The University

Mission

We are an inclusive Catholic university that educates students—mind, body, and spirit—for meaningful lives, rewarding careers, ethical leadership, and service to improve the human condition.

Vision

We will become the leading Catholic university in the South by embracing innovation and creativity, forging new and mutually beneficial partnerships, intentionally diversifying curricula and community, and providing a distinctive and transformative student experience.

Values

Bellarmine University finds its Catholic identity in the inclusive spirit of Thomas Merton. We believe in the search for the true self, the interconnectedness of life and the solidarity of the human spirit, which transcends ethnic, religious, and social divisions. We educate the whole person to realize his or her highest potential as part of an interconnected world. Our values are Academic Excellence, Intrinsic Dignity, Social Responsibility, Integrity, Hospitality, and Stewardship.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Promoting academic inquiry rooted in the liberal arts tradition—critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, and compassion—with an expectation of excellence

INTRINSIC DIGNITY
Respecting the intrinsic value and dignity of every individual

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Cultivating grounded citizens who contribute to and advocate for the public good, environmental sustainability, global understanding, and informed civic engagement

INTEGRITY
Fostering strong ethical principles, honesty, fairness, transparency, and trustworthiness

HOSPITALITY
Creating an inclusive community that welcomes all and models a spirit of goodwill

STEWARDSHIP
Exercising thoughtful stewardship of our university resources

History

On October 3, 1950, Bellarmine College, a Catholic, liberal arts men’s college, opened its doors to its first class of 115 freshman “pioneer students.” The new college, named for Jesuit Saint Roberto Bellarmino, was the brainchild of Archbishop John Floersh, Rev. Raymond J. Treece, and the school’s founding president, Rev. Alfred F. Horrigan.

The college’s footprint was humble—just one building, today’s Pasteur Hall—but its aspirations were mighty. The founding “Statement of Purposes” based the new institution on the Catholic intellectual tradition, and stressed the need for humility and honesty in the search for an integrated approach to truth.

Further, the statement declared “The college will strive to furnish both the intellectual insights into the philosophy of democracy and the motivations for social responsibility, without which a democratic form of government cannot prosper.”

It went on to declare this audacious goal: “The college does not accept the notion that a school’s responsibility is to teach students simply to fit into the society in which they live. It submits that students must be taught to evaluate this society and to exercise their trained powers to change it wherever necessary.”

Since its opening day, Bellarmine has affirmed the intrinsic dignity of every individual, a commitment evidenced by its status among the first racially integrated institutions in the commonwealth.

Upon this bedrock, Bellarmine was born.

Despite many daunting economic challenges, Bellarmine College grew and prospered. In 1968, the college merged with nearby Ursuline College, gaining the benefit of that school’s rich Ursuline traditions, its faculty, and its female students, as well as the Ursuline values of intellectual cultivation, compassion, and service to others.

In the coming decades, the college continued to expand, adding substantial enrollment, residence halls, classroom buildings, graduate programs, and faculty. Its W.L. Lyons Brown Library is home to the Thomas Merton Center, the official repository of Merton’s artistic estate, which houses more than 50,000 Merton-related materials. Merton, renowned author, monk, and social critic, is the university’s spiritual inspiration. Bellarmine students learn Merton’s wisdom about the search for the true self, the interconnectedness of life, and the solidarity of the human spirit, which transcends ethnic, religious, and social divisions.

In 2000, Bellarmine changed its name to Bellarmine University to reflect its status as a large Master’s University. The university added academic programs and faculty, substantially boosted alumni engagement and endowment, dramatically transformed its campus, and earned the designation of a primarily residential university.

Similarly, Bellarmine’s burgeoning doctoral programs and master’s programs in fields like education, health sciences, and digital media, combined with the traditional liberal arts undergraduate academic core, rose to serve the needs of a growing, rapidly changing Louisville and its region.

Today, Bellarmine University’s campus consists of 32 buildings spread across 145 acres on-campus; boasts a total population of nearly 3,400 students, 176 full-time faculty members, and nearly 25,000 alumni; and annually ranks among the region’s top universities. In 2019, the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education elevated Bellarmine’s status to Doctoral Professional University to reflect the university’s growth in doctoral degree recipients.

Despite this stunning growth, Bellarmine never lost sight of its core strength. By adhering to its values, integrity, small class sizes, independent Catholic ideals, and respect for all people, Bellarmine students today continue to live in veritatis amore, in the love of truth.

Welcome to Bellarmine University

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