History & Mission | Sullivan University

History & Mission

The history of Sullivan University

1962
A. O. Sullivan and his son, A. R. Sullivan, recognize the need for an institution of higher education that would be devoted to the highest ideals and standards in preparing people for successful careers. They found Sullivan Business College, a one year school of business, to meet that need. Since that time, the University has earned a reputation as one of the leading career institutions in the nation. Popular since its beginning, Sullivan continues to grow in stature and reputation. The University has undergone many changes since its founding as a specialized business school.

1972
Sullivan receives authority to award the associate degree.

1973
Bryant & Stratton Business College, whose history dates back to 1864, merges with Sullivan, giving the school a history of over a century of service to the people in this region.

1976
The University makes a major move to its current main campus at the corner of the Watterson Expressway and Bardstown Road and changes its name to Sullivan Junior College of Business to better reflect its status as an accredited junior college.

1979
Sullivan becomes the first private career college in the South to receive collegiate accreditation from the prestigious Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools at the Associate degree level.

1982
Sullivan opens its first extension cam pus on the Ft. Knox Military base at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, serving the military and civilian population in the Ft. Knox area.

1985
Sullivan continues its expansion with the opening of a branch campus in Lexington, Kentucky.

1990
Sullivan University moves into the last decade of the twentieth century by adding a baccalaureate degree program at its main campus, giving students the options of first enrolling in a fast career-in-a-year program or enrolling in an associate degree program. By accepting employment after graduation from either a one-year diploma or two-year associate degree program and returning for evening, weekend and now through Internet Web-Assisted classes, students can earn a Bachelor of Science degree three years after entry.

1992
The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools grants accreditation to Sullivan's baccalaureate program, giving it the same baccalaureate accreditations as enjoyed by major colleges and universities in the eleven-state southern region.

1994
Collegiate accreditation is extended through the year 2006. In January 2006, accreditation was extended through 2016.

1995
Sullivan's Lexington and Ft. Knox campuses are approved to offer baccalaureate degrees, furthering the University's strong commitment of providing students with quality career education.

1997
The University initiates a graduate school offering the Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree at its main campus in Louisville. Sullivan University had now grown to become Kentucky's largest independent university.

1999
Sullivan opens a multi-million dollar Library and Learning Resource Center and began offering graduate degree classes at its Lexington campus.

Sullivan acquires a new suburban campus in Lexington for the thousand-plus students attending the college in that city.

Sullivan University Global Online established an international presence that now has over 1200 students in online programs.

2000
The institution's board approves the change of designation from Sullivan College to Sullivan University which officially took place at formal ceremonies on August 2, 2000.

2001
Sullivan University establishes the International Center for Dispute Resolution and Leadership as an academic partner with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, an independent government agency that reports directly to the President of the United States.

2004
The University opens a new multimillion dollar classroom and laboratory building plus 400 additional students' parking spaces on its new west campus, directly adjacent to the main campus.

Continuing its global presence, Sullivan University EurAsia was established with programs and organizations such as the European Union and other universities in India.

2006
Sullivan University announces plans for a new Doctor of Pharmacy program to address the growing shortage of pharmacists across the country.