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Loras College

Former names	Saint Raphael's Seminary/Academy (1839–1850) Mount St. Bernard's College and Seminary (1850–1873) St. Joseph's College (1873–1914) Dubuque College (1914–1920) Columbia College (1920–1939)
Motto	Pro Deo Et Patria
Motto in English	For God And Country
Type	Private college
Established	1839; 185 years ago (1839)
Founder	Bishop Mathias Loras
Religious affiliation	Archdiocese of Dubuque
Academic affiliations	Space-grant
Endowment	$41.6 million (2019)
Chancellor	Archbishop Thomas Zinkula
President	James E. Collins
Administrative staff	172
Students	1,600
Location	Dubuque, Iowa, U.S. 42°30′18″N 90°40′48″W / 42.50500°N 90.68000°W / 42.50500; -90.68000
Loras College Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Keane Hall
NRHP reference No.	100005277
Added to NRHP	June 19, 2020
Campus	Urban, 64 acres (26 ha)
Colors	Purple and Vegas Gold
Nickname	Duhawks
Sporting affiliations	Division III - ARC CCIW
Mascot	Dewey
Website	loras.edu

Loras College is a private Catholic college in Dubuque, Iowa. It has an enrollment of approximately 1,600 students and is the oldest post-secondary institution in the state of Iowa. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. It is one of four four-year post-secondary institutions in the City of Dubuque, one of four Catholic colleges in the Archdiocese of Dubuque, and one of six Catholic colleges in the state of Iowa. The campus was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Loras College Historic District in 2020.

History

Loras College, a liberal arts college, was founded in 1839 by Mathias Loras, first bishop of Dubuque, who established Saint Raphael's Seminary to educate young men for the priesthood with the expressed intention of also providing an opportunity for higher education to the citizens of the area. Loras later became president of the college. His statue on campus was removed on September 8, 2020 after it was discovered he was a slave owner from 1836 to 1852. The college has functioned under several different names: Saint Raphael's Seminary and later Saint Raphael's Academy (1839–1850), Mount St. Bernard's College and Seminary (1850–1873), St. Joseph's College (1873–1914), Dubuque College (1914–1920), and Columbia College (1920–1939). The present name was adopted during the school's centennial in 1939. That same year, the national Catholic honor society, Delta Epsilon Sigma was founded at the college, by Father Fitzgerald. From the time of its founding, the college has devoted its faculty and facilities to an undergraduate program; it conferred the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees.

In 1963, when The Catholic University of America decided to discontinue its branch program of graduate study on the Loras campus, Loras College, realizing the growing need in the locale for study beyond the baccalaureate degree, initiated its Graduate Division offering the Master of Arts degree in some fields.

The College became coeducational in the fall of 1971. In 1973, the Associate of Arts and the Associate of Science degrees were introduced. The Division of Community Education was initiated in 1975.

Both the Undergraduate College and the Graduate Division of Loras College are accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The teacher education program, both at the graduate and undergraduate level, is accredited by the Iowa Department of Education. The undergraduate teacher education program is also accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. The American Chemical Society has approved the undergraduate chemistry program. The Council of Social Work Education has accredited the social work major at the baccalaureate level.

Academics

Loras offers 49 majors, 11 stand-alone minors, and nine pre-professional programs for undergraduates. Undergraduates can also participate in summer classes, internships, field experience, study abroad, and other programs.

For graduate programs, Loras offers a Master of Arts in clinical or general psychology, school counseling, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Education, and a master's degree Business Administration with a focus on business analytics.

Athletics

Loras' athletic teams are known as the Duhawks, a name bestowed upon the football team by a Detroit Free Press scribe in 1924 converging Dubuque and Hawks. The school fields 23 men's and women's varsity teams in the NCAA Division III. They are a member of the American Rivers Conference (ARC). Loras’ colors are Purple, Rah Rah Gold, and Metallic Gold. The men's soccer team has advanced to the NCAA Division III Final Four five times since 2007, and once to the NCAA Division III Championship game in 2015. Denise Udelhofen ('90) serves as the director of athletics for the Duhawks and is assisted by head men's soccer coach and director of soccer operations, Dan Rothert ('96). Jim Naprstek ('13) serves as the director of athletic communications for the Duhawks after his hiring in March 2014.

Campus

Loras sits on a 65-acre (260,000 m) campus located atop several hills in Dubuque. The grounds are bounded by Loras Boulevard on the south, Kirkwood Street on the north, Henion Street on the east, and Alta Vista Street on the west. The campus is surrounded by residential neighborhoods on all sides, some of which are among the most historic in the city. The college consists of 23 buildings, two athletic fields, a stadium, and five tennis courts. Because of its high location, several of the buildings provide excellent views of Downtown Dubuque and the Mississippi River.

