- Sacred Heart University
Infobox University
name=Sacred Heart University
image_size=100pxmotto=Where Personal Attention Leads to Personal Achievement
established=1963
type=Private
head_label = President
head=Anthony J. Cernera
city=Fairfield
state=Connecticut
country=USA
undergrad=4,226
postgrad=1,575
postgrad_label=graduate
full-time faculty=189
free_label=Student to faculty ratio
free=13:1
campus=Suburban 65 acres
mascot = Big Red the Pioneer
athletics =NCAA Division 1
sports=32 varsity sports teams17 women's; 15 men's
colors=Red & White color box|#A70034
website= [http://www.sacredheart.edu/ www.sacredheart.edu]Sacred Heart University is a Catholic university located in suburban Fairfield,
Connecticut , near the border with Bridgeport. Sacred Heart was founded in1963 by Reverend Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, CT. SHU was the first Catholic university in theUnited States to be staffed by thelaity .Fact|date=September 2008 Anthony Cernera has been president of Sacred Heart University for eighteen years.SHU is the second largest Catholic university in New England, behind
Boston College [http://www.sacredheart.edu/pages/3353_shu_at_a_glance.cfm] ,and offers more than 40 degree programs to 5,800 students at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels.Sacred Heart is included in "The Princeton Review's Best 368 Colleges 2009", "The Princeton Review's Best 366 Colleges 2008", the "Best 290 Business Schools 2008", as well as "U.S. News and World Report's Best Colleges". [http://www.sacredheart.edu/pages/3353_shu_at_a_glance.cfm]
History
Sacred Heart University was founded in 1963 by the Most Reverend Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport. It was established to provide the community with an affordable, quality education at a local Catholic university. From its outset, the University bore the mark of innovation. Charting a new direction within American Catholicism, the University was to be led and staffed by the laity independent and locally oriented, serving the needs of the diocese and of southwestern Connecticut.
Signs of the University's growth and vibrancy are evident. Enrollment has risen from the original class of 173 to almost 5,700 full and part-time undergraduate and graduate students, and the faculty has increased from 9 to 187 full-time professors and over 300 adjunct professors.
The University has enhanced the undergraduate student experience in several notable ways. In 1990, it accepted for the first time students who wanted the residential experience. The first dorms, Scholars Commons (Previously known as J-Hill), were built 1991. It now has 10 residential buildings with 70% of the full-time undergraduates residing in university housing.
New degree programs and majors in relevant disciplines are regularly added to the curriculum. The University offers Division I athletics with 32 varsity teams. The $17.5 million William H. Pitt Health and Recreation Center is available to all students and to the community at large. Recognizing the importance of technology, Sacred Heart University provides all undergraduate students with a laptop computer. The University campus is a wireless environment.
The University consists of four colleges: College of Arts & Sciences, John F. Welch College of Business, College of Education and Health Professions, and University College. University College is committed to the adult learner, and its evening, weekend and accelerated courses earn praise for their diversity and relevance to changing lifestyles.
On January 25, 2006,
Jack Welch gave a large sum of money and his name to Sacred Heart University's College of Business, which is now known as the "John F. Welch College of Business." [http://www.sacredheart.edu/pages/12142_sacred_heart_university_names_college_of_business_for_legendary_ge_chairman_jack_welch.cfm]Structure
Main Campus
The main campus is located in suburban Fairfield, CT, 50 miles north of New York City and 150 miles south of Boston.
Academic Buildings
* Humanities Center
* Science Center
* University Commons
* Curtis HallResidence Halls
*
Angelo Roncalli Hall (Previously known as East Hall)
*Elizabeth Ann Seton Hall (Previously known as South Hall)
*Thomas Merton Hall (Previously known as West Hall)
* Christian Witness Commons (Previously known as North Hall)
* Scholars Commons (Previously known as J-Hill)
* Taft Commons (off-campus)
* Park Avenue House (off-campus)
* Parkridge Apartments (off-campus)
* Park Royal Apartments (off-campus)
* Oakwood Apartments (off-campus)Other Buildings
* Administration Building
* William H. Pitt Health and Recreation Center
* Ryan-Matura Library
* WSHU Public Radio Station
* Park Avenue House (Wellness Center)
* University Chapel (to be opened in winter 08-09)Additional Campuses
* Cambridge Campus (Trumbull, CT)
* Oakview Campus (Trumbull, CT)
* Stamford Campus (Stamford, CT)
* Griswold Campus (Griswold, CT)
* Luxembourg Campus (Luxembourg)
* Dingle, County Kerry Campus (Ireland)Laptop Program
Back in 1995 Sacred Heart started up its laptop program. Every freshman receives a laptop and in their junior year they exchange their old one for a new one. The program has been in effect for over 10 years.
