Holy Family University Adjunct Faculty Quick Fact GuidebookGuidebook

Mission and History

The University is a ministry of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth and offers education in the liberal arts and professions through undergraduate and graduate degree programs and continuing education credit and non-credit programs. The main campus is located in suburban Northeast Philadelphia with two additional sites, Woodhaven and Newtown, located in Bucks County. The University is a Catholic, coeducational, residential institution that strives to be a leader in the community and region offering associate, baccalaureate and graduate degree programs.  

The Congregation of Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth is an international congregation of religious women dedicated to spreading the Kingdom of God’s love, particularly within families. Founded in Rome in 1875 by Blessed Frances Siedliska, the Congregation of Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth arrived in the United States in 1885. Internationally, it has sisters also serving in Poland, England, France, Israel, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Australia, Philippines and Kazakhstan.

In the United States, the Provincialate is located in Des Plaines, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. Some 400 sisters in the United States serve in nine states and Puerto Rico. More information about CSFN is available on the CSFN website at www.nazarethcsfn.org.

Founded as Holy Family College in 1954 by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, the evolutionary cycle actually started in 1934 with the opening of the Holy Family Teacher Training School. During the early years, the institution functioned as an affiliate of the Catholic University of America. The University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and all its programs are approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

The University is a member of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education (SEPCHE), a consortium of eight independent higher education institutions in the Greater Philadelphia region who engage in a collaborative approach to the challenges of higher education and work together to promote quality and efficiency of academic programming, student access, faculty development, institutional operations and community outreach, through sharing a range of activities, services, technology and information. Other SEPCHE schools include Arcadia University, Cabrini College, Chestnut Hill College, Gwynedd-Mercy College, Immaculata University, Neumann College and Rosemont College. Adjunct faculty can learn more about SEPCHE opportunities and services beneficial to part-time faculty by access the SEPCHE website at www.sepche.org.
 
As a Catholic institution, the University seeks direction and inspiration from the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, affirms the values of the Judeo-Christian tradition, and witnesses to the dignity of each person and the oneness of the human family. The University educates students to assume life-long responsibilities toward God, society, and self.

mission

The following core values guide the University as it seeks to carry out its mission:

Family. The University welcomes and cares for students, faculty and staff as members of a diverse but interconnected family. A community united by a common mission, the University promotes an atmosphere of mutual concern and attention to the spiritual, intellectual, social, emotional, and physical needs of all those whom it serves.

Respect. The University affirms the dignity of the human person through openness to multiple points of view, personalized attention, and collaborative dialogue in the learning process and in the interaction among members of the University community. The University seeks to install appreciation of and respect for differences so that its graduates can function successfully in multicultural contexts.

Integrity. Intent upon forming persons of integrity who recognize the importance of lifelong learning, the University advocates free and conscientious pursuit of truth and the responsible use of knowledge. It bases education upon a foundation in the liberal arts that highlights the humanities and the natural and social sciences. In keeping with the teachings of the Catholic Church, concern for moral values and social justice guides the University in designing programs and activities.

Service and Responsibility. The University incorporates its motto, Teneor Votis ("I am bound by my responsibilities"), into curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular programs. Reflecting this motto, educational experiences at the University apply theory to practice and course content to serving human needs. The University educates individuals to become competent professionals and responsible citizens.

Learning. The University seeks to instill in its students a passion for truth and a commitment to seeking wisdom. It promotes value-based education, creative scholarship, informed and imaginative use of research and technology, and practical learning opportunities such as cooperative education and internship programs. The University seeks to strengthen ethical, logical, and creative thinking; to develop effective communication skills; to nurture an aesthetic sense; and to deepen global, social, and historical awareness.

Vision. The University envisions learning as a dynamic and fruitful exchange between traditional sources of wisdom and contemporary developments in knowledge. Throughout the teaching and learning process, the University seeks to embody Christian philosophical and theological perspectives. It offers an education grounded in a Judeo-Christian world view that serves as a foundation upon which to address contemporary problems and to build a vision for the future.

Reflections on the Mission as contributed by members of the University community as well as minutes of the Mission Effectiveness Team are available at here.



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