From the President

Niagara University proudly proclaims in its mission statement that it

educates its students and enriches their lives through programs in the liberal arts and through career preparation, informed by the Catholic and Vincentian traditions.

Our Values

As you might expect, we have an excellent educational reputation. But because of who and what we are – Catholic and Vincentian – there is an added dimension to a Niagara University education. In addition to influencing the minds of students, Niagara also shapes their values and touches their hearts.

At Niagara, we are inspired by the life and work of St. Vincent de Paul, our community’s founder. St. Vincent was able to pool the good will and skills of those around him to respond to people’s needs. In that tradition, Niagara seeks to inspire its students, faculty and staff to serve all members of society, especially those most in need. To that end, we have established a model service learning program that has won national recognition for the quality and scope of its activities.

Our students provide approximately 1,000 hours of community service on a weekly basis through the university’s Learn and Serve Niagara program, and courses with a service learning component are offered in all colleges. This focus has made Niagara a national leader in community engagement and service learning, recognized by such prestigious organizations as the Carnegie Foundation. We have also been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll every year since its inception in 2006, the only institution from Western New York to achieve that remarkable feat.

Learn and Serve

In 2010, U.S. News and World Report once again named Niagara University among the best colleges in the Northeast. Of particular note were Niagara’s improvements in the areas of freshman retention and the graduation rates of our students. Learn and Serve Niagara was also highlighted in a special listing of outstanding examples of such programs across the nation. Only 29 institutions in the country were selected for this honor.

What follows is a glimpse of several of the community service initiatives conducted at Niagara University, with a particular focus on those that contribute to the health, education, economic vitality and revitalization of our community. This is not intended to be an exhaustive compilation of outreach efforts, but rather a snapshot of Niagara’s demonstrated devotion for the region that has been its home for more than a century and a half.