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Fontbonne University is a co-ed liberal arts Catholic institution of approximately 2,900 students in Clayton, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Fontbonne's student body is 28 percent male, 72 percent female, and 38 percent minority. It is a member of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Fontbonne is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Fontbonne University offers both undergraduate and master's degree programs.

Fontbonne University, founded in 1923, takes its name from Mother St. John Fontbonne, who, in 1808 after the French Revolution, refounded the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph (CSJ). More than a century and a half before, in 1650, the Sisters of St. Joseph had been founded in LePuy, France. During the French Revolution, the sisters were forced to return to their homes and the community was dispersed. Some 28 years after the re-founding, six Sisters of St. Joseph came to the United States in 1836 and established American roots at Carondelet, a small community in south St. Louis, Missouri. Five years later, in 1841, they opened St. Joseph's Academy for girls.

• Mary Louise Preis - former Maryland State Delegate, then with CitiFinancial (2003 - )

1923 — First classes began at Carondelet following World War I

1925 — Fontbonne classes moved to a new location at Wydown and Big Bend Boulevards in Clayton, Missouri.

1927 — Eight women received the first baccalaureate degrees from Fontbonne.

1930 to 1950 — A liberal arts curriculum was developed. A cafeteria, swimming pool, and gymnasium were added to the original buildings (Ryan Hall, Science Building, Fine Arts Building). Medaille Hall, the university's first residence hall, was dedicated. The school received North Central accreditation.

1950 to 1960 — The department of education was expanded to include special education, behavioral disorders, learning disabilities, and mental handicaps. A major in deaf education linked Fontbonne with St. Joseph's Institute for the Deaf. The department of communication disorders was established to prepare teachers for speech-impaired children and adults

1960 to 1980 — Fontbonne College became co-educational. Service programs were expanded to areas such as dietetics, special education, communication disorders and deaf education. A predominately lay board of trustees was formed. The Fontbonne Library was dedicated, along with two more residence halls. Though the late-1960s student protest movement left Fontbonne mostly untouched, in October 1970 black female students seized the Fontbonne library to demand more African American students and teachers, and a role in shaping courses and cultural programming.^[1]

1980 to present day — The OPTIONS program for nontraditional evening and weekend students was established. The first male president, Dr. Dennis C. Golden, was inaugurated in September 1995. The school celebrated its 75th anniversary during the 1998-99 academic year. March 14, 2002 marked the change in status from Fontbonne College to Fontbonne University.

Fontbonne University Athletics Griffin

Fontbonne University Griffin

Official Seal of Fontbonne University

1. ^ “Fontbonne Black Sisters Rise,” St. Louis Outlaw, vol. 1, no. 8 (4 Nov. 1970), p. 14, held at Missouri Historical Society.

Fontbonne homepage: http://www.fontbonne.edu/