Canisius College

▪ college, Buffalo, New York, United States

      private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Buffalo, New York, U.S. Affiliated with the Jesuit order of the Roman Catholic church, Canisius consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Richard J. Wehle School of Business, the School of Education and Human Services, and a graduate division. It offers a range of bachelor's degree programs and master's degrees in business administration and education. The Center for Professional Development and the Center for Entrepreneurship are both located on campus. Total enrollment is approximately 5,000.

      The college was founded in 1870 by a group of European Jesuits and named for St. Peter Canisius (Canisius, Saint Peter), a 16th-century Dutch theologian. The regents of the University of the State of New York conferred degree-granting status upon the college in 1883. Canisius began offering graduate courses in 1894. The campus is home to the Western New York Heritage Institute.

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