PITTSBURGH, PA 

Nearly 3,000 students, faculty, staff and friends attended the Duquesne University Mass of the Holy Spirit, which serves as the traditional beginning of the academic year, in the A.J. Palumbo Center on Sunday, Aug. 23.  Bishop David Zubik, Bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh and alumnus of Duquesne in 1971, presided and preached at the opening liturgy for the year.  Fr. John Fogarty, C.S.Sp., Superior General of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, and Fr. Jeffrey Duaime, C.S.Sp., Provincial of the U.S. Province, concelebrated the Mass along with twenty other Spiritan and diocesan priests who are associated with the University.

The incoming freshman class is one of the largest and most diverse in the history of the University.  According to preliminary data from Duquesne’s Enrollment Management Group, the more than 1,400 freshmen comprise one of the University’s five largest classes in history, with a mean SAT score of 1130, one of the highest in Duquesne history, and an acceptance rate of 76 percent.

Minorities-primarily Asian, African-American and Hispanic-Latino populations-account for 17 percent of the freshmen. “Increasing diversity on campus and sustaining an environment where diversity is valued have been part of President (Charles) Dougherty’s vision and one of the core goals of the University’s strategic plan,” said Paul-James Cukanna, associate provost for enrollment management. “It’s very gratifying to meet internal enrollment expectations and to break a record with the most diverse and one of the most academically talented freshman classes in Duquesne history.

Founded in 1878 by the Spiritans in one of their initial ministerial commitments in the United States, Duquesne is consistently ranked among the nation’s top Catholic research universities for its award-winning faculty and tradition of academic excellence. The University is nat ionally ranked by U.S. News and World Report and the Princeton Review for its rich academic programs in nine schools of study for nearly 10,000 graduate and undergraduate students, and by the Washington Monthly for service and contributing to students’ social mobility. Duquesne is a member of the U.S. President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction for its contributions to Pittsburgh and communities around the globe. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges acknowledge Duquesne’s commitment to sustainability.