Rooted in Mission, Focused on the Future

St. Bonaventure University Strategic Plan (2025–2030)

At St. Bonaventure University, our past is rich with purpose, our present is energized with promise, and our future is grounded in a singular truth: We are a community rooted in mission and focused on the future.

Inspired by our Catholic-Franciscan tradition, we chart a bold path forward that furthers intellectual excellence, ethical leadership, and compassionate service. This plan, a collective effort of our entire community, outlines four strategic pillars — Community, Institutional Strength, Innovation, and Purpose — that are deeply rooted in our mission and will guide us to 2030 and beyond.

For a look at the entire Strategic Plan, view the PDF here.
 

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Our Mission

St. Bonaventure University is a Catholic university dedicated to educational excellence as informed by our Franciscan and liberal arts traditions. In the words of our patron, we believe that there should be “no knowledge without love,” and thus seek to transform the lives of our students, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship.

St. Bonaventure embraces students, faculty and staff of all faiths and cultures and strives to bring out the best in every individual through meaningful relationships. As an academic and spiritual community, we endeavor to prepare our students for the challenges they will face in their professional careers and personal lives. Learn more at Mission & Values.


 


Discover more about SBU at the links below & learn why 9 out of 10 graduates say they would choose SBU again.

 

St. Bonaventure University

University Information

As an academic and spiritual community, we endeavor to prepare our students for the challenges they will face in their professional careers and personal lives.

University Information
Accreditations & Rankings

St. Bonaventure is recognized for academic excellence by distinctive accrediting organizations and is consistently rated as a top university in the Northeast.

Accreditations & Rankings
Directories & Administration

We are a community. Our faculty and staff dedicate themselves to making connections - among themselves, their courses and, most importantly, our students.

Directories & Administration
Career Opportunities

Exciting career opportunities are available at St. Bonaventure. Contact our Human Resources staff today.

Career Opportunities
History

Founded in 1858 to promote Catholic-Franciscan education, we continue to pursue academic excellence through personalized attention that reflects the Franciscan tradition of valuing human relationships.

History
Community Programs

We are an integral part of the Olean and Allegany communities and we take great pride in sharing our facilities and expertise with our neighbors.

Community Programs
Map & Directions

The St. Bonaventure University campus is spread over 500 acres in a valley surrounded by the Allegheny foothills of southwestern New York state, a region known as the Southern Tier.

Maps & Directions
Events & Conferences

A variety of banquet spaces, theaters, conference rooms, boardrooms and classrooms, along with an in-house catering team are available!

Events & Conferences
Artificial Intelligence

Learn how SBU embraces AI as a force for ethical innovation, combining transformative tech with a Catholic education in the Franciscan Tradition.

Artificial Intelligence

News & Events

St. Bonaventure welcomes four members to Board of Trustees

Jun 24, 2026, 09:00 by Thomas Missel
St. Bonaventure University welcomed four new members to its Board of Trustees on Friday during its annual fall meeting on campus.

Four join SBU Board of Trustees
St. Bonaventure University welcomed four new members to its Board of Trustees on Friday during its annual fall meeting on campus.

At their May Board meeting, trustees approved the appointments of John Boucher, ’84, Fr. Matthew Foley, O.F.M. Conv., Terry Gilbride, ’85, and Bill Shea, ’80.     

Boucher graduated from St. Bonaventure with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting. Upon graduation, he began his career at Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co., which eventually became KPMG LLP. He retired as a partner after more than 36 years with KPMG.

Foley serves as president of St. Francis High School in Hamburg. He was ordained as a Conventual Franciscan Friar in 2009 and is part of Our Lady of Angels Province. He holds degrees from Catholic University of America and the Washington Theological Union and a graduate certificate in Catholic Educational Leadership from Creighton University.

Gilbride graduated from SBU with a degree in Philosophy before earning his law degree from the University at Buffalo. Before founding the Gilbride Law Group in May 2025, he served as senior vice president and chief legal officer for the Buffalo Bills. Prior to that, he spent 35 years at Buffalo’s oldest and largest law firm, Hodgson Russ.

Shea graduated from St Bonaventure in 1980 with a BBA in Accounting. He worked for 15 years at Ernst and Young before joining 1800Flowers.com Inc. as corporate controller in 1996. He was promoted to chief financial officer and senior vice president of Finance and Administration and treasurer in 2000, a position he held until his retirement in 2024.

At their May meeting, Michael Hickey was re-elected as Board chair, while Luke Brown, ’89, Joe Davis, ’79, and Fr. Larry Ford, O.F.M., were elected as vice chairs. Susanna Stitt, ’99, will serve as secretary.

Complete biographies of the new trustees are available here.

Also at the May meeting, the Board saluted the service of outgoing trustees Steve Barry, ’88, Dan Horan, ’05, Carol Schumacher, ’78, Laurie Krupa, ’82, and Jim Walsh, ’77.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure is a community committed to transforming the lives of its students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a commitment to academic excellence and lifelong civic engagement. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #8 for value and #19 overall by U.S. News and World Report (2025).

 

 

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