Iowa Wesleyan University

Last updated
Iowa Wesleyan University
Old Main, Iowa Wesleyan College.jpg
"Old Main" on the Iowa Wesleyan campus
Former names
Mount Pleasant Literary Institute (1842–1843)
Mount Pleasant Collegiate Institute (1843–1855)
Iowa Wesleyan College (1912–2015)
MottoLearning in Community: An Academic Vision
Type Private college
Active1842–2023
Religious affiliation
 United Methodist Church
Location
Mount Pleasant
,
Iowa
,
United States
CampusRural
Colors Purple & White
   
Nickname Tigers
MascotWesley the Tiger

Iowa Wesleyan University was a private university in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, United States. It was Iowa's first co-educational institution of higher learning and the oldest of its type west of the Mississippi River. The institution was affiliated with the United Methodist Church. [1] It closed at the end of the 2022–23 academic year due to financial challenges.

Contents

Two campus buildings, Old Main and the Harlan-Lincoln House, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The latter, the former summer home of Robert Todd Lincoln, is now a museum featuring various artifacts from the Harlan and Lincoln families.

History

In 1841 a group of Methodist settlers in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, met and began lobbying the Iowa territorial legislature to establish an institute of higher learning in their burgeoning community. [2] On February 17, 1842, the legislature granted a charter for the Mount Pleasant Literary Institute, soon to be renamed as Mount Pleasant Collegiate Institute. [1] Despite the charter, organization and fund raising were sluggish at first. Twenty acres of land was donated for the campus by four Mount Pleasant residents in March 1843. That same month, organizing officials hired Reverend Artistides J. Heustis as the institution's first president. [2]

From February 1855, the school was known as Iowa Wesleyan University, honoring John Wesley, the founder of Methodism [1] The institution's name was modified to Iowa Wesleyan College in 1912, reflecting its contemporary status as a four-year baccalaureate degree institution of higher learning.

On August 10, 2015, Iowa Wesleyan College changed its name to Iowa Wesleyan University.

The university occupied a 60-acre (24 ha) central campus of historic red brick buildings and modern structures, including some listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The chapel, built in 1896, received a complete renovation and restoration in the early 21st century.

Iowa Wesleyan was accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Closure

Facing potential closure in 2018, the university was able to continue operating after receiving donations from alumni and a $26 million loan from the United States Department of Agriculture. In 2023, the university's board of trustees voted unanimously in favor of closure after Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds determined that a loan of $12 million would not be feasible. Once the university closed, the campus became the responsibility of the USDA. [3] [4] The Mount Pleasant Community School District later bought practice fields and the central part of the campus for about $1.2 million. [5]

Undergraduate enrollment at the college was approximately 600 full-time students at the time of its closure. The final president of the university was Christine Plunkett, from 2019 to 2023.

Student life

Beginning in late mid-1800s, Iowa Wesleyan maintained an active Military Department, in which students organized as a corps of cadets received training under the guidance of United States Army officers. [6] Among Iowa Wesleyan's commandants were Ulysses G. McAlexander (1891 to 1895) and Charles L. Hodges (1895 to 1897) [7]

Greek life

Greek life had a rich history at Iowa Wesleyan University. The Beta chapter of Alpha Xi Delta sorority was the oldest sorority on campus, being on campus since 1902. It was the oldest chapter of Alpha Xi Delta in the country. At the time of closure, Iowa Wesleyan University had 3 active Greek organizations, which include Theta Sigma Rho sorority, Zeta Psi Mu fraternity, and Omega Delta Alpha fraternity.

The P.E.O. Sisterhood was founded at Iowa Wesleyan University on January 21, 1869.

Greek organizations that have had chapters on campus include:

National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) Sororities:

North American Interfraternity Conference (IFC) Fraternities

Athletics

The Iowa Wesleyan athletic teams were the Tigers. The university was a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), competing in the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) for football, the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) for wrestling, and the Continental Athletic Conference as its primary home for all other sports as of the 2022–23 academic year. [8]

Iowa Wesleyan competed in 16 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, [9] cross country, football, golf, soccer, track & field and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, [10] cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track & field, volleyball and wrestling.

History

From 1989 to 1991, Hal Mumme was head football coach, with Mike Leach as his offensive coordinator. It was at Iowa Wesleyan that they developed the air raid offense.

In 1995, the men's basketball team qualified for the NAIA Division I national tournament.

