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FAITH AND PERSERVERANCE: HOW QU ENDURED FOR 160 YEARS by Fr. Joe Zimmerman
THE DIFFICULT WE DO
IMMEDIATELY. THE IMPOSSIBLE TAKES A LITTLE LONGER.
In its long history, Quincy University has fought to inspire, educate, and influence generations of students amid economic decline, wars, disease, and civil unrest. As the university celebrities its 160th year, it faces another crisis that will require it to persevere with the courage and tenacity that has brought it this far.
Quincy College has had its crises from its earliest days. Fr. Anselm Mueller, president for almost forty years, had to fight in the 1860s for a separate building for the school so that it could welcome boarding students. The result was the east section of what is today, Francis Hall. In the 1930s, the Great Depression caused the school to cancel periodical subscriptions and cut back on heating fuel. The college consisted of a two-year college curriculum and a high school program referred to as “The Academy.� In 1939 Franciscan Province authorities in St. Louis ordered the faculty to discontinue the college and focus on the high school. The faculty defied the authorities, closed the high school, and kept the college. Then came the Second World War. Enrollment was down to 50 students, almost all women. What saved the day at that time was a program for training naval reserve military. The tuition from this program helped tide the school over 6
QUniverse | Fall 2020
