Artist’s rendering
FORT WAYNE, Ind.—The University of Saint Francis is pleased to announce an expansion of its health sciences programs to Lafayette, Indiana, birthplace of the university in 1890.
Franciscan Health donated the former Bill Long Medical Building, 1450 Salem Street in Lafayette, to the university. The site will be named Our Lady of Lourdes Hall and will house Saint Francis associate degree programs with a medical imaging focus—including sonography and radiologic technology—along with two bachelor’s degree completion programs.
The site will also serve as a second location for the Leffler Academy, a Saint Francis partner founded in Gas City, Indiana, that specializes in nursing degrees and pre-degree allied health certificates. Leffler Academy programs will begin upon approval by specialty and national accrediting bodies.
An anonymous donor contributed $3.5 million to Saint Francis for program expansion in Lafayette.
“Saint Francis is excited about our partnership with Franciscan Health, a sister ministry of our sponsors—the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration—and looks forward to being back in the city where the then-St. Francis College had its start,” Saint Francis President Dr. Lance Richey said. “This is a fitting expansion since we have a 135-year bond with Lafayette in carrying out the mission of our foundresses.”
Degree offerings at Lafayette slated for the 2025-26 academic year will include the following Saint Francis undergraduate degrees:
- Radiologic Technology, A.A.S.
- Diagnostic Medical Sonography, A.A.S.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging, A.A.S.
- Medical Imaging, B.S.
- Health Services, B.S.
- Health Sciences, A.A.S.
Applications are open for students to begin prerequisite online courses this fall for radiologic technology and diagnostic medical sonography. Visit be.sf.edu/lafayette-site for more information and to view artistic renderings of the future Our Lady of Lourdes Hall. In-person labs and clinicals in Lafayette are scheduled to begin in 2026.
Saint Francis’ expanded programming will help fulfill workforce development needs in the region and comes with the enthusiastic support of the Most Reverend Timothy L. Doherty, S.T.L., Ph.D., Bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana.
“This growth will also come to fruition because of Bishop Doherty’s support to expand Catholic education for all people in the Lafayette Diocese and because of our strong partnership with the Leffler Academy,” Richey said.
For more information, contact Saint Francis Vice President for Healthcare Relations and Dean of the College of Health Sciences Dr. Angie Harrell at 260-399-7700, ext. 8309 or aharrell@sf.edu.
Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the College of Health Sciences and the College of Arts, Sciences, and Business. In addition to its traditional programs, Saint Francis designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point and online. USF Downtown houses the music technology program while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis, recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution, has 20 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships. Approximately 1,800 students from a broad geographic region attend Saint Francis.