Siena Heights University (SHU) is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Catholic university in

Adrian, Michigan Adrian is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Lenawee County, Michigan, Lenawee County. The population was 20,645 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Adrian lies in Michigan's 5th congressional district. The c ...

, United States. It was founded by the

Adrian Dominican Sisters The Adrian Dominican Sisters is a Catholic religious institute of Dominican sisters in the United States. Their motherhouse is in Adrian, Michigan. Current Mission The Congregation serves in ministries education, health care, pastoral and retrea ...

in 1919.

History

The institution was founded for women in 1919 as St. Joseph's College by the

. In 1939, it was renamed as Siena Heights College, after

Saint Catherine of Siena Caterina di Jacopo di Benincasa (25 March 1347 – 29 April 1380), known as Catherine of Siena, was an Italian mystic and pious laywoman who engaged in papal and Italian politics through extensive letter-writing and advocacy. Canonized in 1461, ...

. In 1969, it became coeducational. In 1998, after expansion of graduate studies, it was renamed Siena Heights University. The sisters minister in 29 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and in seven countries outside the United States. The college seal uses the Dominican Shield of the International Order of Preachers, consisting of four white and four black gyrons or triangles. These symbolize the unity of a body of people working together for the common good. The "cross fleury" (or cross with fleurs de lis at each end) superimposed on the gyrons, signifies victory, duty and self-sacrifice. The sable (or black of the shield) symbolizes wisdom, silence, fortitude and penance. The light color signifies peace, purity, charity and sincerity. The motto surrounding the shield, "Laudare, Benedicere, Praedicare," means "to praise God, to bless His people and to preach His gospel". The shield may also be surrounded by the six- or eight-pointed star that is the distinguishing symbol of St. Dominic. Siena Heights remains affiliated with and sponsored by the Dominican Sisters of

. It is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

Campuses

The main campus has with 17 buildings in

. SHU is across town from Adrian College. The main campus has the distinction of being the first all wireless college or university in the state of

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. There are satellite campuses in Dearborn,

Benton Harbor Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is 46 miles southwest of Kalamazoo and 71 miles southwest of Grand Rapids. According to the 2020 census, its population was 9,103. It is the smaller, by population, of ...

Monroe Monroe or Monroes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Monroe (surname) * Monroe (given name) * James Monroe, 5th President of the United States * Marilyn Monroe, actress and model Places United States * Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorp ...

Battle Creek Battle Creek is a city in northwestern Calhoun County, Michigan, United States, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek River, Battle Creek rivers. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a tota ...

Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

Lansing Lansing () is the capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. It is the sixth-most populous city in Michigan with a popul ...

Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...

, and online.Siena Heights: Facts
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Academics

The university has more than 40 academic programs of study between the College of Arts and Sciences, the College for Professional Studies, and the Graduate College. Its most popular undergraduate majors, in terms of 2021 graduates, were: *Business Administration & Management (95) *Criminal Justice/Safety Studies (46) *Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse (38) *Community Organization & Advocacy (36) *Accounting (34) *Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences (30) *Radiologic Technology/Science – Radiographer (30) Siena Heights also provides classes for high school students through dual enrollment. This gives juniors and seniors who meet certain criteria to get college credit and experience while still in high school, getting students a step closer to going to college and learning about college life and class work. The student-to-faculty ratio is 12:1.

Athletics

The Siena Heights athletic teams are called the Saints. The university is a member of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...

(NAIA), primarily competing in the

Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference The Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Livonia, Michigan. The conference consists of twelve colleges and u ...

(WHAC) for most of its sports since the 1992–93 academic year; while its football team competes in the Mideast League of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) since the 2012 fall season. Prior to the addition of women's lacrosse by the WHAC, the women's lacrosse team competed in the

National Women's Lacrosse League The National Women's Lacrosse League (NWLL) is a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) women's lacrosse-only college athletic conference. The vast majority of NAIA women's lacrosse programs play at the club level as part of th ...

(NWLL). Siena Heights competes in more than 25 intercollegiate varsity sports. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, track & field, volleyball and wrestling; women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, flag football, lacrosse, soccer, stunt, softball, track & field, volleyball and wrestling; and co-ed sports include cheerleading, dance and eSports.

Notable alumni

* Tom Cochran, member of the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2020 ...

(2013–2019) *

Darrell Issa Darrell Edward Issa ( ; born November 1, 1953) is an American businessman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for California's 48th congressional district. He represented the 50th congressional district from 2021 to 2023. A memb ...

, member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

representing a Southern California district *

Leslie Love Leslie N. Love (born July 8, 1971) is an American politician and government official. A member of the Democratic Party, Love served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2014 to 2020. Love represented the 10th District, which encompasses ...

, member of the Michigan House of Representatives (2014–2020) * Miriam Michael Stimson, Dominican nun and chemist * Paula Mary Turnbull, welding nun

References

External links

Official website

Official athletics website
{{Coord, 41, 54, 20.4, N, 84, 00, 56.5, W, region:US-MI_type:edu_scale:2000, display=title Catholic universities and colleges in Michigan Dominican universities and colleges in the United States Liberal arts colleges in Michigan Adrian, Michigan Education in Lenawee County, Michigan Schools in Lenawee County, Michigan Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities Universities and colleges established in 1919 1919 establishments in Michigan Aviation schools in the United States