Mirror Lake.
This body of water (see photo leading off the post) is the geographic heart of campus, and, in fact, the lake divides it into almost even halves, east and west. The school so respects the lake's attributes -- not only does it gift the campus with wonderful aesthetics, but it is a resource for the university's biology laboratory classes and research -- that it provides just one crossing, to get from one side to the other, without having to go around it. And it's a pedestrian-only crossing at that, which struck me as wise.
The lake, I might add, is aptly named, as I'm certain the images in this post support.
Many of the photos in today's post involve the lake and its reflective qualities. It was hard not to notice the water or be attracted to it, and even more difficult to not exploit it in my picture-taking.
My visit came well past prime autumn-color season, and I couldn't help but wonder what it looks like in full, fall-color glory. Nevertheless, I did find a few trees with lingering color; one that comes to mind was the vibrant orange next to the Pope John Paul II Center. A picture of that tree next to the center appears in this post.
As the above paragraph would suggest, St. Francis, founded in 1890 as St. Francis Normal School by the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration, is rooted in Catholic and Franciscan faith and values. It operated in Lafayette, Ind., as a junior college until 1937, when it became a four-year institution and was renamed St. Francis College. It moved to Fort Wayne, its current location, seven years later.
The school physically expanded through the years, and in 1998 was renamed the University of St. Francis. The campus encompasses 132 acres and sits on the west side of the city but east of Interstate 69. There also are satellite campuses in downtown Fort Wayne and in Crown Point, Ind.
The school has 78 academic degree programs (associates, bachelor's and master's).
Above and below: Lots of geese hang out at Mirror Lake, and these are separate scenes. The one above, looking west toward Bishop John M. D'Arcy Stadium, was taken at the south end of the lake. The one below was taken at least a half-hour earlier at the north end.
Above: A view northeast from behind the visitors' stands at the football stadium.
Above and next three below: Views of Brookside Mansion, an administration building and historic structure. The one above was taken with the light in a not-so-favorable late-morning position. The hand-carved sandstone Romanesque structure was the home of industrialist John Henry Bass from 1902-44, when the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration purchased the home and the surrounding 65 acres from the Bass family then moved the university here from Lafayette, where it was founded in 1890. Bass was responsible for building the man-made Mirror Lake. I'm told that if you arrive at campus at the right time of year, you can appreciate this access drive lined on both sides with pretty white peonies.
Above: A closeup of the statue of St. Francis in front of Brookside Mansion.
Above and below: Brookside Mansion once served as the full college, and later as the library and administration building. The library now is part of the Pope John Paul II Center elsewhere on campus.
Above and below: Benches on campus that caught my eye. They are not far from each other along the walkway behind Trinity Hall and near the Student Center.
Above and below: The main entrance to (above) and inside (below) of Hutzell Athletic Center, where the USF Cougar basketball teams play their home games.
Above: Bonaventure Hall, to which the Pope John Paul II Center (below) was added. The latter includes the Lee and Jim Vann Library.
Above: This is the pedestrian crossing that allows direct passage from one side of the lake (and campus) to the other without having to go around the lake. This view looks toward the Pope John Paul II Center.
Above: The school's wall of locker room legends recognizes football players of the past. This is located in the area underneath the home team's side of the grandstands amid the concessions.
Above: The Norkfolk-Southern line runs along the campus's southern perimeter.
Above: A bucolic scene looking west from the top row of stands in Bishop D'Arcy Stadium.
Above: One more composition from the north end of the lake, looking at the Pope John Paul II Center.
The University of St. Francis has 1,852 undergraduate students (from 18 states and 22 foreign countries), 127 full-time faculty members, and a student-to-faculty ratio of 11:1. Of the student population, 69 percent are woman and 30 percent identify as being of color.
The school is ranked as the second safest college in Indiana by Niche and is among the top 10 percent nationally. Niche is a company based in Pittsburgh, Pa., that provides information about colleges and universities and ranks and reviews those institutions.
St. Francis athletics teams, known as the Cougars, are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and participate in the Crossroads League (formerly known as the Mid-Central College Conference), although the football team participates in the Mid-States Football Association.
