A Brief History of Loyola

Founded in 1852 by Father John Early and eight other Jesuits, Loyola College was the first college in the United States to bear the name of St. Ignatius Loyola and is the ninth oldest among the nation's 28 Jesuit colleges and universities. The College's first "campus" was a modest house on Holliday Street in downtown Baltimore. In 1855, Loyola relocated to a larger facility in the City's historic Mount Vernon neighborhood.

The College moved to its present Evergreen campus in north Baltimore in 1922. Evening classes commenced in 1942, and seven years later a graduate division in Education was established. The graduate degree program in Business Management was added in 1968, followed by graduate programs in Speech Pathology in 1971, and Finance in 1973. Today, the College's list of graduate programs has grown to include Psychology, Modern Studies, Pastoral Counseling, and Engineering Science.

Loyola became a coeducational institution in 1971 following its merger with nearby Mount Saint Agnes College. That same year, the College's Board of Trustees elected its first layman Chair. A decade later, Loyola established a separate business school-The Rev. Joseph A. Sellinger, Jr., School of Business and Management-to meet the demands of its growing undergraduate and graduate business programs.

The 1994 approval for a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa-an honor for the Arts and Sciences faculty held by only 254 other institutions-complemented the 1988 accreditation of the Sellinger School by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business. A loyal alumni population, strong corporate and civic support, and the dedication and commitment of the laity who assist the Jesuit priests and the sisters of Mercy in their work have all helped make Loyola the institution it is today.