Suffolk University is a private, non-sectarian, university located in Boston, Massachusetts and with about 9,500 students, it is the fourth largest university in Boston.^[2] It was founded as a law school in 1906 and named after its location in Suffolk County, Massachusetts.

The university is co-educational and comprises the Suffolk University Law School, the Suffolk College of Arts and Sciences, the Sawyer Business School, and the New England School of Art and Design at Suffolk University (NESAD) It has one international campus in Madrid, Spain in addition to the main campus in downtown Boston. Due to its location and well-known law school, Suffolk often attracts notable scholars and prominent speakers; for example, former President John F. Kennedy,^[3] former Chief Justice of the United States, William Rehnquist,^[4] and former President George H.W. Bush.^[5]

History[link]

Founded in 1906 by lawyer Gleason Archer, Sr., Suffolk University was initially named "Archer's Evening Law School" but soon became Suffolk School of Law. The school's goal was to "serve ambitious young men who are obliged to work for a living while studying law."^[6]

In 1907, Archer moved the school from his Roxbury, Massachusetts home into his downtown Boston law offices. A year later the first of Archer's students had passed the bar, leading to a boost in registration.^[6]

By 1930, Archer developed Suffolk into one of the largest law schools in the country, and decided to create "a great evening university" that working people could afford.^[6] The Suffolk College of Arts and Sciences was founded in 1934, and the Sawyer Business School -- then known as the College of Business Administration—in 1937. That same year, the three academic units were incorporated as Suffolk University.^[6]

During the 1990s Suffolk constructed its first residence halls, began satellite programs with other colleges in Massachusetts, and opened its international campuses.^[6] From 1990 to 2005, its endowment increased over 400%, to approximately $72 million and tuition climbed.^[7]

Presidents (1906–present)[link]

• Gleason Archer, Sr. (1906–1948)
• Walter Burse (1948–1954)
• Robert Munce (1954–1960)
• Dennis C. Haley (1960–1965)
• John E. Fenton (1965–1970)
• Thomas Fulham (1970–1980)
• Daniel Perlman (1980–1989)
• David Sargent (1989–2010)
• Barry Brown (2010–2012) (interim)
• James McCarthy (2012–present)

Campus[link]

Sargent Hall

The main campus in downtown Boston is situated on well-known Beacon Hill, adjacent to the Massachusetts State House and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Up until 1995, Suffolk was a commuter-only school. Today, there are four residence halls, housing about 90% of freshman, and a total of 25% of the entire undergraduate population. The Residence Halls are:

• 150 Tremont
• Miller Hall
• 10 West
• Modern Theatre Hall

The residence hall at 150 Tremont Street was the first built by the university and currently houses students in singles, doubles, quads, and suites, with communal bathrooms. Nathan R. Miller Residence Hall (located at 10 Somerset St.) was opened in 2005 and houses 15 floors of freshman, and 2 floors of sophomores in singles, doubles and quads, with bathrooms shared between every two rooms. 10 West/10 West Expansion is the newest residence hall and has housing for freshman and sophomores in singles, doubles and a variety of apartment style suites.

Both Miller Hall and 150 Tremont have cafeterias. Students living at 10 West can choose to at either cafeteria. Suffolk University occasionally leases additional properties (such as the Hyatt & Holiday Inn Beacon Hill). If leased, those locations house freshman students.

The Modern Theatre Resident Hall opened in the fall of 2010. It is also considered an extension to the 10 West Resident Hall. It is built over the new Modern Theatre, at Suffolk University.

In addition to its main campus in Boston, there are satellite campuses in Madrid, Spain, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Academics[link]

Suffolk employs nearly 800 full-time and adjunct faculty members, who instruct approximately 9,500 undergraduate and graduate students.^[8]

The Sawyer Business School (previously the Sawyer School of Management) focuses on global business education.^[9] It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees. Joint degrees are also offered. About 3,000 students are currently enrolled in all programs. The Saturday-only Executive MBA Program incorporates four off-site one-week seminars and week-long global trips to London and China. The Global MBA is a specialized MBA in international business with an intensive concentration in either finance or marketing. The full-time program includes a 3-month internship outside the student's home country. Summer 2010 Global MBA internships are in 10 countries. Part-time Global MBAs complete either a global experiential research project at their place of business or a 3-month consulting project that includes an intensive 2 week residency outside the US.^[10]

The Suffolk College of Arts and Sciences has seventeen academics departments which offer more than seventy undergraduate and graduate programs. Among the departments is the New England School of Art and Design (NESAD)^{[11] [12]}

Suffolk University Law School, founded in 1906, offers a standard Juris Doctor program and advanced L.L.M. program. 43% of applicants were admitted to the J.D. program in 2005.^[13]

The university is also home to various research centers and institutes, including the Beacon Hill Institute, a "free-market think-tank,"^[14] the Centers for Crime & Justice Policy Research, Restorative Justice, and Women's Health and Human Right, the Poetry Center, Political Research Centers, the R.S. Friedman Field Station, and the Sagan Energy Research Laboratory.^[15] The Suffolk University Political Research Center (SUPRC) conducts various scientific polls of national and regional political issues.^[16]

