D'Youville University
D'Youville University is a private university in Buffalo, New York, United States. It was founded as D'Youville College in 1908 and named by the Grey Nuns after the patroness saint Marie-Marguerite d'Youville. As of fall 2022 had 54 degree majors in the health sciences, business, and liberal arts for undergraduate and graduate students. In February 2022, the New York State Board of Regents approved a name change to D'Youville University.
Campus
Located in Western New York on the Lower West Side of the City of Buffalo, the campus is in an urban setting a few blocks from the Peace Bridge on the Canadian border. The campus has 15 buildings with classrooms, laboratories, residential and athletics facilities. There are two student housing buildings and one outdoor athletics complex.D'Youville is on Porter Ave, one of seven parkways in the Buffalo Olmsted Park System. The Park System was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in 1868, ten years after designing Central Park in New York City.
CannonDesign was retained to develop D'Youville's most recent campus Master Plan and the major priorities of that planning effort are focused toward revitalizing the campus in ways that improve its connection to the Buffalo Olmsted Park System, as well as beautifying the Lower West Side of Buffalo and improving the connectivity and traffic flow through the local neighborhoods. Prior campus planning has also been conducted in collaboration with Stiegliz Snyder Architecture and University at Buffalo's Department of Urban and Regional Planning.
History
Immigration
was born in Quebec; she married François d'Youville in 1722 and had six children. Following the death of François, Marguerite was left to raise two young children, after burying her father, her husband, and four of their children. Her desire to serve those in need went against the social conventions of Marguerite's generation, leading her and three other women to establish the Sisters of Charity in 1737—a service-oriented organization commonly known as the Grey Nuns. The Sisters of Charity committed themselves to fighting for the rights of the most marginalized of society in Canada. After 1840, the order rapidly expanded, and over the next 100 years became a major provider of health care and other social services throughout Quebec, Western and Northern Canada, and the northern United States.Following an invitation from the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, the Grey Nuns moved from Canada to Buffalo, New York in October 1857. Initially, the Grey Nuns lived in a six-room convent when they opened the Holy Angels School. The school's first official building was the Koessler Administration Building, which was built in 1872 but not dedicated and named as such until 2003. The Koessler Administration Building was expanded three times to meet the growing needs of the Grey Nuns. First, east and west wing expansions were constructed in the last 1800s. Then, the Prospect Ave wing was added in 1907.
Incorporation
D'Youville was founded as an all-girls Roman Catholic school. The institution was incorporated and filed in the Secretary of State's Office on February 13, 1865, under the name, "The Holy Angels Infirmary Academy and Industrial School for Benevolent, Charitable, and Scientific Purposes". The New York State Legislature granted a charter to become a college on April 8, 1908, being accredited by the University of the State of New York. This initial charter was amended to change the name of incorporation to "D'Youville College," after the patroness Saint Marie-Marguerite d'Youville. D'Youville was initially founded as an institution focused on education and the liberal arts, with particular emphasis on women, students of immigrant status, and populations that lived in under-resourced communities. In February 2022, the "D'Youville College" charter was amended again to become "D'Youville University."On May 12, 1912, D'Youville conferred three Bachelor of Arts degrees to Mary Brennen, Pauline Garnett, and Elizabeth Gosselin, one Master of Arts degree to Helena Sheehan, and one honorary Doctor of Music degree to Elizabeth Cronin. Mary Brennan, of the first graduating class of D'Youville wrote the following to describe D'Youville at the time of her graduation:
The popular opinion was that girls' schools were completely impractical, a little sewing, a little painting, some music, enough English and history to enhance your conversation and social graces. D'Youville was far from such. Each girl was given the opportunity to fit herself for the business world, to be a well-educated helpmate as wife and mother. There were excellent courses in languages, in science, mathematics and history taught by superior professors...certainly none in sewing or etiquette.Over the next several decades objectives of study emphasized the teaching professions and intellectual interests guided students toward extra-curricular activities focusing on dance, music, drama, language, and political debate. The entire student body was 37 in 1912, then enrollment grew from 104 to around 400 students at the end of the 1940s. As the United States entered into WWII, D'Youville expanded its educational focus to include nursing programs and became the first college to offer baccalaureate degree programs for women in Western New York. Student enrollment continued to grow steadily though the mid-century period. At the same time the population of Buffalo, New York approached its peak of approximately 580,000 people.
