graduate students enrolled in online programs.[4][5] TheFranciscans established the university in 1858.[6]
In athletics, theSt. Bonaventure Bonnies playNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)Division I sports in theAtlantic 10 Conference.[5] Students and alumni often refer to the university asBona's, derived from the school's name.
The college was founded byUtica, New York, financierNicholas Devereux,[7] one of the first to gain land grants in newly surveyed Cattaraugus County from theHolland Land Company.[8] Devereux founded the town of Allegany on the grant, hoping to build a new city. Devereux approachedJohn Timon,[9] the bishop ofBuffalo,[10] for assistance. The two invited theFranciscan order to Western New York,[7] and a small group underPamfilo da Magliano arrived in 1855.[9] The school graduated its first class in 1858. St. Bonaventure's College was granted university status by New York State in 1950. The largest residence hall on campus, Devereux Hall, is named for the founder.
The university is named afterBonaventure, born John of Fidenza, who became a cardinal and Doctor of the Church. A theologian and contemporary ofThomas Aquinas at the University of Paris, he became head of the Franciscan order. Bonaventure was canonized in 1482 bySixtus IV. The Franciscan friars at the St. Bonaventure Friary belong to the Holy Name Province and are members of theOrder of Friars Minor,[9] one of the orders of Franciscans.
The university is also home to the Franciscan Institute. Founded in 1939 by Thomas Plassmann, then president of St. Bonaventure's College, and led by its first director,Philotheus Boehner.
The campus sits on 500 acres (2.0 km2) in the town ofAllegany, just over the line from the city ofOlean (total pop.: 15,000), at Exit 24 ofInterstate 86. The university has its ownUS Post Office and is listed as a separatecensus-designated place by theCensus Bureau. The university's postal address isSaint Bonaventure, NY 14778.
The university has more than 50 academic programs, including programs in the Jandoli School of Communication,[11] School of Arts & Sciences, School of Business, School of Education, and The Dennis R. DePerro School of Health Professions.
St. Bonaventure also has the Center for the Study of Attention, Learning & Memory, a joint initiative between the School of Education and the School of Arts and Sciences, promotes interdisciplinary research and increases awareness of the importance of attention and learning in education.[12] The university also hosts the Franciscan Institute, which provides grants for research on the history and theology of the Franciscan Order.
In theU.S. News & World Report's 2025 rankings of colleges and universities, St. Bonaventure University was ranked nineteenth (tie) among "Regional Universities North" and eighth in "Best Value Schools".[13]
The campus newspaper,The Bona Venture, has been published continuously since 1926. Known on campus as The BV, the newspaper has earned The Pacemaker Award numerous times from theAssociated Collegiate Press, the last time in 1994. The school's student radio station is known asWSBU 88.3 The Buzz. In 2019, the Jandoli School of Communication's student-produced newscast, "SBU-TV", became available to television viewers across Western New York.[14]
Thomas Merton, the Catholic monk and writer, taught English at St. Bonaventure for a year just at the start ofWorld War II, living on campus on the second floor of Devereux Hall.[15] During this time, he decided to join theTrappists, and later entered themonastery inKentucky in 1941. A heart-shaped clearing on a mountain in view of campus is linked to Merton in campus myth. Some students call it "Merton's Heart" and claim that Merton visited the place often and that the trees fell when he died. In reality, the hillside had been cleared for oil drilling in the 1920s and trees have since regrown, leaving the bald patch.[16]
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St. Bonaventure is anNCAA Division I member of theAtlantic 10 Conference and offers 19 varsity athletic programs. The school's programs are known as the Bonnies. The men's team has reached theNCAA men's basketball tournament a total of 8 times, most recently in the2020–2021 season.[17]
Six alumni of the university have received thePulitzer Prize, includingDan Barry (1980), Bill Briggs (1985), Robert A. Dubill (1958), John Hanchette (1964),Charles J. Hanley (1968), and Brian Toolan (1972).[18][19][20]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
42°04′41″N78°28′53″W / 42.078094°N 78.481307°W /42.078094; -78.481307
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