The Catholic University of America is unlike any other school in the United States. Certainly there are other universities with the same passion for excellence, and there are other highly regarded Catholic universities in the country. The Catholic University of America, however, is the only national university of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded by U.S. bishops in 1887, the project of a national university was approved by Pope Leo XIII, and after considerable debate it was decided to put the school in the nation's capital on a hilly plot of land in Northeast Washington, D.C. Classes opened on November 13, 1889, with a distinguished faculty of eight professors. Since then the university has grown exponentially, greatly expanding the number of students, teachers, and schools. The Catholic University of America has celebrated educational triumphs, suffered fiscal crises, rejoiced in two papal visits, and earned itself a place as one of the country's leading educational institutions.