St. John Fisher College to become St. John Fisher University

Rochester, New York – On Monday, St. John Fisher has officially made the switch from a college to a university, effective July 1.

The now-university president Dr. Gerard J. Rooney was joined by Mayor Malik Evans, chair of St. John Fisher’s Board of Trustees Tom Bowles ’71, and other public officials to announce the transformation at 10 a.m. on June 20.

The change comes as St. John Fisher approaches its 75th year as a higher education institution. In casual conversation, the terms college and university are often used interchangeably, however, the two terms technically refer to institutions of different structures.

In the United States, a college is predominantly a smaller school focusing on undergraduate studies.

Universities tend to be larger institutions that have graduate programs. Universities also tend to be associated more with research and larger offerings, and frequently have several schools, one of which is usually a college that houses the undergraduate students.

The announcement took place in Kearney Hall Courtyard on St. John Fisher’s campus.