The William B. Finneran Pavilion is a 6,501-seat multi-purpose arena in Villanova, Pennsylvania , United States , about 10 miles northwest of downtown ( Center City ) Philadelphia .
59-608: Built in 1985, the arena is home to the Villanova University Wildcats basketball teams. It is recognizable from the outside for its hyperbolic paraboloid roofline, similar to Alfond Arena at the University of Maine . It replaced the still-existing Villanova Field House , later renamed the "Jake Nevin Field House," a small arena-auditorium built in 1932. The first men's basketball game played at
118-683: A 100 percent GSR in the release. The Villanova women's and men's basketball team are among the athletic program's 14 teams with a 100 percent graduation rate for 2010–13. Merrimack College Merrimack College is a private Augustinian university in North Andover, Massachusetts . It was founded in 1947 by the Order of St. Augustine with an initial goal to educate World War II veterans. It enrolls approximately 5,700 undergraduate and graduate students from 34 states and 36 countries. The school has an acceptance rate of 75%. Merrimack College
177-897: A 125,000-volume library; several classroom buildings, including the state-of-the-art School of Engineering and Computational Sciences complex; Palmisano Hall; the Sakowich Campus Center; the Rogers Center for the Arts; the Merrimack Athletic Complex; Austin Hall, which houses administrative offices; the Collegiate Church of Christ the Teacher; student apartment buildings and residence halls. Additionally, Merrimack owns several properties outside of
236-978: A cappella group, the Haveners, is student-directed. Villanova University teams are known as the Wildcats. They compete as a member of the NCAA Division I level, primarily competing in the Big East Conference . The Wildcats previously competed in the Eastern 8 Conference from 1975 to 1976 to 1979–80. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, field hockey, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball and water polo. The football and rowing team competes in
295-689: A central theme. Concept is an interdisciplinary journal of graduate studies sponsored by the Graduate Division of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The 2009 student film Price of Life received critical attention. Since its inception in the summer of 1946, the NROTC unit on campus has produced 25 Admirals and Generals in the United States Navy and Marine Corps. At one point, there had only been two four-star generals in
354-617: A class of 1700. The middle 50% GPA range: 4.20–4.58 on a weighted 4.00 scale. The middle 50% SAT scores of the recently admitted class: 1450–1520/1600, ACT: 33–35/36. In 2019, Villanova announced new recruiting partnerships with The Posse Foundation , Philadelphia Futures and the Guadalupe Center. Villanova's student organizations include standard club sports, cultural organizations, Greek-letter fraternities and sororities, and more. Villanova students participate in charitable and philanthropic activities and organizations, including
413-543: A full third of the seating. Formerly located in the south end, the student bleachers seat 2,000 students but have been known to be filled with as many as 2,500 students. Until 2016, it was the home court of the Philadelphia Freedoms of World TeamTennis . 23,016 square feet (2,138.3 m) of arena floor space is utilized for concerts , conventions , trade shows , graduation ceremonies and other special events. There are two meeting rooms. The facility
472-575: A graduation-success rate (GSR) of 97 percent rate in the NCAA GSR method. In the GSR release, Villanova had 12 of its athletic programs post a perfect 100 percent graduation success rate for the 2010-2013 cohort. This data measures the percentage of student-athletes who entered college on institutional aid (whether athletics-based aid or otherwise) between those years and graduated within six years. Villanova had seven women's programs and five men's programs earn
531-496: A non-profit organization that focuses on helping to improve the living conditions of communities worldwide. The chapter's inaugural project was to design and build a playground for a grade school in New Orleans following the tragic events of Hurricane Katrina . Villanova EWB was the only student organization to win an award from the regional Project Management Institute , receiving an Honorable Mention from PMI for project of
590-438: A removal of the school's accreditation, however the quick response to the issue by the university resulted only in a censure of the school. Admission to Villanova has been deemed "most selective" by U.S. News & World Report . The university offers three ways to apply: Early Decision (binding), Early Action and Regular Decision. For fall 2023, Villanova received 23,721 freshmen applications; 4,870 were admitted (21%) for
649-519: A thousand rooms, there is a large, recently deconsecrated chapel and many partial floors, basements and sub-basements to feed the legends of blocked-off wings. Falvey Library, the campus's main research library, houses over 1 million books, thousands of periodicals, and television production studios. According to the National Science Foundation , Villanova spent $ 26 million on research and development in 2022, ranking it 264th in