Rankings[link]

In 2011 U.S. News ranked Suffolk #60 in Regional Universities (North).^[17] In 2009 U.S. News ranked Suffolk in the "top tier of “Best Master’s Universities” in the North" and #7 in "Best College: Most International Students” attending master’s programs."^[18] Suffolk is also listed annually in the Princeton Review rankings of "The Best 376 Colleges," including a ranking in the top 25 entrepreneurship programs in the World.^[19] The 2011 edition of U.S. News publication ranked Suffolk Law School 20th in the United States for its legal clinics, 13th for its Alternative Dispute Resolution program, and 15th for its Legal Writing. The ILRG also has numerous other categories and ranks Suffolk University Law School as the 68th most selective law school, 45th for job placement before graduation, 78th for job placement after 9 months, 23rd for best bar passer rates among first time takers, 14th when ranking the school versus the state average for bar passage rates, 92nd for student to faculty ratio and 87th overall for student median LSAT/GPAs.^{[20][21][22][23][24]} Law & Politics' 2010 ranking of law schools ranked Suffolk University Law School 33rd overall.^[25] In 2010, The Social Science Research Network ranked Suffolk 25th in the country.^[26] Leiter's ranking of most desirable law schools lists Suffolk as the 35th most desirable law school in the country.^[27][28] Law.com ranks Suffolk 54th overall for best job placement and employment trends into "BigLaw" with eleven percent of the class entering Big Law.^[29][30] In 2010, The Hylton Rankings placed Suffolk University Law School 94th overall among all law schools.^[31]

Student Life[link]

Thirteen athletic teams from Suffolk compete in the NCAA Division III.^[32]

The student organizations on campus are:

Notable persons[link]

Notable alumni[link]

President Sargent, Chairman Macaronis, and Carl Bernstein

• Thomas J. Lane, class of 1925, U.S. Representative from Massachusetts (1941–1963)
• James A. Burke, U.S. Representative from Massachusetts (1959–1979)
• Gleason Archer Jr., class of 1939, theologian
• Martin F. Loughlin, class of 1951, U.S. District Court of New Hampshire, judge (1979–1995)
• David Sargent, class of 1954, President of Suffolk University (1989–2010)
• Joe Moakley, class of 1956, U.S. Representative from Massachusetts 1973-2001
• Judge Frank Caprio, class of 1965, television judge Caught in Providence on ABC; Chief Judge Providence, R.I. Municipal Court
• Gunnar S. Overstrom, Jr., class of 1968, vice-chair of Fleet Boston and president and chief operating officer of the Shawmut National Corporation.
• James Sokolove, class of 1969, television personal injury attorney
• Robert L. Caret, class of 1969, President of Towson University
• Salvatore F. DiMasi, class of 1971, Mass. House of Representatives (1979–2009)
• Richard J. Leon, class of 1974, U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, judge (2002–present)
• Paul Reiber, class of 1974, Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
• James Bamford, class of 1975, journalist, author
• Francis Flaherty, class of 1975, Justice of Rhode Island Supreme Court
• William F. Galvin, class of 1975, Secretary of State of Massachusetts
• Dan Harrington, poker player
• Robert A. DeLeo, class of 1976, member of the Mass. House of Representatives (served 1991 - present)
• Jerald G. Fishman, class of 1976, President & CEO, Analog Devices
• John F. Tierney, class of 1976, U.S. Representative from Massachusetts 1997–present
• Paul Suttell, class of 1976, Justice of Rhode Island Supreme Court
• John Loftus, class of 1977, author, television commentator
• Maureen Goldberg, class of 1978, Justice of Rhode Island Supreme Court
• Ronald Machtley, class of 1978, President of Bryant University, U.S. Representative from Rhode Island (1989–1995)
• Michael E. Festa, class of 1979, member of the Mass. House of Representatives (served 1998 - present)
• Nina Mitchell Wells, Secretary of State of New Jersey, 2006–present
• Martin Meehan, class of 1983, U.S. Representative from Massachusetts 1993-2007, current Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Lowell
• Cheryl Jacques, class of 1987, Legislator, President of the Human Rights Campaign
• Patrick C. Lynch, class of 1992, Attorney General of Rhode Island
• Gary Christenson, class of 1990, 1992, and 2003 (triple alumnus), mayor of Malden, Massachusetts.
• Jenna Mourey, class of 2008, YouTube personality

Notable faculty and trustees[link]

• Joseph Glannon, Professor, well-known writer of Torts and Civil Procedure texts
• Joseph P. Hoar, Trustee, Commander of U.S. central command
• D. Quentin Miller, Professor of English, literary critic
• Gerald Peary, Professor of Communications, noted film critic, reviewer, and columnist
• Charles E. Rounds, Jr., Professor of Law, specialist in agency and trust law
• Susan Starr Sered, Senior Research Associate at Suffolk University's Center for Women's Health and Human Rights, author of books on women's health

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Suffolk University History
• Suffolk University Archives

Coordinates: 42°21′31″N 71°03′44″W / 42.358537°N 71.062277°W / 42.358537; -71.062277