Rooted in Detroit

1877

April 5, the Very Reverend Thomas O’Neil, Provincial, agreed to establish The Detroit College. An agreement was reached to deed Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral, the Parish, and several lots on the north side of Larned between St. Antoine and Hastings to the Jesuits in return for establishing a college.

June 1, four Jesuits arrived in Detroit to begin organizing Detroit College in the same manner as other Jesuit colleges. 

June 21, the Jesuits purchased the Trowbridge residence directly opposite Ss. Peter and Paul on the south side of Jefferson for $21,500.  This two-story house would serve as the first school building.  Construction began immediately to remodel the house and add a third floor at a cost of $3,500.  Tuition was $40 per year.  Ss. Peter and Paul Parish subsidized tuition to make a Jesuit education available to all students, regardless of their ability to pay.

September 4, the founding President, Fr. John B. Miege, S.J., former Bishop of the Kansas Territory, along with the Dean and three Scholastics greeted 54 students.  The students ranged in age from 11 to 18.  School was in session on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday with rest days on Thursdays and Sundays.

1879 - 1880

College-level classes are added as the first students are promoted from the Academic Division to the Collegiate Division.

1885 - 1886

Due to space constraints, The Collegiate Division with its 62 students was moved to a remodeled house on the north side of Jefferson.  Planning was begun on a new building on the north side of Jefferson to house the entire student body.

1890 - 1891

September 1, To obtain a suitable site for the new school building, the College purchased the 4 remaining homes on Jefferson between St. Antoine and Hastings.  The 4 lots on Jefferson plus 4 lots on Larned gave the Jesuits a 200 foot by 200 foot building site.  The total cost of the new building was $100,000 for construction plus $56,750 for the land acquisition.   After 5 years of planning, property acquisition, construction and fund raising, the entire student body moved to the new building, on the north side of Jefferson adjacent to Ss. Peter and Paul.  The building, now known as Dowling Hall, houses the UDM Law School.

1911 - 1912

A new charter arrived from Lansing on January 14, changing the name from Detroit College to the University of Detroit.

1915 - 1916

Gradual separation begins between the high school and the college, with college classes getting moved to the newly constructed Dinan Hall.

1921-1922

Property is purchased and the Jesuits began discussing the relocation of the Academy and College to the Six Mile and Livernois area.  It was ultimately decided that the College Division would be located at Six Mile and Livernois and the Academic Division would move to S. Cambridge. In September 1922, land is procured on Seven Mile by Fr. John McNichols, S.J. to eventually move the high school to its current location  

1930-1931

Construction has begun on our new school building on S. Cambridge between Livernois and Wyoming on what is now the current site of the school..  The 3-story limestone building was designed to hold 650 students.  The school was built on donated land at a cost of $644,700. 

1931 – 1932

The school moved to its current location on South Cambridge Avenue and 7 Mile Road in Detroit in August.  The slight move north in the city afforded the school the opportunity to be more accessible to the rapidly expanding area.

1946 – 1947

Overcrowding had become a huge problem.  There are now 820 students in a building designed for 650.  24 Jesuits are living in space designed for 20. 

The solutions were 1.  The Jesuit Residence would be expanded to house 32 Jesuits.  2. Construct an 1,800-seat gym that would free up space in the original building for additional classrooms.

Ultimately, the gym was built, the old library was converted into classrooms, and the old gym was converted into the library.  It took several years of fundraising before these projects could be completed.

1947 – 1949

On August 13, 1948, University of Detroit High School becomes a corporation and gains independence from the college. 

1954-1955

Addition to the Jesuit Residence was completed and occupied.

1966-1967

May 3, The Very Reverend Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Jesuit Father General visited The High.

1967-1968

Fr. Jerome Petz, S.J. ’33 is the first alumnus named president of U of D High School; Jim Gargin is the first lay assistant principal.

1972 - 1973

July 31, the term Men for Others was coined by Rev. Pedro Arrupe, S.J., then Superior General of the Society of Jesus, in a landmark speech delivered at the 10th International Congress of Jesuit Alumni of Europe in Valencia, Spain. This date also coincides with the feast day of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. In his speech, Fr. Arrupe challenged Jesuit alumni to embody a faith that actively promotes justice, urging them to become individuals who live not for themselves but for God and others.

1973-1974

Under the leadership of Fr. Douglas Keller, S.J., the Academy (7th and 8th grades) was established to create a feeder system for the high school. Starting in 1973, the 8th grade was added, followed by the 7th grade in 1974.  This helped boost enrollment which provided financial stability, and the school would be known as University of Detroit High School and Academy.

