Regis University

History

In 1877, a group of exiled Italian Jesuits established a small college in Las Vegas, New Mexico. The Jesuits named this institution Las Vegas College which would ultimately become known as Regis University.

In 1884, the Bishop of Denver invited the Jesuits to create a college in Morrison, Colorado where Sacred Heart College was opened. In 1887, Las Vegas College and Sacred Heart College merged and moved to the present location of Regis University. At the time of the merger, the school was then called the College of the Sacred Heart. Later, in 1921, it adopted the name of Regis College in honor of Saint John Francis Regis, a 17th-century Jesuit who worked with prostitutes and the poor in the mountains of Southern France. The preparatory section was separated to become the present-day Regis Jesuit High School. In 1991, it was renamed Regis University.

Regis University, in accordance with its Jesuit heritage, has a long tradition of charitable service which includes the Father Woody Projects that originated in the Archdiocese of Denver. This project runs the Father Woody Christmas Party for the homeless.

Regis College is a small, liberal arts, undergraduate/graduate, more selective school located on the Lowell Campus. Its approximately 1,600 students are high school graduates from over 40 states.

Regis University operates a radio station, KRCX Other media programs include a weekly student-run newspaper, the Highlander. The school also fields 12 varsity athletic teams known as the Rangers. Regis competes at the NCAA Division II level and is part of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC). Men's basketball coach, Lonnie Porter, has the record for most won games as a basketball coach in Colorado history (505).

Many students participate in service learning by volunteering with various organizations throughout the Denver area.

Regis University played host to the rock icon, Jimi Hendrix, as well as the British rock band Queen (band), that played their first concert in the United States (April 16, 1974).

Regis academic programs expanded with partnerships with the National University of Ireland, Galway, and with ITESO, the Jesuit University of Guadalajara, Mexico, for the first online bilingual joint MBA degree program.

Michael Sheeran stepped down as the university's president on June 1, 2012. Sheeran was succeeded by John P. Fitzgibbons who became the 24th president of the university.

Regis College

Regis College houses the traditional, undergraduate (and Master's of Art in Education & Master's of Science in Biomedical Sciences) programs. These programs are designed for recent high school graduates, or transfer students, with little or no professional work experience. Regis college offers a choice of majors, minors, emphases, and pre-professional tracts. Students wishing to enter the nursing, physical therapy, or pharmacy programs often enter Regis College to complete pre-requisite requirements.

Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions

When Regis absorbed her sister school, Loretto Heights College, the Rueckert Hartman College for Health Professions was born. Regis operates a nationally-recognized nursing program, and one of the premiere physical therapist programs. The school is divided into three schools and two departments: Loretto Heights School of Nursing, School of Pharmacy, School of Physical Therapy, Department of Health Care Ethics, and Department of Health Services Administration. The college offers three doctoral programs, Doctor of Nursing Practice (entirely on-line), Doctor of Physical Therapy, and Doctor of Pharmacy.

College for Professional Studies

In 2007, the School for Professional Studies was renamed the College for Professional Studies (CPS), with the mission of providing a values-centered Jesuit education designed for the adult learner. CPS students are working professionals, parents and spouses with work, school and family commitments seeking a bachelor's or master's degree from an accredited university. CPS serves over 9,000 adult students worldwide and offers campus-based, online and directed study formats. CPS consists of two distinct schools: the School of Humanities & Social Sciences, and the School of Education & Counseling. Both of the schools offers bachelor's and master's degrees and certificate programs. CPS has been named a Top Military Friendly School for 2012 by GI Jobs.

College of Computer and Information Sciences

In 2014, the College of Computer and Information Sciences was specifically created in order to provide a specialized education in the computer science industry. CC&IS undergraduate programs in Computer Science (CPS), Computer Information Systems, and Computer Networking are ABET accredited. They are the only ABET accredited programs of their kind that, in addition to classroom, are also offered 100% online.

College of Business and Economics

In 2015, the College of Business and Economics was officially established in order to combine the Regis College Division of Business and the College for Professional Studies School of Management and Master of Nonprofit Management. The College of Business and Economics expects to provide an education and immersion into the business field with emphasis on personal character, competence, and ethical decision-making. The College features flexibly traditional and professional bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and academic certificates.

Institute on the Common Good

Founded in 1997 by then-president Michael J. Sheeran, the Institute on the Common Good at Regis University says: "...[it] serves the community...by providing a safe and effective space for community dialogue, communal discernment, and public deliberation...All [these concepts] reflect the Roman Catholic and Jesuit heritage of Regis University and the Institute."

Center for Service Learning

Regis University's Center for Service Learning (CSL) facilitates student voluntary service, the development of service learning components in coursework, and placement among the needier members of society for those with work study awards. These are essential components of the University's mission to train men and women for others.

Capital improvement campaign

In the fall/autumn of 2007, Regis completed a landmark five-year, US$82.7 million capital campaign billed as "The Campaign for Regis University, Writing the Next Chapter." The school long owned more property than was used for educational purposes at the Lowell campus; this was incorporated into the main campus as sports fields, a new parking lot, and a new chapel. A Main Hall reopened its top floors for the first time in decades. The Science Building, Carroll Hall and St. Peter Claver Hall (formerly the Adult Learning Center) were also renovated. In 2012 Regis University opened the new four-story building Clarke Hall, which houses the College for Professional Studies.

Guest speakers

Desmond Tutu spoke at the university in November 1998, following in the footsteps of Betty Williams of Northern Ireland and the Dalai Lama in 1993.

Other speakers have included author Elie Wiesel in 2001, former President of Poland Lech Walesa in 2003, and most recently, David Trimble of Northern Ireland in 2006. Altogether, 13 Nobel Peace Prize recipients have visited Regis University since 1996.

Papal visit

On August 12, 1993, Pope John Paul II visited the Lowell campus of Regis University, where he met with President Bill Clinton for the first time. They greeted about 150 visitors, who had been chosen through a lottery system, and met privately for an hour in the President’s Dining Room of Carroll Hall.

Athletics

Regis University is in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference along with Adams State, Black Hills State, Chadron State, Colorado Christian, Colorado Mines, CSU-Pueblo, Fort Lewis, Colorado Mesa, Metro State, New Mexico Highlands, South Dakota Mines, UC-Colorado Springs, Western New Mexico, and Western State Colorado. The university offers women's lacrosse, men and women's soccer, baseball, softball, men and women's basketball, volleyball, men and women's cross country, men and women's golf, and forensics.

Rankings

Regis University was ranked 23rd among regional universities in the West by U.S. News & World Report.

Notable alumni