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Type | Private, Liberal Arts |
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Established | 1840 |
Founder | Alexander Campbell |
Religious affiliation | Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) |
Endowment | $77 million [1] |
President | Jamie Caridi, Interim President (January 1, 2022-present) |
Students | 650 (600 full-time) |
Location | , , United States |
Campus | Rural 1,300 acres (526 ha) |
Athletics | 22 NCAA Division III Athletic Teams and an Equestrian club team. |
Colors | Green and White |
Mascot | Bison |
Website | www.bethanywv.edu |
Bethany College is a private liberal arts college in Bethany, West Virginia. Founded in 1840 by Alexander Campbell of the Restoration Movement, who gained support by the Virginia legislature, Bethany College was the first institution of higher education in what is now West Virginia. [lower-alpha 1]
A liberal arts college, Bethany was chartered on March 2, 1840, by the Virginia legislature and given "all degree-granting powers" of the University of Virginia.[ citation needed ] West Virginia's secession from Virginia on June 20, 1863, recognized existing Virginia charters; Bethany College continues to operate under the Virginia charter.
It was founded by Alexander Campbell, a minister in the Restoration Movement who provided the land and funds for the first building and served as the first president. Bethany has been a four-year private liberal arts college affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), [2] since its inception. [3] This religious body, of which Campbell was one of the principal founders, continues to support and encourage the college but exercises no sectarian control. An early center of coeducation, Bethany has admitted women since the 1880s.
The college's roots stem from the Buffalo Seminary, founded in 1818, by Campbell; sessions were first held in his mansion in Bethany, [4] home of Alexander Campbell and his father Thomas Campbell. The new Buffalo Seminary, " a continuing education arm of the College" is less than a mile away from the College.
The college is the birthplace of Delta Tau Delta, an international social fraternity founded in 1858. [5]
During World War II, Bethany was one of 131 colleges nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program, which offered students a path to a Navy commission. [6]
A number of campus buildings are contributing resources to the Bethany Historic District. [7] The Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. [8] Pendleton Heights was listed in 1975 and the Delta Tau Delta Founders House in 1979. [8]
The campus is also home to the Parkinson Forest, which in 2019 was added to the national Old-Growth Forest Network. The designation identifies the Parkinson Forest as the oldest Old-Growth Forest in Brooke County. [9]
Bethany College offers a wide selection of studies, awarding Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degrees in more than 25 fields. If a major does not appeal to a student, Bethany offers students the opportunity to design their own major through the Interdisciplinary program. Bethany also offers dual majors, which is a combination of two majors. [10]
According to recent research, 95% of Bethany College graduates carry student loan debt, averaging $25,704. [11] The endowment fund in 2016 was worth $46.7 million. [12] According to U.S. News tuition and fees are $28,444 and room and board costs $10,270 (2017–18). About 29% of Bethany students graduate in four years. [12]
Bethany is a town in southern Brooke County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 756 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Weirton–Steubenville metropolitan area. It is best known as the home of Bethany College, a private liberal arts college that was the first institution of higher education in what is now West Virginia.
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Delta Tau Delta (ΔΤΔ) is a United States-based international Greek letter college fraternity. Delta Tau Delta was founded at Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia, in 1858. The fraternity currently has around 130 collegiate chapters and colonies nationwide, with an estimated 10,000 undergraduate members and over 170,000-lifetime members. Delta Tau Delta is informally referred to as "DTD" or "Delts."
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Sigma Tau Delta (ΣΤΔ) is a US-based, international honor society for students of English at four-year colleges and universities who are within the top 30% of their class and have a 3.5 GPA or higher. It presently has over 770 chapters in the United States and abroad. The organization inducts over 7500 new members annually, and is the largest honors organization in its field and one of the largest members of the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS).
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Sigma Delta Tau (ΣΔΤ) is an American sorority and member of the National Panhellenic Conference. Sigma Delta Tau was founded on March 25, 1917 at Cornell University by Jewish women. However, there is no religious requirement for membership to the sorority, and it prides itself on being inclusive of all, as well as being historically Jewish. Sigma Delta Tau has over 70,000 initiates from 105 chapters around the United States.
The Alexander Campbell Mansion, also known as Campbell Mansion or Alexander Campbell House, is a historic house on West Virginia Route 67 just east of Bethany, West Virginia. Built in 1793 and repeatedly enlarged, it was the home of minister Alexander Campbell (1788–1866) following his marriage in 1811. Known as the "sage of Bethany", Campbell was one of the most prominent early leaders of the Restoration Movement in United States Christianity, beginning in 1812, which resulted in formation of numerous congregations of the Disciples of Christ and Churches of Christ. The house, now a museum maintained by Bethany College, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994.
This is an incomplete list of historic properties and districts at United States colleges and universities that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). This includes National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) and other National Register of Historic Places listings. It includes listings at current and former educational institutions.
Bethany Historic District is a national historic district located at Bethany, Brooke County, West Virginia. It encompasses 111 contributing buildings on the campus of Bethany College, the central business district, and surrounding residential areas in Bethany. Notable buildings include the Gothic Revival-style Irvin Gymnasium at Bethany College, Point Breeze Mansion, Old Opera House, Chambers General Store, and the Federal-style Hibernia Hall. Also in the district are a number of residences in popular architectural styles including Late Victorian. Located within the district are the separately listed Alexander Campbell Mansion, Delta Tau Delta Founders House, Old Bethany Church, Old Main, and Pendleton Heights.
Delta Tau Delta Founders House is a historic home associated with Bethany College, at Bethany, Brooke County, West Virginia. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
Sharon E. Watkins is an ordained Christian minister who became the first woman to lead a mainline denomination in North America in 2005, when she was elected the General Minister and President of the Christian Church in the United States and Canada. She served two six year terms. She preached at the national prayer service on January 21, 2009, at the invitation of President Barack Obama, becoming the first woman to preach at an inaugural prayer service. In 2017, after stepping down from the role of General Minister and President of the Christian Church, she became director of the Truth and Racial Justice Initiative of the National Council of Churches of Christ, USA. She is currently the pastor of Bethany Memorial Church, in Bethany, West Virginia.
Media related to Bethany College (West Virginia) at Wikimedia Commons