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#1732787149290708-417: Is St. Thomas of Villanova Church , whose dual spires are the university's tallest structure. The cornerstone was laid in 1883, and construction ended in 1887. Alumni Hall dates back to 1848 and stands as one of the oldest structures on campus. It was used as a military hospital in wartime and for influenza patients after World War I. St. Mary's Hall was built in 1962. Laid out with long corridors and over
767-731: Is led by the Speaker of the Senate and consists of thirty-four Senators total, twenty-two elected representatives from the classes and schools and twelve appointed representatives from University offices and student organizations. The Judicial Council is led by the Chief Justice and consists of four Associate Justices and a Judicial Clerk. Roughly 30% of Villanova students identify with one of eleven fraternities , twelve sororities , and one service fraternity. There are no fraternity or sorority houses on-campus. The first Greek organization at
826-694: Is one of only a handful of colleges to provide EMS services to their campus, and one of only 52 who provide emergency response and transport to at least the Basic Life Support (BLS) Level. VEMS has been recognized on a national level multiple times by the National Collegiate EMS Foundation (NCEMSF), specifically being named 2001 Campus Organization of the Year and receiving EMS website of the year in 2000, 2004, and 2006. Their skills competition team also placed in second at
885-526: Is the kickoff event to the Villanova Men's Basketball season and has had past performers such as Drake, Nicki Minaj and Wiz Khalifa. The Pavilion was the home court of the Philadelphia Freedoms of World TeamTennis from 2010 to 2016. Villanova University Villanova University is a private Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania , United States. It was founded by
944-724: Is the largest and oldest musical group at Villanova with over 100 members. The Villanova Band has four divisions: the Concert Band, the Scramble Band, the Pep Band, and the Jazz Ensemble. The Concert Band plays one concert at the end of each semester. It also performs throughout the Villanova community and on its annual "Fall Tour". The Scramble Band performs for Villanova Football games between plays and at halftime on
1003-579: Is the official yearbook of the university and has been a student made production since 1922. The book is published by the L.G. Balfour Company . The book has won numerous awards over the years including the prestigious Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Crown Award in 1988 and 1989 and the Yearbook Award for their 2017 book and the National Yearbook Sample Award for their 2019 publication. The Villanova Times ,
1062-562: Is within the Villanova census-designated place in Radnor Township . Villanova University sits on 254 acres (1.03 km ) of land, situated 12 miles (19 km) from Center City Philadelphia . The campus has roughly 1,500 trees. The campus was formerly known as Arboretum Villanova , but its status as an official arboretum was revoked after the university failed to meet rules and standards such as planting enough new trees and offering tours. The most prominent campus feature
1121-724: The Colonial Athletic Association , while the women's lacrosse team competes in the Patriot League . The Wildcats are also part of the Philadelphia Big 5 , the traditional Philadelphia-area basketball rivalry. Their fiercest crosstown rivalry is with Saint Joseph's University ("St. Joe's"), the city's Jesuit university, and matches between them are called the " Holy War ". In the NCAA graduation report released on November 17, 2020, Villanova has
1180-532: The Law School . The Singers were established for the stated purpose of singing various types of music and enriching the cultural life of the university. Entirely student-run, the Singers are governed by a nine-member board of students and sing a wide range of musical styles and types, ranging from classical to contemporary. Within the Singers, there exists a smaller, student-directed a cappella group known as
1239-685: The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference of NCAA Division I . They began their four-year transition from Division II to Division I during the 2019–20 season and have been full Division I members since the 2023–24 season. During the college's transition to Division I, it added varsity programs in women's bowling, men's volleyball, men's golf, and dance, bringing the total number of teams participating in intercollegiate sport to 28 (12 men's teams and 16 women's teams). The men's and women's college ice hockey programs are currently NCAA Division I programs, participating in
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#17327871492901298-797: The Order of Saint Augustine in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova . The university is the oldest Catholic university in Pennsylvania and one of two Augustinian institutions of higher learning in the United States (the other being Merrimack College ). The university traces its roots to the old Saint Augustine's Church , Philadelphia, which the Augustinian friars of the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova founded in 1796, and to its parish school, Saint Augustine's Academy, which
