Brescia University is a private Roman Catholic college in Owensboro, Kentucky. It was founded as a junior college for women and is now a coeducational institution offering undergraduate and master's programs.

History

Brescia University traces its roots to Mount Saint Joseph Junior College for Women founded in 1925 by the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph at Maple Mount, a rural area outside Owensboro. Coeducational extension courses were started at Owensboro and eventually grew into its own campus. After World War II the two campuses were consolidated, thus becoming fully co-educational. In 1951, it was renamed Brescia College, after the Italian city of Brescia where Saint Angela Merici founded the original order. It changed its name in 1998 to become Brescia University with the addition of Master's degree programs in Management, and Curriculum and Instruction.

Notable alumni

• Joey Goebel, author
• Chris Holtmann, current head men's basketball coach at Ohio State (did not graduate; transferred to Taylor University)

Athletics

The Brescia athletic teams are called the Bearcats. The institution is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the River States Conference (RSC; formerly known as the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) until after the 2015–16 school year) since the 1984–85 academic year.

Brescia competes in 18 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball; and co-ed sports compete in cheerleading, dance and eSports.