Briar Cliff University

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This article is about the university in Sioux City, Iowa. For the university in Long Island City, New York, see Briarcliffe College.
Briar Cliff University
Former names
Briar Cliff College (1930–2001)
TypePrivate university
Established1930
Religious affiliation
Roman Catholic (Franciscan) Sisters of St. Francis of Dubuque
PresidentPatrick Jacobson-Schulte (Interim)[1]
Location
Sioux City
,
Iowa
,
U.S.
CampusUrban, 70 acres
Colors  
Blue & Gold
NicknameChargers
Sporting affiliations
NAIA – GPAC
Websitebriarcliff.edu

Briar Cliff University is a private Franciscan university in Sioux City, Iowa.

History[edit]

In March 1929, Mother Mary Dominica Wieneke, Major Superior of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Dubuque, Iowa, along with the Most Rev. Edmond Heelan, Bishop of the Sioux City Diocese, co-founded Briar Cliff College after meeting with members of the Sioux City community, who committed to raising $25,000 to support the establishment of a Catholic women's college in Sioux City. The twelve foundresses of the college were carefully chosen by Mother Dominica. They were led by Sister Mary Servatius Greenen, who was named the first president.[2]

Briar Cliff University dedication, 1930

On September 18, 1930, the college, named Briar Cliff after the hill on which it is located, was dedicated. Four days later, 25 women started classes in Heelan Hall, the only building on campus at the time. In 1937, the university's two-year program was extended to four years. Fifty-five men were admitted to Briar Cliff in 1965 and co-education was formalized in 1966 with the admission of 150 full-time male students. In 1967, the campus added the residence hall Toller to the facilities available to students, and continued in 1968 with the addition of Noonan Hall. In 1982, the athletic programs also received a new venue as the Newman Flanagan Center was built to house athletic competitions, coaches' offices, and recreational classes.

New Master's programs were implemented in the summer of 2001. The college officially became a university on June 1, 2001. Online courses were first offered to students in 2006. The Center for Siouxland Research, the Center for Health Care Initiatives and the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching are currently active. The first doctoral degree, the Doctorate of Nurse Practitioner, was introduced in 2013.

Campus[edit]

Briar Cliff University is situated on a scenic hilltop on the outskirts of Sioux City, Iowa, a few minutes from downtown. Sioux City is located on the Missouri River and is the principal city of a three-state metropolitan area. Directly across the river are the states of South Dakota and Nebraska.[3]

The campus includes four residence halls, as well as other buildings used for academic, athletic, and student support purposes. These buildings include the following:

Residence Halls

  • Toller Hall
  • Alverno Hall
  • Baxter-DiGiovanni
  • Noonan Hall

Academic Buildings

  • Heelan Hall
  • Mayfair Campus
  • North Hall
  • Kinesiology & Theater Building

Athletic Buildings

  • Newman Flanagan Center
  • McCoy-Arnold Center

Student Support Buildings

  • Bishop Mueller Library
  • Chapel of Our Lady Grace
  • Stark Student Center
  • Maintenance Building

Pro Bono Clinics on the Cliff

  • Physical Therapy
  • Behavioral Analysis

Organization and administration[edit]

Briar Cliff University is accredited as a degree-granting institution by Higher Learning Commission. It is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. The education program of the university is approved by the State Department of Education of Iowa. The social work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), the Post-Graduate APRN Certificate, and the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs at Briar Cliff University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). All BCU nursing programs are approved by the Iowa Board of Nursing and meet the state educational requirements for licensure in the state of Iowa.

Prior to the Fall 2011 semester, the academic year consisted of three 10-week terms, September through May. As of Fall 2011, the academic year consists of two semesters, as well as a January Term, a May Term, and a Summer Term. As of 2017, the January Term was eliminated. The average class size is 14 students.[3]

Academics[edit]

Briar Cliff offers four-year academic programs and pre-professional programs in over 30 fields of study, culminating in a Bachelor's degree. Graduate degrees offered include a Master of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Health Administration, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and Doctor of Physical Therapy.

Athletics[edit]

The Briar Cliff athletic teams are called the Chargers. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) since the 2002–03 academic year.

Briar Cliff competes in 16 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, track & field and wrestling, while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track & field and volleyball; and co-ed sports include Esports.

Over 500 student-athletes have represented Briar Cliff in intercollegiate competition. Since 1966, Briar Cliff University athletics have been represented in 10 national championships, 12 GPAC championships, and 61 NAIA tournament appearances. Further, the Chargers have claimed 210 All-Americans and 564 scholar athletes.

In 2021, the Chargers received a perfect Champions of Character score from the NAIA, one of only 16 schools nationwide to earn this honor.