Some of the more notable buildings include:

• Athletic Wellness Center: Built in 2007–2008, the athletic wellness center provides a home to the men's and women's basketball teams as well as the men's and women's volleyball team, as well as men's wrestling. In addition, a cardio-vascular center, upgraded weight room and training room, as well as state-of-the-art locker rooms makes the 'AWC' a great improvement from "The Fieldhouse."

• Academic Resource Center: The ARC is home to the campus' main library, including some 355,000 items. The building also includes the bookstore, and other academic uses.

• Alumni Campus Center: At the center of campus, the Alumni Campus Center is a multi-function building, and includes the student union, dining hall, and meeting rooms.
• Christ the King Chapel: The main chapel on campus, built in 1946, is decorated in a pre-Vatican II Streamline Moderne architectural style. The chapel holds daily Mass, Thursday night Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Reconciliation, and Mass Sunday night with student lectors, cantors, musicians, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, greeters, acolytes, and sacristans. The building connects to Keane Hall via a skywalk between the two buildings. The chapel is also the final resting place of Father Aloysius Schmitt, the first chaplain killed during World War II.

• Hoffmann Hall: Hoffmann Hall is Loras' oldest standing building, with parts of the building built in 1902. It includes a tall clock tower, and houses various academic uses, a beautiful pre-Vatican II architectural-themed adoration chapel named St. Joseph's, along with St. Joseph's Auditorium. The auditorium is the home of the Loras Players, the oldest continually running theater group west of the Mississippi River. The stage in the auditorium features a turntable.

• Keane Hall: Keane Hall is the most visible building on campus, sitting at the peak of the highest hill in the city. Designed by celebrated architect Emmanuel Louis Masqueray, the building is multi-use, and includes administrative offices, academics, and faculty offices.
• The Visitation Complex: The Visitation is the former convent of the Visitation Sisters that now houses the school's classes in art and music. Gallagher Hall is where most recitals take place, and the building houses an art museum and practice space for musicians.

Expansion

The college has been expanded over the years. The Alumni Campus Center was built in 1992, and added a new library in 2001. The Academic Resource Center contains a collection of approximately 355,000 items and 11,000 magazine subscriptions. In addition to its broad general collection, the library contains a rich heritage in its special collections of rare books, as well as the photographs and manuscripts in the Center for Dubuque History located in the lower level of the library. The library is also an official document depository for both the United States government and the state of Iowa. The previous library, Wahlert Memorial Library, was remodeled into classroom space.

The college has purchased Cox Street which runs through campus from the city of Dubuque for $50,000. The school has since shut the street down and replaced it with a pedestrian friendly walk way to improve pedestrian safety and help upgrade the area aesthetically. In 2015, a school spirit shop, The Duhawk Shop, and Einstein Bros. Bagels opened at the corner of Loras Boulevard and the new Loras Parkway.

St. Pius X Seminary

St. Pius X Seminary is run under the auspices of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The seminary prepares Minor (College) Seminarians for the priesthood, specifically preparing candidates for entrance into Major Seminary & Theological studies. Through Loras, the seminary provides full training in Philosophical studies, while giving students the necessary religious studies courses required for entrance into Major Seminary. The seminary has operated under various names and conditions at Loras College since 1839 until adopting its present name in 1954. St. Pius X has prepared countless Seminarians across Iowa & surrounding states for the priesthood, counting over 30 Bishops as alumni. Currently, the seminary is housed at the Vianney House and serves Seminarians of the Archdiocese of Dubuque and the Diocese of Des Moines. The current rector of St. Pius X Seminary is Fr. David Schatz and the spiritual director is Fr. Tom McDermott.

Transportation

The college is located west of downtown Dubuque and served by The Jule transit system. The Blue Route, Orange Route and AM Commuter East Route stop on Loras Boulevard at the south edge of campus. Lamers Bus Lines stops outside Keane Hall providing intercity bus service towards Madison and Milwaukee.

Alumni and faculty

Loras College currently counts over 30 bishops as alumni. Notable graduates and faculty of Loras College include:

