1883: Patrick Roger Cleary founds The Cleary School of Penmanship—a vital business skill in the late 19th century commercial workplace. Cleary is Washtenaw County's first independent college.

1885: Cleary becomes Michigan's first college to train and place a graduate as a teacher of commercial subjects in the public school system.

1886: Cleary holds Michigan's first summer school session for teachers of commercial subjects.

1891: Cleary Business College is incorporated under state law.

1913: Cleary and Michigan State Normal College launch first joint college program approved by the state board of education. Public school business teachers study education at the Normal and business subjects at Cleary.

1922: Patrick Roger Cleary receives honorary Master of Education degree from Michigan State Normal College (Eastern Michigan University).

1933: Cleary family turns over all physical assets of the institution to new Board of Trustees.

1968: The Association of Independent Colleges accredits Cleary as a junior college of business.

1970: The Association of Independent Colleges and Schools accredits Cleary as a senior college of business.

1979: Cleary offers first classes in Livingston County at Brighton High School.

1983: Cleary celebrates centennial and breaks ground for its Livingston Campus.

1988: Cleary is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

1989: Cleary launches intensive and continuing focus on quality management.

1990: A new accelerated, 13-month Direct Degree program is launched for mid-career adults.

1994: Cleary is first ranked by U.S. News and World Report as among the top 20 specialty colleges in the nation.

1997: Corporate partnership and employee training opportunities are expanded as well as extension sites and programs.

1999: BusinessTrack, an innovative three-year BBA degree program for first-time college students is introduced.

2000: Cleary announces its Executive MBA. The NCA grants accreditation for Cleary's MBA program.

2002: Cleary's change to university status is approved by the Michigan State Department of Education and the North Central Association.

2006: On May 18, Cleary officials break ground on the Lloyd and Mabel Johnson Center for Business and Community Excellence in Howell.

2007: The Lloyd and Mabel Johnson Center for Business and Community Excellence was officially opened on the Livingston Campus with such features as low-volume, high-pressure toilets that use very little water; waterless urinals which, on average, save 40,000 gallons of water a year each; motion-sensitive lighting systems in addition to T5 and T8 indirect lights in the classrooms; and an individually-zoned and computer-programmed HVAC system—making it one of the most energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly campus buildings in southeastern Michigan.

2009: President Tom Sullivan celebrates his 20th anniversary as head of the university.

2010: The Cleary University Micro-Business Incubator (CUMBI) opens, housed in the new Livingston Campus Welcome Center. Providing business support and guidance for start-ups, the CUMBI is the first of its kind in Livingston County.