Saint Vincent College announced today that its School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Computing has been named the Herbert W. Boyer School in honor of its 1958 graduate, inventor of the process of gene splicing and co-founder of Genentech Corporation, which launched the biotechnology industry.

"I am proud to announce that Dr. Herbert W. Boyer, who is internationally recognized as a pioneer in the field of recombinant DNA technology, has graciously agreed to allow Saint Vincent College to name his former School after him," Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B., said in his introductory remarks at the College's 161st Annual Commencement. Both Dr. Boyer and George W. Bush, President of the United States, who gave the Commencement Address, were present for the announcement.

"The Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Computing will build upon Saint Vincent College's historically strong programs in the natural sciences and health professions and acknowledge the importance of a strong liberal arts education as preparation for lifelong learning," Archabbot Douglas continued. "Given the current quality of the academic programs, the importance of mathematics and science to the nation, and especially the unique contributions that a Catholic, Benedictine institution of higher education can provide in such a context, the Herbert W. Boyer School has a critical role to play for future generations of Saint Vincent College students and in meeting regional and national needs for the development of an educated, scientifically and mathematically literate populace."

Dr. Boyer Co-Founded Industry Leader Genentech

Now retired and living in California, Dr. Boyer is Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California at San Francisco and co-founder of Genentech, Inc., the San Francisco-based biotechnology company he started with the late venture capitalist Robert Swanson in 1976.

Born in nearby Derry, Dr. Boyer was a commuting student who earned his bachelor of science degree in biology and chemistry in 1958 from Saint Vincent College. He credits the late Fr. Joel Lieb, O.S.B., for inspiring his interest in genetics research.

He has received numerous prestigious awards for his work including the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 1980, the National Medal of Science presented at the White House by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, the Lemelson-MIT Prize in 1996, the Albany Medical Prize in 2004, and the Shaw Prize in Life Sciences and Medicine in 2004 for discoveries related to DNA and genetic engineering. Dr. Boyer has also won the Medal of Technology and he is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. In 2004, Business Week magazine named him one of the "Greatest Innovators of the Past 75 Years" and Parade Magazine named him one of the "Ten Most Important Innovators Who Transformed the World." He was featured on the cover of TIME magazine in 1981 with a story entitled, "Shaping Life in the Lab: The Boom in Genetic Engineering, Genentech's Herb Boyer."

Boyers create scholarship program

In 1989, Dr. Boyer and his wife, Grace, made a $1 million gift to Saint Vincent College that created student scholarships in memory of Mrs. Boyer's father, T.L. Hensler, and her brother, Timothy. These scholarships continue to enable many students with demonstrated academic and leadership potential to attend Saint Vincent.

The natural sciences have played a prominent role in the curricula of Saint Vincent College throughout its 161-year history. This emphasis on the sciences is an outgrowth of the Bavarian, Benedictine tradition that bestows a special mission to the scientists who search for the meaning of the physical universe and all life in it. Within this framework, science and mathematics provide a way for Benedictine educational institutions to realize both the academic and spiritual aspects of their missions.

This tradition was embodied at Saint Vincent by the Benedictine educators whose faith, disciplined work, and dedicated teaching enabled the College to develop strong programs and a reputation for quality in the natural sciences and mathematics.

Generations of students benefited from the academic instruction and spiritual guidance provided by the late Fr. Edward Wenstrup, O.S.B., Fr. Joel Lieb, O.S.B., Fr. Owen Roth, O.S.B., Fr. Maximilian Duman, O.S.B., Fr. Bertin Emling, O.S.B., Fr. Roland Heid, O.S.B., and others. The contributions made by these Benedictine educators provide a rich heritage for the School, and serve as a guide for the future direction of the natural sciences, mathematics and computing at Saint Vincent College.

The Boyer School will coordinate the administration and curriculum offerings of biology, chemistry, computing and information science, mathematics, and physics, and provide opportunities for cross-disciplinary interactions among the departments.