• Don Ameche, film actor, known to have attended during the 1920s.
• Bill Bartmann (class of 1972), CEO of CFS2 and Nobel Peace Prize nominee for 2014
• Rod Blum (class of 1977), former U.S. congressman from Iowa's 1st District, 2015–2019
• Robert Byrne - novelist and Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame instructor of pool and carom billiards.
• Red Faber, Hall of Fame baseball pitcher, attended Loras in 1909. Faber set a college record by striking out 24 St. Ambrose University batters in a 1909 game before moving on to a 20-year Major League career with the Chicago White Sox. Faber-Clark Field on Loras’ lower campus bears his name today.
• Matthew Fox, Creation Spirituality founder, attended Loras in 1958. He was eventually ordained as a Dominican priest but then silenced for a year (forbidden to teach theology) by Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) of the Holy See in 1988. In 1993, he was expelled from the Dominican order and effectively from the Catholic Church at the order of Cardinal Ratzinger. In 1994, he became an Episcopal priest.
• Edward Grace (class of 1988), Chief of Law Enforcement for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. In 2016, he received the Service to America Medal for stopping an international Rhino and Elephant poaching and wildlife smuggling network.
• Greg Gumbel (class of 1967), CBS sportscaster
• George Guthridge, award-winning speculative fiction author; taught English at Loras and brought George R. R. Martin to nearby Clarke College
• Chris Jans (class of 1991), head coach of the Mississippi State University men's basketball team
• Pam Jochum (class of 1992), Iowa State Senator and first woman to hold the title of Senate President
• Darin LaHood (class of 1990), current U.S. congressman from Illinois's 18th District, 2015–present
• Bill Lipinski, former U.S. congressman from Illinois's 5th District (1983-1993) and 3rd District (1993-2005), attended 1956-1957
• Javier Manzano (class of 1998), freelance photographer, who received the Public Photo Prize Award at the 20th edition of the Bayeux Calvados Awards held in Bayeux, France. In 2013, he received the Pulitzer Prize for feature photography for his photo of two rebel soldiers guarding their sniper's nest in Aleppo, Syria.
• Mickey Marty (class of 1949), All-American basketball player.
• Michael M. Mihm (class of 1964), U.S. District Court Judge for the Central District of Illinois.
• Thomas J. Miller (class of 1966), Iowa Attorney General (1979-1990; 1994-2022) and the longest serving state Attorney General in U.S. history.
• Robert W. Pratt (class of 1969), District Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa
• John Joseph Paul (class of 1939), Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse.
• Kenneth M. Quinn (class of 1964), President of the World Food Prize Foundation (2000-2020), United States Ambassador to Cambodia, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State as well as a member of the National Security Council staff at the White House.
• David Rabe (class of 1962), playwright and screenwriter.
• Raymond Roseliep (class of 1939), American poet famous for haiku.
• Father Aloysius Schmitt, one of those killed on board the USS Oklahoma during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He was the first American chaplain killed during World War II.
• Dennis Schmitz, contemporary American poet.
• Thomas P. Sullivan (class of 1951), trial lawyer, former U.S. Attorney under President Jimmy Carter
• Thomas Tauke (class of 1972), U.S. congressman from Iowa, 1979–1991.

See also

• Dubuque, Iowa
• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque
• St. Pius X Seminary (Dubuque, Iowa)

References

1. As of June 30, 2019. "U.S. and Canadian 2019 NTSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2019 Endowment Market Value, and Percentage Change in Market Value from FY18 to FY19 (Revised)". National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
2. "Loras at a Glance". Loras College. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
3. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Program: Weekly List". National Park Service. June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
4. U.S. Department of Education (2010). "College Navigator". Retrieved April 26, 2010.
5. "Loras College Removes Statue of Founder | Inside Higher Ed". www.insidehighered.com. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
6. Encyclopedia Dubuque. "COLUMBIA COLLEGE". Retrieved March 18, 2017.
7. "Majors and Programs". Loras College. Loras College.
8. "The Jule Route Map". Retrieved July 24, 2023.
9. "Dubuque Madison Milwaukee Daily Route". Retrieved July 24, 2023.
10. "Edward Grace, Assistant Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service".
11. "Edward Grace and the Operation Crash Team".
12. "Sammie awards spotlight the best in government". September 21, 2016.
13. Campbell, Clete (March 13, 2013). "College basketball: Mickey Marty lived life to fullest". Telegraph Herald. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
14. "Biographical Directory of Federal JudgesPratt, Robert W.publisher= Federal Judicial Center". Retrieved September 2, 2012.

