Briar Cliff University

Last updated
Briar Cliff University
Former names
Briar Cliff College (1930–2001)
Type Private university
Established1930
Religious affiliation
 Roman Catholic (Franciscan) Sisters of St. Francis of Dubuque
President Patrick Jacobson-Schulte (Interim) [1]
Location
Sioux City
,
Iowa
,
U.S.
CampusUrban, 70 acres
Colors   
Blue & Gold
Nickname Chargers
Sporting affiliations
 NAIA – GPAC
Website briarcliff.edu

Briar Cliff University is a private Franciscan university in Sioux City, Iowa.

Contents

History

In March 1929, Mother Mary Dominica Wieneke, Major Superior of the Sisters of Saint Francis of the Holy Family [2] of Dubuque, Iowa, along with Edmond Heelan, Bishop of the Sioux City Diocese, co-founded Briar Cliff College after meeting with members of the Sioux City community, who committed to raising $25,000 to support the establishment of a Catholic women's college in Sioux City. The twelve foundresses of the college were carefully chosen by Mother Dominica. They were led by Sister Mary Servatius Greenen, who was named the first president. [3]

Briar Cliff University dedication, 1930 Briar Cliff University dedication, 1930.jpg
Briar Cliff University dedication, 1930

On September 18, 1930, the college, named after the hill on which it is located, was dedicated. Four days later, 25 women started classes in Heelan Hall, the only building on campus at the time. In 1937, the university's two-year program was extended to four years. Fifty-five men were admitted to Briar Cliff in 1965 and co-education was formalized in 1966 with the admission of 150 full-time male students. In 1967, the campus added the residence hall Toller to the facilities available to students, and continued in 1968 with the addition of Noonan Hall. In 1982, the athletic programs also received a new venue as the Newman Flanagan Center was built to house athletic competitions, coaches' offices, and recreational classes.

In 1986, the college's president, Charles Bensman, became the tenth president of Thomas More College in Kentucky. [4]

New Master's programs were implemented in the summer of 2001. The college officially became a university on June 1, 2001. Online courses were first offered to students in 2006. The Center for Siouxland Research, the Center for Health Care Initiatives and the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching are currently active. The first doctoral degree, the Doctorate of Nurse Practitioner, was introduced in 2013.

Campus

Briar Cliff University is situated on a scenic hilltop on the outskirts of Sioux City. Sioux City is located on the Missouri River; directly across the river are the states of South Dakota and Nebraska. [5] The 75-acre campus includes four residence halls, as well as other buildings used for academic, athletic, and student support purposes. [6]

Organization and administration

Briar Cliff University is accredited as a degree-granting institution by Higher Learning Commission. It is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. The education program of the university is approved by the State Department of Education of Iowa. The social work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), the Post-Graduate APRN Certificate, and the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs at Briar Cliff University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). All BCU nursing programs are approved by the Iowa Board of Nursing and meet the state educational requirements for licensure in the state of Iowa.

Academics

Briar Cliff offers four-year academic programs and pre-professional programs in over 30 fields of study, culminating in a Bachelor's degree. Graduate degrees offered include a Master of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Health Administration, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and Doctor of Physical Therapy. Most students major in business, education, and health care. [6]

Athletics

The Briar Cliff athletic teams are called the Chargers. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) since the 2002–03 academic year.

Briar Cliff competes in 16 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, track & field and wrestling, while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track & field and volleyball.

Over 500 student-athletes have represented Briar Cliff in intercollegiate competition. Since 1966, Briar Cliff University athletics have been represented in 10 national championships, 12 GPAC championships, and 61 NAIA tournament appearances. Further, the Chargers have claimed 210 All-Americans and 564 scholar athletes.

In 2021, the Chargers received a perfect Champions of Character score from the NAIA, one of only 16 schools nationwide to earn this honor.

Basketball

Both men's and women's basketball have strong traditions at Briar Cliff. The Women's Basketball has made countless appearances in the NAIA Women's Basketball tournament. The most recent national appearance was in the 2012–2013 season, and they reached the Final Four the year before that. [7] The Men's basketball program won the GPAC regular season [8] and tournament title in 2015–2016. [9] They have been to the NAIA National Tournament twenty-one times. The last being in the 2018–2019 season, where they made it to the Elite 8 before being eliminated. [10]

Panama Pipeline

During the late 1970s and continuing into the 1980s, the Briar Cliff men's basketball head coach Ray Nacke recruited players from Panama. These players, labeled the 'Panama Pipeline' by a 1981 Sports Illustrated article, included several players who played for the Panama men's national basketball team, such as Eddie Warren, Mario Butler, and, a fan favorite, Rolando Frazer. [11] The Pipeline helped Nacke's squad to a number of NAIA Regional Championships, a number of berths in the NAIA National Tournament, and, in 1981, earned a first-place national ranking for the first time in Charger history.

