What became Quinnipiac University was founded in 1929 by Samuel W. Tator, a business professor, and politician. Phillip Troup, a Yale College graduate, was another founder and became its first president until his death in 1939. Tator's wife, Irmagarde Tator, a Mount Holyoke College graduate, also played a major role in the fledgling institution's nurturing as its first bursar. Additional founders were E. Wight Bakke, who later became a professor of economics at Yale, and Robert R. Chamberlain, who headed a furniture company in his name.
The new institution was conceived in reaction to Northeastern University's abandonment of its New Haven, Connecticut, program at the onset of the Great Depression. Originally, it was located in New Haven and called the "Connecticut College of Commerce". On opening its doors in 1929, it enrolled under 200, and its first graduating class comprised only eight students. At the time, it awarded only associate's degrees. In 1935, the college changed its name to the "Junior College of Commerce".
From 1943 to 1945, the college closed, as nearly its entire student body was drafted into World War II. Upon re-opening, the college's enrollment nearly quadrupled to approximately 800 students.
We are building the University of the Future at Quinnipiac. We are a community enriched by our ideas, inclusive excellence and commitment to preparing graduates as enlightened global citizens equipped for the challenges and opportunities of 21st-century careers. As members of this special community, we are bold and curious, lifelong learners, innovators and explorers. We are committed to partnering with employers around their evolving talent and technological needs and to lifting the communities in which we live. We champion the values that have propelled Quinnipiac from our storied past toward an ambitious, inclusive and innovative future.
The world that shaped Quinnipiac has undergone dramatic shifts. Just as we have throughout our history, we will continue to remain agile in adapting to the dynamic changes around us. Looking ahead to the opportunities of the 21st century, we are guided by a strategic plan to achieve the educational vision and community life to which we aspire.
The plan informs the creation of academic and alumni programs, supports lifelong learning, strengthens our ties to the communities we serve, and establishes blueprints for capital improvements — but most of all it reinforces the nimble and daring tradition of Quinnipiac as our university works to become the University of the Future. The tenets of the plan are simple, its goals far-reaching, its milestones clear.
Quinnipiac University's 2021 Rankings
Quinnipiac University is ranked #153 in National Universities. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.
- #153 in National Universities (tie)
- #303 in Top Performers on Social Mobility (tie)
- #157 in Business Programs (tie)
