Academic Resources

Academic Center

The Academic Center contains mostly classrooms and faculty, administrative, and academic departmental offices. This includes Campus Ministry, Campus Operations, Public Safety, Registrar, Student Affairs, and Student Government offices. It is also a multipurpose activity center, housing the computer center, a dining hall, the Art & Design Gallery, mailroom/print shop (a.k.a. SHU Print-and-Delivery, or SHU PAD), science and language laboratories, snack bar, and the Edgerton Center for the Performing Arts. Hawley Lounge serves as a student lounge and recreational activity center.

Bookstore

The bookstore is located on the first floor of the new Linda E. McMahon Commons. Operated by Follett College Stores, it offers textbooks, supplies, clothing with the University’s name and logo, and related items. Bookstore purchases can be made online. Visit the bookstore’s website at www.sacredheart.edu by clicking the “Admissions” tab and then “Bookstore” in the left margin.

Cambridge Drive: The College of Health Professions

The faculty offices and many of the instructional spaces of the College of Health Professions are located in neighboring Trumbull, at 7 Cambridge Drive, a short distance from the Park Avenue campus. This facility houses state-of-the-art labs, classrooms, and library facilities for the Colleges, which includes the College of Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Human Movement. All graduate study for the Colleges and many laboratory and didactic undergraduate courses are scheduled in this exciting space. In addition to the highly sophisticated classrooms, laboratories, and library spaces, there are new dining facilities, a physical therapy clinic, a reading clinic, and administrative and faculty offices. Ample parking is available, and the facility is served by a regular University shuttle service.

Campus Field

Campus Field is the home of the Sacred Heart Pioneer football, men’s and women’s soccer, field hockey, men’s and women’s lacrosse, women’s rugby, and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field. Renovated in 2015, Campus Field features lights and a new surface for its multipurpose field. The field is surrounded by an eight-lane synthetic-surface running track, which was also recently renovated and is available for competition and recreational use with seating for more than 3,500 spectators. Campus Field is an ideal location for large-scale events and has been host to athletic tournaments, graduations, and outdoor fairs. Adjacent to Campus Field are six tennis courts (resurfaced in the summer of 2015) as well as Pioneer Park, which is one of the finest softball stadiums in the Northeast.

Chapel of the Holy Spirit

The Chapel of the Holy Spirit, which was dedicated in August 2009, is a pivotal campus landmark serving as a powerful symbol of Sacred Heart’s Catholic identity. It holds more than 500 in its principal sanctuary with a smaller Chapel of the Nativity for daily Mass and private prayer that seats 50. Among the Chapel’s special features are original mosaics and stained glass by world-famous Jesuit artist, Father Marko Ivan Rupnik, and a tracker organ designed and manufactured specially for Sacred Heart University by master craftsmen at Casavant Frères. There are outdoor gardens and a spacious narthex—or foyer—suitable for public gatherings. The building and grounds are designed to suggest one of the defining themes of the Second Vatican Council: the Church as the Pilgrim People of God. The Chapel roof consists of copper folds in the manner of a nomadic tent, for example, and the narthex has walls of glass to demonstrate the intersection between daily life and the life of prayer. The Chapel’s bell tower holds four unique bronze bells, hand-cast in the Netherlands. The largest one weighs 1,500 pounds and measures 41 inches in diameter; the smallest weighs 447 pounds and measures 27 inches in diameter.

Curtis Hall

Curtis Hall, named for the University’s founder, Most Reverend Walter W. Curtis, DD, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, houses the offices of Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions, Student Financial Assistance, and Marketing and Communications. The Curtis Theatre is also located in this building.

Edgerton Center for the Performing Arts

The Edgerton Center for the Performing Arts is a multifaceted facility that presents a wide variety of lectures and theatrical, musical, and dance performances. The University completed a renovation of the Edgerton Center in 2014, allowing for a larger Art & Design Gallery for displaying student and faculty artwork and a reception area where people can gather prior to and following performances. Creating a feeling of openness and natural light, the art gallery/reception area is walled with panels of glass and windows. The additions also include an outdoor facility that provides another warm gathering place for events and campus activities. A large media screen and benches allow for outdoor movies and other programs. The Edgerton Center, which seats close to 800, is host to year-round productions from a variety of University organizations including the Concert Choir, Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, and the SHU Players.

For all questions and ticketing information, call the box office at 203-371-7908, or visit the center at www.edgertoncenter.org.

Melady Administration Building

The Melady Administration Building houses the President’s office, the offices of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, the office of Vice President for Mission and Catholic Identity, the office of the Vice President for Human Resources and Payroll, and the Media Studies Center.