Track and field

In 2000, Sharline Maxwell became the first Charger to win an individual national championship in any sport. She did so by winning the NAIA Indoor Championship in the 400 meter dash. Maxwell would go on to win two more championships in her time at Briar Cliff. [12] In 2013, The Briar Cliff men's track team took four individuals to the NAIA Indoor Championships, and returned with four individual All-Americans. This group was highlighted by Augustus Cowan who won a national title in the triple jump. [13]

Football

In 2001, Briar Cliff began its football program, while 2003 marked the first official varsity season for the program. In their first year, the Chargers garnered a 0–10 record. The following year, the team recorded its first win, one of three on the season. To date, the Chargers have compiled a record of 33–119. The Briar Cliff football team played their home games at Memorial Field until 2013 when they began playing home games at the Dakota Dome, on the campus of the University of South Dakota, about 39 miles northwest. [14] In 2017 the Chargers returned to Sioux City and to Memorial Field thanks to a partnership with Bishop Heelan Catholic High School. [15]

Baseball and softball

Briar Cliff offers both baseball and softball as spring sports. Each one of these teams competes in the Great Plains Athletic Conference. The baseball team plays their home games at Bishop Sitzmann Field, a baseball complex shared with Bishop Heelan High School. After previously playing their home games at the SYA Riverside Complex, the BCU softball team moved back to the university's campus in 2013, where they too share the field with Bishop Heelan High School.

In 2005, Briar Cliff University Baseball upset Bellevue University, ending Bellevue's 10-year run of winning the Region 4 title, to make it to the Super Regional Round against Dakota State. [16] Briar Cliff swept the two games of the super regionals winning an extra-inning affair (7-6) and closing out Dakota State with a blowout win (13-1) to advance to the 2005 Avista NAIA College World Series. Briar Cliff would lose to Spalding University (9-3) and to Biola University (4-1). This was their first and only appearance in the NAIA College World Series. More recently, in 2015 the BCU baseball team won the GPAC conference with a conference record of (14-6), snapping the team's streak of 6 straight losing seasons.

Wrestling

In 2015, the Chargers finished as runner-ups in the GPAC Wrestling tournament, and in 2016 they won the GPAC Wrestling Tournament.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwestern College (Iowa)</span> Christian college in Orange City, Iowa, US

Northwestern College is a private Christian liberal arts college in Orange City, Iowa. It is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America and enrolls more than 1,500 students. In addition to approximately 1,000 students in bachelor's degree programs, the college has a growing graduate school, which includes a master's degree program in physician assistant studies since June 2020. Northwestern began as an academy in 1882. It became a junior college in 1928 and a four-year college in 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Plains Athletic Conference</span>

The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The conference was founded in 1969 as the Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NIAC), later becoming the Nebraska–Iowa Athletic Conference (1992) before being renamed the Great Plains Athletic Conference (2000).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Northwestern – St. Paul</span> Private Christian college in Roseville, Minnesota, U.S.

University of Northwestern (UNW) is a private Christian university in Roseville, Minnesota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dordt University</span> College in Sioux Center, Iowa, U.S.

Dordt University is a private evangelical Christian university in Sioux Center, Iowa. It was founded in 1955 and is affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church in North America. The university name is a reference to the Synod of Dordt (Dordrecht).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NAIA women's basketball championship</span>

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Women's Basketball national championship has been held annually since 1981. The NAIA Women's Tournament was established one year before the NCAA Women's Basketball tournament. It was created to crown a women's national title for smaller colleges and universities. From 1992 to 2020, the NAIA sponsored a women's division II championship tournament. The entire tournament is played in Sioux City, Iowa. Prior to the merger of D-I and D-II, a separate Division I tournament was held in Billings, Montana, while the Division II tournament was in Sioux City. Contracts for host cities for both divisions initially expired in 2017. Following renewals, the 2018 and 2019 tournaments were held in the same cities, but in 2020, the tournaments were called off due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Mount Marty University is a private Benedictine university in Yankton, South Dakota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marian University (Indiana)</span> Private Roman Catholic university in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

Marian University is a private Roman Catholic university in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1851 by the Sisters of St. Francis in Oldenburg, Indiana, the college moved to Indianapolis in 1937. Marian was known as Marian College from 1936 until 2009, when it was renamed Marian University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Jamestown</span> Private Christian university in Jamestown, North Dakota, U.S.

The University of Jamestown is a private Christian university in Jamestown, North Dakota. Founded in 1883 by the Presbyterian Church, it has about 1,300 students enrolled and has been co-educational from its founding. Until August 2013, the school was known as Jamestown College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morningside University</span> Private liberal arts college in Sioux City, Iowa, U.S.