In 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2011, the men's basketball teams qualified for the NAIA Division II national tournament.

In 2006, [11] 2007, [12] 2009, [13] 2010, [14] and 2011, [15] the women's basketball teams qualified for the NAIA Division II national tournament.

In 2014, [16] 2015 [17] and 2016, [18] the women's basketball teams qualified for the USCAA Division I national tournament. The 2016 team finished as the national runner-up.

In 2015 [19] and 2017, [20] the men's basketball teams qualified for the USCAA Division I national tournament.

In 2022 [21] and 2023 [22] the women's basketball team qualified for the NAIA single division national tournament.

In 2023 [23] the men's basketball team qualified for the NAIA single division national tournament.

Conference affiliations

The Tigers were members of the following athletic organizations:

Notable alumni

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oglethorpe University</span> Private college in Brookhaven, Georgia, US

Oglethorpe University is a private college in Brookhaven, Georgia, United States. It was chartered in 1835 and named in honor of General James Edward Oglethorpe, founder of the Colony of Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilmington College (Ohio)</span> Private college in Wilmington, Ohio, US

Wilmington College is a private college in Wilmington, Ohio. It was established by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in 1870 and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The college is still Quaker-affiliated and has seven core Quaker values. In fall 2018, the college set an enrollment record, bringing in 450 new students for the academic year, totaling 1,103 students on Wilmington's main campus, and 139 students at Wilmington's two Cincinnati branches at Blue Ash and Cincinnati State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of South Carolina Beaufort</span> Public university with three locations in South Carolina, U.S.

The University of South Carolina Beaufort is a public college with three campuses in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina. It is part of the University of South Carolina System, enrolls about 2,000 students, and offers over 50 areas of study. The main campus is in Bluffton. The institution's campus in Beaufort houses the school's honor programs and the Department of Visual Arts & Design. The campus location on Hilton Head Island is home to the institution's program for hospitality management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh</span> Public university in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, US

The University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh is a public university in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs to around 13,000 students each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NAIA independent schools</span> Informal athletic conference member schools

NAIA independent schools are four-year institutional members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) that do not have formal conference affiliations. NAIA schools that are not members of any other athletic conference are members of the Continental Athletic Conference (CAC), formerly the Association of Independent Institutions (AII), which provides member services to the institution and allows members to compete in postseason competition. The CAC has one member institution in Canada's British Columbia. It provides services to the member institutions that are not fitting in any other NAIA conference and allows members to compete in postseason competition. The AII renamed itself the Continental Athletic Conference at the end of June 2021, citing the need to identify as a proper conference.

NCAA Division III independent schools are four-year institutions that compete in college athletics at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III level, but do not belong to an established intercollegiate athletic conference for a particular sport. These schools may however still compete as members of an athletic conference in other sports. A school may also be fully independent, and not belong to any athletic conference for any sport at all. The reason for independent status varies among institutions, but it is frequently because the school's primary athletic conference does not sponsor a particular sport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pi Beta Phi</span> North American collegiate sorority

Pi Beta Phi (ΠΒΦ), often known simply as Pi Phi, is an international women's fraternity founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois on April 28, 1867, as I. C. Sorosis, the first national secret college society of women to be modeled after the men's Greek-letter fraternity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumberland University</span> Priviate university in Lebanon, Tennessee, US

Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee. It was founded in 1842. The oldest campus buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpha Delta Pi</span> North American collegiate sorority

Alpha Delta Pi (ΑΔΠ), commonly known as ADPi, is an International Panhellenic sorority founded on May 15, 1851, at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. It is the oldest secret society for women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California State University, Monterey Bay</span> Public university in California, U.S.

California State University, Monterey Bay is a public university located in Monterey County, California, United States. The main campus is situated on the site of the former military base Fort Ord, spanning the cities of Seaside and Marina, approximately one mile inland from Monterey Bay along the Central Coast of California. CSUMB also maintains locations in the cities of Monterey and Salinas. Founded in 1994, CSUMB is part of the California State University system and is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission. The university is designated as a Hispanic-serving institution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentucky Wesleyan College</span> Methodist college in Owensboro, Kentucky, US

Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC) is a private Methodist college in Owensboro, Kentucky. Fall 2018 enrollment was 830 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indiana Institute of Technology</span> Private university in Fort Wayne, Indiana, US

Indiana Institute of Technology is a private university in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was founded in 1930 as Indiana Technical College by John A. Kalbfleisch, who was also the school's first president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morningside University</span> Methodist university in Sioux City, Iowa, US

Morningside University is a private university affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Sioux City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1894 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, Morningside University has 21 buildings on a 68-acre (280,000 m2) campus in Sioux City. The Morningside College Historic District, which includes most of the campus, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Morningside College officially became Morningside University on June 1, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas A&M University–Texarkana</span> Public university in Texarkana, Texas, U.S.