Linda E. McMahon Commons

The 46,000-square-foot Linda E. McMahon Commons serves as a crossroads and popular destination for students and the entire Sacred Heart community. Linking the University’s academic, spiritual, and extracurricular cores, as well as its upper and lower campuses, the distinctive V-shaped building includes the bookstore, a servery adjoining a 250-seat student dining hall, a private dining room with hearth and seating for 50 individuals, informal lounge spaces including a fireplace lounge overlooking the east entry terrace, a concourse connecting active spaces within the building, a presentation room, the career counseling center, and Red’s Pub. The exterior of the building incorporates outdoor terraces that also serve as gathering space for students and faculty.

Frank and Marisa Martire Business and Communications Center

The Martire Business & Communications Center houses the Jack F. Welch College of Business and the Department of Communications & Media Studies. This building is located on the corner of Park Avenue and Jefferson Street in Fairfield. It offers state-of-the-art facilities that include an active trading floor; digital way finding; dedicated conference rooms for business meetings and internships; “problem-based” learning laboratories; screening venues; “smart” classrooms with multimedia technology including movable furniture for various learning configurations; a multimedia forum for leadership institutes, lectures, and screenings; interactive labs including a motion-capture lab for motion-picture animation and video-game design; a large-screen digital cinema; two large television studios for TV, video, and film production; and a radio station.

Oakview Drive

Located off campus in neighboring Trumbull, the building at 101 Oakview Drive houses the Isabelle Farrington College of Education, the office of the Vice President for Finance; the Business Office; Upward Bound; Motion Analysis Laboratory; the Art Department faculty offices; and the administrative offices of WSHU Radio.

Ryan Matura Library

The Ryan Matura Library is the source for information, whether an answer to a factual question or research for a term paper. Librarians are available to answer questions and assist students with extended research projects. Instruction sessions are also conducted for class groups to make them familiar with the library, with subject-specific research and the research process. Librarians will also assist students with finding information in commercial databases or on the Internet. Periodicals and periodical indexes including newspapers are found in print, film, and electronic format. Any book or periodical not found in the library can be obtained from another library through interlibrary loan. Materials can usually be obtained within 10 days. At present, the Ryan Matura Library holds approximately 132,000 print volumes, 50,000 non-print items, and more than 15,000 periodical subscriptions. These include a significant number of full-text journals available on more than 50 online index and abstracting databases. These can be reached 24 hours per day, 7 days per week from links on the library homepage. Databases are available from campus and home. The library also provides a wide range of electronic resources including: Innovative Interfaces Online Catalog; Connecticut Digital Library; ProQuest Database (newspapers, general, business, medical, and social sciences periodicals indexes); Encyclopedia Britannica Online; First Search database (includes World Cat, ERIC, Medline, Cinahl, MLA Bibliography, etc.); as well as many other electronic resources, including Psych Info. Access to these resources is available through the University’s library homepage. The library’s website is located at http://library.sacredheart.edu. It provides the user with access to the library catalog, information about the library, electronic reserve reading, links to research databases, and other related information.

In addition the library houses nine technology-equipped group-study workspaces to allow students to work together on projects or prepare for presentations.

Schine Auditorium

The Schine Auditorium, located in the lower level of the Ryan Matura Library, provides an appropriate setting for lectures, workshops, academic convocations, and other special programs. To reserve the 220-seat auditorium, call 203-371-7913 between 8:30 a.m. and noon, Monday through Friday.

Student Success Center

The Student Success Center is a new learning center dedicated to helping SHU students and young students from the surrounding region achieve success in their educational pursuits. The Student Success Center’s focus is on enhancing student learning, testing, and achievement. The Center for Teaching and Learning provides students with tutoring for their academic program. There will be professional tutors and student tutors to help students in math, writing, and the natural sciences. The Office of Special Services provides support and accommodations for students who need specific help with learning. There is also a laboratory for literacy where graduate students in Education provide tutoring in reading to children in the Bridgeport Public School System. Finally, the Global Affairs Office promotes the internationalization of the University. The Student Success Center is on the corner of St. Nicholas Road and Park Avenue, directly adjacent to the President’s residence. Designed to resemble a large, stately residence, it has a stone veneer on the lower levels to match existing stone retaining walls, brick on the second story, and a gabled half-story space at the top. The structure also resembles the SHU Wellness Center in physical character.

Tandet Building, Stamford Hospital

Sacred Heart University’s College of Health Professions is working with Stamford Hospital to launch a new full-time, 27-month Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) program, starting in fall 2016. The SHU MPAS program will be located in Stamford, on the second floor of Stamford Hospital’s Tandet Building, which is located next to the main hospital on West Broad Street. The 13,000-square-foot space is in the process of a full renovation and will include a state-of-the-art lab, classrooms, and a patient-assessment suite.