Morningside University is a private university affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Sioux City, Iowa. Founded in 1894 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, Morningside University has 21 buildings on a 68-acre (280,000 m2) campus in Sioux City. The Morningside College Historic District, which includes most of the campus, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Morningside College officially became Morningside University on June 1, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dakota Wesleyan University</span> Methodist university in Mitchell, South Dakota, US

Dakota Wesleyan University (DWU) is a private Methodist university in Mitchell, South Dakota. It was founded in 1885 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The student body averages slightly fewer than 800 students. The campus of the university is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MidAmerica Nazarene University</span> Private Christian university in Olathe, Kansas, U.S.

MidAmerica Nazarene University (MNU) is a private Nazarene university in Olathe, Kansas in the Kansas City metropolitan area. It was established in 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DakotaDome</span>

The DakotaDome is an indoor multi-purpose stadium in the north central United States, located on the campus of the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota. Opened 44 years ago in 1979 at a cost of $8.2 million, the 9,100-seat venue is the home of the South Dakota Coyotes for football, swimming and diving, and track and field. The approximate elevation is 1,220 feet (370 m) above sea level.

The University of Sioux Falls (USF) is a private Baptist university in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. In fall 2014, the university enrolled a total of 1,142 undergraduate students and 311 graduate students.

The Missouri River Activities Conference is a high school athletic and activities conference whose members are located in either the Sioux City Metropolitan Area or the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area, both located along the Missouri River on the border of western Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pittsburg State Gorillas</span>

The Pittsburg State Gorillas, commonly referred to as Pitt State, are the athletic teams that represent Pittsburg State University. They are in the NCAA Division II as a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). The Gorillas previously competed in the Central States Intercollegiate Conference (CSIC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1976–77 to 1988–89; in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) from 1972–73 to 1975–76; in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) from 1968–69 to 1971–72; in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIC) from 1923–24 to 1967–68; and in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) from 1902–03 to 1922–23.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alabama–Huntsville Chargers</span> Athletic teams based at University of Alabama in Huntsville

The Alabama–Huntsville Chargers are the athletic teams that represent the University of Alabama in Huntsville, located in Huntsville, Alabama, in intercollegiate sports at the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Chargers have primarily competed in the Gulf South Conference since the 1993–94 academic year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sioux Falls Cougars</span> Sports teams of University in Sioux Falls

The Sioux Falls Cougars are the athletic teams that represent the University of Sioux Falls, located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) since the 2012–13 academic year. Prior to joining the NCAA, the Cougars previously competed in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2000–01 to 2010–11; and in the defunct South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference (SDIC) from 1977–78 to 1999–2000.

The Briar Cliff Chargers football team represents Briar Cliff University in college football in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Chargers are members of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC), fielding its team in the GPAC since 2003. The Chargers play their home games at Faber Field in Sioux City, Iowa.

The Xavier Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets are the athletic teams that represent Xavier University of Louisiana, located in New Orleans, Louisiana, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) since the 2021–22 academic year. The Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets previously competed in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) from 1981–82 to 2020–21.

Rolando Frazer Thorne is a Panamanian former professional basketball player. At a height of 6'7" tall, he played at the power forward and center positions. He was an inaugural inductee of the Briar Cliff Athletic Hall of Fame, in 1991.

References

  1. ↑ Gottburg, Woody (July 5, 2022). "Briar Cliff Interim President Begins Duties". kscj.com. KSCJ 1360. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  2. ↑ "1971 Catholic Almanac". St. Anthony's guild paterson, n. Fj. 1971. p. 597.
  3. ↑ "culture.templar.rosemont - Mother Mary Dominica Wieneke - msg#00002 - Recent Discussion OSDir.com". Archived from the original on 24 December 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  4. ↑ Hebert, Raymond (January 10, 2022). "Our Rich History: Dr. Charles Bensman, 10th president of Thomas More College and road to 1990s" . Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  5. ↑ Official website re background of Briar Cliff University Archived December 4, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  6. 1 2 Peterson's colleges in the Midwest. Peterson's (24th ed.). Lawrenceville, NJ: Peterson's. 2009. p. 85. ISBN   978-0-7689-2690-3. OCLC   308182853.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  7. ↑ "Briar Cliff clips Mount Mercy to reach Final Four". Sioux City Journal. 10 March 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  8. ↑ "No. 6 Chargers clinch GPAC title". Sioux City Journal. 13 February 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  9. ↑ "Chargers outscore Prairie Wolves for GPAC title". Sioux City Journal. March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  10. ↑ "IU East clips Chargers with late layup". Sioux City Journal. 12 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  11. ↑ "CNN Sports provided by Bleacher Report - CNN.com" . Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  12. ↑ "Women's Outdoor Track & Field Home" (PDF).
  13. ↑ "Briar Cliff University Athletics News" . Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  14. ↑ "Briar Cliff to play home football games at DakotaDome". Sioux City Journal. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  15. ↑ "Briar Cliff University Athletics News". www.bcuchargers.com.
  16. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-05-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

42°31′47″N96°25′24″W / 42.529601°N 96.423227°W / 42.529601; -96.423227

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.