Thomas Jefferson University

Philadelphia University
Official Seal of Philadelphia University
Established	1884
School type	Private
President	Dr. James P. Gallagher
Location	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Campus	Suburban, 100 acres
Enrollment	2,706 undergraduate, 794 graduate & continuing education
Faculty	150+ full and part time
Mascot	Rams
Endowment	$18.5 million
Official website	www.philau.edu
Official Logo of Philadelphia University

Philadelphia University, founded in 1884, is a private university with 3,500 part- and full-time students from 38 states and 30 countries. The University offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs leading to the Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Architecture, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, master’s degrees and a doctoral degree in Textile Engineering and Science. Academic programs encompass architecture, design, business, engineering, textiles, fashion, science and health.

Mission

Since 1884, Philadelphia University has offered professional education in a variety of fields. Founded to raise the art and technology of the American textile industry to international standards of quality, the University has maintained its commitment to academic excellence while greatly expanding its undergraduate and graduate programs. The University's unique blending of the liberal arts and sciences with professional studies prepares graduates for successful careers in areas that include architecture, business, design, fashion, health, science, engineering and textiles.

At the University, students, faculty and staff form close relationships in an environment that encourages personal and intellectual growth. Students gain professional skills combined with a broad general education that enables them to thrive in diverse and changing contexts and to maintain a global perspective. While outstanding teaching is central to its mission, the University also encourages research and professional practice as a basis for faculty and student development and as a service to industry and society.

Through its dedication to maintaining a community that is varied and intellectually stimulating, and a campus rich in learning resources and natural beauty, the University enables students to establish a foundation for success, lifelong learning and active citizenship.

History

During the U.S. Centennial celebration in 1876, a group of textile manufacturers, led by Theodore Search, noticed that the quality and variety of American textile products was inferior to those displayed by European mills. To address this problem, the group established the Philadelphia Textile School in 1884 and began a formal educational program for America's textile workers and managers.

Immediately the school was recognized as a key competitive resource in American industry. And, several years later, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the School of Industrial Art invited the Philadelphia Textile School to sign an affiliation. By the mid 1890s, the School had offices located at Broad and Pine Streets in central Philadelphia. The School survived the tough years of the depression and entered a new period of growth at the onset of World War II. In 1941, the school was granted the right to award baccalaureate degrees and to reflect this progress the institution changed its name to the Philadelphia Textile Institute.

By 1949, the School, which was no longer affiliated with the museum, began teaching classes at its present site in the East Falls section of Philadelphia. Facilities, programs and faculty continued to grow in the '50s and '60s. In 1961, the school changed its name to Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science.

The student population doubled from 1954 through 1964, and doubled again by 1978. Programs in the arts and sciences and business administration were added. The institution purchased an adjoining property in 1972, doubling the size of its campus

As Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science, the institution offered its first graduate degree, the Master's of Business Administration, in 1976. During the next ten years, the institution grew to include additional classrooms, research laboratories, student residences and athletic facilities.

Viewing its accomplishments of the past as a prelude to the bold achievements in its future, Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science continued through the '90s with a strong commitment to providing its students with the highest quality education and real-world experience demanded by their chosen professions.

To better reflect the institution's breadth and depth and its successful growth, the College applied for and was granted university status by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1999. And, in a historic move, the Board of Trustees voted to change the College's name to Philadelphia University, the first private university to be named exclusively after the City of Philadelphia. The name Philadelphia University became effective on July 13, 1999.

Today, Philadelphia University attracts students from 38 states and 30 countries, offering graduate and undergraduate degrees in more than 50 areas of study. Over the last few decades, the institution created five schools in addition to its world-class School of Engineering and Textiles, including the Schools of Architecture, Business Administration, Liberal Arts, Science and Health, and Design + Media.

External link

• Philadelphia University home page