William H. Pitt Health and Recreation Center

The William H. Pitt Health and Recreation Center is home to the 32 Pioneer Division I men’s and women’s programs as well as our 26 club sports programs. The three-level, 141,000-square-foot complex features four multipurpose basketball courts, which can be easily converted for concerts or convention use, and seats 2,100 for basketball. The main level of the Pitt Center also houses the Sacred Heart University Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center, a joint private-practice/University venture offering many specialized clinical rehabilitation and wellness services in conjunction with academic-based faculty therapists, in a facility that features state-of-the-art physical therapy equipment. The Health and Fitness Center is located on the lower level of the Pitt Center. Offering a wide range of fitness equipment and classes, the 5,000-square-foot facility features an enclosed aerobics studio and main fitness area, where the latest generation of cardiovascular exercise machines and Hammer Strength free-weight equipment (purchased in the summer of 2014) can be used. Locker rooms for both the Pioneer and visiting athletic teams are adjacent to the fitness area as well as the Pioneer wrestling room. The upper level of the Pitt Center houses the Department of Athletics suite of offices and a student study center. Perched atop the Pitt Center is the Sky Box, a beautifully appointed room with terrace access that is used to host special guests during athletic events. Graduate students may use the Fitness Center for a fee.

Wellness Center

The Wellness Center is located at 4980 Park Avenue. The two-story, colonial-style 5,800-square-foot building serves as a place for acute health and medical needs and will also offer students confidential counseling and therapeutic services. The first floor of the Wellness Center houses the Health Clinic consisting of a reception and sitting area, medical record storage room, several examination rooms, a physician’s office, a nurse’s office, and a supervisor’s office. The Counseling Center located on the second floor offers a health resource area, wellness center, and several counseling suites. Peer educators are also available to aid students in making responsible choices about alcohol, relationships, and coping with loss by offering support and resources. The new Center will hold numerous examining rooms and is equipped with a laboratory and wellness room where students can wait following vaccinations and where they can be monitored if there are adverse reactions.

Instructional Technology and Student Mobile Computing Program

Recognizing the increasingly important role of technology in our society and in education, Sacred Heart University has made a commitment to, and a serious investment in, computers, networking, and its supporting technologies. The University’s network infrastructure provides connectivity to every facility on campus via a fiber-optic backbone.

VPN and virtual desktops are available to provide connectivity solutions for even the most sophisticated applications, from anywhere on the Internet. Browser-based e-mail is available through the web, for sending and receiving campus e-mail from any computer connected anywhere on the Internet.

To promote its “Anytime, Anywhere Learning” initiative, Sacred Heart University launched wireless networking in the summer of 2000 to create one of the first wireless network campuses in New England. This infrastructure allows students to use portable devices anywhere on campus. The current wireless standard is 802.11n.

The students’ computing laboratories are currently comprised of 424 desktop computers distributed throughout several academic facilities. Nineteen laboratories are used for computer-related instruction, and an additional lab provides 24/7/365 access for Sacred Heart University students, faculty, and staff. The University continues to upgrade regular classrooms to technology-enhanced classrooms with fixed multimedia capabilities that allow instructors to fully integrate technology in their classroom presentations. All general-purpose classrooms are equipped with large-screen displays, classroom computers, laptop connections, Blu-Ray players, and audio capabilities. All classrooms on campus are equipped with an active data jack for instructors or students to access the network. Twenty percent of all general-purpose classrooms are equipped with lecture-captive technology. Additionally, there are data/CATV connections in every suite and wireless networking is accessible throughout the campus. The network infrastructure is designed with future technologies in mind and with excess capacity to allow for significant growth. The University is making a serious financial commitment to maintaining the network at peak performance capability and reliability. Upgrading the software and hardware that support the network is a continuous process and not one the University will ever say is complete. Sacred Heart’s commitment is to keeping a state-of-the-art system in place for all our campus customers.

The University is part of a select group of academic institutions that embraces the mobile computing philosophy. Every full-time undergraduate student is encouraged to purchase and use a laptop during their academic life at the University. Information Technology fully supports a variety of laptop models from Lenovo, Apple, and Dell. Sacred Heart University provides all full-time faculty members with a choice of laptop, tablet, or Mac laptop refreshed every three years. We offer similar programs to our adjunct faculty who are issued a supported laptop. We build and deploy an image which contains the latest Microsoft Office software and other necessary tools and utilities.

Through the use of Sacred Heart University’s learning management system, Blackboard, faculty are provided with the ability to remain connected to students outside of the classroom. Blackboard’s functionality allows faculty to post their syllabus electronically, add course content, foster group communication outside of the classroom, and administer electronic exams. In addition, the University provides all faculty with a WebEx account, a tool which enables instructors to host synchronous learning sessions beyond the physical classroom environment. Separate from the faculty accounts, Sacred Heart provides students with WebEx accounts to conduct synchronous group work sessions from any location with an Internet connection.

