three of the united states' leading roman catholic colleges are in new york city. the jesuit-associated fordham university, with campuses in manhattan and the bronx, was the first catholic university in the northeast, founded in 1841. st. john's university was founded by the vincentian fathers in 1870 and now has campuses in queens, manhattan, and staten island, with over 20,000 graduate and undergraduate students. it is also a founding member of the division i big east conference. manhattan college, founded in 1853 by the de la salle brothers, is located in the bronx's riverdale neighborhood and offers students a liberal arts education, division i athletics, and graduate degree options in business, education, and engineering.