Our Mission

St. Bonaventure is a Catholic university dedicated to educational excellence as informed by our Franciscan and liberal arts traditions. In the words of our patron, we believe that there should be “no knowledge without love,” and thus seek to transform the lives of our students, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship.

St. Bonaventure embraces students, faculty and staff of all faiths and cultures and strives to bring out the best in every individual through meaningful relationships. As an academic and spiritual community, we endeavor to prepare our students for the challenges they will face in their professional careers and personal lives.

Our Values

Our Franciscan COMMUNITY affirms the unique dignity of everyone, each person reflecting the goodness of God, and invites all of our sisters and brothers to forge bonds of mutual acceptance and understanding that create a true sense of belonging.

We are a COMMUNITY…

• Nurturing COMPASSION.
• Seeking WISDOM.
• Building INTEGRITY.

COMPASSION: We are convinced that all of creation is God’s gift, an awareness that calls forth a sense of solidarity with everyone and everything. As images of God, we strive to share God’s unconditional love, particularly with those on the margins of society — the needy, the ignored, and the excluded.

WISDOM: We are convinced that education must be transformative of the whole person, concerned not only with the intellect, but also with the will, the heart, and the body. Education must be eminently practical, not just about learning concepts and skills, but discerning how to truly live humanly, deeply, and well in the world.

INTEGRITY: We are convinced that each of us must accept responsibility for our actions and that our relationships should be based on respect for the dignity of others, honesty, and transparency, realizing that the values we espouse mean little unless they are embodied in our personal and professional lives.