Texas A&M University–Texarkana (A&M–Texarkana) is a public university in Texarkana, Texas, United States. It is part of the Texas A&M University System.

Texas Wesleyan University is a private Methodist university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was founded in 1890 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The main campus is located in the Polytechnic Heights neighborhood of Fort Worth. Its mascot is the ram.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina Wesleyan University</span> Methodist university in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, US

North Carolina Wesleyan University (NCWU) is a private Methodist university in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. It was founded in 1956. North Carolina Wesleyan offers courses at its main Rocky Mount campus, as well as satellite locations in Brunswick, Durham, Goldsboro, Greenville, Manteo, New Bern, Raleigh, Washington, Wilmington and Winston-Salem.

The University of Maine at Machias is a satellite campus in Machias, Maine. It is part of the University of Maine System, and it is the only regional degree-granting campus of University of Maine. The institution was founded in 1909 as a normal school for educating teachers. Enrollment is 293 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis</span> Private university in Missouri, US

The University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis is a private university focused on the health sciences that is located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. It was founded in 1864 as the St. Louis College of Pharmacy. The university includes St. Louis College of Pharmacy, the third-oldest and tenth-largest college of pharmacy in the United States, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Global Population Health, the College of Graduate Studies. The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

The United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) is a national organization for the intercollegiate athletic programs of 72 mostly small colleges, including community/junior colleges, across the United States. The USCAA holds 15 national championships and 2 national invitationals annually.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Iowa Wesleyan University history". Iowa Wesleyan University marketing office. 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Historical Sketch and Alumni Record of Iowa Wesleyan University". Mount Pleasant News-Journal. 1917. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  3. ↑ Dorsey, Collin (28 March 2023). "Iowa Wesleyan University to close in May". KWWL. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  4. ↑ "Iowa Wesleyan University Announces Closure". Iowa Wesleyan University. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  5. ↑ Swayne, Mollie (2023-08-29). "Mount Pleasant community pushes back against school district's purchase of parts of Iowa Wesleyan". KCRG-TV . Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  6. ↑ Ball, Timothy Horton, ed. (1902). Genealogical Records of the Dinwiddie Clan of Northwestern Indiana. Crown Point, IN: J. J. Wheeler. p. 80 – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ Iowa Wesleyan College (1917). Historical Sketch and Alumni Record of Iowa Wesleyan College. Mt. Pleasant, IA: Mt. Pleasant News–Journal. p. 121 – via Internet Archive.
  8. ↑ "IW Athletic Quick Facts". Iowa Wesleyan University. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Iowa Wesleyan Men's Basketball Record Book". archive.org. 24 March 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Iowa Wesleyan Women's Basketball Record Book". archive.org. 24 March 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  11. ↑ "DakStats WebSync". DakStats. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  12. ↑ "DakStats WebSync". DakStats. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  13. ↑ "DakStats WebSync". DakStats. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  14. ↑ "DakStats WebSync". DakStats. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  15. ↑ "DakStats WebSync". DakStats. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  16. ↑ "USCAA Basketball Tournament" (PDF). USCAA. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  17. ↑ "USCAA Basketball Tournament" (PDF). USCAA. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  18. ↑ "USCAA Basketball Tournament" (PDF). USCAA. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  19. ↑ "USCAA Basketball Tournament" (PDF). USCAA. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  20. ↑ "USCAA Basketball Tournament" (PDF). USCAA. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  21. ↑ "2021-22 NAIA Women's Basketball Opening Round Schedule". naia.org. 12 March 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  22. ↑ "2023 NAIA Women's Basketball First & Second Round Schedule". naia.org. 8 March 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  23. ↑ "2023 NAIA Men's Basketball First & Second Round Schedule". naia.org. 9 March 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2023.

Further reading

40°58′21″N91°33′08″W / 40.9725°N 91.5522°W / 40.9725; -91.5522 (Iowa Wesleyan University)

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.