Assumption University (Worcester)

Assumption University is a private, Roman Catholic university in Worcester, Massachusetts. Assumption was founded in 1904 by the Augustinians of the Assumption. It enrolls about 2,000 undergraduate students and offers 35 majors and 49 minors. The university confers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in its undergraduate program, and Master of Arts and Master of Business Administration degrees as well as graduate study certificates.

With the transition from Assumption College to Assumption University in 2020, Assumption reorganized into five schools: College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Grenon School of Business, Froelich School of Nursing, School of Health Professions, and School of Graduate Studies.

Undergraduate day college
Assumption was founded in 1904 by the Augustinians of the Assumption, a Catholic order under the Augustinian Rule dedicated to service through teaching and the hastening of the Kingdom of God, as reflected in their motto "Until Christ be Formed in You." The original campus was in the Greendale section of Worcester, on a tract of hillside land. In these early years, enrollment was exclusively male, primarily of French-Canadian heritage. Most courses were taught in French, with only a small number taught in English. On March 24, 1923, an arson fire destroyed the Greendale building that held both the college classrooms and the student dormitories.



In June 1953, a tornado cut a path of destruction through several western and central Massachusetts communities, including the city of Worcester. Several campus buildings were destroyed or severely damaged. Although the previously co-located Assumption Preparatory School stayed on the rebuilt campus until 1970, the then-College relocated to a new campus off Salisbury Street, on the west side of the city, officially opening in 1956. The old Assumption campus complex was sold to the state after the prep school closed and is today the home of Quinsigamond Community College.

On October 17, 2022, then Interim President Greg Weiner, Ph.D. was appointed as the 17th president of Assumption University. President Weiner was formally installed as president at his inauguration held on March 23, 2023.

Athletics
Assumption University teams participate as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division II. The Greyhounds are a member of the Northeast-10 Conference (NE10). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, tennis and track & field; women's sports include basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball.

Notable alumni
Assumption Preparatory School graduates are included in this list of notable Assumption University alumni:
 * Robert Catalanotti (1980), United States Army major general
 * Chris Colabello (2003), Major League Baseball player
 * Jacques Ducharme (1932), novelist and historian
 * Ernest Fortin (1946), theology professor
 * Jay A. García-Gregory (1966), United States federal judge
 * Mike Gravel (1949), United States senator from Alaska
 * Frank C. Guinta (1993), United States congressman representing NH-01
 * Andy Hallett (1997), singer and actor
 * Deonte Harty (2019), National Football League player
 * Jake Jones (1971), National Basketball Association player
 * Brian Kelly (1983), college football coach
 * Dan McKee (1973), 76th Governor of Rhode Island
 * Nitza Morán, member of the Senate of Puerto Rico
 * Harold Naughton Jr. (1982), Massachusetts State Legislator
 * Joe O'Brien (1957), college basketball coach
 * Mary O'Grady (1979), The Wall Street Journal editor
 * Michael Ritchie (1979), artistic director of the Center Theatre Group
 * Richard Ryscavage (1967), sociology professor
 * Timothy J. Savage (1968), United States federal judge
 * Scott Simonson (2014), National Football League player
 * Jeffrey W. Talley (2001), 32nd Chief of United States Army Reserve
 * Zach Triner (2014), National Football League player