Christian Brothers University
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Motto | Virtus et Scientia (Character and Knowledge) |
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| Established | 1871 |
| Type | Private |
| Endowment | $35 Million |
| President | Brother Vincent Malham, F.S.C. |
| Students | 2,000 |
| Location | Memphis, Tennessee, United States |
| Campus | Urban, 75 acres (303,514 m²) |
| Nickname | Buccaneers and Lady Buccaneers |
| Affiliations | Roman Catholic |
| Website | http://www.cbu.edu/ |
Christian Brothers University is a Catholic academic institution. It is the largest private university in West Tennessee, and the oldest degree-granting institution in the city of Memphis. CBU is located in the heart of Midtown Memphis. It is run by the Christian Brothers, a Catholic teaching order. As of 2004, the school had 109 faculty members and enrolled 1900 students. CBU also originally housed the high school CBHS where the oldest high school band in America was formed.
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[edit] Campus
CBU is located on a 75-acre wooded campus in the heart of Midtown, Memphis, about four miles east of downtown. Kenrick Hall is the oldest building on campus, constructed in 1939 and was the original Christian Brothers High School. CBU’s architecture follows the Georgian Style popular at the time of the campus’ relocation to East Parkway. Beautiful arch-covered walkways traverse the main campus, allowing students and faculty to get to their classes in shade and protection from the unpredictable Memphis weather. The campus is enclosed by an iron fence with brick accents with entrances off East Parkway South (main entrance), Central Avenue (student parking), and Avery Avenue (the Brothers' Residence parking).
[edit] History
Christian Brothers College was founded November 19, 1871, by members of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, a Roman Catholic religious teaching congregation. The Brothers came to Memphis at the request of the people and clergy of the city, a move which culminated more than a decade of efforts to persuade the Brothers to open a college in Memphis. Brother Maurelian was appointed the first President.
Brother Maurelian's two terms as President totalled 33 years. During his presidency, the Brothers purchased the 612 Adams Street building which was to house the college until 1940 when the college moved to its present location at Central Avenue and East Parkway South. The college functioned as a combined elementary school, high school, and college, granting both high school diplomas as well as Bachelor's and Master's Degrees from 1871 to 1915, when the college division was suspended. Elementary classes were dropped in 1922, and the institution operated as a high school only until 1940. Reopened at that time as a Junior College, the college began granting Associate of Arts Degrees in 1942.
In 1953, the decision was made to expand the Junior College into a four-year institution to more adequately serve the needs of the community. The four-year curriculum began with degrees in Business Administration and Electrical Engineering, with the first graduates in recent times receiving their degrees in 1955.
The curriculum was soon expanded to meet the needs for new programs in the fields of Mechanical Engineering and Chemistry. Through the ensuing years the following degree programs were added: Biology, Civil Engineering, Mathematics, English, Physics, Chemical Engineering, History, Psychology, Natural Science, Engineering Physics, Computer Science, and Religion and Philosophy. Teacher Preparation Programs in Secondary education were added in 1969. An accelerated Evening Program offering a degree in Business Administration was added in 1978 to meet the needs of the adult student, and the Applied Psychology degree was added in 1999.
Programs at the graduate level were reinstated in 1987 with the Master's program in Telecommunication and Information Systems. The Master of Business Administration and the Master in Engineering Management were added in 1989. A Master of Education was added in 1997, and the Master of Arts in Teaching and Master of Science in Educational Leadership were offered beginning in 2001. The Master of Arts in Executive Leadership was added in 2005.
Christian Brothers University became co-educational in 1970. Currently, women make up approximately fifty five percent of the student body. Officially, Christian Brothers College became Christian Brothers University in June of 1990. [1]
[edit] Students and Faculty
Christian Brothers University is the largest private university in West Tennessee with a student population around 2000 (counting day-students, evening-students, and graduate schools). CBU has one of the most diverse student bodies in the southeast; 52.1% are Caucasian, 34.6% are African Americans, 3.0% are Asian or Pacific Islanders, 2.1% are Native American, 1.7% are Hispanic, and 2.6% are from over twenty separate foreign countries. The male/female ratio is 45/55. Eighty-nine percent of the students rank in the top half of their high school classes, 49 percent in the top 10 percent. [2]
There are 110 full-time faculty members. All of them hold at least master's degrees, and 89 percent hold doctorates or the highest degrees in their field. No courses are taught by teaching assistants. The student/faculty ratio is 12 to 1.
While CBU is a Catholic university, 32 different faiths are represented in the student body (23% are Catholic). Religious observances are not required, but students are encouraged to practice their faith openly and actively. [3]
[edit] Athletics
Christian Brothers University has a long standing record of excellence and a deep tradition in intercollegiate athletics. The mascot for the school’s athletic teams is the Buccaneer. Scarlet and grey are the official colors of the university. The Bucs and Lady Bucs began playing in the 1950s as an independent. Over the last half-century, CBU has competed in the NAIA Division I in the Volunteer State Athletic Conference (VSAC), and the Tennessee Collegiate Athletic Conference (TCAC).
Since 1992 CBU has been a member of the NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference, which has schools in Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee. The Gulf South is one of the premier all-sports conferences in the nation, and its teams have captured national titles in almost every sport.
CBU now fields thirteen intercollegiate teams in the following sports: Men’s and women’s Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, and Soccer; Baseball, Softball, and Volleyball.
[edit] Lasallian Tradition
As a Lasallian Catholic institution, CBU traces its origins to a priest and educational innovator of 17th century France, St. John Baptist de La Salle. Born in 1651, De La Salle began a new system of Christian Schools in which the teachers assist parents in the educational, ethical and religious formation of their children. To continue his vision, De La Salle founded the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (known today as the De La Salle Christian Brothers). In Latin, the group's name is Fratres Scholarum Christianarum — the "FSC" after a Brother's name. The spiritual and pedagogical insights of Saint John Baptist de La Salle are the foundations of the Lasallian Community.
Today, the Lasallian Community, the ongoing home of De La Salle's tradition and spirit, is alive and functioning in 81 countries of the world and in more than 1,000 educational institutions. Over 4,000 De La Salle Christian Brothers, along with 56,000 Lasallian lay colleagues, serve over three quarters of a million students and their families worldwide. In the United States there are more than 100 Lasallian educational institutions. Christian Brothers University is one of the seven Lasallian colleges and universities in the United States.
There are seven Brothers’ universities in the United States:
- Christian Brothers University – Memphis, Tennessee
- College of Santa Fe – Santa Fe, New Mexico
- La Salle University – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Lewis University – Romeoville, Illinois
- Manhattan College – New York, New York
- St. Mary’s College – Moraga, California
- St. Mary’s University – Winona, Minnesota
[edit] External links
- Official Christian Brothers University Homepage
- Christian Brothers University Athletic Homepage
- Christian Brothers High School, Memphis
- Brothers of the Christian Schools, Rome, Italy
[edit] Outside Organizations Housed on the CBU Campus
| Lasallian Colleges and Universities of North America | Image:Signum.jpg |
|---|---|
| Christian Brothers • Santa Fe • La Salle • Lewis • Manhattan • Saint Mary's (CA) • Saint Mary's (MN) |
| Gulf South Conference |
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| Western Division: Arkansas Monticello • Arkansas Tech • Christian Brothers • Delta State • Harding • Henderson State • Ouachita Baptist • Southern Arkansas Eastern Division: Alabama Huntsville • Montevallo • North Alabama • Valdosta State • West Alabama • West Florida • West Georgia |
