Gannon University is a
privateCatholic university with campuses in
Erie, Pennsylvania, and
Ruskin, Florida. Established in 1925, Gannon University enrolls approximately 4,600 undergraduate and graduate students annually and has over 47,000 alumni. Its
intercollegiate athletics include 18 athletic programs for men and women competing at the
NCAA Division II level.
History
Gannon University was first established in 1933 as the two-year Cathedral College by the
Diocese of Erie. In 1944, the school became the four-year men's school Gannon College of Arts and Sciences, named in honor of the then-Bishop of Erie,
John Mark Gannon, the driving force behind its opening and development. The college became coeducational in 1964 and gained university status in 1979.[2][3]
The all-girls school Villa Maria College, which was founded by the
Sisters of St. Joseph in 1925,[4] merged with the university in 1989.[5] Its Villa Maria School of Nursing retains the name of the original institution.
Academics
The university is organized into three main colleges: the College of Engineering and Business, which includes the Dahlkemper School of Business Administration; the College of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences; and the Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences.
Campus
Gannon University's campus is located in downtown Erie, primarily concentrated between Peach and Myrtle Streets and 3rd and 10th Streets. In summer 2015, a doctoral branch campus opened in
Ruskin, Florida focusing on healthcare majors.[6]
Gannon is a member of the
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference in
NCAA Division II. Gannon offers 19 Division II scholarship-granting varsity sports, that includes nine men's and women's teams. The men participate in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, water polo, wrestling, competitive cheer. The women participate in basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, volleyball, water polo, wrestling, acrobatics and tumbling, and competitive cheer and dance.