1357-628: The Panic of 1857 strained the school financially. The school remained closed throughout the Civil War and was used as a military hospital. It reopened in September 1865; since then it has operated continuously. Its prep school later moved to Malvern , a town along the Main Line . Today it is called Malvern Preparatory School and is still run by the order. Villanova was all-male until 1918 when
1416-512: The 2011 Annual Physio-Control BLS Skills Competition. VEMS hosted the second annual NCEMSF Conference in 1995 as well as the twelfth annual conference in Philadelphia in 2005. The Villanovan has been an officially recognized and accredited student newspaper since its founding in 1916. The university's newspaper of record, the tabloid-sized weekly usually produces 12 issues per semester, at 6,500 copies per issue. The Belle Air Yearbook
1475-521: The 2017–18 season at Wells Fargo Center, while the women's team used Jake Nevin Field House . The renamed William B. Finneran Pavilion reopened in October 2018 with new concession stands, "enhanced audio-visual capabilities", new seating, along with a new entrance. The renovation also included the Court One Club which features the court from the 2016 National Championship Game . Another part of
1534-608: The Andrew McDonough B+ (Be Positive) Foundation. NOVAdance began in 2014, and has since then become a yearly event. The Villanova University community is noted for its participation in Habitat for Humanity In 2004, Villanova had more participants in the Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge than any other U.S. university. Villanova's School of Engineering maintains a student chapter of Engineers Without Borders ,
1593-528: The Augustinians, and the college was closed in February 1845. The college reopened in 1846 and graduated its first class in 1847. In March 1848, the governor of Pennsylvania incorporated the school and gave it the power to grant degrees. In 1859, the first master's degree was conferred. In 1857, the school closed again as the demand for priests in Philadelphia prevented adequate staffing, and the crisis of
1652-637: The Best Masters Universities-category, Northern Region, and ranked the engineering school No.11 among all national undergraduate engineering programs whose highest degree is a masters. U.S. News & World Report ranked Villanova as tied for the 51st best National University in the U.S. for 2022. However, U.S. News & World Report removed Villanova from its list of "Best Value Colleges" in July 2022 due to incorrect data having been reported. The Villanova School of Business
1711-616: The Girard School of Business, the Winston School of Education and Social Policy, the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Engineering and Computational Sciences, and the School of Nursing and Health Sciences. The main campus of Merrimack College is situated on 220 acres (1 km ) of land in North Andover, Massachusetts , a suburb 25 miles north of downtown Boston . The main campus features over 40 buildings, including
1770-627: The Pastoral Musicians have about 60 voices and 35 instrumentalists, primarily undergraduates, up from 30 musicians in 1995. Their musical selection shows the diversity of style within the Catholic tradition: contemporary praise music from different cultures, Bach , Palestrina , Mozart , Lauridsen , and others. Villanova's men's chorus , the Villanova Singers, was founded in 1953 by Dean Harold Gill Reuschlein, then Dean of
1829-536: The Pavilion took place on February 1, 1986, a 64–62 victory against the University of Maryland . For basketball games where larger crowds are expected, Villanova plays at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia (where Villanova holds the record for largest Pennsylvania crowd to watch a college basketball game, att. 20,859). The Finneran Pavilion is known for its famed student section , which constitutes
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1888-457: The Rev. Vincent McQuade, O.S.A, to lead the college. McQuade was a native of Lawrence, Massachusetts and longtime friend of Cushing. McQuade joined the effort after working on the faculty at Villanova working with veterans transitioning home from the war. McQuade organized the creation process, including land purchases and zoning, securing a charter from the state, establishing curriculum, and managing
1947-522: The Spires. Alumni of the Spires include Jim Croce , Tommy West and Manhattan Transfer member Tim Hauser . The Villanova Voices women's chorus is the oldest women's organization at the university. Originally called the Villanova Women's Glee Club, the group was founded by 20 women from the university's College of Nursing in 1960, shortly after Villanova became coeducational. Their attendant
2006-539: The U.S. Marine Corps, one of them the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and they had both been graduates of Villanova NROTC. In 2004, the commanders of both U.S. Naval Forces Atlantic ( Admiral William J. Fallon ) and U.S. Naval Forces Pacific ( Admiral Walter F. Doran ) were Villanova NROTC graduates. Admiral Fallon was later assigned as Commander, U.S. Central Command from March 2007 to March 2008. ADM Fallon
2065-546: The campus and globally via the internet. Since 1991, the station has offered a varied program of music, news, sports, public affairs, and specialty programming. POLIS Literary Magazine, a student publication printed once a semester by the Villanova University Honors Program, features writing and artwork by Villanova students and professors. Each issue features creative nonfiction, poetry, short fiction, and black-and-white photography focusing on