Student Body
* Enrollment: 4,226
* Female: 62%
* Out of State: 74%
* International: 1%
* African American: 5%
* Asian: 2%
* Caucasian: 85%
* Hispanic: 6%
* Native American: 0%* The top four states in which first-year undergraduate students and their families permanently reside are New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts.
* 40% of the Class of 2011 had a high school GPA of 3.5 or higher.Admission Stats
* Freshmen Returning for Sophomore Year: 80%
* Freshmen Graduating in 4 years: 56%
* Freshmen Graduating in 6 years: 64%
* Students Going to Law School Upon Graduation: 2%
* Students Going to Medical School Upon Graduation: 2%
* Students Going to Business School Upon Graduation: 13%
* Students Going to Graduate School Upon Graduation: 39%The Pioneers Athletics
The Pioneers are Division 1 and compete in the
Northeast Conference (NEC)Atlantic Hockey ,Colonial Athletic Association (CAA)Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and theEastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA)Nearly 800 students participate in the University's 32 Division I athletic teams. 17 female teams and 15 male team
For the 2007-2008 season, Sacred Heart University won its first Northeast Conference Commissioner’s Cup, awarded to the top-performing athletic program in the conference
The basketball team has success in recent years making back to back appearances in the NEC Tournament Championship Game. Losing to CCSU in 2007 and MSMU in 2008.
The Men's Track claimed both the Indoor and Outdoor NEC track titles for the first time in 2008. [http://sacredheartpioneers.cstv.com/sports/m-track/recaps/050408aaa.html]
The Woman's Track team too took their first ever track title, winning an Outdoor NEC track title [http://sacredheartpioneers.cstv.com/sports/m-track/recaps/050408aaa.html]
In 2008 the Sacred Heart Dance Team placed 4th in Division 1 at NDA College Nationals
In the 2008 NEC Championships, the Men's Golf Team set an NEC record shooting 8 under par (280). They went on to win by 23 strokes capturing the school's first NEC title for Men's Golf and qualifying for the NCAA Regionals.
In 2008 Arman Dixon was the school's first athlete to ever compete at the Olympic Trails. He competed at the 2008 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, running the 200m and 400m races. [http://sacredheartpioneers.cstv.com/sports/m-track/spec-rel/070108aaa.html]
Student Activities / Student Life
The Spectrum - SHU Student Newspaper
* The Spectrum is a student-run newspaper.
* It is printed and distributed to students each Thursday and made available online.Community Service
* More than 1,200 students and members of the faculty and staff volunteer in excess of 31,000 hours each year largely within the City of Bridgeport, but also regionally, nationally, and internationally.
* Sacred Heart University has earned public recognition from the state of Connecticut for its volunteer service efforts in twelve of the past fourteen years.
* In Spring 2008, SHU finished third in the nation in the “ONE Campus Challenge” - a campaign that seeks to raise public awareness about the issues of global poverty, hunger, and disease.
* Sacred Heart's Habitat for Humanity was ranked one of the Top 5 chapters in the nationHU Abroad
* SHU has the only American-accredited MBA program in the Grand Duchy of LuxembourgFact|date=September 2008 and a residential study-abroad program in the Irish-speaking community of Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland.
* International experiences are available to SHU students worldwide and through our varied study-abroad programs located at the American University of Rome, in Italy, the University of Notre Dame in Fremantle, Australia, and the University of Granada, in Spain.Greek Life
Currently there are nine Greek organizations (6 sororities and 3 fraternities ) that are active on campus which do a lot of service for the school and the community. For more information about these organizations follow this link [http://www.sacredheart.edu/pages/816_greek_life.cfm]
Notable alumni
*
Kevin Nealon - "Saturday Night Live " cast member
*John Ratzenberger - Actor
*Lydia Hearst-Shaw - American model & columnist for Page Six Magazine (New York Post)Notable members of the Board of Trustees
*
Linda McMahon cite news|title=Administration and Board of Trustees|publisher=Sacred Heart University |url=http://www.sacredheart.edu/pages/18846_administration_and_board_of_trustees.cfm|accessdate=2008-05-24]
*John Ratzenberger
*Rosanne Badowski
*Peter Terpeluk, Jr. References
External links
* [http://www.sacredheart.edu/ Sacred Heart University]
* [http://www.sacredheartspectrum.com/ The Spectrum]
* [http://sacredheartpioneers.cstv.com/ Pioneers Athletics]
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