Iowa Wesleyan College
Encyclopedia
Iowa Wesleyan College is a private four-year liberal arts college of the United Methodist Church located Mt. Pleasant, Iowa
.
Iowa Wesleyan is recognized as a pioneer in higher education in America. Founded in 1842, it ranks as the oldest coeducational college located west of the Mississippi River. Among its innovations include unique concepts of undergraduate lab science, career experience, and service learning.
The college occupies a central campus of historic red brick buildings and modern structures, including National Register of Historic Places designates Pioneer Hall and Old Main. The Chapel, erected in 1896, recently received a complete renovation and restoration.
Iowa Wesleyan is fully accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools to offer academic program leading to the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Music Education degrees. Undergraduate enrollment at the college is approximately 850 full-time students.
Dr. Jay K. Simmons took office as the college's 28th president in July 2008.
Being ahead of the time, Iowa Wesleyan started its Responsible Social Involvement program, or "RSI" in the late 1960s. This program has two main goals:
1: Service to the Greater Community, and
2: Having students participate more actively in their own education.
RSI allows students hands-on experiences outside the traditional realms of textbooks, classrooms, and professors.
Sorority, which has been on campus since 1902, and is the oldest chapter of Alpha Xi Delta in the country.
The P.E.O. Sisterhood
was also founded at Iowa Wesleyan College on January 21, 1869.
Other Greek Organizations which have been on campus:
National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) Sororities
Pi Beta Phi
, 1868–2004
Phi Mu
, 1914–1943
Zeta Tau Alpha
, 1918–1987
North American Interfraternity Conference (IFC) Fraternities
Phi Delta Theta
, 1871–2009
Beta Theta Pi
, 1868–1915
Delta Tau Delta
, 1875–1980
Sigma Phi Epsilon
, 1913–1976
Lambda Chi Alpha
, 1924–1974
Tau Kappa Epsilon
, 1947–1954
Phi Kappa Tau
, 1968–1984
college, and a member of the Midwest Collegiate Conference. Their mascot is the Tiger. In October 2011, the Board of Trustees voted to apply for membership in the NCAA Division III by January 15, 2012. With its application to the NCAA, Iowa Wesleyan will pursue admission to the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC).
Iowa Wesleyan offers sponsors twelve intercollegiate sports for men and women. For men, basketball
, soccer, track
, baseball
, football
, and golf
are offered. The sports for the women are identical, except for volleyball
, which is offered alternatively of football. Iowa Wesleyan will reinstate Cross Country for men and women beginning in August 2009.
In 2009, for the second time in college history, both the men's and women's teams qualified for the NAIA National Basketball Tournament. The last time both teams made it to the tournament simultaneously was in 2006.
From 1989-1991, Hal Mumme
was head football
coach, with Mike Leach as his offensive coordinator, and it is at Iowa Wesleyan that they developed the "Air Raid" offense.
Mount Pleasant, Iowa
Mount Pleasant is a city in and the county seat of Henry County, Iowa, in the United States. The population was 8,668 in the 2010 census, a decline from 8,751 in the 2000 census. It was founded in 1835 by pioneer Presley Saunders.- History :...
.
Iowa Wesleyan is recognized as a pioneer in higher education in America. Founded in 1842, it ranks as the oldest coeducational college located west of the Mississippi River. Among its innovations include unique concepts of undergraduate lab science, career experience, and service learning.
The college occupies a central campus of historic red brick buildings and modern structures, including National Register of Historic Places designates Pioneer Hall and Old Main. The Chapel, erected in 1896, recently received a complete renovation and restoration.
Iowa Wesleyan is fully accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools to offer academic program leading to the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Music Education degrees. Undergraduate enrollment at the college is approximately 850 full-time students.
Dr. Jay K. Simmons took office as the college's 28th president in July 2008.
