Sacred Heart University (SHU) is a private Catholic university in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1963 by Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Sacred Heart was the first Catholic university in the United States to be staffed by the laity. It offers more than 80 degree programs to over 8,500 students at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels. The university is led and staffed by the laity independent and locally oriented.
