Sacred Heart University
Encyclopedia
Sacred Heart University is a Roman Catholic university located in suburban Fairfield
Fairfield, Connecticut
Fairfield is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is bordered by the towns of Bridgeport, Trumbull, Easton, Redding and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 59,404...

, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Sacred Heart was founded in 1963 by the Most Reverend Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport
Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport is located in the south western part of the state of Connecticut, and its boundaries are the same as that of Fairfield County, Connecticut. There are 87 parishes in the diocese. Its cathedral is St. Augustine in Bridgeport.The current bishop is The Most...

, Connecticut. Sacred Heart University was the first Catholic university in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 to be staffed by the laity
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...

. Dr. John J. Petillo is the current President of the University.

SHU is the second largest Catholic university in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

, behind Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...

, and offers more than 40 degree programs to over 6,000 students at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels.

Sacred Heart is included in The Princeton Review's Best 371 Colleges 2010http://www.sacredheart.edu/pages/29732_shu_ranked_among_america_s_best_schools_by_the_princeton_review_us_news_world_report.cfm, the Best 301 Business Schools 2010http://www.sacredheart.edu/pages/30356_shu_among_princeton_review_s_best_business_schools.cfm, as well as U.S. News and World Report's Best Colleges.http://www.sacredheart.edu/pages/29732_shu_ranked_among_america_s_best_schools_by_the_princeton_review_us_news_world_report.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. 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.

Enrollment has risen from the original class of 173 to over 6,000 full and part-time undergraduate and graduate students, and the faculty has increased from 9 to 212 full-time professors and over 350 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 31 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
Jack Welch
John Francis "Jack" Welch, Jr. is an American chemical engineer, business executive, and author. He was Chairman and CEO of General Electric between 1981 and 2001...

 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

On Sunday, September 27, 2009, Sacred Heart University dedicated and opened its new chapel. The worship space, following the teachings of Vatican Council II has been named the Chapel of the Holy Spirit.

Campus

The main campus is located in suburban Fairfield, 50 miles (80.5 km) north of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 and 150 miles (241.4 km) south of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

.

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)

Student body

  • Enrollment: 4192
  • Female: 60%
  • Out of State: 74%
  • International: 1%
  • African American: 5%
  • Asian: 4%
  • Caucasian: 84%
  • Hispanic: 7%
  • 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 2009 had a high school GPA of 3.5 or higher.

Theatre Arts Program

The Theatre Arts Program began in 2009 with the premiere of Sacred Heart University's first musical production: Rent. Other productions include Little Shop of Horrors in spring 2011 and Spring Awakening premiering in the spring of 2012. The Theatre Arts Program also features two student-produced, student-written, and student-performed Theatre Festivals in both the fall and spring semesters and is the home of Sacred Heart's own improv team: Awkward Handshake.

The Spectrum

The Spectrum is a student-run newspaper printed and distributed to students each Wednesday 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. 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. In Fall 2007, SHU's Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter was named one of the Top Five Campus Chapters in the nation, for their work in the Bridgeport community, and around the country with alternative spring break service trips.

Study abroad

SHU has the only American-accredited MBA program in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and a residential study-abroad program in the Irish-speaking community of Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland. International experiences are available to SHU students worldwide through 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, as well as programs in Bermuda and the Bahamas.

SHU also allows students to participate in CCIS programs, programs affiliated with other schools across the U.S. These programs include, but are not limited to: France, Argentina, Germany, Belgium, and Japan.

Athletics

The Pioneers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...

 (NCAA) in the Northeast Conference
Northeast Conference
The Northeast Conference is a college athletic conference whose schools are members of the NCAA. The NCAA designates the Northeast Conference to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision for Division I Men's Football and to Division I Sports for all other sports.Founded in 1981 as the ECAC-Metro...

 (NEC) Atlantic Hockey
Atlantic Hockey
The Atlantic Hockey Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates primarily in the northeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey–only conference. Unlike several other college athletic conferences, Atlantic Hockey has no women's...

