Mission and History

Mission Statement

Sacred Heart University is a coeducational, independent, comprehensive institution of higher learning in the Catholic intellectual tradition whose primary objective is to prepare men and women to live in and make their contributions to the human community. The University aims to assist in the development of people knowledgeable of self, rooted in faith, educated in mind, compassionate in heart, responsive to social and civic obligations and able to respond to an ever-changing world. It does this by calling forth the intellectual potential of its students, nurturing each one’s spiritual and moral growth, and deepening in them a sense of social responsibility. The University is committed to combining education for life with preparation for professional excellence. Sacred Heart University is Catholic in tradition and spirit. As a Catholic university, it seeks to play its appropriate role in the modern world. It exemplifies in its life the Judeo-Christian values of the God-given freedom and dignity of every human person. Inspired by the ecumenical spirit of the Second Vatican Council, Sacred Heart University welcomes men and women of all religious traditions and beliefs who share its concerns for truth, scholarship, the dignity of the human person, freedom and the betterment of human society. It values religious diversity as enhancing the University community and creating opportunities for dialogue in the common search for truth. Through its curricular and co-curricular activities and campus ministry programs, the University provides the context in which students have the opportunity to appropriate in a critical fashion their own religious traditions. Sacred Heart University challenges its students to think critically, analyze carefully, evaluate with a sense of justice and proportion and convey conclusions in an intelligible and articulate fashion. The University provides the environment in which its students can develop the aesthetic dimension of life by nurturing their abilities to imagine, create and appreciate. It assists students in acquiring a rich understanding of their own cultural and family heritages so as to assume their responsibilities as conveyors and creators of culture and family. As a community of teachers and scholars, Sacred Heart University exists for the pursuit of truth. It joins with other colleges and universities in the task of expanding human knowledge and deepening human understanding. It encourages and supports the scholarly and artistic work of its faculty and students. Further, it has a responsibility to share its resources and its special gifts and talents for the betterment of the human community. All members of the University community are encouraged to participate in the wider community through service to others, especially the poor. From its founding, the University has been recognized for its caring approach to students. This expresses the University’s belief that each student is born with a unique set of qualities and skills. It respects the personal and academic freedom of each of its members while, at the same time, fostering a genuine experience of community. By so doing, it creates the environment in which each person in the University shares in common goals and a common commitment to truth, justice, and concern for others.

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 an affordable, quality education at a 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, as an independent Catholic University. Signs of the University’s growth and vibrancy are evident. The enrollment has risen from the original class of 173 students to more than 8,500 full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate students in the fall of 2015. Correspondingly, the faculty has increased from nine to 264 full-time professors and a cadre of dedicated affiliate faculty members. The University has grown and enhanced the undergraduate student experience in several other ways. In 1990, it accepted for the first time students who wanted the “residential” experience. It now has 11 residence halls, and 66 percent of full-time undergraduate students live in University housing. New degree programs and majors in relevant disciplines are consistently added to our curriculum. The University offers Division I athletics with 32 varsity teams. The expansive William H. Pitt Health and Recreation Center is available to all students and the community at large. Recognizing the importance of technology, Sacred Heart University recommends that all undergraduate students have a laptop computer. The University campus is a wireless environment. The University consists of five colleges: College of Arts and Sciences, Jack Welch College of Business, Isabelle Farrington College of Education, College of Health Professions, and College of Nursing. An ever-widening outreach to the community balances the University’s commitment to academic excellence. The Center for Spirituality and Ministry educates men and women for pastoral, administrative, catechetical and other Church ministries. Closer to home, hundreds of students, faculty and staff volunteer their services in the community each year. The Center for Strategic Planning for Not-for-Profit Organizations provides business assistance to qualified groups at no cost. Through the Sacred Heart University–St. Charles Health and Wellness Center, faculty and students from nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychology, occupational therapy and related disciplines bring the assets of contemporary healthcare practices and services to an at-risk population in the multicultural communities of St. Charles Church and neighborhood on Bridgeport’s East Side. For more than 50 years, the administration, faculty, staff, and students have been proud to carry on the founder’s vision and support the University’s mission.

Locations

Located on 56 suburban acres and adjacent properties in Fairfield, Connecticut, the main campus is just minutes from Exit 47 off the Merritt Parkway (Route 15), about one hour north of New York, and less than three hours south of Boston. Major extension sites of the University are located in Stamford and Griswold, Connecticut. The University also offers a Master of Business Administration degree and undergraduate study abroad in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Main Campus: Fairfield

Full-Time Admissions

Sacred Heart University 5151 Park Avenue

Fairfield, CT 06825-1000

203-371-7880 Fax: 203-365-7607

E-mail: enroll@sacredheart.edu

Part-Time Admissions

Sacred Heart University 5151 Park Avenue

Fairfield, CT 06825-1000

203-371-7830 Fax: 203-365-7500

E-mail: ucadmissions@sacredheart.edu

Sacred Heart University at Griswold