Latin: Collegii Wabashensis | |
Former names | The Wabash Teachers Seminary and Manual Labor College (1832–1851) |
---|---|
Motto | Scientiae et Virtuti (Latin) |
Motto in English | For Knowledge and Virtue |
Type | Private liberal arts men's college |
Established | November 21, 1832 |
Academic affiliations | |
Endowment | $391.5 million (2024) [2] |
President | Scott E. Feller |
Academic staff | 96 full-time and 7 part-time [3] |
Undergraduates | 835 [4] |
Location | , U.S. 40°2′17″N86°54′18″W / 40.03806°N 86.90500°W |
Campus | Suburban, 65 acres (26 ha) [5] |
Newspaper | The Bachelor [6] |
Colors | Wabash Scarlet |
Nickname | Little Giants |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division III – NCAC |
Mascot | Wally Wabash |
Website | wabash |
Wabash College is a private liberal arts men's college in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founded in 1832 by several Dartmouth College graduates and Midwestern leaders, it enrolls nearly 900 students. The college offers an undergraduate liberal arts curriculum in three academic divisions with 39 majors. [7] As of 2020, it is one of only three non-religious, all-male, four-year colleges in the United States. [8]
The college was initially named The Wabash Teachers Seminary and Manual Labor College, a name shortened to its current form by 1851. Many of the founders were Presbyterian ministers, yet nevertheless they believed that Wabash should be independent and non-sectarian. Patterning it after the liberal arts colleges of New England, they resolved "that the institution be at first a classical and English high school, rising into a college as soon as the wants of the country demand."
Among these ministers was Caleb Mills, who became Wabash College's first faculty member. He would come to be known as the father of the Indiana public education system.
Elihu W. Baldwin, the first president of the college, served from 1835 until 1840. He came from a church in New York City and accepted the presidency even though he knew that Wabash was at that time threatened with bankruptcy. After his death, he was succeeded by Charles White, a graduate of Dartmouth College and the brother-in-law of Rev. Edmund Otis Hovey (1801–1877), a professor at the college. [9] Joseph F. Tuttle, who became president of Wabash College in 1862 and served for 30 years, worked with his administrators to improve town-gown relations in Crawfordsville. [10] Gronert described him "an eloquent preacher, a sound administrator, and an astute handler of public relations." He was the namesake of the former Tuttle Grade School in Crawfordsville (1906), the former Tuttle Junior High School, and the former Tuttle Middle School (1960). Scott E. Feller, Dean of the college from 2014 to 2020 and chemistry professor at Wabash since 1998, became the 17th President of Wabash College on July 1, 2020.
Name | Date of Inauguration |
---|---|
Elihu Baldwin | July 13, 1836 |
Charles White | July 19, 1841 |
Joseph F. Tuttle | July 24, 1862 |
George S. Burroughs | June 21, 1893 |
William P. Kane | February 22, 1900 |
George L. Mackintosh | June 12, 1907 |
Louis B. Hopkins | December 3, 1926 |
Frank H. Sparks | October 25, 1941 |
Byron K. Trippet | October 13, 1956 |
Paul W. Cook | December 3, 1966 |
Thaddeus Seymour | October 10, 1969 |
Lewis S. Salter | October 10, 1978 |
F. Sheldon Wettack | December 3, 1989 |
Andrew T. Ford | January 29, 1994 |
Patrick E. White | January 27, 2007 |
Gregory D. Hess | October 11, 2013 |
Scott E. Feller | October 8, 2021 |
In the early 1900s, the college closed its "Preparatory School", which prepared incoming students from less-rigorous rural high schools that lacked the courses required for entrance to the college. [11]
During World War II, Wabash College was one of 131 colleges and universities [12] that offered students a path to a Navy commission as part of the V-12 Navy College Training Program. [13]
In 1996, under the direction of James Fisher, Wabash became the first college in America to stage Tony Kushner's Angels in America . [14]
Rankings US Liberal Arts Colleges
Forbes = 47 (2024) [15]
US News & World Report = 55 (2025) [16]
The Wall Street Journal does not include Wabash College as it only ranks colleges with at least 1,000 students.
