Westminster College (Pennsylvania)

Westminster College

Type	Private
Established	1852;173 years ago (1852)
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian Church (USA)
Endowment	$140.9 million (2024) [1]
President	Kathy Brittain Richardson
Undergraduates	1,238 [2]
Location	New Wilmington, Pennsylvania , United States
Campus	Small Town, 300 acres (120 ha)
Colors	(Navy blue and white)
Nickname	Titans
Website	westminster.edu

Westminster College is a private liberal arts college in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1852, it is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The student population includes approximately 1,300 undergraduate and graduate students. ^[3]

History

Westminster was formed as a result of a meeting on January 21, 1852, between the Ohio and Shenango Presbyteries.

Campus

Old Main at Westminster College

Westminster is located in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, a town of approximately 2,100 residents located 50 miles (80 km) north of Pittsburgh and 80 miles (130 km) south of Erie and Cleveland on a 300-acre (120 ha) campus. The S. R. Thompson House was built by college professor S. R. Thompson in 1884 and is now a dormitory. ^[4]

Academics

Westminster College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. In the 2025 U.S. News & World Report college rankings, Westminster College was ranked 108th (tied) of 211 national liberal arts colleges. ^[5] Westminster College has been named one of the nation's top 100 liberal arts colleges by The Washington Monthly in its 2025 College Guide and Rankings. ^[6]

Student organizations

The college has a Student Government Association that exists primarily for governing and providing entertainment for the student body. ^[7] There are four fraternities and five sororities at Westminster College, and approximately half of the student body is involved in Greek life. ^[8]

Student publications include The Holcad, a weekly student newspaper; Argo, the university's student-run yearbook; and Scrawl, an annual literary magazine. The Holcad was started in 1884. ^[9] Westminster's radio station, WWNW Titan Radio serves Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. The station streams online and features a hot adult contemporary format. ^[9] Programming includes live local sports for Wilmington Area High School and various Westminster Titans teams. Titan Radio is a broadcast member of the Pennsylvania Associated Press and the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters. ^[10] Westminster's television station is the Westminster Cable Network, which covers local news and sports. ^[9]

Athletics

Westminster athletics monogram

The Westminster Titans compete in NCAA Division III athletics. Before moving to the NCAA, Westminster competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) for many years. For a brief period, Westminster was a member of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). The Titans currently are a member of the Presidents' Athletic Conference.

The first official football game by the Westminster Titans was in December 1891; they lost to Geneva, 42–0. The next year was the first official season; Westminster played four games that year and went 3–1. The Titans have won the NAIA Division II Football National Championship in 1970, 1976, 1977, 1988, 1989, and 1994, all while competing in NAIA Division II, with 11 undefeated seasons. Five former Titans football players have been enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame: Harold Davis, Joe Fusco, Larry Pugh, Harold Burry and Joe Micchia. Hall of Fame head coach Tuss McLaughry was not an alumnus but did coach the Titans for four years. ^[11] The current head football coach of the Titans is Scott Benzel, who became head coach in 2014. ^[12]

Westminster men's basketball team lost in the national NAIA title game twice (1960 and 1962) under coach Charles "Buzz" Ridl. Ridl was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame (1969), the Western Pennsylvania Coaches Hall of Fame (1980), and the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (1992).

Notable alumni

• Eric Burns – author, media critic, broadcast journalist
• David S. Cercone – U.S. federal judge
• Amy Marie Charles – professor of English literature at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
• Thomas C. Cochran – congressman, R-PA, 70th–74th Congresses (1927–1935)
• Thomas DiLorenzo – Austrian School economist and author, Professor at Loyola University in Baltimore
• JD Eicher – singer, songwriter, and producer
• Jennifer Elvgren – writer ^[13]
• William N. Johnston – president of Wesley College (Delaware) 2002–2015
• Joe Jordano – college baseball coach at Pittsburgh ^[14]
• Tim Kaiser – producer of Seinfeld and Will & Grace and 2 Broke Girls
• James Kennedy – Congressman, R-OH (1903–1911)
• Gerald LaValle – Pennsylvania State Senator (1971 M.Ed.) ^[15]
• Mark Longietti – Pennsylvania State Representative (2006–present)
• Amber Mariano née Brkich – reality television personality (winner of Survivor: All-Stars ), married to Rob Mariano
• Andrew McKelvey – chairman and CEO of Monster.com (December 1996 – October 2006)
• Joe Micchia – 2013 College Football Hall of Fame inductee
• Daniel Migliore – theologian and author; professor emeritus, Princeton Theological Seminary
• Samuel Henry Miller – congressman, R-PA, 47th, 48th, and 64th Congresses (1881–1885, 1915–1917)
• Gladys Milligan – painter
• David W. Orr – chair and professor of environmental studies at Oberlin College in Ohio and influential figure in educational reform ^[16]
• Deborah Platt Majoras – chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (August 2004 – 2008)
• Greg Nicotero - special make-up effects creator, television producer, and director
• M. Richard Rose (1955–2021) – former President of Alfred University and the Rochester Institute of Technology
• Jerry Schmitt – football head coach at Duquesne University, former player and coach at Westminster
• Norman Shepherd – theologian and pastor
• R. C. Sproul – theologian and founder of Ligonier Ministries

Notable faculty

• Wes Craven – English
• James Ashbrook Perkins – English and public relations

References

1. "U.S. and Canadian 2024 NCSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2024 Endowment Market Value, Change in Market Value from FY23 to FY24, and FY24 Endowment Market Values Per Full-time Equivalent Student" (XLSX). National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO). February 12, 2025. Archived from the original on February 12, 2025. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
2. "Westminster College (PA) - Profile, Rankings, and Data". US News and World Report. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
3. "Prospective Students \ Westminster College" . Retrieved July 1, 2016.
4. "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania". CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on July 21, 2007. Retrieved May 5, 2012.Note: This includes Christina Schmidlapp (September 1984). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: S. R. Thompson House" (PDF). Retrieved May 5, 2012.
5. "Westminster College (PA) Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
6. "Westminster College recognized among nation's best liberal arts colleges \ Westminster College". www.westminster.edu. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
7. "Overview | Student Government Association | Welcome". Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2008.
8. Dick, Denise (September 14, 2015). "Great Greek life at Westminster". vindy.com. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
9. "About Us". Westminster Cable Network. August 15, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
10. "Titan Radio one of the best in the country". Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
11. 2009 Football Media Guide, Westminster College, p. 35, retrieved June 16, 2010.
12. "Titan Athletics – 2015 Football Coaching Staff". Westminster.edu. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
13. "Alumni News". Westminster College. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
14. Mackey, Jason (March 9, 2012). "Pitt Baseball Coach Jordano Is Embracing Some New Challenges". TribLive.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
15. "Gerald J. LaValle (D)". Official Pennsylvania Senate Profile. Pennsylvania Senate. Archived from the original on August 19, 2007.
16. "Orr, David." American Environmental Leaders: From Colonial Times to the Present. Amenia: Grey House Publishing, 2008. Credo Reference. Web. September 24, 2012

External links

• Official website
• Athletics website

41°7′4″N80°19′46″W / 41.11778°N 80.32944°W / 41.11778; -80.32944