Computer Facilities

Sacred Heart University offers a state-of-the-art campus network. The library, classrooms, on-campus residence facilities, health and recreation center, and faculty and administrative offices are all networked. With its fiber-optic infrastructure, the University is positioned to support a wide range of emerging technologies. The University has established itself as a pioneer in the implementation of technology across the curriculum.

A host of multiprocessor campus servers support the labs and educational programs. The University’s gigabit Internet, backbone support, and wireless network are linked throughout the campus. The network also supports video, voice, and data across the campus. State-of-the-art routers and firewalls provide high-speed connectivity and security to wide area network (WAN) segments, and are managed completely in house. Administrators maintain traffic-shaping, intrusion prevention, and wireless security measures for access as secure as it is convenient. The University has adopted the “Blackboard” Transaction System to create a simplified means for identification and commerce transactions on campus. The SHU identification card can also be used at select off-campus merchant locations to facilitate additional commerce transactions.

In support of the laptop program, the University has an on-site Notebook Service Center and Call Center (The Factory) staffed by certified technicians and open 12 hours a day, Monday through Thursday, and 9 hours on Friday. The Factory is staffed five days a week, so that members of the University community can call trained technicians for assistance with anything on campus that pertains to technology. The Factory can be accessed on campus through the internal telephone system and off campus via a toll-free telephone number. This facility is specifically designed to service and troubleshoot problems with laptops. Through Sacred Heart’s telephone support hotline, students, faculty, and staff can dial a toll-free number or e-mail tech support to obtain technical assistance. In addition, Sacred Heart University has a full-time training department, which provides multiple workshops every month to train faculty, staff, and students on various technology applications. One-on-one sessions are available by appointment and can cover any software supported by the University.

Jandrisevits Learning Center

Office of Academic Support

Academic Support Services

The Jandrisevits Learning Center (JLC) is SHU’s central academic support service and is open to all SHU students. The JLC offers students at every academic level an opportunity to improve their content area knowledge and to develop academic skills needed to succeed in their coursework. Staffed by highly experienced faculty, graduate, and peer tutors in disciplines across the curriculum, the JLC provides a warm, friendly learning environment that fosters the growth of self-directed learning. The JLC offers the following support services free of charge to all SHU students:

• Individualized tutoring in many disciplines provided by faculty, graduate, and peer tutors (by appointment);
• Classroom Learning Assistants (CLAs), who are peer tutors nominated by faculty to provide academic support to students in disciplines across the curriculum;
• Workshops on college-level study skills such as note-taking, time management, test-taking, critical reading and writing, oral presentations, and math concepts and problem-solving; and
• Online Writing Lab (OWL) for online feedback with written assignments.

Office of Special Learning Services

The Office of Special Learning Services (OSLS) provides instructional accommodations and services to students with documented disabilities. Students with disabilities who request academic accommodations must submit appropriate documentation and register with OSLS. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the OSLS provides reasonable instructional accommodations and services including disclosure letters, alternate testing accommodations, auxiliary aids and services, and academic adjustments. For appointments, call 203-371-7820.

English as a Second Language (ESL)

The English Language Institute at Sacred Heart University offers an accredited, full-time Intensive English Language Program to prepare students for their successful study in an American academic institution. Full-time ESL students enroll in eight-week sessions, taking a cluster of oral communication, written communication, and grammar, totaling 22 hours per week. Placement in the noncredit, preacademic Intensive English Language Program is determined by an English Placement Test and the student’s language profile.

Students who successfully complete their ESL classes at the Sacred Heart English Language Institute are not required to take another proficiency test to enroll in other degree programs at Sacred Heart University. Admission to the English Language Institute does not guarantee admission to the University. Students are allowed to take credit courses while taking advanced ESL courses at the same time. For more information regarding the program, contact the director at 203-365-7528. The program runs five semesters per year. Please see the English Language Institute website for further information: www.sacredheart.edu/esl

Study Abroad

Sacred Heart University offers a variety of graduate study abroad programs around the world—with programming that supports a broad range of educational, professional, and personal objectives. Short-term programs offered over the winter and summer terms are available.

Choose from courses taught at the University’s own sites in Ireland and Luxembourg, or choose courses taught by SHU faculty in additional countries. Courses completed will fulfill degree requirements. Applications are available online one semester before the program start date.

Students participating in SHU programs pay the regular Sacred Heart tuition rate plus a program and/or study abroad fee. Federal and state financial assistance as well as Sacred Heart University grants may apply to SHU and SHU-affiliated semester study abroad. Specific program cost and scholarship information is located on the Office of Global Affairs website.

For more information, contact the Office of Global Affairs at 203-396-8028 or locate programs online at www.sacredheart.edu/studyabroad.

Housing

Inquiries as to the availability of graduate housing or regarding off-campus rentals may be made by contacting the Office of Residential Life at 203-416-3417.