Wilmington College (Ohio)

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Wilmington College
Wilmington College (Ohio) logo.svg
MottoNon saltu sed multis gradibus (Latin)
Motto in English
Not by a leap, but by many steps
Type Private college
Established1870;154 years ago (1870)
Religious affiliation
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) [1]
Academic affiliations
CIC, GCCCU, SOCHE, HLC
Endowment $75M
President Corey Cockerill, PhD [2]
Undergraduates 1,042 (2024)
Postgraduates 50
Location,
U.S.

39°26′38″N83°49′04″W / 39.4439°N 83.8178°W / 39.4439; -83.8178
CampusRural, 1,248 Acres
Colors    
Nickname Quakers
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division IIIOAC
MascotQuakerman
Website wilmington.edu/

Wilmington College is a private college in Wilmington, Ohio. [3] It was established by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in 1870 and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. [4] 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. [5]

Contents

History

In 1863 three brothers, Hugh, James, and Thomas Garvin founded Franklin College in Albany, Ohio. After two years in Albany, the college was relocated to Wilmington, where the cornerstone of College Hall was laid on 4 July 1866. The institution was closed in 1868 following the Civil War. In 1870 the half-completed Franklin College building went up for auction. The building and 33 surrounding acres were purchased by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Lewis Estes was named the first president. Following a few years of economic struggle, Estes resigned. Benjamin Trueblood, a 26-year-old recent Earlham College graduate, was named the new president. In 1875, Wilmington College graduated its first class of four students, three females, and one male. South Hall (razed 1956) was the college's first dorm in 1876, and in 1904 the college purchased a former boarding house and named it Twin Ash Hall (demolished 1984).

In 1917, Wilmington College acquired the Lebanon National Normal School in Lebanon, Ohio.

The ground breaking for Marble Hall, which was entirely built by students and brought national attention to Wilmington College. 13 April 1948 Marble Groundbreaking2.jpg
The ground breaking for Marble Hall, which was entirely built by students and brought national attention to Wilmington College. 13 April 1948

In 1944, under President S. Arthur Watson, the college was accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and joined the North Central Association of Colleges. Following WWII, Wilmington College saw a huge boost in growth. Under President Samuel Marble, Marble Hall (1950) was constructed by students. [6] This was due to the large boost in the middle class following WWII and the creation of the G.I. Bill. Also built by students were The Pyle Student Center (1957) and Friends Hall (1955). The current gymnasium, Herman Court was constructed in 1966.

In 2020, Trevor Bates was named as the College’s 19th and first African-American president. Bates was released from his contract in March 2023 by the college's board of trustees and Corey Cockerill was named interim president.

The college has 25 majors, 27 minors, and 32 concentrations. As well as three graduate programs. There are 18 intercollegiate sports in the NCAA Div-III. The campus features over 50 student-led organizations.

Presidents

College Hall pictured in the early 1960s College Hall 1960s.jpg
College Hall pictured in the early 1960s

Indicates interim/acting president*

Academics

Wilmington College offers 24 undergraduate majors with 27 minors and 32 concentrations. Wilmington College currently offers two masters programs.

Wilmington College has a partnership with Drayer Physical Therapy Institute. Athletic Training, Exercise Science, and Physical Therapy students get hands-on learning opportunities through Drayer's office that is housed in the College's Center for Sport Sciences.

Wilmington College's Watson Library [7] is a member of the Ohio Private Academic Libraries (OPAL) [8] consortium and the OhioLINK [9] consortium that provides an integrated catalog, e-resources, and more than 100 research databases.

Fulbright Scholar Program

Wilmington College has been home to nine Fulbright Scholars. Wilmington College has also hosted three visiting scholars.

Home Scholars:

Campuses

Main campus

Academic buildings

College Hall College Hall Summer.jpg
College Hall

Peace Resource Center

Rooted in Wilmington College's Quaker identity, the Peace Resource Center is the only academic center and archives in the United States wholly devoted to the human experience of nuclear war, vis-a-vis the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan on August 6 and 9, 1945. Founded by Quaker nuclear abolitionist Barbara Leonard Reynolds (1915–1990) in 1975, the PRC houses the Barbara Reynolds Memorial Archives, which is one of the most extensive collections in the United States focusing on the historical legacies of nuclear warfare on human beings and the environment. The PRC's collection also distinctively features significant documentation of the early nuclear abolition movements in Japan and the United States during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Scholars from throughout the United States and the world travel to utilize the PRC and its materials. The PRC also realizes extensive programming at the Wilmington College and beyond regarding nuclear legacies as well as nonviolent conflict transformation to promote the end of militarism as a strategy of resolving human conflict.