Wabash College's curriculum is divided into three: Division I, Division II, and Division III representing the natural sciences, humanities and arts, and social sciences respectively. Wabash offers 27 academic programs as majors and 31 accompanying minors. [17] Its most popular majors, by 2021 graduates, were: [18]
Seniors at Wabash College take a three-day comprehensive exam in their major subject area. There are two days of written exams and one day of oral exams. The two days of written exams differ by major, but the oral exams are relatively uniform. A senior meets with three professors, one from his major, another from his minor, and a third professor who represents an outside perspective, and can be from any discipline. Over the course of an hour a senior answers questions from the professors which can relate to anything during his studies at Wabash. A senior must pass the comprehensive examinations in order to be eligible for a degree.
This section needs additional citations for verification .(May 2023) |
On "Ringing In Saturday", incoming students are addressed by the dean of students, the dean of admissions, the president of the alumni association, and the college president and are "rung in" by the president, using the same bell that Caleb Mills used to call students to class. On Homecoming weekend, students are given the opportunity to show how well they know the college fight song (Old Wabash) during "Chapel Sing".
The student government, referred to collectively as the Student Body of Wabash College, comprises executive, legislative, and judicial branches. [19] [20]
Student organizations at Wabash receive funding and recognition from the Student Senate. This funding in turn comes from a student activities fee, which every attendee of the college must pay each semester. The student paper of Wabash College is The Bachelor and has been published since the early 1900s. [21]
Rather than an explicit student code of conduct, Wabash has a single rule:
The student is expected to conduct himself at all times, both on and off campus, as a gentleman and a responsible citizen. [22]
The college says that this rule is its oldest tradition.
The first fraternity, Beta Theta Pi, appeared at Wabash in 1846 and has been on campus continuously since. It was quickly followed by Phi Delta Theta, Phi Gamma Delta, Delta Tau Delta, Kappa Sigma, Sigma Chi, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Kappa Psi, and Theta Delta Chi, all of which remain on campus today. Many of the traditions of the college were begun and are maintained by the fraternities, both individually and collectively. On average, 50–60% of students belong to one of the campus's ten national fraternities. [23]
As of August 1, 2021, the value of Wabash's endowment was approximately $400 million, which places Wabash among the richest colleges in the nation in per-student endowment. The endowment was created primarily over the past 70 years using major campaigns and estate planning with alumni. Major donors include the pharmaceutical industrialist Eli Lilly, the company his grandfather founded, his heirs, and the Lilly Endowment. The school's library is named after him as are a number of premier scholarships including the Lilly Award, the college's most prestigious scholarship established in 1974 to honor the Eli Lilly family and recognize young men of outstanding character, creativity, and academic accomplishment. During the most recent capital campaign, "Challenge of Excellence", between fall 2010 and 1 October 2012, the college raised $68 million, exceeding the original goal of $60 million. [24]
The school's sports teams are called the Little Giants. They participate in the NCAA's Division III and in the North Coast Athletic Conference for all but one of their 12 varsity sports. The only exception is volleyball, the school's newest varsity sport, which was added in advance of the 2021 season (2020–21 school year). Since the NCAC sponsors volleyball only for women, the Little Giants play that sport in the single-sport Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League. Every year since 1911, Wabash College has played rival DePauw University in a football game called the Monon Bell Classic. The rallying cheer of Wabash College athletics is "Wabash always fights". Wabash College competes in men's intercollegiate baseball, basketball, tennis, cross country, lacrosse, track and field, golf, football, soccer, swimming and diving, volleyball, and wrestling.
