Vision Campaign

History

St. Catharine College stands in the company of a handful of small independent colleges in Kentucky with a distinctive mission. Founded from the tradition and spirit of the Kentucky Dominican Sisters whose determination and vision saw the need for a faith-based education to prepare young women for lives of service as teachers, St. Catharine College today is realizing its full potential to serve the unmet educational needs of central Kentucky. Since that opening day in 1931, St. Catharine College has been guided by a clear sense of purpose: to provide an affordable educational opportunity to students of diverse faiths in an environment of active Christian caring. More than seven decades later, the dreams and determination of those who founded and nourished the College is reflected in the pride and confidence the people of central Kentucky have in St. Catharine College to this day. Worthwhile endeavors seldom come easy. St. Catharine has faced many challenges over the years which include a fire that destroyed the entire Dominican complex in 1904, a severe drought which devastated crops on the farm that once was the primary source of food and resources, and financial crises. As recently as the Fall semester 2001, as the College was adjusting to its largest enrollment ever, President Huston was called to active duty by the United States Coast Guard at a time of national emergency following the terrorist attack on America on September 11th. However, each success in overcoming these obstacles has further strengthened the College. During the most difficult times the College’s clear sense of purpose has sustained it as it continues to grow.

In 1990, faced with mounting pressures and declining enrollment, former Governor Martha Layne Collins, the first woman to serve as the Chief Executive of Kentucky, came to St. Catharine as its eighth president. Governor Collins brought fresh focus to the College’s mission and began a process of revitalizing the campus and curriculum. In early 1997 William D. Huston, former Secretary of the Kentucky Workforce Cabinet, came to St. Catharine as president to rebuild its infrastructure and prepare it for the 21st Century. Under President Huston’s leadership, St. Catharine College moved dramatically forward. Four new academic programs were launched and campus facilities were upgraded and expanded.

An Impressive Record of Achievement
Enrollment has increased 42% since 1997. The College is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges to offer Associate in Science and Associate in Arts degrees and certificates in 27 disciplines. Over 166 students live on campus, men and women participate in five varsity sports, and many pursue internships in regional businesses and volunteer in a wide variety of community activities. St. Catharine students come from 26 counties in Kentucky, eight states, and five countries; however, the majority of our students come from Washington, Nelson, or Marion county. Graduates transfer on with remarkable success to four-year colleges, while others pursue careers in nursing, radiography, business, and human services upon graduation. Students graduating with an Associate degree from St. Catharine College are welcomed, indeed, sought, by every four-year college and university in Kentucky. Health care organizations across Kentucky actively recruit graduates of St. Catharine’s health sciences program especially appreciating the values and ethics they bring with them to their work in patient care.
Today, St. Catharine is a mission-driven, co-educational college built upon a solid foundation of faith, guided by a dedicated Board of Trustees and an outstanding faculty and staff. It has a growing student body and a plan to guide it well into the 21st Century. Its graduates currently live, work, and minister throughout Kentucky, and the nation. Click here to see the economic impact the college has on the local area.

Vision 2001 and Beyond
In 1998, the St. Catharine College Board of Trustees, having carefully assessed the College’s potential and future direction, launched Vision 2001 and Beyond. The Vision identified a $12.5 million campus expansion that included new academic programs, expanded technology, campus-technology upgrades, new residence halls, a student life center, an academic and health science center, endowment and scholarship funds. In a period of just four years, many of the priority needs identified in Phase I have been addressed as a result of careful thought, realistic planning, and through the devotion and generosity of many people.

Shaping the Vision
Integral to the Vision 2001 and Beyond plans and the future of St. Catharine College was the critical need to complete the Health and Science complex project to support new and expanding programs. The state-of-the-art health and science building is scheduled to be complete in summer 2005. The expansion of the St. Catharine curriculum into the health sciences has been driven by the need for educated professional personnel in specialized health care and diagnostic services in and around the central Kentucky region. Already 35% of St. Catharine’s enrollment is made up of students enrolled in health science programs.

Phase II Vision 2001 and Beyond: Responding to the Need
The need for credentialed health care technologists and nurses in central Kentucky is tremendous. In fact, the Kentucky Workforce Development Cabinet projects that over 25,000 positions in health services occupations will be added statewide by 2006. The alarming shortage of professionally educated people precludes many rural hospitals from providing much needed diagnostic services causing patients to travel to Louisville, Nashville, or Lexington for services. Consequently, St. Catharine graduates are in demand earning starting salaries of $35,000 and higher.
The need for the health and science complex is urgent as St. Catharine College is faced with an immediate space problem critical to academic programs. St. Catharine existing science laboratories (circa 1933) and several faculty offices located in the basement of St. Catharine Hall are inadequate to support the kind of rigorous science curriculum and laboratory work required in these programs.

The new Hamilton Health & Science building, completed in 2005, has greatly enhance St. Catharine’s educational program and ensures that the College maintains the level of excellence that has become its hallmark. It has also allowed the College to meet its growing need for general academic space. This new facility has increased enrollment capacity in programs that prepare graduates for good professional jobs while meeting the needs of the entire central Kentucky region. It includes 3 modern laboratories for biology, chemistry, and physics, 12 general classrooms, 2 computer laboratories, 2 seminar rooms, a conference room, and auditorium. There isalso space for faculty offices, study rooms, board rooms, and storage areas. It includes state-of-the-art equipment ensuring the College’s position as a leader in these areas.

On the Horizon

Design and planning for a new library
Design and planning for a new chapel
Varsity cross country
Establishment of a $1 million scholarship endowment
New sports complex for basketball, track, handball, offices, and classrooms

Click here to view an aerial view of the proposed campus.