Franciscan schools create opportunities, experience growth
Author: Eileen Connelly, OSU
Date Published: September 29, 2025
Education rooted in the Franciscan tradition involves a holistic approach to learning that integrates students’ intellectual, moral and spiritual development as they prepare for lives of service to God and others.
School administrators, parents and students alike appreciate the value of a Franciscan education as evidenced by innovative partnerships and record-breaking enrollment at several schools sponsored by the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Rooted in Franciscan values
To offer young people a unique educational opportunity in a Franciscan setting, Roger Bacon High School in Cincinnati and Siena University in Loudonville, New York, have announced a new collaboration that offers Bacon students priority access to Siena University admissions, an exclusive scholarship and a variety of enrichment programs.
The partnership developed through the efforts of Br. Angel Vazquez, OFM, a 2004 Siena graduate who currently serves as a college and career advisor at Roger Bacon. Roger Bacon’s administration and Katie Szalda, Siena’s director of admissions, eagerly embraced the idea and drew up the plans. “To be able to continue with their Franciscan education is such a good thing for our students,” Br. Angel said. “The Franciscan foundation is a beautiful way of living no matter what path they take.”
“This partnership is a natural fit,” said Roger Bacon Principal Tim McCoy. “Siena University shares our commitment to forming young men and women in the Franciscan educational model. That includes elite academics, and shaping students with integrity, faith, and purpose. Our students will now have an even clearer pathway to a world-class education in a setting that aligns with their values.”
Roger Bacon High School in Cincinnati (photo courtesy of RBHS)
Highlights of the new partnership include:
Automatic admission for any Roger Bacon student with a minimum of a 3.0 GPA
Waived Siena University common application fees
A guaranteed $20,000 per year scholarship for every Roger Bacon student, on top of any additional merit or need based awards earned by the student.
An exclusive virtual information and interview day for Roger Bacon students
Personal admissions guidance and advising for Roger Bacon students
For more information about the new partnership with Siena, visit Roger Bacon High School’s website.
Roger Bacon also has an existing agreement with St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, New York, another college sponsored by the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This agreement ensures a $5,000 per year, $20,000 four-year scholarship exclusively for Roger Bacon students.
Record-breaking enrollment
Both St. Bonaventure and Quincy University in Illinois have broken enrollment records this year.
For the first time in its 167-year history, SBU enrolled more than 3,000 students, a 50% increase in just 10 years. More than 580 freshmen arrived in early September, up from 390 just a decade ago. The last four freshman classes have been the four largest in the last 20 years.
Of the 917 new students enrolled this fall, graduate and undergraduate, 41% of them are in academic programs that didn’t exist at the university 10 years ago. Since 2015, SBU has strategically added 34 undergraduate and graduate academic programs while eliminating several underenrolled programs.
One of the key enrollment drivers has been the Dennis R. DePerro School of Health Professions. Founded in 2017, the school is now home to more than 350 students. The university raised more than $19 million to turn historic Francis Hall into a state-of-the-art facility for its health professions students.
Students on the first day of classes at St. Bonaventure University in early September (photo courtesy of SBU)
With a total of 431 newly arrived undergraduate students for Fall 2025, Quincy University has set its modern record for new undergraduates coming to the university in a single year.
Quincy welcomed 313 freshman students this fall, representing an 18% freshman enrollment increase from one year ago. It is the university’s second-largest freshman cohort since 1992. Quincy University also has enrolled its largest number of transfer students since 2011, with 118 transfer students in total.
From fall 2022 to the present, Quincy University also has had over 300 students in three of its last four freshman classes for the first time in over 30 years. QU’s overall enrollment has also grown for fall 2025.