University of Saint Joseph (Connecticut)

For other schools of the same name, see Saint Joseph's College (disambiguation).

The University of Saint Joseph is a private Catholic university in West Hartford, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1932 as a women's college by the Sisters of Mercy of Connecticut and began admitting men to its undergraduate programs in 2018.^[4] The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.^[5] There are 857 undergraduate and 959 graduate students (fall 2024).

University of Saint Joseph

Former name	Saint Joseph College (1932–2012)
Type	Private university
Established	1932; 93 years ago (1932)[1]
Accreditation	NECHE
Religious affiliation	Catholic Church
Endowment	$34.8 million (2019)[2]
President	Rhona Free
Academic staff	127
Students	1,816 (fall 2024)
Location	West Hartford, Connecticut , U.S. 41°46′52″N 72°43′50″W
Campus	Suburban, 84 acres (34 ha)
Colors
Nickname	Blue Jays
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division III – GNAC
Mascot	Joey the Blue Jay
Website	usj.edu

Academic rankings
Regional
U.S. News & World Report[3]	1st Overall in CT, Regional Universities North (2025)

USJ has more than 30 bachelor's degree programs and more than 30 graduate programs including master's programs and two doctoral programs (Doctor of Nursing Practice and Doctor of Pharmacy).

History

When it was founded in 1932, USJ was the first college for women in the Hartford area.

Psychology professor Pamela Trotman Reid became the first African-American president of the university when she was appointed in 2008;^[6] she retired in 2015.^[7][8]

In November 2016, the University of Saint Joseph began its comprehensive research and review of becoming a coeducational institution. Based on this review, the university began admitting male students to all full-time undergraduate programs in the fall of 2018.^[9]

Notable alumni

• Barbara Favola, Virginia State Senator
• Catherine Gentile, author
• Jahana Hayes, United States Representative
• Marilynn Malerba, Treasurer of the United States and 18th Chief of the Mohegan Tribe
• Evelyn Mantilla, former United States Representative
• Maura Melley, former Connecticut Secretary of State
• Antonina Uccello, former Mayor of Hartford

Facilities

McDonough Hall

The University of Saint Joseph has maintained a distinctive Georgian brick architecture in most of its 19 buildings, including six residence halls, a library, student life building, administration and classroom buildings, and an arts center with a theater and art gallery, among others.

The buildings are arranged around two tree-lined quadrangles on an 84-acre (340,000 m²) campus designed by the Olmsted Brothers. Approximately 73 percent of first-year students live on campus and USJ offers university sponsored off-campus housing at the Millennium in downtown Hartford.^[10]

O'Connell Athletic Center

The O'Connell Athletic Center features a newly renovated fitness center, indoor track, six-lane pool, two gymnasiums, a varsity weight room, and newly renovated locker rooms. The OC's outdoor complex includes six tennis courts, a turf soccer/lacrosse/field hockey field, turf softball field, and grass practice field.^[11]

Nursing Education and Simulation Center

This lab is a combination classroom, clinical practice area, and study space, and provides a high-quality simulation-based health care education. The unit includes an array of medical technology such as an electronic medication system, a Pyxis machine for dispensing medications, and high-fidelity manikins that enable students to practice a broad range of skills.^[12]

Art Museum

USJ's on-campus Art Museum houses a collection of more than 2,800 works of fine art.

MakerspaceCT

In April 2024, USJ announced its partnership with MakerspaceCT, a 28,000-square-foot workshop and skills development center in Hartford, offering the community support and resources to learn and create. Through this partnership, USJ’s engineering science students will have access to those resources and the opportunity to apply for internships with MakerspaceCT.^[13]

Athletics

USJ Blue Jays wordmark

In September 2018, the university made headlines by signing Jim Calhoun, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, as head coach of the newly formed men's basketball team.^[14]

The list of varsity sports includes (for both, men's and women's) basketball, cross country, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, and tennis. Men's only sports include baseball, and women's only include field hockey, softball, and volleyball, for a total of 10 sports sponsored by the University of Saint Joseph at Connecticut.