Home: History of SXU: SXU History

Digital Commons collection

SXU historical material is constantly being added to our Digital Commons page, including the latest projects:

the Mercy Mission page -- the library web page discussing our Mercy history, which includes student videos on our history.
SXU History Photograph Collection (primarily from the University Archives)
- We are building a finding aid and a database of selected images from our Archives photograph collection.
  Entry points will be:
  - Important People (Sisters, Presidents, Faculty, Visitors)
  - Important Places (historical buildings and sites)
  - Important Events
  - Themes over Time (i.e. Diversity, Fashion, Candid Shots, etc.)

History of SXU book digitized and searchable

The library has digitized the following book, and it can be searched by keyword:

First in Chicago: a History of Saint Xavier University, by Joy Clough, RSM (Sisters of Mercy)

Online Historical University Publications


The Xavierite	Catalogue of Pupils	Catalogs	Yearbooks	Commencements
The Xavierite is the weekly newspaper of Saint Xavier University, edited and published by students, from 1944 to the present. Chronological coverage is concentrated in the period 1993-2008, with scattered coverage prior to 1992. September 2010 to 2017 to the present are available at the Xavierite website and are also found at https://issuu.com/thexavierite	Dating 1875-1890, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign scanned the book in 2008 and posted it on the Internet Archive. The catalog lists the names of students, their hometown, costs for residential and commuter students, awards, courses offered, and rules of behavior.	The catalogs, dating 1915-2024, include university mission statements, calendars, policies and procedures, descriptions of programs and requirements, course descriptions by school and department, and listings of faculty and trustees. Selected catalogs are available on the University website.	The yearbooks, dating 1938-1988, emphasize student activities, including academics, community service, Sodality Council, Student Association, retreats at Sunset Point, and formal dances such as Autumn Nocturne and Christmas Cotillion. Also recorded are perennial events such as Children's Christmas Party, Mary's Day, Torch and Rose Ceremony, and commencement. 1988 was the last year for the yearbooks.	The collection contains programs for all commencements from 1941 to 2012, including Spring, Summer and Winter graduate and undergraduate ceremonies. The programs contain mission statements, orders of ceremony, and alphabetical listings of graduates by college and school. See the 2012-2019 materials.

The SXU Magazine	Opus	Library Images	The Class of 1962	The Daleys
The Meeting Place and the Saint Xavier University Magazine, dating 1976-2002, publicized news of college activities and events, including alumni, faculty, students, and fund raising activities.	Opus is Saint Xavier University's art and literary magazine. The online collection includes digitized copies of all available issues, including the first Opus, published in 1959.	The collection contains pictures from the 1930s to the 1970s of the library at Saint Xavier University and its predecessor institutions. The images document activities, events, and facilities, generally dating from the late 1930s through the early 1970s.	Photographs of the second class to graduate from the 103rd Street campus. Also includes the commencement program.	The Honorable Richard J. Daley, mayor of Chicago, and his wife Eleanor, were friends and supporters of Saint Xavier. These images of Mr. and Mrs. Daley were taken in the 1950s and 1960s at Saint Xavier events.