Ivory Towers: Villanova University: 150 years

The numbers weren't good enough for them. They had to go with the Latin. Villanova University, Pennsylvania's oldest Catholic college, is currently celebrating its sesquicentennial, not its 150th anniversary, with a yearlong agenda of events and academic symposia. This anniversary marks the 150th year since the Augustinian priests founded the university as an institution of Catholic higher education for young men. The 220-acre campus was set on the estate of John Rudolph, a revolutionary war officer and merchant. Despite its closeness to Philadelphia -- the campus is only a 20 minute train ride from 30th Street Station -- Villanova has retained much of its original suburban plan. Grassy knolls abound throughout the campus, and instead of paved roads, paths wander over the campus. And the sprawling campus has retained much of the beautiful original stonework. As part of the celebrations, renovations have been made on two buildings and commemorative plaques were placed on 26 of the oldest buildings on campus. The university has always tried to give the students a strong sense of scholarship in addition to a firm belief in values and the Catholic religion. To put this into context, 92 percent of Villanova's class of 1995 are Catholic. The year started spiritually with a mass that united the campus and the parish communities. The Church of St. Thomas of Villanova, whose twin spires serve as the sesquicentennial's symbols, was one of the renovated buildings and was the site of the Mass and Rite of Blessing. In true Catholic style, a procession followed the service. The celebrations started off with a grand Opening Weekend organized to coincide with the annual Parents' Weekend. As a result, over 4000 students, parents and alumni were present to enjoy the festivities. The university was put on show from the 19th to the 22nd of September as guests were offered both walking and horse drawn trolley tours of the campus. The deans of the colleges held introductory lectures for those who wanted to find out about the university, and parents were encouraged to attend classes with their children. The Sesquicentennial Opening parade officially kicked off the anniversary celebration, with the president of the university, the Reverend Edmund Dobbin, delivering a welcoming address. The past 150 years of fashion, music and transportation was paraded down the center of campus. The weekend met planners' expectations and the ten planning committees responsible for the sesquicentennial were happy with the results of over two and a half years of their work. "We had a very successful Opening Weekend," Christine Lysionek, managing director of the sesquicentennial said. "Everyone here was very pleased." An exhibit showing various memorabilia from the early days at Villanova was unveiled in the Connelly Center, Villanova's student union. The displays include letters from successful alumni, a rusty lock from John Rudolph's original estate and a letter from a mother to her son telling him to "continue to improve his studies." The exhibit will remain on show for the next year. A "Scale Model of Villanova University" was also switched on for the first time during the opening weekend. The model features a sixteen minute voice-over narrating the school's history and as each period in history is covered, the campus buildings of the era light up. The theme for the sequicentennial is "Make 'Nova Your Universe" and a "Constellation of Events" have been planned for the next year. The planned activities over Opening Weekend included an alfresco luncheon they called "Everything Under The Sun" and a moonlight "Dance Under The Stars." Literally every minute was scheduled for an event and there was often more than one event taking place at a time. Unlike the University's 250th anniversary, however, Villanova's celebrations will continue throughout the next academic year. The university has invited top speakers from around the country to hold several academic symposia. The topics to be discussed are diverse but are of special interest to the largely Catholic student body. For example, the first forum discusses the importance of a Catholic higher education in today's world. Later events touch on subjects such as the environment, the elections and the holocaust. A series of forums on human values in politics and corporations may, however, prove to be quite brief. The ten committees that organized the sesquicentennial celebrations aim both to remind the students about the school's legacy as well as add to the existing heritage of Villanova. To this end, the exhibits and lectures on the birth of Villanova show the changes that the university has undergone in the past century and a half. At the same time, the plaques and renovations represent this generation's addition to the history of Villanova. "One of the goals of the Subcommittee of Historical Exhibits was to leave the campus with some permanent legacies," Lysionek said. "Things that will endure beyond the celebrations." This large scale expenditure in a time of economic hardship may strike some people as decadent. Villanova students, however, generally did not feel this way. "It's special to be here while it's happening," said Dana Gaskin, president of the Blue Key Society and Villanova junior. "They've dedicated new buildings and you see the heart of the tradition here at Villanova. When an institution has been around for 150 years you need upkeep. If this is one party they can have for it - that's great!" Any gripes? Of course. Would a student body be complete without them? "They had a lot of good ideas but some of the things didn't fall into place," Villanova sophomore and Sigma Alpha Epsilon brother Rob Capone said. "The luncheon they had was $12 per person and they served boxed lunches . . . but I heard the dance was nice." On the whole, however, the students have taken pride in their school's spruced up appearance. How big a deal is this celebration? Let's put it this way, the entire Villanova campus has learned to say sesquicentennial with a smile.

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