Academic Facilities
Spaces to support learning and studying
With an average class size of 19 students, classrooms at Stritch are designed to foster group discussions, one-on-one instruction, and interactive learning. All classrooms are equipped with computers, internet access and LCD projectors for presentations, and many are also equipped with SmartBoards and other learning technologies.
Wireless internet access is available throughout campus, so you can do your work in the comfort of the Great Hall, the Information Commons in the Library, or even while sipping coffee at the Bean in the Student Union. Several computer labs exist in various campus buildings, including Bonaventure Hall, Clare Hall, Assisi Hall, and Roger Bacon Hall.
Natural Sciences Facilities
The Department of Natural Sciences has spent $1.75 million on technology and laboratory upgrades in Roger Bacon Hall over the past five years, thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Natural science majors at Stritch work with state-of-the-art scientific instruments while conducting research in the laboratory and on independent projects.
Using this new technology, students have the opportunity to perform experiments involving amplification of DNA chains from a sample of DNA, analyze soil and water samples for the presence of trace contaminants, culture mammalian cells, and grow marine organisms for developmental biology research.
Fine Arts Facilities
The Joan Steele Stein Center for Communication Studies/Fine Arts houses facilities for students who are studying art, music, or theater.
Art studios are spacious, yet small enough to allow one-on-one interaction with art instructors. Art studios include a wood shop; metals, sculpture, print, painting, photography and drawing studios; and a graphic design computer lab updated with the latest technology.
Music students enjoy a state-of-the-art facility that includes rehearsal rooms, faculty studios, large practice rooms with grand pianos, a music theory and ear training lab and a 400-seat concert hall. As an All-Steinway School, the only one in Wisconsin, Stritch is also home to several Steinway pianos.
The University Theater is a 400-seat venue that is home to University theater productions, selected musical performances, and professional shows by outside individuals and groups. It is a 400-seat proscenium theater with a fly loft. This beautiful facility offers theater students many opportunities to work with sound, lighting, and stage technology.
Library Facilities
The Stritch Library houses more than 109,000 books and over 700 periodical subscriptions. In addition, TOPCAT has nearly 900,000 items (including non-book items) cataloged. TOPCAT is the shared online library catalog of the SWITCH consortium, which is a consortium of eight college and research libraries in the Milwaukee area. Students can access the library’s online catalog from anywhere in the world via the internet.
The Stritch Library also features the brand-new Information Commons, opened in August 2010. Information Commons' are spaces that respond to the ways in which today’s students learn. While quiet study areas are still an important venue for studying, today’s students also seek more open gathering spaces that allow them to work with their peers on projects, as well as complete their individual studies.
In addition, classes across all disciplines are increasingly featuring integrated technologies in course assignments, so both students and faculty need access to spaces and technology that allow them to complete that work. Stritch's Information Commons was designed to provide experimental and flexible spaces that integrate students' desire for service, social interaction, study, and access to technology.
Other features of the library include: easily accessible reference librarians, public computers and printers, group study rooms, individual study areas, and laptop computers for check out.