Friars at St. Bonaventure
This graph represents the number of friars compared to secular professors. The data was collected the start of each decade from 1880 to 2009. As you can see from the graph, the friars and professor ratio is pretty close until 1920. From 1920 till 1960 there was a greater number of friars teaching Saint Bonaventure courses. It isn’t till 1970 that you see a much higher percentage of secular faculty teaching courses at Saint Bonaventure.
Much of this has to do with the SBU's movement from a Catholic university to a secular university during the 1970s. There weren't as many friars around either as the religious vocation was less attractive. Many friars could saw their mission to be found outside of higher education. "A life in the academy had slight appeal for the late twentieth-century friars in formation. While the institutions of higher education that they had nurtured flourished, the friars were left to discern new roles for their mission to educate and to advance learning through a life of scholarship." (Joseph M. White, 'Peace and Good' in America)
The friars contribution included their work as administrators and faculty members, but was also a financial asset. By not taking the salary of a secular faculty member, the friars permitted the school to perform at a much higher level with a smaller budget.
 |
Fr. David Blake, began his journey here at Saint Bonaventure University in 1992. Fr. Blake is currently an assistant Professor in the sociology department. He uses his Franciscan values when it comes to teaching and mentoring students that come along over the years. When he first came to Saint Bonaventure in 1992, there were about 45-55 friars here at the university. In 1996, there were only 36 friars, and as of 2011 there are currently 11 friars here at the university. When sitting down for an interview with Fr. Blake I asked him reasons for the drastic decrease in the number of friars here at Saint Bonaventure. He noted several reasons. First he mentioned that there are not as many men becoming friars as there were years ago. He also noted that over the years the university had more of a professional development, which lead the need for teachers with PhDs. When it came to the 1970s more people across the country were going to college so this gave the public certain expectations, which included higher degrees for teaching faculty. He also mentioned that friars at that point were the ones who were in charge of the university and the direct religious connection had to be severed if they wanted to be eligible for state aid. This led the university to be run by a mostly secular board of trustees. |
Friars and Seminarians
1890
1920s
1960
1970s Fr. Dan Riley, OFM and Fr. Gerald McCaffrey, OFM
This website was created by Nicholas Pelusio, for History 419 spring 2011.