Sacred Heart University, a privately owned institution headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, US, was founded in 1963 by Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and employs approximately 3,460 individuals. The university functions as a Catholic institution, notably the first in the United States to be staffed by the laity, and operates in New England. It offers over 80 degree programs to more than 8,500 students across bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels.