FORT WAYNE, Ind.—The University of Saint Francis will host a dedication and blessing for the newly named St. Francis Drive, which honors the university’s namesake.
The dedication will be held at 3 p.m. on Monday, March 23, near the intersection of St. Francis Drive and Spring Street. The event is open to the public.
The City of Fort Wayne recently renamed a portion of Leesburg Road—from Spring Street to Main Street and then continuing to Jefferson Boulevard when the current extension is completed—as St. Francis Drive. The road runs along the east corridor of the university and is a tribute to St. Francis of Assisi, for whom the university was named by its sponsors, the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration.
“St. Francis Drive serves as a fitting tribute to St. Francis of Assisi as we celebrate this Jubilee Year of St. Francis, as proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV,” Saint Francis President Dr. Lance Richey said. “We hope that this renaming will be of assistance as a wayfinding sign for those visiting the University of Saint Francis. The university offers its heartfelt appreciation to our neighbors who made this possible with their expeditious support and to Mayor Sharon Tucker, her administration and staff who helped us navigate this process.”
The University of Saint Francis was founded in 1890 in Lafayette, Indiana, by the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration and was first named St. Francis Normal School, then St. Francis College. It relocated to its Fort Wayne location in 1944 and was renamed the University of Saint Francis in 1998.
Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs. The academic structure at Saint Francis offers seven pathways: Humanities, Faith and Liberal Arts; Allied Health; Business and Leadership; Creative Arts and Digital Media; Education, Human Services and Community Care; Nursing; and Sciences and Medical Studies. In addition to its traditional programs, Saint Francis delivers workforce development healthcare programs in Fort Wayne, Crown Point, Gas City, Indianapolis, Lafayette and online. Saint Francis Downtown houses the music technology program while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. A National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Five-Star Champion of Character institution, Saint Francis has 21 athletic programs boasting three individual and four team NAIA national championships. More than 1,900 students from a broad geographic region attend Saint Francis.