St. John's University

The Vincentian fathers of the Congregation of the Mission founded the Roman Catholic university St. John's University in 1870. The university's main campus is located in Hillcrest, Queens, near Utopia Parkway. Before moving to its current location, the university was once located in the Brooklyn borough of Bedford-Stuyvesant. When Rev. Donald Harrington calls Bedford-Stuyvesant "the birthplace of our university," he is echoing this sentiment. (Harney: St. John's University goes back to its fundamentals) St. John's University has campuses in Staten Island, Manhattan, and an international campus in Rome, Italy. The university is unique in its own terms in comparison to the other institutions within the boroughs of New York. It is unique in terms of its architecture. It is quite evident that the different times in history, there were different types and forms of architecture that were being used. For instance, the architecture in late 1800 highly considered on making the structure very strong in terms of its stability and on its make. However, as time passes, the structure was considered better if it was more beautiful and even decorated with glass and strength was not a major consideration since there will be the use of security cameras and alarms. The specific location of the structure, however, remains definite as it is a factor worth to always consider. In this paper, we will compare the different architecture that is found in the ST.Johns University with its surrounding and with the surrounding of the University whose architecture is different as the surrounding has been more modernized.

Population, accessibility, and infrastructure

The large population of students of over 21000 that is inclusive of both graduate and undergraduate students might seem quite a number when thought of in the aspect of commuting but the university already takes care of this through its shuttle service that enables students to access Satellite houses, the subway, and other campuses within the city of New York. This has been attributed to the architecture of the University where they were able to design well-connected roads within the University that also connect to the outside surrounding of the University for the non-residents. The large ground which has been left out for the sidewalks and serene places where the students can be able to take their studies at while still studying was a quite thoughtful architecture that aims to maximise on the number of students who can adequately fit in the University. This high level of accessibility through the various diverse transport systems available at the student Fraternity’s disposal makes it campus life easier for both resident and non-resident students. In my visit to St. John’s University, I couldn’t help but notice the breath-taking beauty of the campus. The broad lawns and the beautiful stone buildings only made my visit more tranquil and more enjoyable. St. John’s University’s high tech laboratory, state of the art, athletics facilities only act as proof beyond doubt that students are getting the best in the campus not to mention the university’s library that boasts of 1.7million-volume in main collections.

Values and goals

The university’s main and major goal is centered around improvement and involvement in social justice, charity and serving and to advance this goal the institution has invested quite heavily on the academic staff which stands at around 1,195 both full time and part-time faculty members narrowing down the student to faculty ratio to 18:1. In the fall of 2016, it boasted of the largest freshman number of over 3200 and in the subsequent fall of 2017 the institution received over 27000 freshman applications from which the university was expecting to admit over 3000 students. The high number of applications and student enrolment is quite enough evidence that the institution is determined in advancing its goals. Each of the values and goals that the University has set has a department which is meant to take care of the school so that it can reach the required standards. Among the goals which have been set by the University are those of increasing the number of students in the school and also increase the performance of the students. These goals have been attached to the department of design and construction. This is because the increase in the number of students in the school calls into an integrated construction so that the students can fit into the school premises. Also, there needs to be designed specific locations where the students can be able to carry on with their studies even when they are not in class.

The different roles of the department have been defined clearly. They are responsible for a physical planning on the various needs that the University requires both long term and short term. They are required to provide the best building environment which can be able to support the academic goals of the University in terms of both current and future plans. They are also responsible for providing the best overall architecture enhancement for both the learners and the teaching staff. These learning facilities include the appropriate space for planning and design development standards and the utilization of the school’s facilities. The goal of the department is to be able to enhance the design and also to promote sustainable practices in the built and the landscaped type of environment I order to fulfil the academic mission of the university.

The campus takes pride in the values it instils on its students through the various Charity programs and religious activities it organizes besides academics. This university in its grandeur aims at nurturing morally upright and intelligent graduates that are mindful of others and the society in which they live in. This is made possible by the kind of infrastructure the university has put up as well as the courses it offers and the activities the students undertake while studying at the campus. Through an inclusive and careful lying out of long and short-term physical planning by the department of design and planning the university has been able to achieve a lot in terms of infrastructure. A good example is the D’Angelo center opened in the fall of 2009 and it’s centered on improving student life on campus. It houses state-of-the-art student-centered facilities.

