Albert Schweitzer was born in Kaysersberg, a town near Strasbourg in Alsace, Germany (now part of France). Schweitzer has been called the greatest Christian of his time. He based his personal philosophy on a "reverence for life" and on a deep commitment to serve humanity through thought and action.
By the time he was 21 Schweitzer had decided on the course for his life. For nine years he would dedicate himself to the study science, music, and theology. Then he would devote the rest of his life to serving humanity directly. Before he was 30 he was a respected writer on theology an accomplished organist, and an authority on the life and work of Johann Sebastian Bach.
Dr. Schweitzer studied medicine from 1905 to 1915 at the University of Strasbourg, Germany .
In 1904 Schweitzer was inspired to become a medical missionary after reading an evangelical paper regarding the needs of medical missions. He also raised money to establish a hospital in French Equatorial Africa. He founded a hospital there in MS. Over the years built a large hospital that served thousands of Africans. Schweitzer used his $35,000 Nobel Prize to expand the hospital and to build a leper colony.
The Albert Schweitzer Institute was founded in 1984 as the Albert Schweitzer Memorial foundation and affiliated with Quinnipiac University in 2002. This affiliation has allowed the institute to sponsor several programs that not only carry on but invigorate Schweitzer’s humanitarian legacy.
Quinnipiac University’s commitment to international understanding and community service enables the institute to fulfill its vital mission of encouraging young adults to expand their horizons to a global perspective in the areas of humanitarian values, health care, and peace.