Inter-collegiate football at Wabash dates back to 1884, when student-coach Edwin R. Taber assembled a team and defeated Butler University by a score of 4–0 in the first intercollegiate football game in the history of the state of Indiana. [25]
The Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology (RHIT) is a private university in the Terre Haute, Indiana area. It was founded in 1874 with only three bachelor's degree programs. It has since grown to twelve academic departments with over thirty undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, engineering, technology, and engineering management, leading to bachelor's and master's degrees.
California State University, Monterey Bay is a public university located in Monterey County, California. 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.
Alpha Sigma Phi (ΑΣΦ), commonly known as Alpha Sig, is an intercollegiate men's social fraternity with 181 active chapters and provisional chapters. Founded at Yale in 1845, it is the 10th oldest Greek letter fraternity in the United States.
Dartmouth College is host to many fraternities and sororities, and a significant percentage of the undergraduate student body is active in Greek life. In the fall of 2022, 35 percent of male students belong to a fraternity and 36 percent of students belong to a sorority. Greek organizations at Dartmouth provide both social and residential opportunities for students and are the only single-sex residential option on campus. Greek organizations at Dartmouth do not provide dining options, as regular meal service has been banned in Greek houses since 1909.
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.
Phi Delta Theta (ΦΔΘ), commonly known as Phi Delt, is an international secret and social fraternity founded in 1848, and currently headquartered, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, along with Beta Theta Pi and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad. The fraternity has over 200 active chapters and colonies in over 44 U.S. states and five Canadian provinces and has initiated more than 310,000 men between 1848 and 2024. There are over 180,000 living alumni. Phi Delta Theta chartered house corporations own more than 135 houses valued at over $141 million as of summer 2015. There are nearly 100 recognized alumni clubs across the U.S. and Canada.
Robert Eugene Allen was an American telecommunications businessman.
Phi Gamma Delta (ΦΓΔ), commonly known as Fiji, is a social fraternity with 139 active chapters and 13 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania, in 1848. Along with Phi Kappa Psi, Phi Gamma Delta forms a half of the Jefferson Duo. Since its founding, the fraternity has initiated more than 211,000 brothers. The nickname FIJI is used commonly by the fraternity due to Phi Gamma Delta bylaws limiting the use of the Greek letters.
McKendree University (McK), formerly McKendree College, is a private university in Lebanon, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1828 as the Lebanon Seminary, it is the oldest college or university in Illinois. The school was renamed McKendree University beginning in the 2007–08 academic year. McKendree enrolls approximately 1,960 students representing 25 countries and 29 states. In the undergraduate program, on average there are 51% females and 49% males. The institution remains affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
Theta Kappa Nu (ΘΚΝ) fraternity was an American national collegiate fraternity founded in 1924 by delegates from eleven local fraternities. It merged with Lambda Chi Alpha in 1939.
Westminster College is a private college in Fulton, Missouri. It was established in 1851 as Fulton College. The school enrolled 609 students in 2020. America's National Churchill Museum is a historic site located on campus.
Caleb Mills was an American educator who served as the Superintendent of Public Instruction in Indiana and was the first faculty member at Wabash College. He played a central role in designing the public education system of Indiana.
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.
PDK International is an international professional organization for educators. Its main office is in Arlington, Virginia. It was founded on January 24, 1906, at Indiana University.
Frederick Feil was an American football player and coach. He was the 14th head football coach at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana serving for one season, in 1901, and compiling a record of 4–7. Feil played college football at the University of Chicago.
The North American fraternity and sorority system began with students who wanted to meet secretly, usually for discussions and debates not thought appropriate by the faculty of their schools. Today they are used as social, professional, and honorary groups that promote varied combinations of community service, leadership, and academic achievement.
The term Triad is used to designate certain historic groupings of seminal college fraternities in North America.
The 1922 National Intercollegiate basketball tournament was the first national championship tournament ever held in intercollegiate basketball. Played March 9–11 in Indianapolis, Indiana, it attracted six teams, including five conference champions.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)