The school's athletics teams have won five national championships. The football team won NAIA titles in 2016 and '17 and was runner-up in 2004, '05 and '06. From 2000-19, the Cougars won berths in the NAIA postseason football tournament 18 times, including nine in a row from 2000-08.
The men's basketball team won the NAIA championship in 2010 and was runner-up in 2011, '16 and '18. The women's basketball team won the NAIA championship in 2014 and was runner-up in 1999.
The school's website claims that the Cougars track and field program also won a national championship, but there is no indication which team (men or women) won the title or when.
Leading off this post is the picture I felt best captured the mirror qualities of the lake while also involving as broad of a view of campus as possible, a view, I might add, that includes Bishop John M. D'Arcy Stadium -- site of the NAIA playoff game between Saint Francis and Baker University that I photographed -- in the distant left background. It also involves, in the foreground, the paved trail surrounding the lake.
I arrived at St. Francis about 90 minutes before the scheduled noon kickoff, and I found that an hour and a half was almost enough time to cover the major points on campus. The main omission was the Rolland Arts and Visual Communication Center on the extreme southeast corner. Also, while I walked behind Trinity Hall, the admissions building on the north end of campus, I never got around to its front to take a photograph.
While taking my self-guided tour, I encountered numerous instances of current students leading tours of small groups containing what I presumed were prospective students. As I finished my pregame campus photography and walked toward D'Arcy Stadium, I happened to walk alongside one of those groups. I heard the tour leader tell the prospects that Saint Francis is a "dry" campus -- no alcoholic beverages -- except on days of home football games, when consumption of such drinks by tailgaters is allowed.
Tailgating at Saint Francis appeared to be light compared to what I've observed at the other Indiana small-college campuses I'd visited up to this point. Some tailgaters had amplified music playing, and in one instance it even titled toward the loud decibel side. But I didn't find it offensive in the least, and the tailgaters seemed orderly and respectful.
I arrived at St. Francis about 90 minutes before the scheduled noon kickoff, and I found that an hour and a half was almost enough time to cover the major points on campus. The main omission was the Rolland Arts and Visual Communication Center on the extreme southeast corner. Also, while I walked behind Trinity Hall, the admissions building on the north end of campus, I never got around to its front to take a photograph.
While taking my self-guided tour, I encountered numerous instances of current students leading tours of small groups containing what I presumed were prospective students. As I finished my pregame campus photography and walked toward D'Arcy Stadium, I happened to walk alongside one of those groups. I heard the tour leader tell the prospects that Saint Francis is a "dry" campus -- no alcoholic beverages -- except on days of home football games, when consumption of such drinks by tailgaters is allowed.
Tailgating at Saint Francis appeared to be light compared to what I've observed at the other Indiana small-college campuses I'd visited up to this point. Some tailgaters had amplified music playing, and in one instance it even titled toward the loud decibel side. But I didn't find it offensive in the least, and the tailgaters seemed orderly and respectful.
I was impressed to see, in a small portion of a parking lot close to the stadium, tailgating fans of Baker University, Baldwin City, Kan., which is about 20 miles due south of Lawrence, Kan., and about 50 miles southwest of Kansas City. Both of the very modest sets of stands at the game on the visitors' side of the field were nearly filled with Wildcats supporters who made the long trip.
To view a full gallery of images from my visit to the University of Saint Francis campus, follow the link in this sentence.
Above: A vista that was my favorite from the day's shoot and would have served as my lead-off image if it had involved more of the campus. This view from near the north entrance off Spring Street looks east toward the Pope John Paul II Center.
Above and below: The orange tree outside the Pope John Paul II Center and a backlighted composition of the nearby clock tower, stamping my photograph's time of capture at about 11:05 a.m.
To view a full gallery of images from my visit to the University of Saint Francis campus, follow the link in this sentence.
Above: A relaxation point not far from the clock tower.
Above: Not much to say ... other than a tree mirrored in the lake water.
Above: A sculpture near Brookside Mansion.
Above and first four photos below: Scenes from the recreational area and elsewhere inside the Student Center and Cougar Lounge.
Above: Achatz Hall of Science includes a planetarium (on the right of the picture).
Above: Entrance to Bishop John M. D'Arcy Stadium.
Next up: Chapter 21, St. Joseph's College vs. Valparaiso University, Sept. 2013
Previously in Game Day Revisited:
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