, Colonial Athletic Association
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...

 (CAA) Eastern College Athletic Conference
Eastern College Athletic Conference
The Eastern College Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference comprising schools that compete in 21 sports . It has 317 member institutions in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, ranging in location from Maine to North Carolina and west to Illinois...

 (ECAC), Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association
Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association
The Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association is an NCAA Division I collegiate wrestling conference. It has been active since 1905 and has had a variety of schools as members throughout its tenure.-Current members:*American University...

 EIWA (Wrestling) and the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
The Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association is a college athletic conference whose member schools compete in men's volleyball. Its member institutions are located in the Northeast United States....

 (EIVA).

Nearly 800 students participate in the university's 31 athletic teams (17 female teams and 14 male teams) along with more than 500 students who participate in 23 Club Sports.

In March 2009, the Women's Basketball team won the NEC Title and earned their second trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last four years. The team faced the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first round of the tournament on March 21, 2009, and lost 77-63. The Sacred Heart Pioneers women's ice hockey
Sacred Heart Pioneers women's ice hockey
The Sacred Heart Pioneers women's ice hockey program represents Sacred Heart University. The Pioneers are an independent but compete against NCAA Division I, Division III, and ACHA Division I schools. Their first year of varsity women's hockey was in 1996-97. The Pioneers were in the ECAC at the...

 program competes as an independent in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey.

The men's golf team won the NEC Title in May of 2008, 2009 and 2011.

Club sports

Currently there are twenty-six club sports active on campus.

The active clubs are:
  • Baseball
  • Men's Basketball
  • Women's Basketball
  • Men's Bowling
  • Curling
  • Dance Team
  • Field Hockey
  • Figure Skating
  • Gymnastics
  • Golf
  • Men's Ice Hockey
    Sacred Heart Pioneers men's ice hockey
    The Sacred Heart Pioneers men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college ice hockey program that represents Sacred Heart University. The Pioneers are a member of Atlantic Hockey. They play at the Milford Ice Pavilion in Milford, Connecticut.-External links:*...

  • Women's Ice Hockey
    Sacred Heart Pioneers women's ice hockey
    The Sacred Heart Pioneers women's ice hockey program represents Sacred Heart University. The Pioneers are an independent but compete against NCAA Division I, Division III, and ACHA Division I schools. Their first year of varsity women's hockey was in 1996-97. The Pioneers were in the ECAC at the...

  • Men's Lacrosse
  • Women's Lacrosse
  • Men's Rugby
    Sacred Heart University Men's Rugby Football Club
    The Sacred Heart University Men's Rugby Football Club is a men's college rugby club based at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut founded in 1992. The SHU rugby players are known as the Xmen...

  • Women's Rugby
  • Running
  • Men's Soccer
  • Women's Soccer
  • Softball
  • Men's Swimming
  • Tennis
  • Track and Field
  • Ultimate Frisbee
  • Women's Volleyball
  • Weightlifting

Greek life

There are 5 national sororities and 3 national fraternities. With one local fraternity and sorority. With over 650 members it is one of the fastest growing organizations on campus.

Sororities:
5 National: Kappa Delta
Kappa Delta
Kappa Delta was the first sorority founded at the State Female Normal School , in Farmville, Virginia. It is one of the "Farmville Four" sororities founded at the university...

, Phi Sigma Sigma
Phi Sigma Sigma
Phi Sigma Sigma , colloquially known as "Phi Sig," was the first collegiate nonsectarian fraternity, welcoming women of all faiths and backgrounds...

, Zeta Tau Alpha
Zeta Tau Alpha
Zeta Tau Alpha is a women's fraternity, founded October 15, 1898 at the State Female Normal School in Farmville, Virginia. The Executive office is located in Indianapolis, Indiana...

