DeSales is Different
There’s a positive spirit and vibe here that’s difficult to describe, but easy to appreciate.
Yes, we have a gorgeous, lush campus with modern buildings. Yes, our faculty are extremely accomplished, experienced, and dedicated. Yes, we have some of the best labs, learning technology, and facilities around. And yes, everyone is warm and welcoming. We’re the kind of people who hold open doors for each other—literally and metaphorically.
It’s all of that…but more. Thanks to our Salesian identity, our campus is infused with a positive, upbeat attitude and a belief that big results come from small actions. This is not a place where you can remain anonymous. Here, you’re a valued member of a community that truly knows you and cares about your success.
It’s a place where we encourage and prepare everyone—our students, faculty, staff and visitors—to quote our patron saint: “To be who you are and be that well.”
The DeSales Mission
DeSales is a Catholic, Salesian university that inspires transformative learning through the liberal arts and professional studies by energizing students to be who they are and be that well.
Philosophy, Vision, & Values
DeSales University is firmly and publicly committed to the principles of Roman Catholic doctrine and morality. It also fully recognizes that the search for truth requires an atmosphere of intellectual freedom and that love demands an openness to all that is good.
DeSales carefully distinguishes between the free pursuit of truth - which it guarantees every member of the campus community - and its own commitment to the teachings of the Catholic Church.
For DeSales University, Christian humanism means that every aspect of human experience is capable of enlightenment by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This Gospel brings light to each dimension of personal existence (physical, intellectual, social, moral, aesthetic, and religious) and every environmental domain (natural world, social institutions, cultural achievements, historical periods, and religious societies).
The encounter between the Word of God and the concrete world of the human person makes a fully meaningful existence possible. DeSales University strives to teach the student what it means to be Christian in a Salesian way, what it means to embrace one's own life, and what it means to bring this Good News to the human family.
We aspire to be a learning community where innovative teaching, mentored professional practice, and ethical preparation expands the minds, the talents, and the hearts of curious students to construct new ideas and lead lives of impact.
To accomplish this vision, we will strive for continuous improvement through a coordinated set of strategic initiatives defined by the following elements:
- Mission-forward actions
- Keenly focused enrollment growth
- Online learning throughout our programs
- A developed nexus between career and alumni development
- Effective utilization of our campus resources
- Gentleness
Salesian gentleness challenges us daily, from how we text and email to the way we drive, vote, and relate to our friends, family, foes, and colleagues. - Humility
With Salesian humility, we are grateful for the gifts given to us, crediting God for them and blessing the world with our expression of those gifts placed at the service of others. - Gratitude
Our ability to give thanks to God emerges from humility and prompts us to pray and, in turn, share the bounty of our blessings with others. - Hospitality
During a time in our world when countless peoples are exiled from their homelands, rejected and forced to live on streets, precluded from quality education, or marginalized in any way, Salesian hospitality seeks to accept others by honoring their human dignity and empowering them to be who they are and be that well. - Wisdom
Francis de Sales wrote: “Knowledge is the eighth sacrament.” Francis also developed the centrality of the heart as the locus of love for the human person. Thus, knowledge must not remain in the mind but touch the heart to be transformed into a wisdom that informs life’s choices and impels the disciple to love and serve.
Rev. James J Greenfield, OSFS
“We hope that DeSales University will become your community for you to grow into the fullness of who you are called to be for our world who needs you to grace it with your learning and service.”