Academic programs
Students at Iowa Wesleyan can gain a variety of degrees in the fields of Business, Education, Fine Arts, Human Studies, Lang. Literature, Nursing, and Science Math and Computer Science.Being ahead of the time, Iowa Wesleyan started its Responsible Social Involvement program, or "RSI" in the late 1960s. This program has two main goals:
1: Service to the Greater Community, and
2: Having students participate more actively in their own education.
RSI allows students hands-on experiences outside the traditional realms of textbooks, classrooms, and professors.
Student life
Iowa Wesleyan College offers many activities for students to get involved with outside the classroom, including the Student Government Association, the Student Union Board, Intramurals, College Radio (IWCR), Hall Councils, Student Ambassadors, as well as a number of performing groups such as the Concert Choir.Greek life
Greek Life has a rich history at Iowa Wesleyan College. Currently there is only once active chapter on campus, the Beta chapter of Alpha Xi DeltaAlpha Xi Delta
Alpha Xi Delta is a women's fraternity founded on April 17, 1893 at Lombard College, Galesburg, Illinois. Alpha Xi Delta is one of the oldest women's fraternities as well as one of the ten founding fraternities of the National Panhellenic Conference...
Sorority, which has been on campus since 1902, and is the oldest chapter of Alpha Xi Delta in the country.
The P.E.O. Sisterhood
P.E.O. Sisterhood
The P.E.O. Sisterhood is an international women's organization of about 250,000 members with a primary focus on providing educational opportunities for female students worldwide. The Sisterhood is organized with chapters throughout the United States and Canada, headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa....
was also founded at Iowa Wesleyan College on January 21, 1869.
Other Greek Organizations which have been on campus:
National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) Sororities
Pi Beta Phi
Pi Beta Phi
Pi Beta Phi is an international fraternity for women founded as I.C. Sorosis on April 28, 1867, at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois. Its headquarters are located in Town and Country, Missouri, and there are 134 active chapters and over 330 alumnae organizations across the United States and...
, 1868–2004
Phi Mu
Phi Mu
Phi Mu is the second oldest female fraternal organization established in the United States. It was founded at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. The organization was founded as the Philomathean Society on January 4, 1852, and was announced publicly on March 4 of the same year...
, 1914–1943
Zeta Tau Alpha
Zeta Tau Alpha
Zeta Tau Alpha is a women's fraternity, founded October 15, 1898 at the State Female Normal School in Farmville, Virginia. The Executive office is located in Indianapolis, Indiana...
, 1918–1987
North American Interfraternity Conference (IFC) Fraternities
Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta , also known as Phi Delt, is an international fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, Beta Theta Pi, and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad. The fraternity has about 169 active chapters and colonies in over 43 U.S...
, 1871–2009
Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi , often just called Beta, is a social collegiate fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, where it is part of the Miami Triad which includes Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. It has over 138 active chapters and colonies in the United States and Canada...
, 1868–1915
Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta is a U.S.-based international secret letter college fraternity. Delta Tau Delta was founded in 1858 at Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia, . It currently has around 125 student chapters nationwide, as well as more than 25 regional alumni groups. Its national community service...
, 1875–1980
Sigma Phi Epsilon
Sigma Phi Epsilon
Sigma Phi Epsilon , commonly nicknamed SigEp or SPE, is a social college fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College , and its national headquarters remains in Richmond, Virginia. It was founded on three principles: Virtue,...
, 1913–1976
Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha is one of the largest men's secret general fraternities in North America, having initiated more than 280,000 members and held chapters at more than 300 universities. It is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference and was founded by Warren A. Cole, while he was a...
, 1924–1974
Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon is a college fraternity founded on January 10, 1899 at Illinois Wesleyan University with chapters in the United States, and Canada, and affiliation with a German fraternity system known as the Corps of the Weinheimer Senioren Convent...
, 1947–1954
Phi Kappa Tau
Phi Kappa Tau
Phi Kappa Tau is a U.S. national collegiate fraternity.-History:Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity was founded in the Union Literary Society Hall of Miami University's Old Main Building in Oxford, Ohio on March 17, 1906...
