D’Youville College- Now A University

Written on: March 1, 2022

Following a vote by the State Board of Regents, D’Youville College, which is located on Porter Avenue, will now be known as D’Youville University.

A formal announcement was made on Friday, February 18. Watch it here!

The Grey Nuns of the Cross, came to Buffalo in 1857, invited by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate who served the newly established Holy Angels Parish. These Sisters established a parish school and shared in the Oblates’ ministry of service to the poor. Over time, the Grey Nuns of the Cross also founded Holy Angels Academy and D’Youville College. D’Youville College, founded in 1908, was named for their patron, Sister Marie Marguerite d’Youville. It was the first college in Western New York to offer baccalaureate degree programs for women. That first semester, nine women enrolled in the school’s liberal arts courses. Their classes were held in a four-story red brick academy. Today, it’s known as Koessler Administration Building, the core building of D’Youville.

In 1921, The Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart were established as a new Congregation to serve the people of the United States. In doing so, they were given control of Holy Angels parish school, Holy Angels Academy, D’Youville College and other ministries established in Buffalo. They continued seamlessly in the footsteps of their predecessors, serving the people of Buffalo through education and outreach to the poor.

In 2021, D’Youville opened a new Heath Professions Hub to help address healthcare needs in the region and provide primary care to residents living on Buffalo’s west side. The hub will also give D’Youville students clinical experience.

D’Youville is also stepping up to help the Afghan refugees settle in Western New York by offering temporary housing until they can find a permanent home.

D’Youville welcomed its first two Afghan family units to on-campus residential units this past November. The school is partnering with the International Institute of Buffalo and other local refugee agencies to give refugees a place to stay on campus while they look for a home.

“We are thrilled to have this opportunity to help families launch their new lives in Buffalo by offering them a place to call home until they can find true homes of their own,”  Lorrie A. Clemo, Ph.D., D’Youville President said at the time.

Once the first families find a place to stay, other refugees will be able to stay at the college while they find a place to live.

The Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart are pleased to know that their charism of compassionate care for God’s people continues on at D’Youville College.

This entry was posted in News and tagged: Buffalo, D'Youville University, education, Grey Nuns of the Cross, Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart, healthcare, Holy Angels Academy Buffalo, Holy Angels Parish, ministries, Oblates of Mary Immaculate, students, United States, Western New York