Marble Hall shortly after completion. Marble Hall.jpg
Marble Hall shortly after completion.

Residence halls

Greek life

Wilmington College Greek life participates yearly in Greek Bed Races at Homecoming. Greek Bed Races.jpg
Wilmington College Greek life participates yearly in Greek Bed Races at Homecoming.

Wilmington College recognizes thirteen Greek Letter Organizations: three national fraternities, three local fraternities, two national sororities and three local sororities, and two auxiliaries. This group of thirteen Greek organizations constitutes the membership of the Greek Council. Additionally, Wilmington College boasts several honor societies, some international in scope. [12]

Men's organizations

Active chapters in bold, inactive chapters italicized.
(NIC) indicates members of the North American Interfraternity Conference.
(NPHC) indicates members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council.

Phi Alpha Psi (ΦΑΨ), 1972-20xx – local fraternity (Inactive)
Iota Phi Theta (ΙΦΘ), 1984-20xx – international fraternity (NPHC and NIC) (Inactive)

Women's organizations

Active chapters in bold, inactive chapters italicized.
(NPC) indicates members of the National Panhellenic Conference.
(NPHC) indicates members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council.

Iota SweetHearts (ΙΦΘ sisters), 19xx-2014? – national auxiliary for ΙΦΘ

Honor societies

Active chapters in bold, inactive chapters italicized.
(ACHS) indicates members of the Association of College Honor Societies.

Phi Alpha Theta (ΦΑΘ), 1972-20xx – history honors (ACHS)

Athletics

Wilmington College Quakers
Wilmington-oh logo from NCAA.svg
UniversityWilmington College
Conference
NCAA Division III
Athletic directorMatt Croci
Location Wilmington, Ohio
Varsity teams19
Football stadium Williams Stadium
Basketball arenaFred Raizk Arena at Hermann Court
Baseball stadiumTewksbury Delaney Field
Aquatics centerWC Natatorium at Hermann Court
MascotQuakerman
NicknameQuakers
ColorsDark Green, Lime Green, and White
     
Website wilmingtonquakers.com
Team NCAA championships
1

Wilmington College athletic teams are known as the "Fightin' Quakers". Their colors are dark green and lime green. The Quakers compete at the NCAA Division III level and have been a member of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) since 2000.

Wilmington College offers nine men's teams and nine women's teams, including

Before becoming a member of the NCAA, Wilmington's teams competed in the NAIA. Wilmington was previously a member of the Association of Mideast Colleges from 1990 to 1996 and served as an independent until 1998. WC was in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference from 1998 to 1999, before joining the OAC in 2000. Wilmington's conference opponents include: Baldwin Wallace University, Capital University, Heidelberg University, John Carroll University, Marietta College, University of Mount Union, Muskingum University, Ohio Northern University, and Otterbein University.

National champions

Wilmington has had nine individual National Champions - eight track & field and one wrestling, as well as one team National Championship.

Wilmington College football players take the field in 2018 Wilmington College Football Team.jpg
Wilmington College football players take the field in 2018
Fans Cheering on the Fightin' Quakers Wilmington College Fans.jpg
Fans Cheering on the Fightin' Quakers

National tournament appearances

Conference champions-NCAA Era

Notable Quaker athletics alumni

Cincinnati Bengals

Wilmington College was the location of summer training camp for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League from the team's first season in 1968 through 1996, [14] when the team moved camp to Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky. [15]

Notable alumni

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References

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  2. Hamilton, John (April 1, 2023). "Bates out as WC president". Wilmington News Journal . Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  3. "Wilmington College (OH)". Wilmington. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  4. "Higher Learning Commission". ncahlc.org. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  5. "It's Official! Wilmington College Sets Enrollment Records". Wilmington. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  6. "Marble Hall". Wilmington. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  7. "Wilmington College: Watson Library". Archived from the original on February 24, 2007. Retrieved December 12, 2006.
  8. "OPAL Catalog". cat.opal-libraries.org. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  9. "Homepage – OhioLINK". ohiolink.edu. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  10. "College Returns to Teaching in Ohio Prisons". Wilmington College (Wilmington, Ohio) Liberal Arts College. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  11. "WC Boosting Wi-Fi Capability Fivefold, Installing AC in Largest Residence Halls". Wilmington College (Wilmington, Ohio). Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  12. "Wilmington College (OH)". Wilmington. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  13. "'Nation's Oldest Local Fraternity' Permanently Banned After Pledge Lost Testicle". HuffPost. January 3, 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  14. "Williams Stadium – Wilmington College Athletics". Wilmington College. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  15. "1997". Cincinnati Bengals . Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  16. "Assemblywoman Michelle Gorelow". www.leg.state.nv.us. Retrieved February 2, 2023.