By Ryan Mulligan – Reporter, Philadelphia Business Journal
Jul 22, 2024
As one of the few colleges in Philadelphia with a permanent leader that’s been at the helm more than a year, Saint Joseph’s University is charting a long-term path to capitalize on its comparative stability. That includes a number of campus developments, fundraising and an eye toward enrollment growth.
Just over a year after being named the university’s permanent president , Cheryl McConnell will soon be the longest tenured head among the city’s five largest colleges .She’ll officially hold that distinction this fall when Drexel University’s John Fry departs to become president of Temple University.
In her tenure thus far, McConnell has ushered in a new era for St. Joe’s as its campus undergoes a transformation and it integrates the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences programs into its offerings. It is the second of two mergers McConnell has had a hand in, a pair of deals that have greatly expanded the school’s health sciences offerings.
“I don’t know anything else but rapid growth and rapid change — and that’s the future of higher education,” said McConnell, who was previously the school’s provost. “It’s that you always have to be attuned to making sure that you understand the internal and external environments in higher ed and to be ready for it. Since I came to St. Joe’s over five years ago, that’s what I’ve experienced. And quite frankly, that’s what I enjoy.”
The past few years at St. Joe’s have been characterized by rapid growth, something that will continue under McConnell as the West Philadelphia university looks to further its enrollment, an increasing necessity amid a shrinking pool of students. McConnell said that enrollment is up double digits over the previous year on its Hawk Hill campus, excluding the addition of Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences students. That figure does include the school’s first nursing class, which she said will exceed its target size of 75. Combined with students from the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences, St. Joe’s total enrollment is expected to be around 10,000.
In addition to a growing student body, St. Joe’s footprint continues to evolve. There are construction sites throughout its 125-acre campus that straddles Lower Merion and West Philadelphia. The school is in the midst of long-term plans to spend some $300 million on development, with some projects set to be completed for the fall semester. Those include the Post Crossing underpass, which will create a walkway under City Avenue; renovations to the fi eld hockey pitch; and an overhaul of the school’s 72,000-square-foot fitness and recreation center.
By the end of the year, St. Joe’s will also have a new athletic center for varsity sports practices. The Maguire Athletic Center will include an 11,000-square-foot indoor turf facility, new men’s and women’s basketball practice facilities and a new strength and conditioning center.