2124-447: The college began evening classes to educate nuns to teach in parochial schools . In 1938, a laywoman received a Villanova degree for the first time. When the nursing school opened in 1953, women began attending Villanova full-time. In 1958, the College of Engineering admitted its first female student; other colleges admitted women only as commuters. Villanova University became fully coeducational in 1968. During World War II, Villanova
2183-454: The college of Nursing and the School of Law were established. Villanova achieved university status on November 18, 1953. Between 1954 and 1963, 10 new buildings were built or bought on land adjacent to the campus, including Bartley, Mendel, and Dougherty Halls. Villanova and Cabrini University issued a joint statement on June 23, 2023, announcing that Cabrini would cease operations in 2024 and be incorporated into Villanova. The university
2242-422: The college received a $ 29.7 million tax-exempt bond from MassDevelopment . Merrimack designated several major projects for the funds, including construction of two academic buildings and three residence halls; renovations to renovate O’Reilly Hall, McQuade Library, and several other campus buildings; and upgrades to athletic facilities. The athletic teams, except for ice hockey and men's lacrosse, participate in
2301-594: The college's campus construction. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts granted a charter to The Augustinian College of the Merrimack Valley in March 1947 and the college officially opened in September of the same year. Merrimack College has had 8 presidents since it was founded in 1947: Merrimack College offers more than 100 undergraduate academic programs and more than 40 graduate programs including accelerated master's degrees. The College's five schools include
2360-422: The festival to regional and international competition. Students apply to be a part of the 82-volunteer planning committee, which works for more than nine months alongside Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA), which oversees more than 300 events statewide. Villanova University holds an annual NOVAdance year-long fundraising effort that culminates with a 12-hour dance marathon each Spring, raising money in support of
2419-478: The field. The Villanova Pep Band performs at Villanova Men's and Women's Basketball games, including post-season games such as the Big East Tournament. The Jazz Ensemble and Orchestra have end-of-semester concerts and perform on campus and around the Philadelphia area several times a year. The band is made up of students of every school within Villanova. The second-largest musical group at Villanova,
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2478-432: The first time in fall 2016. For more than a decade, Villanova University had been ranked No. 1 by U.S. News & World Report in the Best Masters Universities-category, Northern Region, a ranking for schools which offer undergraduate and masters programs but few doctoral programs. U.S. News & World Report in 2016 also ranked Villanova as second for "Best Value Schools" and fourth for "Best Undergraduate Teaching" in
2537-776: The independent bi-weekly student newspaper, won the Collegiate Network Award for Layout and Design in 2005–06, 2007–08 and 2008–09. VTV is the student-run campus television station. Starting in 1999 as the Villanova TV Production Club, the station produces news, events, films and other programming for the Villanova community, and can be seen on the campus television network. WXVU , the FCC-licensed student-operated FM radio station , operates at 89.1 megahertz . With an output of 75 watts, WXVU can be heard for 8 miles (13 km) around
2596-399: The largest student-run Special Olympics in the world. Being a Catholic Augustinian school, the university has an active Campus Ministry. The annual Special Olympics Fall Festival at Villanova University is the largest and most successful student-run Special Olympics in the world. It draws more than 1,000 athletes and 400 coaches from 44 Pennsylvania counties. Athletes may advance through
2655-461: The main campus, including the Louis H. Hamel Health Center and Saint Ambrose Friary (located across Elm Street from the bulk of campus). The library is named after McQuade, the college's founder. The college’s academic buildings, as well as the church and Austin Hall, are generally fronted towards Route 114 , with the residence halls, athletic facilities and campus center lying further back. In 2017,
2714-611: The nation. In a deliberate move to classify itself as a "national university", Villanova pushed in early 2010s to expand its doctoral programs to reach the Carnegie threshold of 20 PhDs per year. In September 2016, the university's Carnegie Classification was changed to classify Villanova among "R2: Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity". U.S. News & World Report , which relies on this classification to define which schools should be called "national universities", included Villanova in its "National Universities" rankings for
2773-484: The renovation included reducing the student section on the south end and adding student seating to the baseline of the north end. The first game played in the renovated Finneran Pavilion was a 100–77 victory over Morgan State . The Finneran Pavilion is the current home to the Villanova Men's and Women's Basketball Teams. The arena also hosted other Villanova events including the yearly "Hoops Mania" event in Fall. Hoops Mania