, 1968–1984
Athletics
Iowa Wesleyan is an NAIANational Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
college, and a member of the Midwest Collegiate Conference. Their mascot is the Tiger. In October 2011, the Board of Trustees voted to apply for membership in the NCAA Division III by January 15, 2012. With its application to the NCAA, Iowa Wesleyan will pursue admission to the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC).
Iowa Wesleyan offers sponsors twelve intercollegiate sports for men and women. For men, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, soccer, track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, and golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
are offered. The sports for the women are identical, except for volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, which is offered alternatively of football. Iowa Wesleyan will reinstate Cross Country for men and women beginning in August 2009.
In 2009, for the second time in college history, both the men's and women's teams qualified for the NAIA National Basketball Tournament. The last time both teams made it to the tournament simultaneously was in 2006.
From 1989-1991, Hal Mumme
Hal Mumme
Hal Clay Mumme is an American college football coach. He is currently the head coach at McMurry University.- Playing career :...
was head football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach, with Mike Leach as his offensive coordinator, and it is at Iowa Wesleyan that they developed the "Air Raid" offense.
Alumni
Noted college alumni include:- Belle Babb "Arabella" MansfieldArabella MansfieldArabella Mansfield , née Belle Aurelia Babb, became the first female lawyer in the United States when she was admitted to the Iowa bar in 1869. She was allowed to take the bar exam and passed with high scores, despite a state law restricting applicants to white males over 21...
, the first female lawyer in the United States. - James Van AllenJames Van AllenJames Alfred Van Allen was an American space scientist at the University of Iowa.The Van Allen radiation belts were named after him, following the 1958 satellite missions in which Van Allen had argued that a Geiger counter should be used to detect charged particles.- Life and career :* September...
, world-renowned astrophysicist and discoverer of the Van Allen radiation beltVan Allen radiation beltThe Van Allen radiation belt is a torus of energetic charged particles around Earth, which is held in place by Earth's magnetic field. It is believed that most of the particles that form the belts come from solar wind, and other particles by cosmic rays. It is named after its discoverer, James...
circling the earth. - Peggy WhitsonPeggy WhitsonPeggy Annette Whitson is an American biochemistry researcher, NASA astronaut, and NASA's Chief Astronaut. Her first space mission was in 2002, with an extended stay aboard the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 5. Her second mission launched October 10, 2007, as the first female...
, current NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Astronaut. - William Andrews ClarkWilliam Andrews ClarkWilliam Andrews Clark, Sr. was an American politician and entrepreneur, involved with mining, banking, and railroads.-Biography:...
, early 20th century business magnate. - John H. MickeyJohn H. MickeyJohn Hopwood Mickey was a Nebraska republican politician who served as the 13th Governor of Nebraska from 1903 to 1907.-Early life and ancestors:...
, the 17th governor of NebraskaNebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
from 1903 to 1907. Motion picture pioneer and founder of United ArtistsUnited ArtistsUnited Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
. - Mary PickfordMary PickfordMary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
, was an early notable awarded an honorary degree from Iowa Wesleyan. - Dana HolgorsenDana HolgorsenDana Holgorsen is an American football coach and former player. He is the current head football coach at West Virginia University, having succeeded Bill Stewart, who resigned under pressure on June 10, 2011...
, current West Virginia University Head Football Coach. - Rodger Bowers, 3 Time All-American Free Safety, with 11 interceptions as a freshman
- D. BryantD. BryantD. Bryant is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent of the Arena Football League.-Early life:Born the son of Marvin and Brenda Bryant, D. attended Cass Technical High School, in Detroit, Michigan. There he lettered in four sports; football, basketball, baseball and track...
, Current Arena Football LeagueArena Football LeagueThe Arena Football League is the highest level of professional indoor American football in the United States. It is currently the second longest running professional football league in the United States, after the National Football League. It was founded in 1987 by Jim Foster...
Quarterback, 2008 All-Rookie selection.