La Roche College was founded in 1963 by the Sisters of Divine Providence as an independent, private, Catholic college for religious sisters. Sr. Annunciata Sohl was appointed the first president of La Roche and served until 1968. By 1965, the College admitted its first lay students and conferred degrees on its first seven graduates. Two years later, to accommodate its growing enrollment, the College expanded beyond its leased space to construct its first College building, the John J. Wright Library.

The College is named for Marie de la Roche, a French woman of noble birth, who became the first superior of the Congregation of Divine Providence. From its initial role as a college for religious sisters to its current incarnation as an institution for students from around the world, La Roche offers high-quality educational opportunities that reflect its Catholic heritage and the dynamism and spirit of its founding and sponsoring congregation.

As is often the case with new institutions, La Roche encountered financial difficulties soon after its founding. The Congregation gave serious consideration to closing the College. However, the institution had already made such an impact on the community that students, state officials and community leaders urged the Congregation and Sister De la Salle Mahler, College president from 1969-1975, to give it another chance. Responding to this outpouring of support, the Board amended its charter in 1970 to establish La Roche as the independent, coeducational Catholic institution that it is today. At the same time, La Roche diversified its course offerings through its affiliation with the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. This gave birth to several new areas of study - graphic and interior design - that continue to be among the College's strongest programs.

By 1973, the revitalized College earned accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, tripled its enrollment, and built its first residence facility. Sister Mahler had successfully led the College through a period of uncertainty and laid the groundwork for a bright future.

A Growing, Changing Campus

The 1970s saw an enrollment boom that necessitated an ambitious building program. La Roche built two new residence halls in the mid-1970s. Under the leadership of Sr. Mary Joan Coultas (1975-80), the College launched its first capital campaign in 1979 to finance the construction of a science building. The success of the campaign exceeded expectations and the Palumbo Science Center opened in 1980.

Sr. Margaret Huber was appointed president in 1981 and served the College for 11 years. During this time the College continued to grow with an expanded, strengthened curriculum and active building program. La Roche marked its 25th anniversary in 1987 with the dedication of the $2.5 million Zappala College Center . The Magdalen Chapel was added in 1990. In 1993, the college opened the Kerr Fitness and Sports Center .

La Roche's sixth president, Monsignor William A. Kerr, was appointed in 1992 and focused his leadership on expanding the College's global reach, raising its visibility, enhancing its financial resources and broadening its academic, cultural and athletic programs. One physical manifestation of the success of these efforts was the completion of the 1,200-seat Kerr Fitness and Sports Center in 1993 at the behest of College trustees and benefactors. In 1997, the college added a residence hall to campus with the dedication of Bold Hall. In 2002,
La Roche unveiled "smart" classroom technology with the completion of a new classroom building, adjacent to the Zappala College Center . The college expanded its capacity for resident students with the completion of Bold Hall II in 2003, an extension to the residence hall built six years earlier. Athletic facilities include a baseball field, soccer field, softball field, outdoor tennis/basketball courts, aerobics room/dance studio, gymnasium, indoor track, racquetball courts and a weight room.

The Pacem In Terris Institute

President Clinton with Pacem Students

The initiative that has brought the most recent and profound changes toLa Roche is one that is dedicated to using educational opportunity as a means for bringing people around the globe together in pursuit of peace. With the Pacem In Terris Institute (Latin for "Peace on Earth"), President Kerr expanded the College's vision to a global one. The Institute brings students from conflict, post-conflict and developing regions of the world to study at La Roche.

The program provides scholarships and assistance to international students, while encouraging greater global and transcultural awareness on the part of the La Roche community. International students hail from 21 different countries. The students, chosen by their countries for their academic and personal potential, promise to return to their homelands upon completion of their studies to work for peace and prosperity in their regions.

The Institute not only gives international students access to educational opportunities, but also exposes the entire College community to cultures, perspectives and learning opportunities not available at colleges with less culturally diverse student populations.

The College's international impact is also reflected in its governance structures. Included on the boards of the College and the Pacem In Terris Institute are such notables as: Kim Dae-jung, past president of the Republic of Korea; Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, first lady of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; and Janet Museveni, first lady of the Republic of Uganda.

A New Chapter

In 2004, the La Roche College Board of Trustees elected the College's seventh president, Sister Candace Introcaso , CDP, Ph.D. A member of the Sisters of Divine Providence, Introcaso began her career in higher education at La Roche in the late 1980s, serving on both the faculty and the administrative staff. Most recently, she served as vice president for planning and assessment at Barry University in Miami , FL. Introcaso received her Ph.D. in higher education administration from The Claremont Graduate University, where she also received the Hausam-Fisk Award for Excellence in Higher Education. She also holds an MA in sociology from Fordham University and a BA in psychology from Shippensburg University .

Varied Curriculum and Activities

Today, La Roche College offers more than 50 undergraduate majors, 20 undergraduate minors and three graduate programs. Major areas of excellence include graphic and communication design, the sciences, education, nursing and the graduate program in human resources management. Nursing and health-related courses of study are augmented by affiliation agreements with hospitals and other health care institutions within the Pittsburgh area. Engineering majors can earn their degrees at La Roche through a 3/2 agreement with the University of Pittsburgh . State-of-the-art computers, labs and technology support all of these programs.

Special programs and centers at the College include the Institute for Cross-Cultural Ethics, the Writers' Center, the College in High School SCHOLAR Program, and the Challenge Program for Gifted Elementary School Children.

As it has grown as an educational institution, La Roche has also expanded the cultural and entertainment amenities it offers in its home community. The College's Performing Arts/Ballet Program conducts performances on campus and at area high schools. The works of student and professional artists are regularly displayed in the College's Cantellops Art Gallery . La Roche fields 10 intercollegiate athletic teams competing in Division III of the NCAA and in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. It hosts numerous high school athletic championships and tournaments at its attractive sports facilities.

La Roche College has undergone a number of transformations in its 42-year history to become the vibrant institution that it is today. It has become an educational institution with genuine international impact. From its scenic 80-acre campus in the burgeoning North Hills of Pittsburgh , La Roche reaches out to students from the United States and other nations, offering the promise of more fruitful lives for individuals and the hope of a better world for us all. One thing that has remained constant throughout its history is the spirit that brings life to the institution. It is the same spirit that has animated the Congregation of Divine Providence since its foundation 150 years ago. It is that spirit which will lead La Roche College for many decades to come.