Boyer School recognized for quality

The Boyer School has received numerous external recognitions of its program quality including citation in Peterson’s Top Colleges for Science, approval of the chemistry program by the Committee on Professional Training of the American Chemical Society (ACS), commendation of the ACS student affiliate chapter for ranking in the top 10% of chapters nationally, regional and national awards recognizing the quality of natural sciences and mathematics faculty. In this past year, every full-time NSMC faculty member has either published or participated in grant-funded activities, and receipt of the Pennsylvania Governor’s Award for Environmental Stewardship in 2001, the Western Pennsylvania Environmental Award in the Higher Education category in 2003, and the Trustees Award from the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania in 2005.

Boyer School enrollment increasing

A third of all degree-seeking students at Saint Vincent College (about 500) are enrolled in the Boyer School and enrollment in these departments has increased more than 30% during the last five years. Saint Vincent’s core curriculum requires all students to complete coursework in the natural sciences (8 credits) and mathematics (3 credits) to ensure that majors from all disciplines possess a broad-based body of knowledge and basic scientific, mathematical and technological literacy.

The national Survey of Earned Doctorates ranked Saint Vincent in the top 30% of 627 baccalaureate schools for the total number of graduates who went on to receive doctorates from 2000 through 2004. Seventy-three percent of these doctorates were awarded in science-related disciplines.

Boyer School grads successful after graduation

According to post-graduate survey data from 2002 through 2004, 43% of Boyer School majors enroll in graduate or health professional programs within one year of graduation. An additional 47% of Boyer School graduates attain employment in the field for which they were prepared within one year of graduation.

The average acceptance rate for Saint Vincent graduates into health professional schools is 80% and includes placement at competitive graduate schools including the Georgetown School of Medicine, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Student research required

All students enrolled in degree programs in the natural sciences at Saint Vincent are required to complete a three-semester research project consisting of a research proposal, laboratory experimentation, and a written thesis. Nearly all senior chemistry students present the results of their research projects at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society. Saint Vincent has sponsored interdisciplinary summer research experiences related to the College’s abandoned mine drainage remediation project through the Summer Institute in Watershed Restoration.

A Center for Biotechnology Education and Outreach was established at Saint Vincent in 2004 through a partnership with the U.S. Army Applied Biotechnology Center and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

A recent collaborative effort between the computing and information science department and ProLogic, Inc. is supporting the development of software for a government specifications document.

A commitment to outreach

As an example of Saint Vincent’s ongoing commitment to improving teaching and learning across the K-16 educational continuum, 14 faculty from the Boyer School are participating in the Southwestern Pennsylvania Math/Science Partnership project coordinated by the Allegheny County Intermediate Unit and funded by the National Science Foundation. Under the direction of Br. Norman Hipps, O.S.B., Dean of the Boyer School, Saint Vincent is conducting three summer academies for K-12 teachers annually and hosting three teachers per year on sabbatical leaves from their school districts as Teacher Fellows.

Since 2000, Saint Vincent has been a sponsoring institution of ScienceWISE, the Westmoreland County Initiative for Science Education. The goal of ScienceWISE is to improve the understanding and application of fundamental science concepts for students in the elementary and middle school grades through the use of a hands-on, inquiry-centered approach.

In keeping the Benedictine charism of stewardship for the natural environment, Saint Vincent College has demonstrated its commitment to the preservation of land and other natural resources by providing leadership for the Monastery Run Improvement Project (MRIP), a broad-based effort to diminish the effects of abandoned mine drainage (AMD) on the Loyalhanna watershed. Restoration activities have focused on construction of three passive treatment wetland systems on 20 acres of property adjacent to campus. Ongoing chemical monitoring of the MRIP has demonstrated a reduction of more than 90% in iron levels for water flowing out of the first wetland back into the streams.

As a complement to the MRIP, the Saint Vincent College Environmental Education Center conducts research, educational programming, and outreach activities related to the watershed restoration project. The Center has developed a wide array of innovative environmental programming to teach K-12 students about watersheds and wetlands. Since Spring 1999, the Environmental Education Center has provided environmental education programs for more than 21,000 students, teachers, and community members.

The Environmental Education Center also has been involved with the creation of the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve, a 60-acre tract of land adjacent to campus that will preserve an open and scenic vista and promote appreciation of the natural environment.

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