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Former name | Assumption College (1904–2020) |
|---|---|
| Motto | Until Christ be Formed in You |
| Type | Private university |
| Established | October 1, 1904; 121 years ago (1904-10-01)[1] |
| Founder | Congregation of theAugustinians of the Assumption |
Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic (Assumptionist) |
Academic affiliations | NAICU,ACCU,IFCU,HECCMA |
| President | Gregory S. Weiner[2] |
| Students | 2,037 (fall 2024)[3] |
| Undergraduates | 1,713 (fall 2024) |
| Postgraduates | 324 (fall 2024) |
| Location | , United States 42°17′26″N71°49′46″W / 42.2905°N 71.8295°W /42.2905; -71.8295 |
| Campus | Suburban, 185 acres (74.9 ha) |
| Colors | Blue and White[4] |
| Nickname | Greyhounds[5] |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division II –Northeast-10 Conference |
| Mascot | Pierre the Greyhound |
| Website | assumption.edu |
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Assumption University is aprivate Catholic university inWorcester, Massachusetts, United States. Assumption was founded in 1904 by theAugustinians of the Assumption. It enrolls about 2,000 students[6] and offers 37 majors and 50 minors. The university confersBachelor of Arts andBachelor of Science degrees in its undergraduate program, andMaster of Arts,Master of Science, andMaster of Business Administration degrees as well as graduate study certificates.
With the transition from Assumption College to Assumption University in 2020, Assumption reorganized into five schools: the D'Amour College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Grenon School of Business, the Froelich School of Nursing, the School of Health Professions, and the School of Graduate Studies.
Assumption was founded in 1904 by theAugustinians of the Assumption, a Catholic order under theAugustinian Rule dedicated to service through teaching and the hastening of the Kingdom of God, as reflected in their motto "Until Christ be Formed in You". The original campus was in the Greendale section of Worcester, on a tract of hillside land. In these early years, enrollment was exclusively male, primarily ofFrench-Canadian heritage. Most courses were taught inFrench, with only a small number taught in English. On March 24, 1923, an arson fire destroyed the Greendale building that held both the college classrooms and the student dormitories.[7]
On June 9, 1953,a violent F4 tornado cut a path of destruction through several western and centralMassachusetts communities, including the city of Worcester. Several campus buildings were destroyed or severely damaged. Although the previously co-locatedAssumption Preparatory School stayed on the rebuilt campus until 1970, the college relocated to a new campus off Salisbury Street, on the west side of the city, officially opening in 1956. The old Assumption campus complex was sold to the state after the prep school closed and is today the home ofQuinsigamond Community College.
On June 10, 2020, Assumption College officially transitioned to Assumption University. With this transition, the university reorganized into five schools: the D'Amour College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Grenon School of Business, the Froelich School of Nursing, the School of Health Professions, and the School of Graduate Studies.[8]
On October 17, 2022, interim president Greg Weiner was appointed the 17th president of Assumption. President Weiner was formally installed at his inauguration held on March 23, 2023. He is the first Jewish president of a Catholic college or university in the United States.[9]
Assumption's first class of nursing students graduated from the Froelich School of Nursing in 2023 with a 100 percent passing rate on theNational Council Licensure Examination for registered nurses (NCLEX-RN).[10] The program was then granted professional accreditation in 2024 from theCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education.[11]
In October 2024, Assumption's Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies program was granted accreditation-provisional status from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).[12] The first cohort of PA students began in January 2025.
In December 2024, five students at Assumption University were charged with kidnapping and conspiracy after an incident in which police said the students attacked an active-duty member of the U.S. military, accusing him of being a sexual predator. Police said there was no evidence that the man was trying to date anyone under age 18, but he had been lured to campus by a student who identified herself on the dating appTinder as an adult. One of the five students was also charged with intimidation and another with assault and battery with a deadly weapon, after telling campus police that he slammed the victim's head into a car door. A sixth student involved was a minor. Police said the students posted videos of the attack online, participating in a fad on the video appTikTok based on the former reality TV showTo Catch a Predator. Assumption president Greg Weiner said the behavior described by police was "abhorrent and antithetical to Assumption University's mission and values."[13]
Assumption's 185-acre (75 ha) campus is inWorcester, Massachusetts. The campus sits in a neighborhood off Salisbury Street on the northwest side of the city.
The original Assumption campus was in the Greendale section of Worcester but was destroyed in the 1953Worcester tornado that killed nearly 94 people in central Massachusetts. Assumption relocated to its current location off Salisbury Street, officially opening in 1956 with the completion of La Maison Francaise. Many campus buildings prominently featurestained glass windows in their design, and in some cases (such as in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit) the windows were recovered from the university's Greendale campus, which was destroyed by the 1953 tornado, and are now dedicated in memory of the three Assumption community members who perished in the storm.[14]
As of 2025, the campus consists of 47 buildings, including 16 residential options, 10 academic buildings, and six athletic facilities.[15] The campus is also home to the Emmanuel d'Alzon Library, completed in 1988 and named afterEmmanuel d'Alzon, aFrench Catholic priest who founded theAssumptionists.
The Chapel of the Holy Spirit serves as the center of the university's spiritual community. The Chapel and adjoining Tinsley Campus Ministry Center welcome students regardless of their religion to freely practice their faith through the various Catholic and interfaith services and facilities they offer.[16]
As part of a university investment in developing anursing program, the Richard J. and Sophia Catrambone Health Sciences Center was completed in November 2020.[17] The 41,000-square-foot, three-story building features state-of-the-art nursing education equipment and is home to the Froelich School of Nursing.
In 2020, Assumption formally named Brian Kelly '83 Stadium in honor of football head coachBrian Kelly, a member of the class of 1983.[18]
The university's primary dining hall, Taylor Dining Hall, underwent a $1 million renovation project in 2024 as a part of a new partnership withAramark Collegiate Hospitality.[19]
WISE, founded in 1993, "is a member-directed organization created in 1993 to provide lifelong learning opportunities for older adults."[20]
Assumption University teams participate as a member of theNational Collegiate Athletic Association'sDivision II in most sports. The Greyhounds are a member of theNortheast-10 Conference (NE10).
In 1979, Assumption became one of the founding member institutions of the NE10 (then the Northeast-7). Longtime Assumption men's basketball head coach Andy Laska is considered a "founding father" of the conference.[21]
In 2022, it was announced that the women's ice hockey team would compete in theNew England Women's Hockey Alliance, an NCAADivision I conference.[22] It is the only team at Assumption to compete in Division I.
Current men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, tennis and track & field; women's sports include basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball.
Assumption also offers several club sports, including men's and women's basketball, cheerleading, a dance team, equestrian, figure skating, fishing, gymnastics, Latin dance, martial arts, running, ultimate frisbee, men's and women's volleyball, women's soccer, and women's weightlifting.[23]
In addition, Assumption offers intramural sports tournaments each academic year. These sports include 5v5 basketball, battleship, beach volleyball, dodgeball, flag football, floor hockey, indoor soccer, kickball, lawn games, ping-pong, soccer, soccer billiards, softball, volleyball, wallyball, and wiffle ball.[24]
In 2024, Assumption earned its 14th straight NCAA President's Award for Academic Excellence, presented annually to NCAA Division II athletics programs with a 90 percent or higher academic success rate (ASR). Assumption is one of seven schools to win the award each year it has been presented.[25]
Assumption Preparatory School graduates are included in this list of notable Assumption University alumni:[26]
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