History, Affiliations and Rankings
Gannon University is a private, Catholic University that was founded in 1925 as the Cathedral College. It was renamed Gannon College of Arts and Sciences in 1944 and received its university status in 1979. The all-girls school Villa Maria College, founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1925, the same year as Gannon University, merged with the university in 1989. The University has Greek and Non-Greek fraternities and sororities. This four-year Catholic University specializes in offering Liberal Arts education, integrated with professional skills and rooted in the Catholic Intellectual traditions. Gannon University partners with Arcadia University for exchange programs. The University is affiliated with the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU), and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) and is also one of the space-grant US universities. Gannon University is also a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference in NCAA Division II. The University ranks #227 in US News and World Report’s National Universities rankings 2022.
Infrastructure, Campuses and Courses
Gannon University has two campuses, the Erie Campus in Pennsylvania and Ruskin Campus in Florida. The Erie campus is the main campus of the University. The vibrant, urban campus of Gannon University is located on the waterfront in the heart of Erie, Pennsylvania's entertainment and cultural district. Right next to the downtown campus, students can find internship opportunities and co-op jobs with government agencies, local businesses and hospitals. The additional campus in Ruskin, Florida, is an innovative response to the increasing demand for high-quality graduate education in disciplines that serve the rapidly expanding healthcare sector of the Florida economy. Gannon University offers 67 Bachelor’s degrees, 6 Associate’s degrees, 29 Master’s degrees and 6 Doctoral degrees. In addition, the University also has 20 Cooperative Professional School Options and 8 pre-professional programs on offer, to prepare students for leadership roles.
Accomplishments and Alumni
In 2017, Gannon University successfully developed a multi-camera video streaming to capture the shadow of Earth during Solar Eclipse. In 2021, the University earned its first-ever Honor Roll status as a Great College to Work For, becoming one of the 42 institutions to be awarded that status. Gannon University has a robust alumni network of 47,000+ graduates around the world, including notable names such as - Vikram Pandit (Banker and Investor), Italo Cappabianca (Politician), Ryan Bizzarro (Politician), Joe Schember (Mayor of Erie, Pennsylvania), Aaron Cox (Footballer), Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, Justine Rodrigues (Footballer), Bradford F. Lewis (Author and Associate Professor) and Andy Lorei (Footballer).
Student Diversity and Visiting Companies
Gannon University has a student body of 4700+ from all parts of the world. According to New Ways Ministry’s website, Gannon University is among the 130 LGBTQ+ friendly universities in the USA. This is also phenomenal considering most Catholic universities are typically LGBTQ+ unfriendly. Further, student-run media at Gannon University, namely The Gannon Knight and Totem won accolades at the 2021 American Scholastic Press Association contest. Alumni from Gannon University are recruited by the likes of Cleveland Clinic, Komatsu Mining, Siemens, Thermo-Fisher Scientific and Deloitte.