Growth and planning

The university was first established as the college of St. John the Baptist in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn with St. John’s college hall as its first building. Learning activities started in the college in 1870.Activities continued as they were until the year 1925 when there knowed St. John’s law school was established and this meant an addition of new buildings to accommodate the newly enrolled law students. St.john’s college was later made a university in 1933 after other schools were built. In the year 1954, a new campus in Queens was established after the university acquired the former site of Hillcrest golf club after which the university later relocated to the new site upon which its main campus is located to date. Other schools did not follow suit immediately because they were relocated to the new location after some time with the last relocating in 1972.In 1959, the freedom institute became the new addition to the university. It was established for one special purpose which are well defined and stated in the words of Rev.John A. Flynn, the university’s president at the time that the main focus of the institute was to specifically give “enlighten young minds on the dangers of communism as a threat to free institutions and the need to understand the world we live in.”(gtd, in Arpard A. Kovacs).

The Institute of Asian studies was also established in the same year together with the centre for African studies after the university. The growth of St. John’s University was possible through careful planning and step by step addition of new buildings into the already made plan while considering aesthetics and easing on the accessibility of the institutes within the campus. This is evident in the way buildings are located and the public space provided upon a closer look of the campus plan. Upon entry into the campus from the main gate ample parking space is provided for which has never been altered since the original campus plan. The law school building and the St. John hall which is among the university’s first buildings and is located some distance just as one enters the university through the main gate and is in close proximity. Their location was carefully chosen to reserve more space in the rest of the university’s land to allow for future expansion and establishment of the other buildings and public space in the institution. The institution is divided into the lower and upper campuses with the former constituting most of the buildings that were built later and the latter having the university’s oldest buildings that were among the first to be built. The upper campus doesn’t incorporate many buildings beside the first ones to reserve more parking space for the shuttle bus, the employees and the visitors with each of the faculties in this section having as well its own ample parking space. The good and careful planning of the original plan is also self-evident in the way; the location of the halls of residence was done. They are clustered with precise and careful arrangement just to make the area stand out as the section where the students reside. Athletic fields and buildings are situated away from the faculty buildings and colleges and have easy access and exit points. All these points to the fact that the later procedural incorporation and these infrastructures into the original plan was carefully pre planned.

St. John’s University and New York

New York consists of people from all walks of life and of different religions. St. John’s University is established and run on Christian values and therefore this is kept alive through various service activities in the university that include the bread and life program. This program is aimed at alleviating hunger and poverty in the surrounding neighbourhoods by providing food, social services, and spiritual care. They have a chapel where the people from the surrounding environments can be able to visit and all of the architectural requirement of a chapel are met therefore the Christians from the region can gather and hold prayers and ceremonies. The urban environment is such a diverse and complex setting that in order to bring out all round and competent graduates, the university provides various sporting activities besides academics. The specific goal and aim in which this university was established make it stand in an urban setting where there is always rampant and widespread evidence of an erosion of values. Upon entry into St. John’s university queens one feels an air of Christianity and an awareness of an organized environment. The vicinity is full of vibrant young minds that give one a sense of a morally upright populace. Thanks to the institution’s goals and values on which it was founded the students strive to use everything at their disposal that entails the university’s infrastructure to advance these goals.

Conclusion

From my observation and the knowledge I have gained in visiting the institution, I can truly say that St. John’s University (Queens) is truly a university of difference. Its infrastructure is one of a kind which is one of the largest and most strategic infrastructures in the world for a very large population. It has stood and braved the test of time and tide of this ever-changing world to gain the stature of a globally renowned university that has excelled in many areas. Its success is as a result of its endeavour to achieve its goals and fulfil the mission on which the university was founded on.

Works cited

“Historical milestones of St. John’s University”SJU site. St. John’s University Queens. Web.

3 Nov.2017.

“Vincentian heritage” SJU site. St. John’s University Queens. Web.4 Nov. 2017.

Harney, James. “St.John’s University returns to bed-stuy roots” New York daily news. New

York daily news. 8 June 1995.4 Nov. 2017.

“Campuses and locations”SJU site. St. John’s University Queens. Web.3 Nov. 2017.

“Our Mission” SJU site. St. John’s University Queens. Web.3 Nov. 2017.

“College profile: St. John’s University Queens” College data website. College data. Web.

4 Nov. 2017.

“D’Angelo center”SJU site. St. John’s University Queens. Web.4 Nov. 2017.

“Our Mission”SJU site. St. John’s University Queens. Web.4 Nov. 2017.

“Fact book” Institute of institutional research. St. John’s University Queens. Print.

Flynn A. John,foreword.The twentieth century; an abstract of the main events…v.2, by

Kovacs, Arpard Francis, St. John’s University press, 1960.Print.

“Cultural diversity in New York City” Great American country website. Great American

Country. Web. 4 Nov. 2017.

“Bread and Life program” bread and life website.St. John’s bread and life. Web.

4 Nov.2017