150 Years: Faithful to the Mission
Welcome to a digital timeline of St. John’s University. The selected milestones provide a glimpse of the university from 1870 until today.
The Most Rev. John Loughlin, the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Brooklyn, NY, reaches out to the Congregation of the Mission (the Vincentians) to establish “a day College where the youth of the City might find advantages of a solid education.”
The Vincentian founders purchase three former farms in north-central Brooklyn to serve as the future site of St. John’s College.
St. John’s College is founded with 47 students and six faculty on Lewis Avenue in Brooklyn.
St. John’s awards its first scholarships.
A New York State charter grants St. John’s the powers of a University.
The men’s basketball team makes its first appearance.
The School of Pedagogy is founded, admitting men and women.
The School of Pedagogy is renamed the College Extension.
The School of Law is founded.
The School of Accounting, Commerce, and Finance is established.
To accommodate growing enrollment, construction begins on the Schermerhorn Street building in downtown Brooklyn, NY.
The School of Pharmacy is established.
The name officially changes from St. John’s College to St. John’s University, Brooklyn.
The School of Accounting, Commerce and Finance is renamed the School of Commerce.
The School of Pharmacy is renamed the College of Pharmacy.
The College Extension is renamed Teachers College.
The Vincentians purchase the Hillcrest Golf Course, the future Queens, NY, campus, for the relocation of the University.
The Department of Nursing is established at Teachers College.
The Department of Nursing becomes a separate School of Nursing Education.
Teachers College separates its undergraduate and graduate divisions.
The name officially changes to St. John’s University, New York.
Construction begins on the Queens campus with St. John Hall.
Teachers College is renamed The School of Education.
Alumni Hall is formally dedicated.
The School of Commerce is renamed the College of Business Administration.
The Junior College is established.
St. Augustine Hall, the University’s hallmark building, is constructed.
The Junior College is renamed the School of General Studies.
The University acquires its Staten Island, NY, campus, formerly Notre Dame College.
The School of General Studies is renamed the College of General Studies.
The College of General Studies becomes St. Vincent’s College.
The College of Pharmacy is renamed the College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions.
The School of Education is renamed the School of Education and Human Services.
The first study abroad program, College Europa, launches in Budapest, Hungary.
St. John’s establishes a graduate campus in Rome, Italy, marking the beginning of the University’s global presence.
The first residence halls are completed on the Queens campus.
St. Vincent’s College is renamed the College of Professional Studies.
The College of Business Administration is renamed The Peter J. Tobin College of Business.
The University acquires The College of Insurance, which is renamed the School of Risk Management, Insurance and Actuarial Science, as well as its Manhattan campus at 101 Murray Street.
The School of Education and Human Services resumes its former title of The School of Education.
St. Thomas More Church, the first free-standing church on the Queens campus, is dedicated.
Alumni Hall is renamed Carnesecca Arena.
The Paris, France, location is established.
The D’Angelo Center, the hub of Queens campus student life, opens.
The College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions is renamed the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
The Manhattan, NY, campus relocates to 101 Astor Place.
The College of Professional Studies relocates to its new home following office renovations in St. Augustine Hall.
Renovations for The Peter J. Tobin College of Business are completed.
The College of Professional Studies is renamed The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies.
The School of Risk Management, Insurance and Actuarial Science is renamed the Maurice R. Greenberg School of Risk Management, Insurance and Actuarial Science.
Digital History Exhibit
A History of St. John's University
Featuring images and artifacts from the St. John's University Archives
Archives
Digital Collections
The University Archives include a vast array of materials, including yearbooks, newsletters, programs, photos, manuscripts, films, videotapes, and memorabilia. The Archives holds records dating back to the founding of St. John’s University in 1870.
For more information or to donate items to the Archives, please contact University Archives at 718-990-1465 or [email protected].