Marquette University (pronounced /mɑrˈkɛt/) is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and currently has a student body of 11,600. Marquette is one of the largest Jesuit universities in the United States, and the largest private university in Wisconsin. Marquette University was founded on August 28, 1881 as Marquette College by John Martin Henni, the first Catholic bishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The university was named after 17th century missionary and explorer Father Jacques Marquette, S.J.. The highest priority of the newly established college was to provide an affordable Catholic education to the area's emerging German immigrant population. Marquette College officially became a university in 1907. Marquette University High School, formerly the preparatory department of the university, became a separate institution the same year.