CBU’s Sesquicentennial
Christian Brothers College, then located on Adams Avenue, opened its doors on November 20, 1871 with four Christian Brothers and 87 students. It awarded the first college degree in the city of Memphis in 1875.
One hundred and fifty years later, Christian Brothers University has grown to a student population of more than 1,800 and expanded its degree offerings. Today, CBU offers bachelor’s degrees in more than 60 academic majors and concentrations in the arts, business, education, engineering, and sciences, as well as master’s degrees in business, computer systems, data science, education, and engineering management. CBU continues to promote teaching as ministry and to provide challenging student-centered learning and personal growth.
In 2021 and 2022, CBU celebrated its sesquicentennial anniversary, and we invited all members of our community to join us as we honored our history, celebrated our successes, and envisioned and embraced our future.
The CBU Red Book: Telling the Lasallian Story in Memphis
We published The Red Book, to introduce the twin stories of the founder of the Christian Brothers, St. John Baptist de La Salle, and of our own Lasallian institution.
150 for 150: Honoring our Alumni
Throughout our year of celebration, we honored 150 alumni and CBU community members who have served with humility and grace as true examples of our Lasallian values.
Celebrating “Together and By Association”
Although the COVID-19 public health crisis continued to negatively impact how we were able to come together as a Lasallian community, we were committed to providing opportunities to safely engage with each other throughout our celebratory year.
Sesquicentennial Commemorative Mass
One hundred and fifty years to the day that the Christian Brothers held their first class in Memphis, the community was invited to join us and the Most Reverend David Talley, Bishop of Memphis, at St. Peter Catholic Church at 190 Adams Avenue on November 20, 2021 at 7:00 pm as we reflected upon and gave thanks for our educational ministry in this city.
Alumni Weekend and the Bell Tower Gala
Given the surge of the COVID-19 Delta variant in the City of Memphis, Shelby County, and the Mid-South region and relying upon guidance provided by public health professionals, Christian Brothers University decided to postpone the scheduled Alumni Weekend and Bell Tower Gala events previously slated to take place in early October 2021. These events were rescheduled for the weekend of September 23-25 and featured a full schedule of activities to help us remember our past and look ahead to our future.
Rather than being one of the first events of our milestone celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Christian Brothers’ arrival in Memphis, this weekend and its premier event — the Bell Tower Scholarship Dinner – became one of our culminating events of this special time.
150 Years of Serving Memphis
As part of September of Service, we kicked off a year-long initiative for CBU community participants to achieve 150 hours of community service in honor of our 150th birthday.
