Nebraska Wesleyan University (NWU) is a privateMethodist-affiliated university in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. It was founded in 1887 by Nebraska Methodists. As of 2017, it had approximately 2,100 students, including 1,500 full-time students[6] and 300 faculty and staff. The university has 119 undergraduate majors, minors, and pre-professional programs in addition to three graduate programs.
Nebraska Wesleyan University was originally announced in 1886 and was a replacement for the former Methodist college of the same name.[7] The university was formed by the Methodist Church in Nebraska and was located in the former town of University Place, which was later annexed by Lincoln.[8] The university officially opened in October 1888, with the completion of its first building, now known as Old Main.[9] Wesleyan opened as the only Methodist university in the state and had a single building with a 40 acres (16ha) campus.[10]
In 1933, the Nebraska Wesleyan University changed its nickname from the Coyotes to the Plainsmen.[11] In 1971, the university's Board of Governors adopted a new code of conduct, known as a Student Bill of Rights. The code was developed for three years prior to its passing and was done to give greater freedom to students political views.[12] In 2000, the university changed its mascot again, this time to the Prairie Wolves. The name change was done to respect gender identity and ethnicity.[13]
Campus
Old Main in 2007
Nebraska Wesleyan University's campus is located in Lincoln, Nebraska. Its first and oldest building, built in 1888, is commonly referred to as Old Main. Old Main was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 21, 1975.[14] The university includes 15 academic buildings and 20 housing units.[15] Nebraska Wesleyan's athletic facilities include Abel Stadium,[16] which seats approximately 2,500 people and is used for college football, soccer and other events, and Snyder Arena, which seats 2,350 and is used for basketball and volleyball.[17]
Nebraska Wesleyan University is a private Methodist College. As of 2025, the university has 1,500 students enrolled. The university includes 43 undergraduate fields of study. Major fields of study include Biology, Health and Physical Education, Business/Commerce, Registered Nursing, and Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft.[18]
Nebraska Wesleyan competes in 21 intercollegiate varsity sports. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, track & field and wrestling. Women's sports include basketball, cheerleading, cross country, dance, golf, soccer, swimming, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball. Former sports included women's bowling.[22]
Accomplishments
The men's golf team won the 2006 NCAA Division III National Championship,[23] its first in men's golf. The Prairie Wolves won by 10 strokes over the University of Redlands. The men's golf team has also won 35 conference championships; with back-to-back championships in 2018 and 2019.[24] The men's basketball team won the 2018 NCAA Division III National Championship, its first in men's basketball.[25]
David H. Mickey, class of 1939, wrote Of Sunflowers, Coyotes and Plainsmen: A History of Nebraska Wesleyan University (1992). Its three volumes cover inception to 1987. Volume One describes how the university began and tracks its progress to 1921. The second volume covers the years 1921–1946 and the third volume encompasses 1946–1987.
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