Seattle University history

The new parish and school opened on December 8, 1894, the feast day of the Immaculate Conception for which they were named.

High-school level instruction began in 1898, and the school became Seattle College the same year.

In 1900, it opened its first college-level course.

He had learned that the small but modern campus of Adelphia College (an independent Swedish Baptist school founded in 1905), was facing foreclosure.

The Garrand Building, Seattle University's first building, circa 1907.

Born in 1908, Albers was the daughter of George Albers, founder of the Albers Brothers Milling Company (which later merged with Carnation Milk Products Company), and his wife Eva, a one-time SU Guild member.

The fledgling institution granted its first bachelor's of arts degrees on June 23, 1909, to John Concannon, John Ford, and Theodore Ryan.

Despite O'Dea's protests, Seattle College reopened in its new quarters (shown here) in September 1919.

In 1925, Seattle College granted its first baccalaureates in nearly a decade to Howard LeClaire, Henry Ivers, and George Stuntz.

With funds from PACCAR founder William Pigott, Seattle College nearly purchased a large tract in Northeast Seattle, but it dropped the plan after the Stock Market crashed in October 1929.

He worked fast, and five Jesuit instructors greeted 46 students on the morning of September 14, 1931.

Father McGoldrick established its first discrete school, for Education, in 1935, and the College secured full accreditation the following year.

The SC Jesuit community is shown here in 1936.

In 1938, the college team, Maroons, adopted a new name, Chieftains, suggested by student sports writer Ed Donohoe, feisty future editor of the Washington Teamster.

By 1941, Seattle College was the state’s third largest institution of higher education.

In 1948, Seattle College became Seattle University,the largest Catholic institution of higher education in the West.

Coach Al Brightman recruited a remarkable pair of brothers, Eddie (left) and Johnny O'Brien, who led the team to its first NCAA tournament in 1953.

In 1965-66, Genevieve Albers attended SU, a time she would fondly remember with friends and strangers alike.

Jesuit Superior General Pedro Arrupe, SJ, (front) and Seattle University president Jack Fitterer, SJ, April 1966

The State Community College Act of 1967 established college districts apart from the public schools, with a mandate to provide an open door to education for all who seek it.

Fitterer departed in 1970, but his successor, conservative theologian Kenneth Baker, SJ, fared even worse in addressing the political and fiscal challenges of the day.

Gaffney's self-imposed five-year term limit expired in 1975, and SU welcomed Edmund Ryan, SJ, (shown here) an energetic reformer from Georgetown University.

Sulliavan also raised the University's public profile by inviting world leaders such as the Dalai Lama to speak on campus, and by helping to lead community projects such as the 1990 Goodwill Games.

Seattle Vocational Institute, affiliated with Central, joined the district in 1991 under the state’s Workforce Training and Education Act.

Sullivan is shown here with SU faculty on his retirement as president in 1996.

The Chapel of St Ignatius, opened in 1997.

Genevieve Gertrude Albers, a trustee emerita of Seattle University and longtime friend to the Society of Jesus, died on December 25th, 2001.

In 2009, SU completed its largest capital campaign, raising almost $169 million.

Lemieux Library, Seattle University, Seattle, October 20, 2010