Sacred Heart University Sacred Heart University is a Roman Catholic university located in suburban Fairfield , Connecticut , United States . Sacred Heart was founded in 1963 by the Most Reverend Walter W . Curtis , Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport , Connecticut . Sacred Heart University was the first Catholic university in the United States to be staffed by the laity . Dr . John J . Petillo is the current President of the University . SHU is the second largest Catholic university in New England , behind Boston College , and offers more than 40 degree programs to over 6 , 000 students at the bachelor ' s , master ' s and doctoral levels . Sacred Heart is included in " The Princeton Review ' s Best 371 Colleges 2010 " , the " Best 301 Business Schools 2010 " , as well as " U . S . News and World Report ' s Best Colleges " . History . Sacred Heart University was founded in 1963 by the Most Reverend Walter W . Curtis , Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport . It was established to provide the community with an affordable , quality education at a local Catholic university . The University was to be led and staffed by the laity independent and locally oriented , serving the needs of the diocese and of southwestern Connecticut . Enrollment has risen from the original class of 173 to over 6 , 000 full and part - time undergraduate and graduate students , and the faculty has increased from 9 to 212 full - time professors and over 350 adjunct professors . The University has enhanced the undergraduate student experience in several notable ways . In 1990 , it accepted for the first time students who wanted the residential experience . The first dorms , Scholars Commons ( previously known as J - Hill ) , were built 1991 . It now has 10 residential buildings with 70 % of the full - time undergraduates residing in university housing . New degree programs and majors in relevant disciplines are regularly added to the curriculum . The University offers Division I athletics with 31 varsity teams . The $ 17 . 5 million William H . Pitt Health and Recreation Center is available to all students and to the community at large . The University campus is a wireless environment . The University consists of five colleges : College of Arts & Sciences , John F . Welch College of Business , College of Health Professions , Isabelle Farrington College of Education and University College . The University College is committed to the adult learner , and its evening , weekend and accelerated courses earn praise for their diversity and relevance to changing lifestyles . In the 1980s , former United States president George H . W . Bush received an honorary degree from Sacred Heart University . On January 25 , 2006 , Jack Welch gave a large sum of money and his name to Sacred Heart University ' s College of Business , which is now known as the " John F . Welch College of Business . " On Sunday , September 27 , 2009 , Sacred Heart University dedicated and opened its new chapel . The worship space , following the teachings of Vatican Council II has been named the " Chapel of the Holy Spirit . " In 2012 , the University opened a new Student Commons building ( Dedicated as the Linda E . McMahon Student Commons ) after McMahon donated approximately $ 5 million . The new Commons includes dining facilities , lounge space , meeting rooms , and several other amenities . In 2012 the University approved construction of two new buildings for the John F . Welch College of Business and the Isabella Farrington School of Education . The two new buildings will be designed by the Watertown , MA firm of Sasaki & Associates ( Who also designed The Chapel of the Holy Spirt and the Linda E . McMahon Student Commons ) . Construction and development is expected to begin in 2012 on a recently acquired parcel of land at the corner of Jefferson St and Park Ave in Fairfield . Campus . The main campus is located in suburban Fairfield , north of New York City and south of Boston . Student life . Theatre Arts Program . The Theatre Arts Program began in 2009 with the premiere of Sacred Heart University ' s first musical production : " Rent " . Other productions include " Little Shop of Horrors " in spring 2011 and " Spring Awakening " premiering in the spring of 2012 . The Theatre Arts Program also features two student - produced , student - written , and student - performed Theatre Festivals in both the fall and spring semesters and is the home of Sacred Heart ' s own improv team : Awkward Handshake . The Spectrum . The Spectrum is a student - run newspaper printed and distributed to students each Wednesday and made available online . Community service . More than 1 , 200 students and members of the faculty and staff volunteer in excess of 31 , 000 hours each year largely within the City of Bridgeport , but also regionally , nationally , and internationally . In Spring 2008 , SHU finished third in the nation in the " ONE Campus Challenge " , a campaign that seeks to raise public awareness about the issues of global poverty , hunger , and disease . In Fall 2007 , SHU ' s Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter was named one of the Top Five Campus Chapters in the nation , for their work in the Bridgeport community , and around the country with alternative spring break service trips . Study abroad . SHU has the only American - accredited MBA program in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and a residential study - abroad program in the Irish - speaking community of Dingle , County Kerry , Ireland . International experiences are available to SHU students worldwide through study abroad programs located at the American University of Rome , in Italy , the University of Notre Dame in Fremantle , Australia , and the University of Granada , in Spain , as well as programs in Bermuda and the Bahamas . SHU also allows students to participate in CCIS programs , programs affiliated with other schools across the U . S . These programs include , but are not limited to : France , Argentina , Germany , Belgium , and Japan . Athletics . The Pioneers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) in the Northeast Conference ( NEC ) , Atlantic Hockey , Colonial Athletic Association ( CAA ) , Eastern College Athletic Conference ( ECAC ) , Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association ( EIWA ) , and the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association ( EIVA ) . Nearly 800 students participate in the university ' s 31 athletic teams ( 17 female teams and 14 male teams ) along with more than 500 students who participate in 23 Club Sports . In March 2009 , the Women ' s Basketball team won the NEC Title and earned their second trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last four years . The team faced the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first round of the tournament on March 21 , 2009 , and lost 77 - 63 . The Sacred Heart Pioneers women ' s ice hockey program competes as an independent in NCAA Division I women ' s ice hockey . The men ' s golf team won the NEC Title in May 2008 , 2009 and 2011 . The SHU Baseball Team has appeared in the NEC Championship game the past 4 seasons ( 2009 - 2012 ) and won the past 2 Northeast Conference Titles . These wins have earned SHU back to back NCAA tournament bids . On February 21st , 2013 , the Sacred Heart University Athletics Department hired longtime Major League Baseball player and manager Bobby Valentine to head its athletics department . Club sports . Currently there are twenty - six club sports active on campus . The active clubs are : Greek life . There are 5 national sororities and 3 national fraternities . With one local fraternity and sorority . With over 650 members it is one of the fastest growing organizations on campus . Sororities : 5 National : Kappa Delta , Phi Sigma Sigma , Zeta Tau Alpha , Theta Phi Alpha , Chi Omega and 1 Local : Kappa Phi Fraternities : 4 National : Delta Upsilon , Delta Tau Delta , Pi Kappa Phi , Kappa Sigma and 1 Local : Omega Phi Kappa