ORIGINS – Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, [The University of the Sacred Herat], the higher education institution with the oldest roots on the Island, was established in 1880 by the religious order of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart as an elementary school.  In 1935, the government issued a Charter establishing the higher education programs of the Institution.  In 1970, the Sisters of the Sacred Heart transferred the governance of the Institution to a lay Board of Trustees and in 1972 a coeducational admission policy was approved.  In 1976, the official name was changed to Universidad del Sagrado Corazón.  The University is located in thirty two (32) acres of urban property and in 1985 its 1906 Main Building, Portico and Chapel were declared National Historical Monuments.

PHILOSOPHY AND MISSION – Universidad del Sagrado Corazón is a Catholic educational institution, firmly established in the ecumenical spirit of the Second Vatican Council.  It is a community which welcomes and integrates persons of all creeds, races and cultures, bringing to life the message of the Gospel.  Its mission is:  “To educate intellectually free and morally responsible men and women, willing to participate in building a more authentic Christian Puerto Rican society: a community united in its purpose to seek justice and peace.”

VISION 2010 – To offer a unique academic project – an innovative educational experience in which the classroom is the world, in an environment characterized by the quality of its community life centered upon Christian values and the human person.

CHARACTERISTICS AND RESOURCES –

• Offers 4 Associate, 30 Bachelor’s, 8 Professional Certificate and 13 Master’s degrees programs
• Schedules its academic offerings on a daytime, evening and Saturday  schedules
• Offers Continuing Education Programs, short-term courses, workshops and training opportunities tailored to the needs of individuals, agencies and businesses
• Has exchange programs with 170 universities in the United States and individual agreements with other Institutions abroad, among them:  Spain, Brazil,  Dominican   Republic, Mexico, France, Belgium and Canada.
• Its faculty is composed of 121 full-time professors and a group of part-time faculty members coming from industry, other professional fields and the public sector geared towards providing a more relevant educational project.
• Faculty members are supported by advanced technology enriching their courses through the used of multimedia and digital technologies
• Total student enrollment for Fall semester of 2007-2008 was 5,484 (4,463 being undergraduate; 1,021 graduates)
• Student body composition is 65.6% female and 34.4% male; adults comprise 27% of the total student body;  66% are enrolled in daytime courses, 55.1% come from private schools, 41.9% come from public schools and 3% from schools outside Puerto Rico.
• Sixty six percent (66.2%) of the students come from the San Juan Metropolitan area, 33.8% from the rest  of the Island, and 2% are foreign students
• Granted 628 degrees in June 2007
• Has the most active Alumni Association on the Island
• The University Library, with its digital graphic environment, is the first of its kinds on the Island
• Has modern physical fitness facilities, basketball, tennis and volleyball and beach volleyball courts, and an Olympic size pool
• Has residential facilities for 550 students and for visiting professors
• Its annual consolidated 2006-07 budget was 36.6 million dollars
• The Endowment Fund totals 17 million dollars as of June 30, 2007
• Awarded 1.4 million dollars in Institutional Scholarships during 2006-2007
• Has a Master Plan to guide physical development over the next 20 years
• Has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools since 1950, by the local Council on Higher Education, and the following professional accrediting agencies: National League for Nursing; Council on Social Work Education, National Accrediting Agencies for Clinical Laboratory Sciences and International Association for Continuing Education and Training

SPECIALIZED FACILITIES:  RESEARCH AND SERVICE CENTERS

• Centers for Entrepreneurial Development of Woman
• Academic Research Center
• Center for Personal Development
• Center for Enrichment of Teaching and Learning
• Center for the Development of the Insurance Industry
• Institute for the Tourism Research
• Ford Foundation Collaborating for Educational Reform Program – Metropolitan Alliance for Educational Reform
• Institute for the Study of Violence in the Social Media
• Institute for the Development of the Third Sector
• National Writing Center
• Center for the Freedom of Press
• Community Engagement and Support Center
• Cellular Molecular Biology Laboratory
• Distance Education Institute
• Center for Corporate Social Responsibility [ConectaRSE]
• Educational Policy Institute for Community Development [W. Kellogg Found support]

SPECIAL PROJECTS

• Completed in 1997 a unique Service Learning Initiative where all regular senior students serve as expert consultants in their major field to community-based organizations for the development of solutions to identified problems in their organizations or communities.  This is done through required capstone courses in the senior year.
• Sponsors the University Art Gallery and the Museum of the Radio
• Student’s art galleries:  Génesis Art Gallery, José (Pepín) Méndez Art Gallery
• Runs, under the auspices on OneLink Cable, the Puerto Rican C-Span system covering all developments in the Puerto Rico Capitol
• Operates a cable television channel – TeleSagrado dedicated to community education and produces 10 weekly programs dealing with topics such as personal health, school reform, economic literacy, violence prevention, family relations, personal finance, entrepreneurship, the non-profit sector, and school curriculum.
• Is well known for its intercollegiate sports achievements in Swimming, Tennis and Volleyball
• Promotes the integration of theory and practice throughout its curriculum by means of practice, internships and community service projects
• Develops entrepreneurial skills in its students
• Offers part-time employment services to enrolled students and help with full-time employment search to graduating students
• Has incorporated the use of distance learning to broaden educational options and enrich traditional teaching methodologies
• Has established a Language Across Disciplines initiative to strengthen language skills in Spanish and English
• In 2006-07 it established an Ethics Institute to promote the ethical formation of its students across the curriculum

Rev. 3/2008