MAAC_Program_2025_V4_Pages

SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY

Sacred Heart University

Sacred Heart University was founded in 1963 by the Most Reverend Walter W. Curtis, second bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, to provide an institution of higher education that would serve the people of the diocese and region, regardless of sex, race, creed or religion. In October 1962, Bishop Curtis announced both the plan to open a college the following September, and its name, “Sacred Heart.” The choice of the name had a dual origin: it was the name of the bishop’s first pastorate in Bloomfield, NJ, and was a pledge from the bishop attesting to the value of such an institution. Signs of the University’s growth and vibrancy are evident. Enrollment has risen from the original class of fewer than 200 undergraduate students to over 11,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students. Over the years, Sacred Heart has grown to become the second-largest Catholic university in New England and, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, one of the fastest growing private doctoral institutions in the country. The University has enhanced the undergraduate student experience in many notable ways. In 1990, it accepted, for the first time, students who wanted the residential experience. It now has 12 residential areas, with approximately 91% of first-year students and 51% of all undergraduates residing in University housing. ‌New degree programs and majors in relevant disciplines are regularly added to SHU’s curriculum, and the University now offers more than 200 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its campus in Fairfield, CT, and satellite campus in Dingle, Ireland. The University consists of five colleges and three schools: College of Arts & Sciences, School of Communication, Media & the Arts, School of Social Work, School of Computer Science & Engineering, the AACSB-accredited Jack Welch College of Business & Technology, College of Health Professions, Davis & Henley College of Nursing and Isabelle Farrington College of Education & Human Development. The Princeton Review's 2025 guidebook, The Best 390 Colleges, places SHU among the best universities while U.S. News & World

Report’s guidebook, Best Colleges 2024, reports Sacred Heart as one of the best universities in the nation. The University offers Division I athletics with 33 varsity teams. The William Pitt Athletic & Convocation Center is the exclusive domain of the DI athletes. The Valentine Health & Recreation Center is the state-of the-art recreation center open to all students and includes a suspended track, bowling lanes and a climbing wall. The campus currently comprises more than 300 acres of land, including The Great River 18-Hole Golf Course and the former global headquarters of General Electric, which is now SHU’s West Campus. West Campus currently houses the College of Education & Human Development and College of Business & Technology, which includes the School of Computer Science & Engineering. West Campus is an innovative campus with an IDEA Lab for engineering students and incubator space where business students can work with local businesspeople on projects. West Campus is also home to the Martire Family Arena, SHU’s $70 million premier hockey and skating arena. ‌The Frank and Marisa Martire Center for the Liberal Arts is home to the School of Communication, Media & the Arts. The Center for Healthcare Education opened in the fall of 2017 with 117,000 square feet of exceptional laboratory and learning facilities. Located in the heart of campus, Jorge Bergoglio Hall houses over 200 students in two-bedroom pods with a shared bathroom. Located in SHU’s Upper Quad is the newly established Pioneer Village, which includes student housing and dining options like JP’s Diner. An ever-widening outreach to the community balances the University’s commitment to academic excellence. More than 1,800 students, faculty and staff members volunteer in excess of 118,000 hours to community service each year. To read more about our history, download "1963", by Michael W. Higgins, Ph.D.

2025 | HERCULES TIRES MAAC MEN’S & WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS 47