Christian Brothers University


Christian Brothers University is a private Catholic university in Memphis, Tennessee. The university is run by the De La Salle Brothers, a Roman Catholic religious order founded by St. John Baptist de la Salle, the patron saint of teachers. It is the oldest collegiate degree-granting institution in the city.

History

Christian Brothers College was founded November 19, 1871, by members of the De La Salle Christian Brothers. The Brothers came to Memphis at the request of the people and clergy of the city, after more than a decade of efforts to persuade the Brothers to open a college there.
Christian Brothers University traces its origins to the French priest and educational innovator, St. John Baptist de la Salle. De la Salle began a system of Christian schools in which teachers assist parents in the educational, ethical, and religious formation of their children. To continue his spiritual and pedagogical vision, de la Salle founded the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, known today as the De La Salle Christian Brothers.
Christian Brothers College officially became Christian Brothers University in June 1990.

Founding

After more than a decade of efforts to persuade the Brothers to open a college in Memphis, Christian Brothers College was founded in 1871.
Brother Maurelian was appointed the first president. His three terms as president totalled 31 years. During his presidency, the Brothers purchased the 612 Adams Street building, which housed the college until 1940 when the college moved to its present location at Central Avenue and East Parkway South.
Functioning as a combined elementary school, high school, and college, Christian Brothers College granted high school diplomas as well as Bachelor's and Master's Degrees until 1915, when the college division was suspended. Elementary classes were dropped in 1922, and the institution operated as only a high school for 18 years. Reopened in 1940 as a junior college, the college began granting Associate's Degrees in 1942.

Oldest degree-granting institution in Memphis

Christian Brothers awarded the first post-secondary degree in the city in 1875. LeMoyne 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 1848, it did not move from Clarksville, Tennessee to Memphis until 1925.

Lasallian tradition

Christian Brothers University traces its origins to priest and educational innovator, St. John Baptist de la Salle. De la Salle began a system of Christian schools in which teachers assist parents in the educational, ethical, and religious formation of their children. To continue his spiritual and pedagogical vision, de la Salle founded the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, known today as the De La Salle Christian Brothers.
The university currently has a lay interim president following the fatal car accident of former president Brother Vincent Malham in 2008.

Higher education

In 1953, the decision was made to expand the community college into a four-year institution to better serve the needs of the community. The four-year curriculum began with degrees in Business Administration and Electrical Engineering, with the first graduates in recent times receiving their degrees in 1955.
The curriculum was soon expanded to meet the needs for new programs in the fields of Mechanical Engineering and Chemistry. The following degree programs were later added: Biology, Civil Engineering, Mathematics, English, Physics, Chemical Engineering, History, Psychology, Natural Science, Engineering Physics, Computer Science, and Religion and Philosophy. Teacher preparation programs in secondary education were added in 1969. An accelerated evening program offering a degree in Business Administration was added in 1978 to meet the needs of the adult student, and the Applied Psychology degree was added in 1999. In Fall 2007, CBU introduced its Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
Programs at the graduate level were reinstated in 1987 with the Master's program in Telecommunication and Information Systems. The Master of Business Administration and the Master in Engineering Management were added in 1989. A Master of Education was added in 1997, and the Master of Arts in Teaching and Master of Science in Educational Leadership were offered beginning in 2001. The Master of Arts in Executive Leadership was added in 2005.
When another Catholic college in Memphis closed, Christian Brothers University became coeducational in 1970. Currently, women comprise approximately 55% of the student body. Christian Brothers College officially became Christian Brothers University in June 1990.

Academics

Schools

The university has four schools:
As a member of the Lasallian Consortium, i.e. the seven Lasallian universities in the United States, CBU offers study abroad semesters in Australia, Brazil, China, England, France, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, South Africa, and Spain. Additionally, CBU offers study abroad courses during spring and fall vacations. Upcoming courses include travel in England, France, Italy, Mexico, and Uganda. Medical missions to Haiti are available but have been postponed for the present. Study abroad is optional for students but is required for completion of the global studies minor.