1976 – 1977

In December 1976, the Detroit Province Provincial, Fr. Paul Besanceney, S.J., announced that University of Detroit High School and Academy would remain in Detroit. Many people connected to the school, advocated for relocating to the suburbs to stabilize enrollment, finances, and resources. The proposed move was bolstered by the trend of several Catholic high schools relocating from Detroit to suburban areas. However, after much prayer and a deep examination of the Jesuit mission, the Jesuits chose to reaffirm their commitment to providing a high-quality, college-preparatory, Catholic, and Jesuit education within the City of Detroit.

1979 - 1980

The first “six-year” men graduate from U of D High School, following the addition of the first seventh grade Academy class during 1974-1975 academic year.

1980 - 1981

"Graduate at Graduation", often abbreviated as "Grad at Grad", was developed by the Jesuit Secondary Education Association (JSEA)—now known as the Jesuit Schools Network. This initiative aimed to articulate the core qualities that Jesuit high schools strive to instill in their students by the time they graduate.

The original profile outlined five key characteristics:

• Open to Growth
• Intellectually Competent
• Religious
• Loving
• Committed to Doing Justice

The "Grad at Grad" has become a foundational document in Jesuit education, guiding curricula, student formation, and assessment across Jesuit high schools worldwide.

Fr. Malcolm Carron, S.J. '35 is named president, the second alumnus in school history named to the post. He previously served as president of the college.

1983-1984

School's name is amended at the behest of then president, Fr. Malcom Carron, S.J. '35  in August, to include Jesuit, to legally be called University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy.

1988 - 1989

“Glendon’s Miracle” – Christmas Day 1989, Fr. Carron, S.J. '35 receives word that the school is the beneficiary of a significant estate gift from the late Richard Glendon ’23. The gift, worth over $2 million, gets the school out of debt and ushers in a new era of growth 

1990-1991

Groundbreaking for the Fisher Science Center, the school’s first major construction project since the mid-1950s. 

1990 - 1991

Groundbreaking for the Fisher Science Center, the school's first capital project since the gymnasium in the 1950s.

1995-1996

The Call to Excellence Capital Campaign was completed in 1995, after launching in 1987.  The first major capital campaign raised $5.3M to construct the Fisher Science Center, replace the windows, complete exterior renovations and create an endowment. 

2001-2002

Reclaiming Our Future Capital Campaign was completed after launching in 1995.  Raised over $25 million which funded the renovation and new construction of over 40,000 square feet of space including a new Cafeteria, Library, Commons, Classrooms, Auxiliary Gym, Weight Room, Curley Hall and reclaimed the Chapel.

Fr. Karl J. Kiser, S.J. begins tenure as U of D Jesuit president, the longest to date (2002-2016). 

2003 - 2004

Lights were added to the school's athletic field, allowing teams to play night games at home for the first time ever.

2009-2010

TIME Magazine profiles U of D Jesuit as one of the “last Catholic school’s standing” in Detroit, applauding its commitment to the city and region.

For the Greater Good Capital Campaign was completed.  Raised over $26 million to fund endowments to support the faculty and staff, financial aid and technology upgrades.

2016-2017

Science and Engineering Capital Campaign completed.  Over $16 million was raised to build a 40,000 s.f. addition that included six integrated laboratory/lecture halls, two computer laboratories, a CAD lab, lecture hall, robotics laboratory and learning center.

2019-2022

The Johnson Recreation Center Campaign launches.  The campaign raised over $10 million to purchase and revitalize the Jonson Recreation Center and Athletic Fields.  The renovated center and expanded fields have provided the neighborhood and Cub athletic teams with much needed practice space, exercise facilities, and meeting rooms. 

2021-2022

U of D Jesuit completed the purchase and renovation of the vacant Johnson Recreation Center on Chippewa Avenue. The $7.5 million transformation of this 30,000-square-foot facility includes a gym, locker rooms, indoor fields, and community meeting spaces. Known as the PARC, the center features three newly resurfaced outdoor soccer and lacrosse fields across 10.5 acres, along with indoor field space. The facility also serves the neighborhood year-round, hosting association meetings and youth activities.

2025 - 2026

Fr. Daniel Dixon, S.J. '06, is named the 31st president of U of D Jesuit, becoming just the third alumnus to lead the school. He officially begins his presidency on July 1.