USF Featured in The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges: 2025 Edition

Aerial view of USF's main campus in Joliet, Ill.

Joliet, Ill. – The Princeton Review®, known for its many education services and resources for college-bound students, features the University of St. Francis (USF) in the new 2025 edition of its online resource, The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges.

Accessible for free at www.princetonreview.com/green-guide, the Guide profiles 511 colleges that foster a culture of environmental responsibility and demonstrate a commitment to sustainability.

The Princeton Review chose the colleges for this edition of the Guide based on a survey it conducted in 2023-2024 of administrators at nearly 600 colleges about their institutions’ sustainability-related policies, practices, and programs. The company also surveyed students attending the colleges about their “green” campus experiences. The school selections were based on more than 25 data points from the surveys.

“We are delighted to recommend the University of St. Francis to students who want their ‘best-fit’ college to also be a ‘green’ one,” said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review’s Editor-in-Chief. “USF, which offers excellent academics, also demonstrates a strong commitment to sustainability in its campus programs, policies and practices.”

USF has completed several sustainability-focused projects over the past several years, including the creation of a pollinator garden, maintenance of on-campus beehives, study and restoration of the Charlotte Codo Prairie in Frankfort, composting, and the creation of community garden.

“It is an honor for the University of St. Francis to continue to be recognized for its sustainability efforts by The Princeton Review. This recognition serves as a nice acknowledgement of our efforts to increase the campus’s sustainability projects and awareness,” said Dave DiLorenzo, USF Director of Community and Employee Relations.

Franek also noted that The Princeton Review is seeing substantive interest among college applicants in attending green colleges. Of the nearly 8,000 college-bound students the company polled for its 2024 College Hopes & Worries Survey, 61% said having information about a college’s commitment to the environment would affect their decision to apply to or attend a school. A report on the survey is at http://www.princetonreview.com/college-hopes-worries.

The Princeton Review has published its Guide to Green Colleges annually since 2010. Information on how the company selected the schools for the Guide and tallied the Guide’s Top 50 Green Colleges ranking list is here. The education services company is also known for its other resources for college applicants including its dozens of other categories of college rankings, and its annual book, The Best 390 Colleges, (2025 Edition published August 2024).

About The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review is a leading tutoring, test prep, and college admissions services company. Every year, it helps millions of college- and graduate school–bound students as well as working professionals achieve their education and career goals through its many education services and products. These include online and in-person courses delivered by a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors; online resources; more than 150 print and digital books published by Penguin Random House; and dozens of categories of school rankings. Founded in 1981, The Princeton Review is now in its 43rd year. The company’s Tutor.com brand, now in its 24th year, is one of the largest online tutoring services in the U.S. It comprises a community of thousands of tutors who have delivered more than 27 million tutoring sessions. The Princeton Review is headquartered in New York, NY. For more information, visit www.princetonreview.com/.

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The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 3,300 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 53,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.

University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.

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American Red Cross Blood Drive at USF on Tuesday, November 12

USF - American Red Cross logos

Joliet, Ill. – The American Red Cross is experiencing an emergency shortage as there continues to be a critical need for blood products to ensure patient care. Help those in need as the University of St. Francis (USF) hosts its next American Red Cross blood drive on Tuesday, November 12, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Assembly Hall Gymnasium at USF’s St. Clare Campus, which is located at 1550 Plainfield Road in Joliet. The drive is open to the community.

For an appointment, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org and enter “60435” in the red “Find a Blood Drive” box on the home page. You can save up to 15 minutes when you donate blood by using RapidPass. Visit redcrossblood.org/RapidPass for more information.

If you are an eligible type O, B – or A – donor, consider making a Power Red donation. Red blood cells are the most commonly transfused blood component.

For more information, please visit redcrossblood.org.

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The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 3,300 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 53,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.

University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.

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USF’s Annual Mega Music Rummage Sale Set for November 2

WCSF

Joliet, Ill. – WCSF-88.7 FM, the radio station of the University of St. Francis (USF), is hosting its annual Mega Music Rummage Sale on Saturday, November 2, 2024 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The sale will take place at USF’s St. Clare Campus (Assembly Hall), which is located at 1550 Plainfield Road in Joliet, Ill.

Donated LPs, compact discs, cassettes, sheet music, music books, musical instruments, stereo equipment and more music related items will be available for sale starting at $1.

For months, students have been organizing and cataloging the treasures for the sale. Admission to the event during its scheduled time is free of charge. Early bird admission at 7:30 a.m. is available with a $20 donation. All proceeds will be used to upgrade the nonprofit radio station facilities and equipment.

Donations are still being accepted. Call Braden Kidd at 815 740 3697 to schedule a drop off.

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The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 3,300 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 53,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.

University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.

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Education Summit at USF Explores Mathematics Preparedness

Mathematics Summit - September 2024
Math Summit - September 2024

Joliet, Ill. – The College of Arts & Sciences at the University of St. Francis (USF) collaborated with the College of Aviation, Science and Technology at Lewis University on an education summit featuring a panel of experts on mathematics education and curriculum across K-12 and higher education. The summit, which welcomed math educators from the region, took place on Wednesday, September 18, in USF’s Turk Theater.

