The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the US and the second-largest private university in Ohio. Its campus is located in southern Dayton and spans 388 acres on both sides of the Great Miami River. The campus is noted for the Immaculate Conception Chapel and the University of Dayton Arena.
As of 2026, the university enrolls students from a variety of religious, ethnic and geographic backgrounds, totaling approximately 10,506 undergraduates and postgraduates combined, making UD the eleventh largest Catholic university in terms of enrollment in the U.S. It offers more than 80 academic programs in the arts, sciences, business, education, health sciences, engineering, and law. In 2009, UD offered what it believes to be one of the first undergraduate degree programs in human rights. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".
History
Founding In 1849, on a mission to establish a presence for the Society of Mary in America, Leo Meyer journeyed from Alsace in France to Cincinnati. But with a cholera epidemic raging to the north, Bishop John Baptist Purcell of the Cincinnati diocese sent Meyer to Emmanuel parish in Dayton to tend to the sick. In Dayton, Meyer met local farmer John Stuart, who had lost his infant daughter Mary Louisa to cholera the year before. Heartbroken, Stuart and his wife wanted to sell their Dewberry Farm property and return to Europe.
On March 19, 1850, Meyer, joined by three Marianist brothers—teacher Maximin Zehler, cook Charles Schultz, and gardener Andrew Edel—purchased the hilltop farm from Stuart and renamed it Nazareth. Stuart accepted a St. Joseph medal and a promise of $12,000 at 6 percent interest. The property included vineyards, an orchard, a mansion, various farm buildings, and the grave of Stuart's daughter, which Meyer promised to maintain.
Just a few months later, the University of Dayton had its beginning on July 1, 1850, when St. Mary's School for Boys opened its doors to 14 primary students from Dayton. In September the first boarding students arrived and classes moved to the mansion. Five years later, the school burned to the ground, but classes resumed within months. By 1860, when Zehler became president, the enrollment was nearly 100 students. The Civil War had little direct effect on the school because most of the students were too young to serve. College preparatory classes started in 1861 along with a novitiate and school for Marianist candidates. The school became Chaminade High School, named after the order's founder William Joseph Chaminade, which has since merged with the all-girls Julienne High school run by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur to form the coeducational Chaminade-Julienne High School.
The core of the Historic Campus was built during this time, starting in 1865 with Zehler Hall, the iconic Immaculate Conception Chapel in 1869, and St. Mary's Hall, then the tallest building in Dayton in 1870. In 1882 the university was incorporated and empowered to confer collegiate degrees by the State of Ohio.
Key events When floodwaters struck the community during the Great Dayton Flood of 1913, refugees fled to St. Mary's College high on a hill south of downtown Dayton. St. Mary's College was uniquely situated and equipped to provide relief to flood victims. Because students had not returned to campus from Easter break, the college was amply stocked with food and other provisions. Due to its location on the hill, electric light and heating plants were not affected, a plentiful clean water supply was available and the college had other essential facilities such as laundry and infirmary. The college's kitchen provided meals to Miami Valley Hospital and provided of provisions to St. Elizabeth Hospital. The first night, 400 refugees took shelter at St. Mary's College; by the end of the week, the number had grown to 600. In all, the college assisted 800 refugees. Known at various times as St. Mary's School, St. Mary's Institute and St. Mary's College, the school was incorporated as the University of Dayton in 1920 to reflect its close connection with the city of Dayton as well as to claim an American identity for its Catholic students.
In 1923, the university adopted the "Dayton Flyers" nickname for its athletic teams and adopted a university seal with the motto, "Pro Deo et Patria", Latin for "For God and Country." In the 1930s, women were admitted on an equal basis with men—40 years before most Catholic universities allowed women. The school expanded its science and engineering programs and continued to attract the children and grandchildren of Catholic immigrants.
The growing Catholic presence in Dayton during the 1920s drew the hostility of the Ku Klux Klan, which focused on the university. On December 19, 1923, 12 bombs exploded throughout the campus and an cross was set on fire. Several hundred Klansmen were routed by hundreds of neighborhood residents who joined students in chasing them off.
In June 2014, the University of Dayton announced it would begin divesting coal and fossil fuels from its $670 million investment pool. It is believed to have been the first Catholic university in the nation to take this step.
Growth and expansion Starting in the 1960s, the university began acquiring hundreds of single-family homes and duplexes in the neighborhoods adjacent to the campus for student housing, extending the campus to Brown Street. In 2007, the university built five new townhouses and renovated four homes in a Citirama project with the Home Builders Association of Dayton.
In 2005, the university acquired a parcel of land for $25 million that had once housed the cash register factory complex of the NCR Corp. The purchase extended the university's boundaries west to the Great Miami River and increased the total acreage to 216 acres.
In 2009, the university announced the purchase of another 115 acres from NCR for $18 million, including the former NCR World Headquarters and Old River Park, the former NCR employees' recreation area, extending the campus to 373 acres. The former NCR world headquarters, renamed the 1700 South Patterson Building, now houses the University of Dayton Research Institute, classrooms, offices, and meeting space.