Mid-century expansion
As the U.S. economy bounced back from the great depression in the 1950s, D'Youville's enrollment began increasing and stimulated need for a larger campus. As a result of D'Youville's growth during the late 1950s and 1960s, many of the campus buildings possess a mid-century architectural style.Six campus buildings were erected between 1956 and 1969, largely driven by the vision and fundraising of Sister Francis Xavier Lynch. The original campus library building was built in 1956. Madonna Hall was built in 1959. Mary Agnes Hall was built in 1964. The Health Science Building was erected in 1966 and is currently referred to as the Dr. Pauline M. Alt Building. The College Center and Gymnasium were constructed in 1969. Marguerite Hall was also constructed in 1969.
D'Youville remained a women's college until 1970, men started being admitted in 1971.
The transition to co-ed was controversial and met with resistance at the time, however, the change was necessary to navigate enrollment declines as many other regional institutions had already transitioned to co-ed before D'Youville. The financial difficulties surrounding the enrollment decline necessitated the sale of Mary Agnes Hall less than 10 years after it was built, which has since been operated as Mary Agnus Manor, an adult assisted living facility. The purchase of an old laundry mat building adjacent to campus in 1978 was the first evidence that D'Youville's financial situation had stabilized following the co-ed transition.
In 1984, President Ronald Reagan spoke at D'Youville during a campaign event with the Italian and Polish communities near the end of his first term in office after participating in the dedication of the Santa Maria Towers. This event is referenced as the only visit that President Reagan ever made to Buffalo, New York, and as a result, a memorial service with residents and community leaders was also held at D'Youville 20 years later when he died in 2004.
21st-century growth
A second period of stability and growth occurred around the turn of the century, largely driven by the growing number of Canadian students attracted by a favorable currency exchange rate. D'Youville enrollment growth was also attributed to the addition of masters and professional health professions degree programs in the 1980s, which expanded the institution's focus beyond a liberal arts college. This natural evolution progressed in the early 2000s with the addition of several doctoral degree programs. These major academic changes began the vision of becoming a university, which was formalized by a 2007 board of trustees vote directing administration to request New York State Education Department's approval for D'Youville to be changed from college to university. The pursuit of 'university status' was achieved in February 2022.Renovation and new construction added six buildings between 1999 and 2015. In 1999, D'Youville renovated the Holy Angels School building, built in 1905, to become the Montante Family Library. D'Youville's original library building was demolished in 2000, and the Bauer Family Academic Center was built to replace it in 2001. The 222 Connecticut Street Apartment Complex was built in 2005. The D'Youville Academic Center was built in 2010. The Dobson Athletic Complex and the Dr. Charles and Mary Schweitzer Bauer School of Arts, Science and Education were built in 2015.
Recent developments
In 2020, D'Youville purchased the Holy Angels Church, Rectory, and Convent, which was adjacent to the campus. The university opened a Health Professions Hub building in June 2021, which includes an inter-professional clinic and laboratory, pharmacy, rehabilitation gym, simulation labs, dietetics kitchen, and events space. D'Youville is also in process of a larger campus renovation plan, including student service centers, the renovation of active learning classrooms, student residence halls and dining hall renovations, the Kavinoky Theater and the Koessler Administration Building. Renovations to the 4th and 5th floors on the Koessler Administration Building were recognized with the Buffalo Business First Collegiate Brick-by-Brick award in 2021. The Health Profession Hub was recognized by the American Institute of Architects Buffalo/Western New York with the 2021 highest design honor award. The school was designated as a university in February, 2022.In 2024, the university featured an AI robot, Sophia, as its commencement speaker.