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, visit here.
 

Bell tower 2

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.


SBU Snapshot

Students near De La Roche Hall entrance.

At St. Bonaventure, pathways to internships, graduate schools and careers are established in the context of a renowned liberal arts tradition.

SBU has more than 50 undergraduate majors, including eight combined-degree programs and early assurance programs.

We also offer 21 graduate programs, most of which are available fully online, including a new doctoral program in Educational Leadership and an online master's program in Speech-Language Pathology. 

St. Bonaventure proudly boasts more than 33,000 alumni worldwide. They are leading some of the largest and renowned businesses and schools in the world, and they are working for every major broadcast network.
 


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
Caliva publishes essay on ancient Greek myth in Brill volume Nov 19, 2025 | A paper by Dr. Kathryn Caliva Smart, assistant professor of History, has been included in a volume of essays on ancient myths and religion published by Brill.
Historian invited to share work on Boston’s 1689 mutiny Nov 19, 2025 | Dr. Steven Pitt, associate professor of History, published a chapter in October in the “Cambridge History of the American Revolution,” a three-volume collection.
History professor presents paper on pirate Thomas Pound Sep 10, 2025 | Dr. Steven Pitt, associate professor of History, presented the paper “The Pirate Thomas Pound and the Machiavellian Scheme of a Royal Navy Captain” at the Problem of Piracy IV: An Interdisciplinary Conference on Plunder by Sea across the World from the Ancient to the Modern at the University of Exeter, England, June 19-20.
SBU's Caliva Smart presents paper at Goddess at the Crossing Place Mar 21, 2025 | Over midterm break, Dr. Kathryn Caliva Smart, assistant professor of History, presented a paper at The Goddess at the Crossing Place, a conference hosted by the Department of Humanities at Marshall University.
CHS bulletin publishes update on Caliva Smart's book project Nov 23, 2024 | Dr. Kathryn Caliva Smart, assistant professor of History, spent a portion of last summer at the Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, D.C., working on her current book project: "Speaking about Gods: Mythic Knowledge and Narrative Authority in Greek Lyric Poetry." The CHS is a research institute under the auspices of Harvard University that supports research on all aspects of ancient Greece. Caliva Smart's term as a Hellenic studies fellow at the center continues through May 2025.
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