The summit served as an opportunity to enhance the connections between college and K-12 math education and explored a topic of upmost importance to area educators: math preparedness.

Several key takeaways resulted from the event, including: understanding the importance of helping the students see patterns on paper; helping students understand that making mistakes, maintaining a growth mindset and social emotional learning are critical components of the skill-building process; cultivating positive teacher-student relationships can enhance how students view and value higher education; recognizing that external needs of students (hunger, caregiving, home life, mental health, etc.) can affect educational experiences, and; supporting and promoting professional development opportunities such as Southwest Chicago Math Teachers’ Circle (SWMTC) is beneficial to mathematics educators. University faculty were also invited to observe K-12 teachers’ math classes to better understand the disconnect between K-12 and collegiate math preparedness and how university-level courses might be reimagined to help bridge the educational gap.

Summit panelists, which included USF and Lewis faculty as well as experts in secondary education in math and math curriculum, were:

  • Angela Antonou, Ph.D. – Associate Professor of Mathematics (University of St. Francis);
  • Erica Kwiatkowski-Egizio, Ph.D. – Associate Professor of Secondary, Middle and Foreign Language Education (Lewis University);
  • Vicky Lewis – Assistant Professor of Mathematics (University of St. Francis);
  • Nicole McMorris, Ed.D. – Curriculum Director for Mathematics (Joliet Township High School District 204) and;
  • Michael Rouse – Math Faculty (Thornridge High School) and District 161 Board Member.

Antonou, along with summit organizers Beth McDermott, Ph.D. (Dean, College of Arts and Sciences at USF) and Dr. Chris White, Ph.D. (Dean, College of Aviation, Science and Technology at Lewis) and other event participants, hope to continue this important conversation.

“This summit is the beginning of a much-needed conversation between K-12 and college math teachers, academics, and interested parties to better understand the challenges and needs of students, particularly as it relates to mathematics education. I look forward to continuing this discussion and to identifying actions that can have a positive impact on our local communities,” said Antonou.

For more information on the next summit, which will once again be open to interested K-12 and collegiate mathematics educators, please contact Dr. Beth McDermott at emcdermott@stfrancis.edu.

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The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 3,300 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 53,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.

University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.

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USF Music at Moser Series Presents Sing It, Sister! on November 7

Music at Moser "Sing It Sister" graphic

Joliet, Ill. –  The University of St. Francis (USF) Moser at Moser Series presents Sing It, Sister! on Thursday, November 7, 2024, at 7 p.m. in Sexton Auditorium (Moser Performing Arts Center) as part of the University’s Music at Moser series.

Nashville’s Katie Pederson, an award-winning songwriter and performer from Ann Arbor, Mich., is a winner of the International Songwriting Competition and a 2024 finalist in the Independent Music Awards. She joins Geneviève Racette, a highly acclaimed folk-pop musician from Montreal, Québec, who has captured the hearts of listeners with her gentle yet compelling emotional resonance, and Abbie Thomas, an award-winning singer-songwriter from Goshen, Ind.

General admission tickets cost $15 each (USF students with a valid ID are admitted free of charge) and can be purchased in advance at stfrancis.edu/music-at-moser, or reserved in advance by phone at 815-740-3367 or by email to kmacek@stfrancis.edu. Walk-ins are welcome, but ticket availability cannot be guaranteed because concerts often sell out. Visit stfrancis.edu/music-at-moser for upcoming shows.

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The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 3,300 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 53,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.

University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.

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USF Art Gallery Announces New Jacob Watts Exhibition

"Socially Distanced" Jacob Watts art exhibition

Joliet, Ill. – The University of St. Francis (USF) Art Gallery has announced its next exhibition, Jacob Watts: SOCIALLY DISTANCED. The exhibition will run from October 22 through December 3, 2024. As part of the exhibition run, the community is invited to an artist talk with exhibiting artist Jacob Watts on Tuesday, October 22 at 1 p.m., and a reception on Saturday, November 7 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. This latest USF Art Gallery exhibition follows other recent exhibitions including Roger Carlson: INNOCENT DAWN, Paul Erschen: LEACH FIELD, and the USF Alumni Exhibition.

The USF Art Gallery is located at 25 E. Van Buren St. in downtown Joliet, and is open to the public every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information on the exhibition or the USF Art Gallery, visit www.stfrancis.edu/artgallery or contact Jennifer Moore, gallery director, at jmoore@stfrancis.edu.

About Jacob Watts

In the dynamic landscape of contemporary art, Jacob Watts stands out as a pioneering force, seamlessly merging the realms of photography, illustration, and sculpture. Based in Chicago, Watts’s practice is a testament to the transformative power of image manipulation. His work, characterized by its blend of digital and physical manipulation, challenges the boundaries of traditional photography, pushing it into new territories of creative expression.

Currently, Watts is exploring the intersection of photography and sculpture through his “Socially Distanced” series, where he delves into photo-based sculptures. This series exemplifies his ongoing experimentation and commitment to expanding the possibilities of visual art. Jacob Watts’s work invites viewers to reconsider the limits of image-making, offering a fresh perspective on how photography can interact with other artistic forms. His innovative approach continues to push the boundaries of the medium.

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The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 3,300 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 53,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.

University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.

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