In 2010, GE Aviation announced it would build the $51 million GE Aviation Dayton Electrical Power Research Lab research and development facility on eight acres of the campus, becoming the first major new development on the former NCR land.
In 2012, the campus totaled approximately 388 acres and included 38 academic, research, athletic, and administrative buildings, five residence halls, 18 student apartment complexes, and 473 residences, including 347 university-owned residences."ANNUAL INFORMATION FILING FOR FISCAL YEAR 2012 (pdf)"
Enrollment grew to about 1,000 when World War II broke out. It reached more than 3,500 in 1950 with the return of the veterans and grew steadily. When the baby boomers reached college age, the university's enrollment topped 10,000. However, local enrollment decreased in the 1960s when Wright State University was established and Sinclair Community College was expanded, moving UD toward becoming a national university. In 2012, more than half of the undergraduates were from states other than Ohio. International enrollment has grown as well. In 2012 a record of more than 1,500 international students were enrolled.
Marianist tradition The University of Dayton was founded by priests and brothers in the tradition of the Society of Mary and is one of three Marianist universities in the U.S. It is a member of the Association of Marianist Universities and the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities.
Although the university is not pontifical in character, the academic program of the university's International Marian Research Institute does have pontifical character and is affiliated with the Pontifical Theological Faculty Marianum in Rome.
Vowed Marianists governed the university until 1970, when the charter was amended and lay members joined the board of trustees. Vowed Marinists served as presidents through 2002, when Daniel J. Curran became the university's 18th president and first lay leader. Eric F. Spina, PhD, succeeded Dr. Curran in 2016 as the 19th president of the university.
To sustain the Marianist identity and values of the university, Marianist Educational Associates was established in 2005 to educate lay leaders so the beliefs and traditions at the foundation of the Marianist educational philosophy could continue.
Presidents Leo Meyer (1850–1857) John B. Stintzi, S.M. (1857–1860) Maximin Zehler, S.M. (1860–1876) Francis E. Feith, S.M. (1876–1879) George Meyer, S.M. (1879–1887) John Harks, S.M. (1887–1889) Joseph Weckesser, S.M. (1889–1896) Charles Eichner, S.M. (1896–1902) Louis A. Tragesser, S.M. (1902–1908) Bernard P. O'Reilly, S.M. (1908–1918; 1923–1932) Joseph A. Tetzlaff, S.M. (1918–1923) Walter C. Tredtin, S.M. (1932–1938) John A. Elbert, S.M. (1938–1944) George J. Renneker, S.M. (1944–1953) Andrew L. Seebold, S.M. (1953–1959) Raymond A. Roesch, S.M. (1959–1979) Raymond Fitz, S.M. (1979–2002) Daniel J. Curran (2002–2016) Eric F. Spina (2016– )
Campus
The University of Dayton's campus is located on approximately on the southern border of the city of Dayton. It is divided into four sections: Historic Campus, Campus West, River Campus, and Arena Sports Complex. The campus includes 38 academic, research, athletic, and administrative buildings; five residence halls; 18 student apartment complexes; and 473 houses (347 of which are owned by the university).
Historic campus At the center of campus are St. Mary's Hall and the Immaculate Conception Chapel, whose blue cupola inspired the university's logo. In its early years, St. Mary's served as a dormitory and classroom; today, it holds the offices of the bursar, human resources, president, provost, and services for current students such as financial aid, registration, student employment, and veterans services.
St. Joseph Hall was built in 1884 as a residence hall. The interior was destroyed in a fire in 1987 and reopened in 1989. It houses the classrooms and offices for the social sciences and the university's Fitz Center for Leadership in Community.
Chaminade Hall, built in 1904, was named for William Joseph Chaminade, the founder of the Society of Mary. Chaminade Hall originally quartered senior students, and most recently housed the teacher education program before several years of vacancy which concluded with its demolition in the summer of 2025. The University of Dayton demolished this historic structure to create green space where it once stood. The university will continue to honor the memory of Chaminade by naming any future structures in this space after him.
Kettering Labs is home to the School of Engineering. Named after engineer and inventor Eugene Kettering, it includes classrooms, labs, offices, a machine shop, a wind tunnel, and the Innovation Center.
The Jesse Philips Humanities Center was built in 1993 and named for former university trustee Jesse Philips. It houses academic departments including American studies, English, history, languages, philosophy, and religious studies. It contains 20 classrooms, two computer centers, an international language lab, and a 180-seat recital hall.
Miriam Hall is home to the School of Business Administration and contains team-teaching, labs and seminar classrooms, including the Davis Center for Portfolio Management, the Crotty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, and the Hanley Trading Center. Miriam Hall is named for Dayton philanthropist Miriam Rosenthal, who played an important role in fundraising for the university.