, Theta Phi Alpha
Theta Phi Alpha
Theta Phi Alpha women's fraternity was founded at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor on August 30, 1912. Theta Phi Alpha is one of 26 national sororities recognized in the National Panhellenic Conference...

, Chi Omega
Chi Omega
Chi Omega is a women's fraternity and the largest member of the National Panhellenic Conference. Chi Omega has 174 active collegiate chapters and over 230 alumnae chapters. Chi Omega's national headquarters is located in Memphis, Tennessee....

 and 1 Local: Kappa Phi

Fraternities:
3 National: Pi Kappa Phi
Pi Kappa Phi
Pi Kappa Phi is an American social fraternity. It was founded by Andrew Alexander Kroeg, Jr., Lawrence Harry Mixson, and Simon Fogarty, Jr. on December 10, 1904 at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina...

, Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta is a U.S.-based international secret letter college fraternity. Delta Tau Delta was founded in 1858 at Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia, . It currently has around 125 student chapters nationwide, as well as more than 25 regional alumni groups. Its national community service...

, Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma , commonly nicknamed Kappa Sig, is an international fraternity with currently 282 active chapters and colonies in North America. Kappa Sigma has initiated more than 240,000 men on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Today, the Fraternity has over 175,000 living...

 and 1 Local: Omega Phi Kappa

Honors


Notable alumni

  • Kevin Nealon
    Kevin Nealon
    Kevin Nealon is an American actor and comedian, best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1995, acting in several of the Happy Madison films, for playing Doug Wilson on the Showtime series Weeds, and providing the voice of the title character, Glenn Martin on Glenn Martin,...

     - Saturday Night Live
    Saturday Night Live
    Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...

    cast member
  • John Ratzenberger
    John Ratzenberger
    John Deszo Ratzenberger is an American actor, voice actor, and entrepreneur. He is best known for his role as Cliff Clavin in Cheers.-Early life:...

     - Actor
  • Lydia Hearst-Shaw
    Lydia Hearst-Shaw
    Lydia Marie Hearst-Shaw is an American actress, fashion model, columnist, socialite and heiress to the publishing fortune established by her maternal great-grandfather William Randolph Hearst. The 2008 Michael Awards recognized her as their Model of the Year...

     - American model & Actress
  • Jon Corto
    Jon Corto
    Jon Corto is an American football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills. He was originally signed by the Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Sacred Heart.-External links:**...

     - Linebacker for Buffalo Bills
    Buffalo Bills
    The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

  • Romeo Roselli
    Romeo Roselli
    Giovanni Roselli best known as Romeo Roselli is a professional wrestler and actor best known for his stint with World Wrestling Entertainment on the Raw brand as one half of the "Heart Throbs" and is not to be confused with another wrestler by the name of Kid Romeo.-Career:Roselli began wrestling...

     - Professional Wrestler & Actor
  • Jeff LeBlanc
    Jeff LeBlanc
    Jeff LeBlanc, is an American singer and songwriter. He was born and raised in Center Moriches, New York before moving on to attend Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut where he studied History, Music History and Education....

     - Singer/Songwriter from the class of 2008

Notable members of the Board of Trustees

  • Linda McMahon
    Linda McMahon
    Linda Marie McMahon is an American professional wrestling magnate and politician. She is notable for her career developing WWE with her husband Vince McMahon. She was in the company from 1980 to 2009. During this time, WWE grew from a small regional business in New York to a large multinational...

  • John Ratzenberger
    John Ratzenberger
    John Deszo Ratzenberger is an American actor, voice actor, and entrepreneur. He is best known for his role as Cliff Clavin in Cheers.-Early life:...

  • Rosanne Badowski
  • Peter Terpeluk, Jr.
    Peter Terpeluk, Jr.
    J. Peter Terpeluk, Jr. was a Republican politician from Pennsylvania and a American diplomat who was the United States Ambassador to Luxembourg for part of the tenure of President George W...


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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