Suffolk University History

Founded on the promise of bettering students' lives through education

From its roots in an evening law class with a handful of students, Suffolk University has evolved into a global institution that blends traditional and experiential learning and taps partner organizations and mentors in Boston and beyond.

Creating Opportunity 

Founder Gleason Archer hailed from rural Maine and worked hard to support his law school aspirations. He was fortunate in meeting a benefactor, George Frost, who paid for Archer’s education and asked only that Archer pass his generosity along to others. Archer took this advice to heart and in 1906 began teaching law in his home in the evenings.

Commitment to Diversity

Celebrating diversity has always been at Suffolk’s core, and the institution was at the forefront in embracing a diverse student population, with African American, Asian, Native American, and women students finding a home here since its earliest days. 

The school now known as the College of Arts & Sciences was founded in 1934. Two years later the predecessor to the Sawyer Business School welcomed its first students. That same year all three schools were incorporated as Suffolk University. In time the University expanded from a night-school format to incorporate a range of full- and part-time programs.

A tradition of public service was firmly established in Suffolk University’s earliest days. Many alumni have been elected to public office at the state, local, and national levels; some began their terms in office while studying at Suffolk. And Suffolk alumni work diligently on behalf of their fellow citizens in nonprofits, the judiciary, and in policy-making positions at every level. 

The University Today

Building on the promise of its founding, Suffolk University continues to anticipate and respond to the needs of a diverse student body. Through carefully designed curriculum, mentoring, networking, and service learning, the University creates opportunities that help students to meet their goals.

Students combine classroom studies with experiential learning opportunities and career-shaping internships at influential institutions, and they forge strong, essential connections with professional mentors. Suffolk students benefit from their close proximity to Boston’s top employers, including the key business, health care, biotechnology, and start-up industries that increasingly define the city. Partnerships with the Museum of African American History, the Boston Public Schools, the judiciary, Habitat for Humanity and many other entities engage faculty and students in groundbreaking scholarship and community participation. Upon graduation, Suffolk students are well prepared for success.

International Education

The University’s reputation for excellence draws students from across the nation and around the world to its urban campus. Students come from a variety of economic and cultural backgrounds to contribute to and engage in a vibrant campus environment with programming that enriches not only the academic, but also the social and personal experiences of all students.

In addition, students gain international exposure as they study at study abroad programs, global travel seminars, and faculty-led study tours. 

Strong Alumni Network

When they graduate, Suffolk students join a proud alumni community of more than 80,000 members who span the globe and are innovators and leaders in their fields. These Suffolk alumni are deeply invested in the success of today’s graduates.

Since 1906, Suffolk University has been transforming lives through its rich learning environment that positions students for professional and personal success. Those who best know the University realize that its success comes from the dedication of its people – the faculty, administrators, staff, alumni, and students who have created an academic environment that is exceptional.  

Explore the Archives

A Pictorial History of Suffolk University

Suffolk University founder Gleason Archer made it his life’s mission to open the doors to higher education to all capable students, initially through evening law classes.

1906—Gleason Archer begins teaching law classes in the living room of his Roxbury home. A year later he moved the renamed Suffolk School of Law to downtown Boston.

1909—Diploma from the first Law School graduating class.

1920—Massachusetts Governor, later President, Calvin Coolidge speaks as the cornerstone is laid for the Archer Building on Beacon Hill.

A diverse student population has found a welcoming home at since Suffolk’s earliest days.

Thomas Vreeland Jones, JD ’15, was an early African American graduate. Nelson D. Simons, JD ’25, Suffolk’s first Native American graduate, was chief of the Mashpee Wampanoag. Harry Hom Dow, JD ’29, was the first Asian American to pass the Massachusetts bar exam. He specialized in immigration law.

1937—Suffolk's first woman graduate, Marian Archer MacDonald, receives law degree from her father, Gleason L. Archer. By this time the University also included programs in arts & sciences and in business.

1949—Then-Congressman John F. Kennedy receives a petition of gratitude for the G.I. Bill from Senior Class President Carroll Sheehan and Suffolk President Walter Burse.

1950—Legendary Red Sox slugger Ted Williams chats with seniors Dick Conway and Don Shea during a visit to the Suffolk Varsity Club.

1950—Suffolk athletics teams adopt the Rams name and acquire a mascot—Hiram the Ram, named for Gleason Archer’s brother Hiram, a faculty member and trustee.

1951—Suffolk’s first undergraduate women’s basketball team is formed, but it wasn’t until 1980 that it became a varsity sport.

1951—Rams men’s hockey team at the Boston Arena. Hockey was introduced in 1946, went on hiatus in 1953 and was reinstated in 1980. Today there are 19 Rams men's and women's varsity teams.

1967—First-year students wearing the Suffolk beanie, a tradition from the 1950s through the ‘70s.

1995—Madrid campus opens.

1996—The New England School of Art & Design merges with Suffolk University.

Professor Audrey Goldstein and students with a mural created to celebrate the Art Department's move from the Back Bay to the main campus in 2017

1996—University’s first residence hall opens at 150 Tremont St. In 2018 it was named for alumni philanthropists Michael and Larry Smith.

1997—Suffolk's Organization for Uplifting Lives through Service—now the Center for Community Engagement—is founded to promote community service and civic engagement.

1999—University opens Sargent Hall, leading to a reinvigoration of the upper Tremont Street area.

2006—A procession of faculty and administrators heads through Boston Common as the University celebrates its centennial.

2007—University holds its first Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Ellen Crotty Pistorino, a standout in basketball and softball, is inducted, along with longtime Athletics Director Jim “Coach” Nelson.

2010—The University opens its fourth residence hall in a building that includes a theater and features an award-winning restoration of the historic Modern Theatre façade.

2015—University opens a new academic building at 20 Somerset Street as it shifts the campus more toward downtown Boston. The building was named for alumnus Leonard J. Samia in 2019.

2018—Suffolk University is named among the top 100 national universities that best serve the nation, with a special mention of the high rate of student voting.

2018—University mascot Rammy today.

2019—Suffolk University has more than 80,000 active alumni in 144 countries.