History of Christian Brothers University

Christian Brothers University is a four-year university in Memphis, Tennessee.

History

Founding

Christian Brothers College was founded November 19, 1871, by members of the De La Salle Christian Brothers, a Roman Catholic religious teaching congregation. The Brothers came to Memphis at the request of the people and clergy of the city, after more than a decade of efforts to persuade the Brothers to open a college in Memphis. [http://www.cbu.edu/About/history.html "CBU History."] Christian Brothers University. Accessed October 1, 2007.]

Brother Maurelian was appointed the first president. His two terms as president totalled 33 years. During his presidency, the Brothers purchased the 612 Adams Street building, which housed the college until 1940 when the college moved to its present location at Central Avenue and East Parkway South.

Functioning as a combined elementary school, high school (now Christian Brothers High School), and college, Christian Brothers College granted high school diplomas as well as Bachelor's and Master's Degrees until 1915, when the college division was suspended. Elementary classes were dropped in 1922, and the institution operated as only a high school for 18 years. Reopened in 1940 as a junior college, the college began granting Associate's Degrees in 1942.

Oldest degree-granting institution in Memphis

Christian Brothers awarded the first post-secondary degree in the city in 1875. [http://www.cbu.edu/About/mission.html "About CBU."] Christian Brothers University. Accessed March 2, 2008.] LeMoyne College (one of the two constituent parts of present-day LeMoyne-Owen College) claims a founding year of 1871, but it was only an elementary and secondary school at the time. The city's largest university, The University of Memphis, was not founded until 1912. Although Rhodes College claims a founding date of 1848, it did not actually move to Memphis until 1925, some 54 years after the founding of Christian Brothers, making it the youngest of the major colleges in Memphis. Rhodes' original 1848 campus became Austin Peay State University, and Rhodes became "Southwestern at Memphis".

Lasallian tradition

Christian Brothers University traces its origins to priest and educational innovator, St. John Baptist de la Salle. [ [http://www.cbu.edu/About/terms.html "Lasallian Terminology."] Christian Brothers University. Accessed October 1, 2007.] De la Salle began a system of Christian schools in which teachers assist parents in the educational, ethical, and religious formation of their children. To continue his spiritual and pedagogical vision, de la Salle founded the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, known today as the De La Salle Christian Brothers.

Today, the spirit and tradition of the Lasallian community thrives in 81 countries and in more than 1,000 educational institutions. Over 4,000 De La Salle Christian Brothers, along with 56,000 Lasallian lay colleagues (such as Lasallian Volunteers), serve over 750,000 students and their families worldwide. [ [http://www.cbu.edu/About/lasallian.html "Lasallian Tradition."] Christian Brothers University. Accessed October 1, 2007.] In the United States, there are over 100 Lasallian educational institutions.

Higher education

In 1953, the decision was made to expand the community college into a four-year institution to better serve the needs of the community. The four-year curriculum began with degrees in Business Administration and Electrical Engineering, with the first graduates in recent times receiving their degrees in 1955.

The curriculum was soon expanded to meet the needs for new programs in the fields of Mechanical Engineering and Chemistry. The following degree programs were later added: Biology, Civil Engineering, Mathematics, English, Physics, Chemical Engineering, History, Psychology, Natural Science, Engineering Physics, Computer Science, and Religion and Philosophy. Teacher preparation programs in secondary education were added in 1969. An accelerated evening program offering a degree in Business Administration was added in 1978 to meet the needs of the adult student, and the Applied Psychology degree was added in 1999. In Fall 2007, CBU introduced its Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Programs at the graduate level were reinstated in 1987 with the Master's program in Telecommunication and Information Systems. The Master of Business Administration and the Master in Engineering Management were added in 1989. A Master of Education was added in 1997, and the Master of Arts in Teaching and Master of Science in Educational Leadership were offered beginning in 2001. The Master of Arts in Executive Leadership was added in 2005.

When another Catholic college in Memphis (the all-female Siena College) closed, Christian Brothers University became coeducational in 1970. Currently, women comprise approximately 55% of the student body. [http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=christian+brothers+university&s=all&id=219833 Christian Brothers University] . National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed May 30, 2008.]

Christian Brothers College officially became Christian Brothers University in June 1990.

References