page_title: Saint Peter's University
section_title: 2000 to present
hierarchical_section_title: Saint Peter's University / History / 2000 to present
caption_attribution_description: English: The Yanitelli Center on the campus of Saint Peter's College in Jersey City
context_page_description: Saint Peter's University is a private Jesuit university in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded as Saint Peter's College in 1872 by the Society of Jesus. It offers over 60 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 2,600 undergraduate and 800 graduate students. Its college mascot is the Peacock and its sports teams play in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, of which it is a founding member.
  The school is located on a 30-acre campus just south of Journal Square, and is 2 miles west of New York City. Evening and weekend classes are offered in Jersey City, Englewood Cliffs, and South Amboy.
context_section_description: In 2000, Gannon Hall, the science building, completed an $8.2 million renovation.
  In 2004, the long-awaited pedestrian bridge over Kennedy Boulevard linked the East Campus and the West Campus. In 2006, the college began a $50 million capital campaign. Further expansion of the east side of the campus included the new Mac Mahon Student Center, completed in 2013. It houses offices for many of Saint Peter's administrative branches, as well as numerous student led organizations such as the Student Government Association.
  On December 24, 2006, sitting college President James N. Loughran, S.J., was found dead in his home. On May 10, 2007, the Board of Trustees appointed Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D., as the 22nd President of Saint Peter's College. Dr. Cornacchia is the first layperson to serve as President of the 135-year-old Catholic, Jesuit institution.
  In 2008, Saint Peter's was awarded a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to create the Center for Microplasma Science and Technology.  This grant allowed the college to expand upon its 20 years of studying microplasma as part of its research on water purifiers in conjunction with United Water.  Saint Peter's graduates U.S. Senator Robert Menendez and U.S. Representative Albio Sires helped secure the $2 million grant.
  On the day after his narrow defeat in the 2008 New Hampshire Presidential primary election, Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama held a rally at the college's Yanitelli Center.
  In March 2011, it was announced that the college would take over Saint Aeden's Church at McGinley Square from the Archdiocese of Newark.
  In March 2012, it was announced the college had been granted the university designation by the New Jersey State Secretary for Higher Education and would thus change its name. On August 14, 2012, Saint Peter's announced the official change on its website, becoming Saint Peter's University.
  In 2013, the new Mac Mahon Student Center was completed.
  In 2014 the University opened a center for undocumented students, providing them a safe space and mentoring, a resource library, legal support, and advice for them and their families about deportation defense and immigration issues.
caption: Yanitelli Center, Home of the Peacocks
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