Connecticut College of Commerce was founded in 1929 by Samuel W. Tator, for which Tator Hall in the Carl Hansen Student Center was named.

Judge Philip Troup also played an important role in the founding of the school. He was president of the school until his death in 1939. Interestingly enough, he graduated from Yale.

Another important figure in the school’s beginnings was Irmagarde Tator, wife to Samuel Tator. She was the Bursar and Dean of Women. Both she and Troup are memorialized in dorm names.

Quinnipiac was initially planned to be an extension of Northeastern University, but Northeastern withdrew their support because of the financial woes of the Great Depression.

The school began with an enrollment of just under 200 students, and in June of 1930, eight students graduating with associate’s degrees, becoming the first graduating class of Quinnipiac.

The school was initially located in New Haven, and known as the Connecticut College of Commerce. In 1935, the name was changed to Junior College of Commerce.

From 1943-45, the school was closed because so much of the student body was drafted in World War II. They reopned in 1945 with just over 200 students. Within a year, they had 714.

In 1951, Quinnipiac College became the official name, and bachelor’s degrees were offered for the first time.

In 1952, Quinnipiac took control of Larson College, a private women’s college. They relocated, but stayed within New Haven.

In 1966, the school was moved to the Mt. Carmel campus.

July 1, 2000, the school officially became Quinnipiac University.

Data gathered from Quinnipiac University, Connecticut Business News Journal and the Arnold Bernhard Library.