Le Moyne College is a private Jesuit college[2] in DeWitt, New York.[4] It was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1946 and named after Jesuit missionary Simon Le Moyne. At its founding, Le Moyne was the first co-educational Jesuit college in the United States.

Le Moyne College
TypePrivate college
Established1946; 78 years ago (1946)
Religious affiliation
Roman Catholic (Jesuit)
Academic affiliations
AJCU, NCEA
Endowment$180.4 million[1]
PresidentLinda M. LeMura[2]
Academic staff
172 Full-time (Fall 2021)[3]
Students3,409 (Fall 2021)[3]
Undergraduates2,801 (Fall 2021)[3]
Postgraduates608 (Fall 2021)[3]
Location,
U.S.
CampusUrban and suburban, 160 acres (64.7 ha)
Colors   Green & gold
NicknameDolphins
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division INEC
MascotIggy the Dolphin
Websitelemoyne.edu

History edit

Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1946 and named after the Jesuit missionary Simon Le Moyne, the college has graduated more than 35,000 students as of 2021.[5] At its founding, Le Moyne was the first Jesuit co-educational college in the United States.[6]

Walter A. Foery, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Syracuse, helped bring about the formation of Le Moyne College. Foery proposed to provide for the city of Syracuse "a truly American school with religion and morality as the foundation stones". The college's first home was a storefront on East Onondaga Street in Syracuse. Later, it moved to the Hiscock Mansion on James Street. The college moved to its current (as of 2021) campus in 1948.[5]

In 2014, Linda LeMura, formerly the college's provost and academic vice president,[7] was appointed as the 14th president of Le Moyne College.[5] LeMura is the first laywoman in history to serve as president of a Jesuit college or university.[7]

As of 2020, the college enrolled more than 3,700 students. As of 2021, the college offers more than 30 majors, an evening program, a variety of graduate courses, and a doctoral program in executive leadership.[5]

Campus edit

Le Moyne College's 160-acre (0.65 km2) campus is mostly located in the suburban town of DeWitt, although a small portion of the campus is within the city of Syracuse.[4] As of 2021, there are 35 buildings on the campus.[5]

Traditions edit

Welcoming traditions edit

Le Moyne College begins every academic year with two rituals: (1) 'Moving In Weekend,' when current students help to carry the boxes and suitcases of the new, first-year students into the dormitories; and (2) the Mass of the Holy Spirit, which continues a tradition dating back to the first Jesuit school, established in Messina, Sicily, in 1548 (probably preceding this date). The meaning of this Mass is based in Catholic theology; the campus community commits to seeking knowledge as a community of scholars.

Dolphy Day edit

Another annual tradition at Le Moyne College is "Dolphy Day", which originated in 1971. Dolphy Day is named for Eric Dolphy and has been said to have been inspired by Frank Zappa's song, "The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue." Although Le Moyne's mascot is a dolphin, campus officials say there is no direct relation between the name of this event and this college icon. Each year, a "Wizard" is chosen (by the preceding Wizard).[8]

Green initiatives edit

Environmental sustainability is integrated into Le Moyne College facilities planning and operating processes.[9] In June 2010, the college began construction on a new, 48,000-square-foot (4,500 m2) science facility. The science complex provides teaching and research space for use by faculty and students in the science and health professions. Its environmentally-sound design features include day lighting, solar preheating, and thermal storage, resulting in the award of LEED-Gold certification.[10]

Athletics edit

The Le Moyne Dolphins are the athletic teams for the college. As of July 1, 2023, Le Moyne competes in NCAA Division I as a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC).[11] Previously, Le Moyne competed in the NCAA at the Division II level through the 2022–23 school year with 21 varsity teams, offering participation opportunities for over 340 students. Since 2003, Le Moyne men's lacrosse has won five NCAA Division II national championships.[12] Previously, Le Moyne competed in the Northeast-10 Conference in all sports,[13] but started a transition to Division I on July 1, 2023, as a new member of the NEC.[11] All Le Moyne teams compete in the NEC except for men's lacrosse, in which the Dolphins are independent, since the NEC no longer sponsors the sport.

Notable alumni edit

Faculty and administrators edit

Among those faculty and administrators who serve or have served on the Le Moyne campus are:

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "NCSE Public Tables Endowment Market Values" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-01-31. Retrieved 2015-02-13.
  2. ^ a b "Le Moyne College president lives near students to enforce COVID-19 precautions". Inside Higher Ed. 14 September 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d "College Navigator - Le Moyne College". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Town of DeWitt" (PDF). ongov.net. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Le Moyne College: Developing minds, hearts and souls for 75 years (Editorial Board Opinion)". Syracuse.com. May 30, 2021.
  6. ^ "Le Moyne College honors the oldest living member of its inaugural class". Syracuse.com. May 28, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Le Moyne names first woman to lead a Jesuit college". TheDialog.org. April 4, 2014.
  8. ^ "Le Moyne College – Home". dolphinsonline.org. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  9. ^ Carlson, Scott (May 21, 2009). "When it comes to saving money on electricity, colleges see the light in LED". Chronicle of Higher Education'. Retrieved 2010-07-27.
  10. ^ Coin, Glenn (June 10, 2010). "Le Moyne College expands to match gains in enrollment, endowment and prestige". The Post-Standard. Archived from the original on 2010-06-14. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
  11. ^ a b "Le Moyne College Accepts Invitation to Join Northeast Conference" (Press release). Northeast Conference. May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  12. ^ "Le Moyne College Announces Addition of Indoor and Outdoor Track as Varsity Programs". LeMoyne College. 29 May 2013.
  13. ^ "Le Moyne Baseball to Reclassify to Division II Beginning 2011–2012". LeMoyne College. July 30, 2010. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. Retrieved December 15, 2010.
  14. ^ Breidenbach, Michelle (2014-04-13). "What Works: Mixing wine and ice cream, Mercer's Dairy and Hillary Clinton". Syracuse.org. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
  15. ^ "New York State Treasurer & Deputy Commissioner Aida M. Brewer" (PDF). Knowledgecenter.csg.org. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  16. ^ "Henry "Hank" Braden, IV". Baton Rouge Morning Advocate, July 16, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  17. ^ "Buerkle reflects on upbringing, family in 24th Congressional District race". The Daily Orange - The Independent Student Newspaper of Syracuse, New York. 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
  18. ^ 2012 Congressional Record, Vol. 158, Page E1883 (December 5, 2012)

External links edit

43°02′53″N 76°05′11″W / 43.048098°N 76.086441°W / 43.048098; -76.086441