History
The seeds of WJU's founding were planted as early as the 19th century. Bishop Richard Whelan, leader of the Diocese of Wheeling, lobbied the Society of Jesus to establish a university in the burgeoning city. Over a century later, Whelan's original vision came to fruition. After a donor, Sara Tracy, left her estate to the diocese, it was able to purchase land from the neighboring Mt. De Chantal Visitation Academy.
Wheeling Jesuit University, then Wheeling College, was founded through a partnership of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston with the Maryland Society of Jesus. Ground was broken on November 24, 1953, and the college was officially opened September 26, 1955. The establishment of the college required $2.75 million in start-up costs. Overcoming the difficulties of temporary facilities and a faculty of just twelve Jesuit priests and four lay professors, the school has grown considerably.
For the 1987–1988 school year, the university became Wheeling Jesuit College, and in the 1990s, gained university status.
On October 22, 2010, the university announced the selection of Richard A. Beyer as its ninth president. Beyer is the first lay president to lead WJU. Beyer took office effective January 2, 2011.
Read more about this topic: Wheeling Jesuit University
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