External links

• Official website
• Official athletics website

v t e Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque
Ordinaries	Bishops Mathias Loras Clement Smyth Archbishops John Hennessy John Keane James Keane Francis Beckman Henry Rohlman Leo Binz James Byrne Daniel Kucera Jerome Hanus Michael Jackels Thomas Robert Zinkula
Auxiliary bishops	Edward Aloysius Fitzgerald Loras Thomas Lane George Biskup Loras Joseph Watters Francis John Dunn William Edwin Franklin
Churches	Cathedral St. Raphael's Cathedral, Dubuque Parishes Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, Dyersville St. John XXIII, Cedar Rapids Holy Ghost, Dubuque Holy Trinity, Luxemburg Sacred Heart, Dubuque Sacred Heart, Fillmore St. Boniface, New Vienna St. Donatus, St. Donatus St. Joseph, Elkader St. Joseph, Key West Saint Joseph the Worker, Dubuque St. Martin, Cascade St. Mary, Guttenberg St. Patrick, Dubuque St. Patrick, Garryowen St. Lawrence, Otter Creek St. Paul, Worthington Saints Peter and Paul, Petersburg Former parishes Saint Joseph's Prairie Church St. Mary, Dubuque St. Joseph, Stone City
Education	Higher education Clarke University Divine Word College Loras College Mount Mercy University St. Pius X Seminary, Dubuque High schools Beckman High School, Dyersville Columbus High School, Waterloo Don Bosco High School, Gilbertville Marquette High School, Bellevue Newman Catholic High School, Mason City Wahlert High School, Dubuque Xavier High School, Cedar Rapids Primary schools Mazzuchelli Middle School, Dubuque Holy Family Catholic Schools, Dubuque St. Mary's School, Guttenberg Former schools Sacred Heart School, Dubuque St. Luke's School, St. Lucas
Religious orders	New Melleray Abbey Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Priests	John George Alleman John Patrick Carroll James Vincent Casey Joseph Crétin Justin Albert Driscoll Thomas William Drumm Raymond Philip Etteldorf Daniel Mary Gorman Edward Howard William Michael Joensen Louis Benedict Kucera Mathias Clement Lenihan Thomas Mathias Lenihan William Menster J. A. M. Pelamourgues Aloysius Schmitt Joseph Clement Willging Thomas Zinkula
Miscellany	Mount Saint Bernard Seminary and Barn Our Mother of Sorrows Grotto Historic District
Catholicism portal

v t e Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Dubuque
Dioceses	Archdiocese of Dubuque Diocese of Davenport Diocese of Des Moines Diocese of Sioux City
Cathedrals	St. Raphael’s Cathedral, Dubuque Sacred Heart Cathedral, Davenport St. Ambrose Cathedral, Des Moines Cathedral of the Epiphany, Sioux City
Basilicas	Basilica of St. John, Des Moines Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, Dyersville
Higher education	Briar Cliff University Clarke University Loras College Mount Mercy University St. Ambrose University St. Pius X Seminary
Catholicism portal

v t e National Register of Historic Places in Dubuque, Iowa
Civic	Carnegie-Stout Public Library Dubuque City Hall Dubuque County Courthouse Dubuque County Jail Julien Dubuque Monument
Clubhouses	Dubuque YMCA Building
Commercial buildings	John Bell Block Bishop's Block Diamond Jo Boat Store and Office German Bank Interstate Power Company Building Roshek Brothers Department Store Security Building Town Clock Building Ziepprecht Block
Education	Old Chapel Hall Sacred Heart School
Historic districts	Cathedral Historic District Dubuque Millworking Historic District Eagle Point Park Historic District Fenelon Place Residential Historic District Four Mounds Estate Historic District Holy Ghost Catholic Historic District Jackson Park Historic District Langworthy Historic District Lock and Dam No. 11 Historic District Loras College Historic District Old Main Street Historic District St. Mary's Catholic Church Historic District Seminary Hill Residential Historic District Upper Central Avenue Commercial Historic District Upper Iowa Street Historic District Upper Main Street Historic District Washington Street and East 22nd Street Historic District Washington Residential Historic District West Eleventh Street Historic District
Houses	Andrew–Ryan House Garland House Mathias Ham House Charles T. Hancock House Ora Holland House Hollenfelz House Kelley House Langworthy House T. Ben Loetscher House McMahon House Johann Christian Frederick Rath House Redstone J.H. Thedinga House
Industrial buildings	Dubuque Casket Company Dubuque Freight House Dubuque Star Brewery Metz Manufacturing Company George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower Schroeder-Klein Grocery Company Warehouse
Parks	Washington Park
Religious buildings	St. John's Episcopal Church St. Luke's Methodist Episcopal Church St. Patrick's Catholic Church St. Raphael's Cathedral
Theatres	Grand Opera House Orpheum Theatre and Site
Transportation	Julien Dubuque Bridge Dunleith and Dubuque Bridge Fenelon Place Elevator WILLIAM M. BLACK (dredge)
National Register of Historic Places listings in Dubuque County, Iowa List of National Historic Landmarks in Iowa

• Loras College
• Education in Dubuque, Iowa
• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque
• Liberal arts colleges in Iowa
• Educational institutions established in 1839
• Buildings and structures in Dubuque, Iowa
• Tourist attractions in Dubuque, Iowa
• Catholic universities and colleges in Iowa
• National Register of Historic Places in Dubuque, Iowa
• University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa
• Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa