Canisius College is the largest private university in Western New York, one of 28 Jesuit, Catholic colleges in the nation, and is consistently ranked among the top regional colleges in the Northeast. Founded in 1870 by German Jesuits, Canisius College is named for St. Peter Canisius, a renowned Dutch educator and one of the original members of the Society of Jesus. What began in a single building in downtown Buffalo now consists of 56 buildings located on 72 acres in a residential neighborhood in North-Central Buffalo.