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Assumption University (Worcester)

Coordinates: 42°17′26″N 71°49′46″W / 42.2905°N 71.8295°W / 42.2905; -71.8295
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Assumption University
Former name
Assumption College (1904–2020)
MottoUntil Christ be Formed in You
TypePrivate university
EstablishedOctober 1, 1904; 120 years ago (October 1, 1904)[1]
FounderCongregation of the Augustinians of the Assumption
Religious affiliation
Roman Catholic (Assumptionist)
Academic affiliations
NAICU, ACCU, IFCU, HECCMA
Endowment$93.9 million (2016)[2]
PresidentGregory S. Weiner[3]
Academic staff
139 Full-time
Students2,349
Undergraduates1,955[4]
Postgraduates394[4]
Location
Worcester
,
Massachusetts
,
United States

42°17′26″N 71°49′46″W / 42.2905°N 71.8295°W / 42.2905; -71.8295
CampusSuburban, 185 acres (74.9 ha)
ColorsBlue   and   White[5]
NicknameGreyhounds[6]
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division II – Northeast-10 Conference
MascotPierre the Greyhound
Websiteassumption.edu

Assumption University is a private, Roman Catholic university in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. Assumption was founded in 1904 by the Augustinians of the Assumption. It enrolls about 2,000 students[7] and offers 37 majors and 50 minors. The university confers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in its undergraduate program, and Master of Arts, Master of Science, and Master 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.

History

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Early Years

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Assumption was founded in 1904 by the Augustinians of the Assumption, a Catholic order under the Augustinian 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 of French-Canadian heritage. Most courses were taught in French, 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.[8]

On June 9, 1953, a violent F4 tornado cut a path of destruction through several western and central Massachusetts communities, including the city of Worcester. Several campus buildings were destroyed or severely damaged. Although the previously co-located Assumption Preparatory School stayed on the rebuilt campus until 1970, the then-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 of Quinsigamond Community College.

Transition to University

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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.[9]

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.[10]

Assumption's first class of nursing students graduated from the Froelich School of Nursing in 2023 with a 100 percent passing rate on the National Council Licensure Examination for registered nurses (NCLEX-RN).[11] The program was then granted professional accreditation in 2024 from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.[12]

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).[13] 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 app Tinder 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 app TikTok based on the former reality TV show To Catch a Predator. The Assumption president, Dr. Weiner, said the behavior described by police was "abhorrent and antithetical to Assumption University's mission and values."[14]

Campus

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Assumption's 185-acre (75 ha) campus is in Worcester, Massachusetts, New England's second-largest city behind Boston, and located 43 miles (69 km) to the east. 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 1953 Worcester 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 feature stained 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.[15]

As of 2025, the campus consists of 47 buildings, including 16 residential options, 10 academic buildings, and six athletic facilities.[16] The campus is also home to the Emmanuel d'Alzon Library, completed in 1988 and named after Emmanuel d'Alzon, a French Catholic priest who founded the Assumptionists.

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.[17]

As part of a university investment in developing a nursing program, the Richard J. and Sophia Catrambone Health Sciences Center was completed in November 2020.[18] 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 coach Brian Kelly, a member of the class of 1983.[19]

The university's primary dining hall, Taylor Dining Hall, underwent a $1 million renovation project in 2024 as a part of a new partnership with Aramark Collegiate Hospitality.[20]

Athletics

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Main article: Assumption Greyhounds

Assumption University teams participate as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division II. The Greyhounds are a member of the Northeast-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]

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.[22]

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.[23]

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 just one of seven schools to win the award each year it has been presented.[24]

Notable alumni

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Assumption Preparatory School graduates are included in this list of notable Assumption University alumni:[25]

References

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  1. ^ Assumption College: A Centennial History 1904 - 2004, Kenneth J. Moynihan. Pp. 40.
  2. ^ "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2016 Endowment Market Value and Change* in Endowment Market Value from FY2015 to FY2016" (PDF). NACUBO. February 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 15, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  3. ^ "Assumption University Names Interim President Greg Weiner, Ph.D., as 17th President | Assumption University". Archived from the original on December 26, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "College Navigator - Assumption College". nces.ed.gov. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  5. ^ "Assumption College Publication Standards-Assumption College". Assumption College. Archived from the original on September 18, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  6. ^ "Assumption University Greyhounds Athletics News". Assumption. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  7. ^ "College Navigator - Assumption University". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  8. ^ "College Burns Down, Incendiary Suspected— Students of Catholic Institution in Greendale, Mass., Escape in Their Night Clothes, The New York Times, March 25, 1923, p. 1
  9. ^ mhanson@masslive.com, Melissa Hanson | (June 11, 2020). "Assumption College in Worcester officially transitions to Assumption University". masslive. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  10. ^ Smilk, Carin M. (March 29, 2023). "Greg Weiner becomes first Jewish president of US Catholic university to date". JNS.org. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  11. ^ "Nursing Class of 2023 Has 100 Percent NCLEX-RN® Passing Rate". Assumption University. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  12. ^ "Assumption University | Council for Higher Education Accreditation". www.chea.org. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  13. ^ Burton, Kristi. "Accreditation History-Assumption U". ARC-PA. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  14. ^ Holpuch, Amanda. "Students Charged in 'To Catch a Predator' TikTok Scheme". The New York Times.
  15. ^ STAFF, Bronislaus B. Kush TELEGRAM & GAZETTE. "Windows back at Assumption after suffering twister's wrath". The Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  16. ^ "Assumption University". assumption.university-tour.com. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  17. ^ "Prayer and Worship Opportunities on Campus". Assumption University. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  18. ^ mhanson@masslive.com, Melissa Hanson | (May 11, 2019). "Assumption College knew small colleges were going to face trouble; Here's what they did to stay sustainable". masslive. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  19. ^ tmatthews@masslive.com, Tom Matthews | (November 30, 2020). "Assumption University names stadium after alum, Notre Dame football head coach Brian Kelly". masslive. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  20. ^ "Assumption swaps dining services provider as university prepares for $1M renovation of dining hall". Worcester Business Journal. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  21. ^ "Conference History". northeast10.org. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  22. ^ "Club Sports". Assumption University. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  23. ^ "Intramural Sports". Assumption University. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  24. ^ "44 DII schools receive Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence". NCAA.org. November 21, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  25. ^ "History of Assumption Preparatory School". Assumption College. Archived from the original on July 12, 2010. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
  26. ^ "Senado de Puerto Rico". senado.pr.gov. Retrieved May 21, 2023.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
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