Quincy University - History

History

A small group of Franciscan friars left Germany in 1858 to serve the German-speaking population in what was then the frontier state of Illinois. In 1860, they founded the institution as St. Francis Solanus College, receiving a formal charter from the state in 1873.

The college proved to be an excellent site for the training of young Franciscan priests, and in 1917 the name was changed to the Quincy College and Seminary.

In 1932, women were admitted to the college for the first time. Until the 1960 – 61 school year and the construction of Centennial Hall, they were housed several blocks south of the main campus, in converted Victorian mansions that still exist today, though no longer owned by the school. (Stillwell Hall is now the Quincy Museum, and Bonfoy Hall is privately owned.)

In 1970 the seminary portion of the school was closed and the school renamed to simply Quincy College. The seminary campus, a mile north of the main college campus, has since been used by the college for extra dormitory space, athletic fields, and classroom and office space. The dormitory is now used as a retreat center, and the academic portion of the North Campus houses most of the Division of Mathematics and Science. North Campus has also been leased to local Police and 911 services.

In the late 1980s, the college began considering granting graduate degrees; this became a reality a few years later and in 1993 the college was officially renamed Quincy University.

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