This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Gerald Farinas (talk | contribs) at 18:54, 18 May 2004. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 18:54, 18 May 2004 by Gerald Farinas (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Loyola University is the official name of the institution. In the early 1980s, Loyola University Chicago as a term of address was adopted so as to not confuse the original Loyola University in Chicago with Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles, California) and Loyola New Orleans (New Orleans, Louisiana).
Loyola University is a private, religious-affiliated university established in Chicago, Illinois in 1869 as St. Ignatius College. It was founded by the Roman Catholic religious order of the Society of Jesus and bears the name of the Jesuit patron, St. Ignatius of Loyola. The school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.
Loyola University was entitled by the Illinois General Assembly on June 30, 1870 to award degrees normally granted by accredited universities. The institution was expanded to include Loyola University Medical School (founded in 1868) and Loyola University Law School (established in September of 1909). Loyola University was officially chartered on November 21, 1909 and St. Ignatius College became the College of Arts and Sciences.
Loyola University is anchored at the Lakeshore Campus in Rogers Park, the northernmost neighborhood of metropolitan Chicago. It also has a campus in Downtown Chicago on North Michigan Avenue (The Magnificent Mile), steps away from such landmarks as the Water Tower (one of the only structures to survive the 1871 Chicago Fire) and the John Hancock Center (one of the tallest buildings in the United States).
Chicago's Jesuit university also boasts a campus in Rome, Italy. Loyola University Chicago Rome Center was established in 1962 on the site of the Olympic Village for the 1960 Summer Games. It moved to several locations in Rome until finally settling in Monte Mario on the Via Massimi, one of the most affluent districts of the Italian capital. The campus offers a full academic year for Chicago-based Loyola University students wishing to study abroad.
Religious Education is still one of Loyola University's hallmarks as home to the St. Joseph Seminary College and the Jesuit First Studies program. First Studies is one of the nine-year phases towards the Jesuit priesthood. St. Joseph Seminary College serves the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago and provides vocational training to candidates of diocesan priesthood.
Loyola University also provides rigorous religious education for those seeking careers in lay ministry with the Loyola University Pastoral Institute as well as degree opportunities in interdisciplinary Catholic Studies.
Loyola Ramblers are NCAA Division I competitors. Loyola University boasts men's and women's teams in basketball, cross country, track, golf, soccer, softball and volleyball. Loyola Ramblers is not a mascot, but a nickname given to the school's famous football team early in the school's history. As one of the winningest teams in the country, people spoke of Loyola's football team "rambling from town to town to victories." Today, Loyola University no longer has a football team.
Outside of the NCAA regulated athletics programs, Loyola Ramblers also compete in non-traditional intercollegiate sports such as Cricket, Rugby and several extreme sports.
1963 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship and the obstacles faced on the team's road to victory in a racially segregated country put Loyola University on the national spotlight. Before the championship, there was a gentleman's agreement among college teams limiting how many black players could play during a game. In 1961, Loyola Ramblers Head Coach George Ireland broke the gentleman's agreement by fielding four black players at every game. He made history that year at a game against Wyoming with Loyola University being the first Division I team ever to field five black players in competition.
After winning Round 1 of the national championship tournament on March 11, 1963 against Tennessee Technological University, Loyola Ramblers were scheduled to play Round 2 against Mississippi State University, a racially segregated school. Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett banned Mississippi State University from traveling to the tournament to play against Loyola Ramblers' black players. Sending a decoy team to divert state police, the Mississippi team successfully sneaked out of the state to play the Loyola Ramblers. Loyola Ramblers won and went on to beat University of Illinois in Round 3 and Duke University in Round 4. At the NCAA Final, newspapers reported that Loyola Ramblers didn't have a chance against University of Cincinnatti. In one of the closest games in the season, Loyola Ramblers became the first and only team in Chicago to win the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship.
Landmark Sites are found throughout Loyola University: Cudahy Observatory, Dumbach Hall, Granada Center (site of the old historic Granada Theater), Madonna Della Strada (Chapel of the Jesuit Chicago Province), Martin D'Arcy Museum of Art, Water Tower.
Past Students
William Daley
- James Iha - no degree
- Mary Morello - 1954 - Masters in African and Latin American history
- Bob Newhart - 1952
- Don Novello
- Bill Rancic - 1994 - Bachelors, College of Arts and Sciences