Strategic Initiatives
Seton Hill University has launched more than 40 new academic programs at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels since 2016 through the Office of Academic Innovation and Planning. The Office provides faculty with the resources they need to conduct marketplace research, develop and begin new academic programs that help meet regional workforce needs. Through this effort, new programs are able to be rapidly brought to market in response to rapid changes in the technology, healthcare, and business sectors in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
The Setonian Mission Formation Program is a formalized and comprehensive program that helps Seton Hill maintain and strengthen its Catholic, Setonian tradition for current and future students, faculty and staff. Developed through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and drawing significantly on the history and charism of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton and the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill, the Program expands Mission-focused activities to build a foundation of leaders who will preserve the heritage and the charism of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill; continue to foster Catholic intellectual life across campus; and help students explore the liberal arts in a distinctive and enriching Catholic framework.
Career readiness is integrated into the academic journey for Seton Hill students right from the start through our award-winning Fit for the World Career Readiness Program. Hailed as a national model by University Business in 2016, the Program ensures that every student engages in career and major exploration activities; resume building and writing opportunities; and internships, research experiences, and study abroad programs that make them competitive in the global marketplace. As a result, 98 percent of Seton Hill graduates are employed or pursuing advanced degrees within six months of their undergraduate graduation.
The Advancing Setonian Values Task Force ensures that Seton Hill’s institutional practices align with the University’s commitment to fostering respect, opportunity, and belonging for all. Seton Hill promotes an environment in which contributions and strengths are recognized, optimized, and valued in a way that generates opportunities for growth, innovation, and creativity within the University community. The task force enhances existing programs and policies while developing new initiatives to cultivate a campus where all individuals feel welcomed and supported. The tenets of Catholic Social Teaching, which convey that every person has inherent dignity, and Seton Hill's Setonian traditions are at the core of the work of the task force. Through collaboration with faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, and student support leaders, the task force advances efforts to strengthen student enrollment and retention, enhance curriculum, expand student programming, and ensure that university communications reflect Seton Hill’s values. By continuously assessing policies and fostering meaningful dialogue, the task force works to create an environment where all members of the Seton Hill community can thrive.
The Ruth O'Block Grant Endowed Scholarship Program was created in 2018 during the University’s Centennial by Ruth's grandson, Grant Verstandig; daughter, Toni Verstandig; and son-in-law, Lee Verstandig through the Verstandig Family Foundation to celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit of Ruth Grant, a Seton Hill Distinguished Alumna and former Chair of the University’s Board of Trustees.Through the Grant Scholars program, selected students benefit from the mentorship and guidance of exceptional leaders and entrepreneurs, like Ruth Grant, and participate in experiences that will help them hone their leadership skills and prepare them for success after Seton Hill. Each Grant Scholar is paired with a mentor, who meets with them regularly to provide guidance and help them navigate their educational path throughout the undergraduate experience.
The Eva Fleischner Program on Truth Finding was launched at Seton Hill through a gift from the Fleischner family in honor of the late Holocaust Scholar Eva Fleischner. Through The Eva Fleischner Program on Truth Finding, Seton Hill aims to help ensure students have meaningful opportunities to engage in collaborative, rigorous analysis and transparent dialogue in order to develop the skills and dispositions necessary to search for and recognize truth.
The Program helps students to:
The Program helps students to:
- identify disinformation;
- understand analytical interpretations of facts and data;
- discern opinion from fact;
- examine multi-ethnic and multi-cultural perspectives;
- recognize cognitive biases;
- study political trends and recognize those that are antithetical to democracy;
- understand social media and changes to the information environment;
- curate reliable sources of information;
- listen to understand; and,
- determine the impact of political and social polarization on truth finding.