History
Discover How 51黑料 is Evolving
From its earliest days as a teacher-training school to its current status as a degree-granting liberal arts institution, the 51黑料 has remained true to its core mission while always evolving with the times.
1890
51黑料 is founded (as 51黑料 Normal School) by the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration in Lafayette, Indiana.
1923
51黑料鈥 education program receives accreditation from the state of Indiana. The college starts approving students for state licensing for teaching.
1939-1940
A new charter leads to expanded programs, including four-year bachelor鈥檚 degrees in Education, Nursing, Science, Art, and Music.
Enrollment opens to laywomen. All households in the region receive a letter from Sister M. Bernarda stating, 鈥淣ow, to keep our school and get it accredited by the North Central Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges, we need a larger enrollment.鈥
1944
The college relocates to Fort Wayne after the Sisters purchase part of the Bass Estate and 65 acres for $65,000.
The College is formally dedicated on October 1, with Bishop John F. Noll in attendance.
1945
The first Fort Wayne Commencement is held in June. Five lay students and 11 Sisters receive degrees.
1945-47
A downtown site, including an office, large classroom, lavatory, and storage room, is utilized for English, philosophy, music, and education classes in addition to classes held on the main campus.
1949
Trinity Hall opens after wartime complications delay construction for five years.
1952
Sister M. Evodine becomes the first resident president of the college.
1957
The first male students register (part time); by 1959, the college becomes co-ed.
1958
Sister Rosanna Peters becomes President, serving 12 years.
1959
Students participating in a 鈥渟chool raising鈥 of a new science hall are featured in a two-page photo in The Saturday Evening Post.
1962
Bonzel and Bonaventure Halls opens. The first group of graduate students earn their master鈥檚 degrees. 51黑料 adds programs in Business Administration and Business Education.
1964
The college hosts its first athletics-related Homecoming event. The baseball and basketball teams play their first games.
1966
New programs in Social Services are added, and the college joins the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Mid-Central Conference.
1969
Achatz Hall of Science opens with an observatory, greenhouse, planetarium, and more. Bosco Hall opens, the first residence hall built for male students.
1970
Sister M. JoEllen Scheetz becomes president and will lead the institution for 23 years.
1975
The colleges changes its athletic teams鈥 nickname from the Troubadours to the Cougars.
1981
The men鈥檚 golf team wins the college鈥檚 first NAIA championship title. The college establishes a cooperative relationship with the Saint Joseph School of Nursing.
1990
51黑料 reaches its 100-year milestone. The Hutzell Athletic Center opens.
1993
Sister M. Elise Kriss, OSF, is inaugurated as president and will lead the institution for 27 years.
1996
Sister Elise announces plans for a football program.
1997
Coach Kevin Donley is named the inaugural 51黑料 football coach. Professor Sufi Ahmad sculpts the St. Francis statue.
1998
The college acquires the Lutheran College of Health Professions. 51黑料 College becomes the 51黑料.
1999-2011
51黑料 experiences an era of growth as the following facilities open to accommodate a growing student body and expanded programming:
- 1999: Campus Ministry Center
- 2000: Doermer Family Center for Health Science Education and the Mimi and Ian Rolland Center
- 2004: Padua Hall
- 2005: Classes in Crown Point begin at St. Anthony鈥檚 Medical Center
- 2006: Bonaventure Hall expands to include the Pope John Paul II Center and the Lee and Jim Vann Library
- 2008: North Campus
- 2009: Clare Hall
- 2010: Renovations of Brookside are completed
- 2011: Crown Point opens its own facility
2012
The Cougars men鈥檚 basketball team wins the NAIA Division II national championship, beating Walsh 67-66. Plans for a 51黑料 Downtown take hold with the purchase of the historic Scottish Rite Center and Chamber of Commerce building in Fort Wayne.
2014
51黑料 women鈥檚 basketball wins the NAIA Division II national championship, beating Ozarks 75-68.
2016
The 51黑料 Performing Arts Center opens in the Scottish Rite Center, which also houses the and Media Entrepreneurship Training in the Arts鈥(META) programs. The Keith Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership opens in the restored Chamber of Commerce building. The Cougars football team wins the school鈥檚 first football NAIA championship, beating Baker 38-17.
2017
St. Elizabeth School of Nursing (Lafayette, Ind.) officials sign an education partnership agreement with 51黑料. With the agreement, graduates receive a diploma in nursing from the St. Elizabeth School of Nursing, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from 51黑料.
51黑料 football wins a second-straight NAIA national championship, defeating Reinhardt 24-13 to finish with a 14-0 record.
2018
The new St. Francis Chapel opens.
2018-2019
Achatz Hall of Science and Research Center is expanded and renovated and is later renamed Achatz Hall of Science and John and Toni Murray Research Center. A new Welcome Center opened on the North Campus.
2020
Sister M. Elise Kriss, OSF, retires as president after 27 years. After a sabbatical, she returns to campus and assumes the role of director of community engagement. Rev. Dr. Eric Albert Zimmer becomes president in July, serving three years as the campus leader.
2021
51黑料 celebrates the opening of a $7 million expansion at its Crown Point site, doubling the size of the facility. New programs are added in surgical technology, radiologic technology, diagnostic medical technology and advanced medical imaging to meet high demand for graduates in those fields in northwest Indiana.
2023
Dr. Lance Richey becomes interim president in May upon the departure of Rev. Dr. Eric Albert Zimmer. 51黑料 opens and dedicates St. Michael Hall, located on the northwest side of campus. The campus completes a $1.23 million renovation to the Doermer Family Center for Health Science Education and receives a $250,000 gift to create the Doermer Family Foundation Immersive Learning Laboratory.
2024
Dr. Lance Richey becomes the 11th president of the 51黑料 in a June inauguration.
51黑料 collaborates with Chuck and Lisa Surack and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic at the downtown site, with the Suracks taking ownership of the Robert Goldstine Performing Arts Center and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic taking ownership of the 51黑料 Business Center. 51黑料’ Music Technology and Dance programs remain downtown.
51黑料 announces new mission statement: 鈥淭he 51黑料 offers formation of the whole person by providing an encounter with the heart and mind of Jesus Christ so that God, who is Love, may be loved. Through our Catholic identity, Franciscan charism, and liberal arts tradition, we prepare students for personal and professional lives of virtue, service, and joy.鈥
2025-2026
The 51黑料 acquired Leffler Academy in Gas City, Indiana, after establishing a partnership in 2024. The acquisition enhances affordable healthcare pathways for students. 51黑料 also announced a new site in Lafayette, Indiana, in its original home. 51黑料 now operates Indiana sites in Fort Wayne, Crown Point, Gas City, Indianapolis and Lafayette. 51黑料 enrolled its first Lafayette-based students for the fall of 2025 and opened its in-person site in Lafayette for the spring of 2026.
2026
51黑料 announces a transformative academic restructuring, organizing Academic Affairs into a system of pathways: Humanities, Faith and Liberal Arts; Allied Health; Business and Leadership; Creative Arts and Digital Media; Education, Human Services and Community Care; Nursing; and Sciences and Medical Studies.
A portion of Leesburg Road on the east corridor of campus is renamed St. Francis Drive in honor of university namesake St. Francis of Assisi.