2832-457: The school was established in 1902 as a social organization and circle of individuals interested in classical studies. Villanova Emergency Medical Service (VEMS), is a student-run ambulance service licensed and dedicated to serving the campus community. VEMS membership consists of more than 40 undergraduate student volunteers; the majority of whom are certified as Emergency Medical Technicians , volunteering more than 25,000 hours annually. Villanova
2891-811: The school year. Founded in 1925, the Student Government Association (SGA) operates through its three branches (the Executive Branch, the Senate, and the Judicial Council). The Executive Branch is led by the President of the Student Body and Executive Vice President, and consists of the Chief of Staff and Directors of Athletics; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Finance; Programming; and Public Relations. The Senate
2950-520: The year. The most recent project involved designing and building a water treatment and distribution system which provided an orphanage and surrounding villages in northern Thailand with drinking water and irrigation for their crops. The Blue Key Society consists of around 200 volunteer campus tour guides who work with the Admissions Office to give three tours each weekday, various special tours as needed and selected weekend tours throughout
3009-452: Was adopted as 1963 graduate William B. Finneran made a $ 22.6 million donation to the school in April 2016 to help with its current improvements. In 2016 it was announced the Pavilion would undergo a $ 65 million renovation to improve the aging facility. At the end of the 2016–17 academic year, the facility closed to begin on the renovations. During the renovations, Villanova's men's team played
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#17327871492903068-467: Was called the "Augustinian College of Villanova", opened in 1842. Besides the novitiate and college, the Augustinians had pastoral care of Catholics living within a fifteen mile radius. Bishop Francis Kenrick dedicated the chapel in 1844. Parishes at Berwyn , Bryn Mawr, and Wayne developed from the Villanova mission. However, the Philadelphia Nativist Riots of 1844 that burned Saint Augustine's Church in Philadelphia caused financial difficulties for
3127-415: Was established in 1811. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". In October 1841, two Irish Augustinian friars from Saint Augustine 's Church in Philadelphia, with the intention of starting a school, purchased 200 acres in Radnor Township, known as "Belle Air", the estate of the late John Rudolph, a merchant of Burlington, New Jersey and Philadelphia. The school, which
3186-403: Was established in 1947 by the Order of Saint Augustine following an invitation by the Archbishop of Boston , Richard Cushing . It is the second Augustinian affiliated college in the United States after Villanova University . Church leaders saw a need to create a liberal arts college largely in a commuter school format for veterans returning from World War II . Archbishop Cushing tabbed
3245-457: Was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission. It has since graduated 25 US Naval Admirals and Marine Corps Generals; only the Naval Academy in Annapolis has generated more. After World War II, Villanova expanded, returning veterans swelling enrollments and the faculty growing fourfold. Additional facilities were built, and in 1953,
3304-434: Was originally known as John Eleuthère du Pont Pavilion , as it was funded in part by John Eleuthère du Pont , a member of the wealthy and influential Du Pont family . In 1997, the du Pont name was removed from the facility, with the family's tacit permission, after John was convicted of the murder of Olympic wrestling gold medalist Dave Schultz . From 1997 to 2017, it was simply The Pavilion before its current name
3363-438: Was ranked No. 1 in the U.S. in Bloomberg Businessweek ' s 2016 rankings of undergraduate business schools, but this led to controversy and challenge. As a result Bloomberg no longer ranked undergraduate business schools after 2016. In 2007 Villanova was No. 29 in the Financial Times ' ranking of top executive MBA programs. However, for the 2023 U.S. News & World Report Rankings of best business schools, Villanova
3422-449: Was the first Navy officer to hold that position. Villanova University is without a formal music department; therefore, the Office of Student Performing Arts is charged with the organization of the student performing arts groups on campus. Due to the lack of a music department, student musicians are from every school in the university. Nearly 10% of the student body participates in various music related organizations. The Villanova Band
3481-445: Was unranked. Villanova University School of Law was ranked tied for 65th among all U.S. law schools by the 2019 edition of U.S. News & World Report ' s "Best Law Schools". The School of Law had previously suffered a drop in ranking in 2011, after it was determined that law school admissions staff had engaged in inflating reported LSAT scores for admitted students. According to the ABA, these infractions were enough to justify
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