Demographics

CBU has one of the most diverse student bodies in the South. 51% of students are White-American, 33% are African-American, 5% are Asian-American or Pacific Islander-American, 2% are Hispanic-American, and 2% are international students. 6% of students have an unknown ethnicity. Students hail from more than 28 states and 28 countries.
Although CBU is a Catholic university, only 23% of students are Catholic. Religious observances are not required, and 32 different faiths are represented in the student body.
Notably, 99% of Christian Brothers University undergraduates receive financial aid, broken down as institutional grants, state/local grants, federal grants, and student loans.
There are 110 full-time faculty members. All of them hold at least master's degrees, and 89% hold doctorates or terminal degrees. No courses are taught by teaching assistants. The student to faculty ratio is 12 to 1. School of Sciences graduating classes from 2002 to 2006 boasted a 91% acceptance rate for medical school, and an 87% acceptance for pharmacy school.

Facilities

Campus

Christian Brothers University is located on a wooded campus in the heart of Midtown, Memphis, four miles east of Downtown.
The first building on campus, Kenrick Hall, constructed in 1939 as the original Christian Brothers High School, was demolished in 2015 to make room for the Rosa Deal School of Arts, set to open in January 2017.
The university's architecture follows the Georgian style popular at the time of the campus' relocation to East Parkway. Arch-covered walkways traverse the main campus, allowing students and faculty to get to most buildings shielded from the weather. The campus is enclosed by an iron fence with brick accents with entrances on East Parkway South, Central Avenue, and Avery Avenue.

Outside organizations housed on campus

Canale Arena, originally called De La Salle Gymnasium, was completed in 1950. At that time, it was the largest indoor arena in the city of Memphis.
The arena was fully renovated in 2004 and has a capacity of 1,000.

Student life

Athletics

CBU is an NCAA Division II team and a member of the Gulf South Conference. Buccaneer teams include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, and soccer. Lady Buccaneer teams include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, and volleyball.
The Lady Buccaneers and Buccaneers have won multiple athletic competitions, including the 2002 Division II women's soccer championship and the 2008 GSC men's basketball championship.
The Men's Soccer Team has won back to back Conference titles Under Coach Clint Browne during the 2011, 2012 Seasons. Also Making it into the NCAA Tournament in 2011.

Greek life

21% of male students and 24% of female students are members of fraternities and sororities
Campus Greek councils include the Interfraternity Council, the Panhellenic Council, and the National Pan-Hellenic Council.
IFC FraternitiesPanhellenic Sororities
Sigma Alpha Epsilon : 1989–presentAlpha Sigma Alpha : 1986–1992
------------------------------------Alpha Sigma Tau : 2005–2012
Tau Kappa Epsilon : 1979–presentAlpha Xi Delta : 1994–present
Kappa Sigma : 1996–presentZeta Tau Alpha : 1985–present

NPHC FraternitiesNPHC Sororities
Alpha Phi Alpha : 1977–presentAlpha Kappa Alpha : 1978–present
Phi Beta Sigma : 1996–presentDelta Sigma Theta : 1998–present
Kappa Alpha Psi : 1999–presentSigma Gamma Rho : 2001–present

Professional Fraternity
Delta Sigma Pi : 1964–present
Theta Tau : 2015–present

Local & Non-Traditional Fraternities & Sororities
Gamma Theta Phi : 1964–1997
Knights of Columbus : 1972–1988

Honor societies and professional organizations

Chapters of a number of honor societies exist at CBU to recognize excellence in academia and leadership. Active honor societies and their specialties include: Alpha Chi, Beta Beta Beta, the Order of Omega, Phi Alpha Theta, Psi Chi, Sigma Tau Delta, Alpha Psi Omega, and Tau Beta Pi.
Professional organizations include: American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American Society of Civil Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Institute of Electrical Engineers, Society of Physics Students, and the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society.

Engineering competitions

ASCE / AISC Student Steel Bridge Competition

Civil engineering students also compete in the annual Student Steel Bridge Competition, sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. Scale bridges are constructed; judging is based on speed of construction, strength and durability of the bridge, and more.

ASCE National Concrete Canoe Competition

Civil engineering students construct concrete canoes to compete at annual Deep South regional conferences for student chapters of the American Society of Civil Engineers. These canoes must be able to float and support the weight of several students as they will be raced.

IEEE Robotics Competition

Electrical and computer engineering students annually participate in a robotics Competition organized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The 2008 competition was held in Huntsville, Alabama.

NASA Great Moonbuggy Race

Mechanical engineering students gear up against competitors from schools across the country to build and race vehicles that can travel over simulated lunar terrain. The competition is held annually at the United States Space & Rocket Center.

Notable CBU people

Notable alumni