Siena Heights University is a Catholic liberal arts institution in Adrian, Michigan. The university offers academic programs leading to the associate, bachelor and master's degrees. Founded as St. Joseph's College in the liberal arts tradition in 1919 by the Adrian Dominican Sisters, it was recognized as one of the nation's 10 best liberal arts colleges for women by the 1950s. The college became coeducational during the late 1960s, and expanded its curriculum to include programs in business and human services. It was renamed Siena Heights College in 1969. The school was so named to commemorate Saint Catherine of Siena, a 14th-century Italian Dominican who dedicated her life to a quest for truth and social responsibility. The institution began its first degree-completion program for working adults in 1975. Although the main campus of the university is in Adrian, it maintains degree-completion centers in Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Benton Harbor, Jackson, Lansing, Monroe, Muskegon, Port Huron, and Southfield. It also conducts a theological program in partnership with the Diocese of Lansing. The mission is to assist people to become more competent, purposeful, and ethical through a teaching and learning environment that respects the dignity of all. Siena Heights College was renamed Siena Heights University in July 1998. Sacred Heart, Benincasa Dining Hall, Archangelus Residence Hall, Science Hall, Siena Heights Library, Lumen Ecclesiae Chapel, Ledwidge Residence Hall, Studio Angelico, Verhayden Performing Arts Center, Siena Heights Field House, Library Addition, and Dominican Hall are among the venues on campus. Siena Heights University is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, Department of Education of the State of Michigan, and National Association of Schools of Art and Design.