Springfield College was first located on the second floor of the Armory Hill YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. Just a few years after opening its doors to the first eighteen students in 1885, Springfield College could boast an international reputation as a pioneer in teaching and scholarship related to physical education, wellness, and the training of YMCA executives. Today, with an undergraduate and graduate student body of more than 5,000, Springfield College is proud of its reputation in these fields and throughout the human-helping professions.

Springfield College's more than 54,000 alumni work in 60 nations. Alumni have served in various capacities, such as a university president in China, initiators of the Olympic movement in Eastern European countries, and educational leaders in Central and South America. They have started shelters for the homeless in rural Vermont, and have changed the field of sports medicine. Wherever they work or live, Springfield College alumni become vital links in a human chain that makes a difference in the quality of people's lives and leads to impressive achievements.