Suffolk University grew from humble beginnings in the Roxbury parlor of Gleason L. Archer. This young lawyer had worked his way through high school and college. Then a chance meeting brought him together with a benefactor who loaned him money for his law school studies, asking only that Archer pass along the favor.

In 1906, Archer opened the Suffolk School of Law, a night school established to "serve ambitious young men who are obliged to work for a living while studying law." He believed that the growing waves of immigrants who came to America?s shores should be given the same opportunities that had been the privilege of the wealthy few.

In 1907, Archer moved the school into his downtown law offices. A year later machinist and Archer student Roland E. Brown passed the bar. News of Brown's achievement led to a boost in registration, so Archer gave up his law practice to devote himself full-time to the Suffolk School of Law.

By 1930, Archer had built Suffolk into one of the largest law schools in the country. At the time, fewer than 2 percent of Americans could afford to attend college, so Archer decided to create "a great evening university" that working people could afford. The College of Arts and Sciences was founded in 1934, and the Sawyer School of Management — then known as the College of Business Administration — in 1937. That same year, the three academic units were incorporated as Suffolk University. Over the years, the University expanded from its night-school format to incorporate a range of full- and part-time programs.

The University Today. Gleason Archer?s commitment to offering opportunity to all continues to inspire the mission of the University to this day.

In 1995, the University?s first international campus was opened in Madrid. A second international campus, in Dakar, Senegal, opened in 1999. Satellite campuses also have been established in Massachusetts at Cape Cod Community College, Merrimack College and Dean College.

Today, the College of Arts and Sciences consists of seventeen academic departments, offering more than 50 programs of specialized study, including master and doctoral programs. The New England School of Art and Design became part of the College in 1996.

The Sawyer School of Management?s undergraduate and graduate programs emphasize global business practice. Nine undergraduate majors are offered, and graduate programs lead to more than a dozen advanced degrees, including joint degree programs with the Law School. The business school also offers an online MBA program.

The Law School offers Juris Doctor and Master of Laws degrees, with a choice of several academic concentrations.

Suffolk students today hail from across the nation and around the world. The onetime commuter school now has two residence halls, allowing resident students to fully realize the academic and cultural promise of their Beacon Hill surroundings.