UB的历史
In the early twentieth century, Bridgeport was one of only six U.S. cities with populations of more than 100,000 people with no institution of higher education. Local physics and mathematics teacher E. Everett Cortright believed equal access to education was necessary for national success, 声明, “Ability and leadership must be sought in all groups.他和两个朋友, 阿尔弗雷德·丰 founder of the dental hygiene profession, and Raybestos President Sumner Simpson, decided to create a two-year junior college, the first one in New England.
Dr. 阿尔弗雷德·丰 Establishes the World’s First School of Dental Hygiene
In 1907, 艾琳纽曼 first performed the duties of what her cousin, Dr. 阿尔弗雷德·丰 called a “dental hygienist” at their offices on Washington Street in Bridgeport. By 1913, she was instructing the first courses to members of this new profession. Connecticut issued the world’s first license to Newman, and she became the president of the world’s first dental hygiene association. Dr. Fones went on to help found the Junior College of Connecticut, which later became University of Bridgeport. Fones and Newman’s legacy was secured when UB opened the Fones School of Dental Hygiene in 1949. 一年后, when asked about her part in this saga, 她说, “The work was there to do, 我做到了.“今天, graduates of the Fones School continue to achieve national recognition as pioneers in the dental profession.
5月5日, 1927, the state charter for the Junior College of Connecticut was signed to resounding local and regional acclaim. Dr. Fones bought a large brick building at 1001 Fairfield Avenue to use as the first college building. Aspiring men and women entered the new college to take general education classes, as well as specialties like Hungarian and aeronautics. 几乎立即, President Cortright realized that the college needed to grow, 1939年, he purchased more property, 包括P.T. Barnum’s former estate near Seaside Park.
At the end of World War II, veterans flooded the school, taking advantage of the GI Bill — a legislative act securing educational benefits for service people. 新总统, 詹姆斯·哈尔西, saw this as an opportunity to expand the successful junior college into a full university, 学生们也同意, signing petitions and writing to newspapers. In 1947, the school became University of Bridgeport, located on the former Barnum estate adjacent to Seaside Park. The new university absorbed Arnold College of Physical Education and Weylister Secretarial Junior College, becoming one of the largest schools 在康涅狄格.
As the decades progressed, new majors and schools were added, contributing to the diversity of ideas and opportunities that have distinguished the University ever since. 健康科学 grew from its roots in Dental Hygiene to include the first 护理学学士 在康涅狄格, the first master’s degree in Nutrition in the country, and the first university-based 按摩正规的网赌平台 在美国. Inventor Igor Sikorsky helped UB begin what became in the 21st century one of the largest engineering programs in New England, with the first and only Ph.D. program in Technology Management in the Northeast, the first Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering in the Northeast, and the first university with a master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence 在康涅狄格.
UB Institutes America’s First University-Based Chiropractic Program
The first master’s degree in nutrition 在美国 had attracted many chiropractors, 结果就是, the University began exploring the foundation of a College of Chiropractic. In 1991, UB became not only the first such school 在康涅狄格, but the only university-affiliated chiropractic school 在美国. Pioneering chiropractic physician 弗兰克Zolli 担任院长, ensuring that from anatomy labs to clinical rotations, the hands-on curriculum was evidence-based, 由科学推动, 和research-centered. Never before had a college achieved accreditation on its initial application to the Council on Chiropractic Education, but in 1994 UB became the first. That year the inaugural class of ten students graduated.
In 2021, Goodwin University preserved the legacy of University of Bridgeport when it completed its acquisition of the school. 在这个所有权下, UB continues to function as an independent institution with renewed energy and commitment from its own leadership and Board of Trustees. This partnership continues the tradition of innovative, inclusive higher education that led to the founding of UB almost a century ago and continues to guide us today as we connect to an increasingly global society.