Basketball[edit]

Both men's and women's basketball have strong traditions at Briar Cliff. The Women's Basketball has made countless appearances in the NAIA Women's Basketball tournament. The most recent national appearance was in the 2012–2013 season, and they reached the Final Four the year before that.[4] The Men's basketball program won the GPAC regular season[5] and tournament title in 2015–2016.[6] They have been to the NAIA National Tournament twenty-one times. The last being in the 2018–2019 season, where they made it to the Elite 8 before being eliminated.[7]

Panama Pipeline[edit]

During the late 1970s and continuing into the 1980s, the Briar Cliff men's basketball head coach Ray Nacke was able to recruit players from Panama to play basketball for him. These players, labeled the 'Panama Pipeline' by a 1981 Sports Illustrated article, included several players who played for the Panama men's national basketball team, such as Eddie Warren, Mario Butler, Ernesto "Tito" Malcolm, Mario Galvez, Reggie Grenald, and, fan favorite, Rolando Frazer.[8] The Pipeline helped Nacke's squad to a number of NAIA Regional Championships, a number of berths in the NAIA National Tournament, and, in 1981, earned a #1 national ranking for the first, and only, time in Charger history.

Track and field[edit]

The Chargers track and field program has a history of both individual, and team success. In 2000, Sharline Maxwell became the first Charger to win an individual national championship in any sport. She did so by winning the NAIA Indoor Championship in the 400m dash. Maxwell would go on to win two more championship in her time at Briar Cliff.[9] More recently, the Charger men have been a frequent visitor to the NAIA Championships, both indoor and outdoor. In 2013, The Briar Cliff men's track team took four individuals to the NAIA Indoor Championships, and returned with four, individual All-Americans. This group was highlighted by Augustus Cowan who won a national title in triple jump.[10]

Football[edit]

In 2001, Briar Cliff began its football program, while 2003 marked the first official varsity season for the program. In their first year, the Chargers garnered a 0–10 record. The following year, the team recorded its first win, one of three on the season. To date, the Chargers have compiled a record of 33–119. The Briar Cliff football team played their home games at Memorial Field until 2013 when they began playing home games at the Dakota Dome, on the campus of the University of South Dakota, about 39 miles northwest.[11] In 2017 the Chargers returned to Sioux City and to Memorial Field thanks to a partnership with Bishop Heelan Catholic High School.[12]

Baseball and softball[edit]

Briar Cliff offers both baseball and softball as spring sports. Each one of these teams competes in the Great Plains Athletic Conference. The baseball team plays their home games at Bishop Sitzmann Field, a baseball complex shared with Bishop Heelan High School. After previously playing their home games at the SYA Riverside Complex, the BCU softball team moved back to the university's campus in 2013, where they too share the field with Bishop Heelan High School.

In 2005, Briar Cliff University Baseball upset Bellevue University, ending Bellevue's 10-year run of winning the Region 4 title, to make it to the Super Regional Round against Dakota State.[13] Briar Cliff swept the two games of the super regionals winning an extra-inning affair (7-6) and closing out Dakota State with a blowout win (13-1) to advance to the 2005 Avista NAIA College World Series. Briar Cliff would lose to Spalding University (9-3) and to Biola University (4-1). This was their first and only appearance in the NAIA College World Series. More recently, in 2015 the BCU baseball team won the GPAC conference with a conference record of (14-6), snapping the team's streak of 6 straight losing seasons.

Wrestling[edit]

In 2015, the Chargers were runner-ups in the GPAC tournament, and 2016 they became GPAC tournament champs.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Gottburg, Woody (July 5, 2022). "Briar Cliff Interim President Begins Duties". kscj.com. KSCJ 1360. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  2. ^ "culture.templar.rosemont - Mother Mary Dominica Wieneke - msg#00002 - Recent Discussion OSDir.com". Archived from the original on 24 December 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  3. ^ a b Official website re background of Briar Cliff University Archived December 4, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Briar Cliff clips Mount Mercy to reach Final Four". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  5. ^ "No. 6 Chargers clinch GPAC title". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  6. ^ "Chargers outscore Prairie Wolves for GPAC title". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  7. ^ "IU East clips Chargers with late layup". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  8. ^ "CNN Sports provided by Bleacher Report - CNN.com". Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  9. ^ "Women's Outdoor Track & Field Home" (PDF).
  10. ^ "Briar Cliff University Athletics News". Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  11. ^ "Briar Cliff to play home football games at DakotaDome". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  12. ^ "Briar Cliff University Athletics News". www.bcuchargers.com.
  13. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-05-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

External links[edit]

Coordinates: 42°31′47″N 96°25′24″W / 42.529601°N 96.423227°W / 42.529601; -96.423227

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