Christian Brothers University

Saint John Baptist de la Salle Founded on November 19, 1871, it was established by members of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, a Catholic religious order founded by St. John Baptist de la Salle , the patron saint of teachers. At foundation the educational institution was named Christian Brothers College, which was changed to Christian Brothers University when the school became a university in June 1990. [ 4 ] Christian Brothers awarded the first post-secondary degree in the city in 1875. [ 5 ] LeMoyne College (one of the two constituent parts of present-day LeMoyne-Owen College ) has a founding year of 1871, but it was an elementary and secondary school at the time. The city's largest university, the University of Memphis , was not founded until 1912. Although Rhodes College was founded in 1848, it did not move from Clarksville, Tennessee to Memphis until 1925. Maurelian was appointed the first president. His three terms as president totalled 31 years. In 2021, the university began to experience severe issues with accreditation caused by emerging financial challenges. The university's physician's assistant program was placed on probation by its accreditor, the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA); its accreditation was denied entirely in 2023 and the program is being closed. [ 6 ] In 2022, the university's education programs were placed on probation by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). [ 7 ] The university as a whole was also placed on probation by its institutional accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges . [ 8 ] Full accreditation was restored to the university's undergraduate education programs in October 2022 and the university's graduate education programs in October of 2024. [ 9 ] In 2023, the university publicly acknowledged severe financial challenges.

By the end of 2024, the university projected a deficit of between $5 and $7 million. It declared financial exigency and began plans to make significant budget cuts, including the potential firing of tenured faculty and closure of academic programs. [ 10 ] In December of 2023 the university announced that it was eliminating 28 faculty positions at the end of the academic year and dropping programs including Chemistry, Cultural Studies, Ecology, Engineering Physics, English, History, History Education, Liberal Studies, Physics, Politics and Law, and Political Science; the university also planned to close the Master of Education program. Art Therapy and Philosophy concentrations was also planned to be cut. [ 11 ] In November of 2024, the university again made faculty and staff cuts, eliminating 20 full-time and part-time positions. [ 12 ]

Schools The university has four schools: Rosa Deal School of Arts Gadomski School of Engineering School of Business School of Sciences The Rosa Deal School of Arts supports undergraduate programs in Psychology, Creative Writing, English for Corporate Communications, Neuroscience, BFA programs in Studio Arts and in Graphic Design, as well as, Religion and Philosophy. It also offers undergraduate and graduate programs in Education, leading to licensure and add-on endorsements. The School houses a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools . The university is currently on probation due to a number of major shortfalls including financial struggles and student recruitment and retention issues. [ 8 ] The university's Gadomski School of Engineering has four engineering programs, including Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering, that are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). In 2023, the physician's assistant program was accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) but lost its accreditation in 2023 after being placed on probation in 2021. [ 6 ] The university's teacher education programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). [ 7 ]