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Niagara University in Ontario is rooted in rich Vincentian history, values, and vision.
What is a Catholic University?
Unlike public institutions of higher education, a Catholic university provides a space where both reason and faith serve the development of the individual. The meeting of faith and reason in the service of the common good produces graduates who are confident, have a clarity about where they are headed, and who enter the world with a purpose The Catholic Church played a foundational role in establishing the earliest universities in Europe dating back to the 12th century, and in the United States at the end of the 18th and early 19th centuries. In “The Idea of a University” (1852), John Henry Cardinal Newman wrote that the University “is a place where inquiry is pushed forward, and discoveries verified and perfected, and rashness rendered innocuous, and error exposed, by the collision of mind with mind, and knowledge with knowledge.” By the 1960s, the Second Vatican Council began asking Catholic Universities to reflect particularly on what it means to be Catholic in the modern world. This question has perhaps become more urgent in recent decades with the decline of vowed clergy and reliance on lay faculty to sustain Catholic institutions.
President's Office
Father James J. Maher, C.M. is the 26th president of Niagara University, a role he has held since 2016. A member of the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentian Fathers), Father Maher has dedicated his career to fostering academic excellence and advancing the mission of Catholic higher education. Under his leadership, Niagara University has seen significant growth in academic programs, campus facilities, and community outreach. Father Maher is deeply committed to the values of the university’s Vincentian heritage, emphasizing service, social justice, and a transformative educational experience for all students.
About Our Institution & Campus
Land Acknowledgement
Niagara University in Ontario is located on the No. 13-Toronto Purchase Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
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The Seal
The seal of Niagara University in Ontario is a crest with a double-edged bearing the legend “Niagara University” and “1856” for the year of Niagara’s founding.
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NU Ontario Facts
On 1145 square metres of space the site includes state-of-the-art classrooms, adjoining classrooms, offices for faculty and administration, student lounge areas, and a conference room.
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Articulation Agreements
NU Ontario greatly respects the contributions that ON colleges make to the success and prosperity of their students, and on the community and economic well-being of the province.
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Accreditations
Niagara University in Ontario is accredited by the Middle States Commission of Higher Education. Many of our programs are recognized by state and national organizations.
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Policies
Review our policies on accessibility, workplace and sexual harassment, electronic monitoring, and more. Please have your myNU credentials ready.
Learn More PoliciesEx Corde Ecclesiae, "The Heart of the Church"
Born from the heart of the Church, a Catholic University is located in that course of tradition which may be traced back to the very origin of the University as an institution. It has always been recognized as an incomparable centre of creativity and dissemination of knowledge for the good of humanity.
In a word, being both a University and Catholic, it must be both a community of scholars representing various branches of human knowledge, and an academic institution in which Catholicism is vitally present and operative.
