Le Moyne College is a private Jesuit college located mostly in DeWitt, New York. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1946 and named after the Jesuit missionary Simon Le Moyne. Le Moyne was the first co-educational Jesuit college in the United States.
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History
Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1946, and named after the Jesuit missionary Simon Le Moyne, the college has graduated more than 35,000 students as of 2021. At its founding, Le Moyne was the first Jesuit co-educational college in the United States.
Walter A. Foery, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Syracuse, helped bring about the formation of Le Moyne College. Foery proposed to provide for the city of Syracuse "a truly American school with religion and morality as the foundation stones". The college's first home was a storefront on East Onondaga Street in Syracuse. Later, it moved to the Hiscock Mansion on James Street. The college moved to its current campus in 1948.
In 2014, Linda LeMura, formerly the college's provost and academic vice president, was appointed as the 14th president of Le Moyne College. LeMura is the first laywoman to serve as president of a Jesuit college or university.
As of 2020, the college enrolled more than 3,700 students. In 2022, Le Moyne received 7,066 undergraduate applications, which represents an increase of 5.31% annually. There was an 78.3% acceptance rate.
Campus
Le Moyne College's 160-acre (0.65 km2) campus is mostly located in the De Witt census-designated place, in the suburban town of DeWitt, including all of the buildings used for academic purposes. A small portion of the campus is within the city of Syracuse. As of 2021, there are 35 buildings on the campus.
Academics
Le Moyne College consists of the Carroll College of Arts & Sciences, the Madden College of Business & Economics, and the Purcell School of Professional Studies. Le Moyne College offers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in over 100 undergraduate programs of study, Masters and Doctoral degrees in healthcare, education, and business, and several certificate programs. Among the most popular majors are Psychology, Nursing, Biological Sciences, Business, and Political Science.
Traditions
Dolphy Day
Another annual tradition at Le Moyne College is "Dolphy Day", which originated in 1971. Dolphy Day is named for Eric Dolphy and has been said to have been inspired by Frank Zappa's song, "The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue". Although Le Moyne's mascot is a dolphin, campus officials say there is no direct relation between the name of this event and this college icon. Each year, a "Wizard" is chosen (by the preceding Wizard).
Green initiatives
In June 2010, the college began construction on a new, 48,000-square-foot (4,500 m2) science facility. The science complex provides teaching and research space for use by faculty and students in the science and health professions. Its environmentally-sound design features include day lighting, solar preheating, and thermal storage, resulting in the award of LEED-Gold certification.
Athletics
The Le Moyne Dolphins are the athletic teams for the college. As of July 1, 2023, Le Moyne competes in NCAA Division I as a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC). Previously, Le Moyne competed in the NCAA at the Division II level through the 2022–23 school year with 21 varsity teams, offering participation opportunities for over 340 students. Since 2003, Le Moyne men's lacrosse has won six NCAA Division II national championships. Previously, Le Moyne competed in the Northeast-10 Conference in all sports, but started a transition to Division I on July 1, 2023, as a new member of the NEC. All Le Moyne teams compete in the NEC.
Notable alumni
Bob Antonacci, former NYS Senate member, NYS Supreme Court judge
Carmen Amato, author and retired CIA officer
Kris M. Balderston, public affairs consultant; former managing director of the Global Partnership Initiative and deputy special representative for global partnerships in the Office of the US Secretary of State; former deputy chief of staff, US Senator Hillary Clinton
Thomas J. Barrett, former Deputy Secretary of Transportation, United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), and retired Vice Admiral, United States Coast Guard (USCG)
Tom Browning (1960–2022), retired Major League Baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals
Henry Braden (1944–2013), African-American politician in New Orleans, Louisiana
Ann Marie Buerkle, former Republican United States Congresswoman, New York's 25th congressional district (2010–2012) and current acting commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Kathleen Carey, health economist and professor
Scott Cassidy, former Major League Baseball pitcher and as of 2025, the head coach of Le Moyne's baseball team
Lorrie Clemo, 15th president of D'Youville College
Kate Clinton, feminist humorist
Nina Davuluri, Miss America 2014 completed nine pre-med courses at Le Moyne.
Tom DeFalco, former editor-in-chief, Marvel Comics
Faculty and administrators
Among those faculty and administrators who serve or have served on the Le Moyne campus are:
Carmen Basilio (1927–2012), former physical education teacher at Le Moyne and a former world champion boxer
John Beilein, former head men's basketball coach at Le Moyne from 1983 to 1992 and former head men's basketball coach at the University of Michigan, 2007–2019
Patrick Beilein, former head men's basketball coach at Le Moyne from 2015 to 2019 and current head men's basketball coach at Mohawk Valley Community College
Daniel Berrigan (1921–2016), former professor of New Testament studies and founder of the International House at Le Moyne, social activist, author, poet
George Coyne (1933–2020), inaugural McDevitt Chair of Religious Philosophy at Le Moyne and former head of the Vatican Observatory
John M. Corridan (1911–1984), former economics professor at Le Moyne and the inspiration for the character of Father Barry in the classic film On the Waterfront
Frank Haig, former president of Le Moyne from 1981 to 1987 and younger brother of former U.S. Secretary of State Alexander Haig
John J. McNeill (1925–2015), former professor at Le Moyne, noted peace activist during the Vietnam War and an advocate for LGBT rights
Joseph M. McShane former professor and chair of religious studies at Le Moyne and president emeritus of Fordham University
J. Donald Monan (1924–2017), administrator and faculty member at Le Moyne from 1961 through 1972, later served as president of Boston College from 1972 to 1996