Indiana Wesleyan University
| File:Iwu logo.jpg | |
| Type | private coeducational evangelical Christian |
|---|---|
| Established | 1920 |
| Endowment | $40.6 million (2006) [1] |
| President | Dr. Henry Smith |
Academic staff | 200 |
| Students | 14,756[2] |
| Undergraduates | 3,050[3] |
| Postgraduates | 748[4] |
| Location | , , |
| Campus | Suburban: 300 acres |
| Athletics | 16 NAIA Division II teams, called Wildcats |
| Colors | Red and White |
| Affiliations | Wesleyan Church |
| Website | www.indwes.edu |
Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) is a private evangelical Christian liberal arts college located in Marion, Indiana that is affiliated with the Wesleyan Church denomination. IWU is the largest member of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities[5]. The university offers various liberal arts (including 78 undergraduate majors) and professional educational programs leading to the Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Education and Master of Business Administration degrees, along with a doctoral program in Organizational Leadership. The university will also be offering a Master of Divinity degree through a new school of theology, consisting of an accredited seminary, which will be launched in the near future.
History
The university mission states: "Indiana Wesleyan University is a Christ-centered academic community committed to changing the world by developing students in character, scholarship, and leadership." IWU's original campus, well recognized in Indiana for teacher education and a college of business, was known first as Marion Normal College (1890-1912) and then reopened as Marion Normal Institute (1912-1918).
In 1918 the Marion Normal Institute relocated to Muncie, Indiana, becoming Ball State University. Because the Indiana Conference of The Wesleyan Methodist Church operated the Fairmount Bible School 10 miles south of Marion, a group of local citizens asked them to move to the vacant property and open a normal school in Marion. So in 1918 – 1919 the church raised $100,000 to endow the school, moved the Fairmont Bible School to Marion, and added a new teacher education program to become Marion College. The date of incorporation was 1919, and the first classes were offered in the fall of 1920.
From 1920 to 1988, Marion College operated as a developing liberal arts institution with growing programs, offering the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Science degrees since the first graduating class of 1921. A Master of Arts in Theology was begun in 1924 and offered continuously until 1950. Master’s degree programs were initiated again in 1979 in Ministerial Education and Community Health Nursing. Master’s degree programs were begun in Business in 1988, in Primary Care Nursing in 1994, and in Counseling in 1995.
A new administration was initiated by the Board of Trustees with the presidency of Dr. James Barnes in 1987. The name of the institution was changed to Indiana Wesleyan University, reflecting the influence of the institution across the state - well beyond the boundaries of the city of Marion, its connection with The Wesleyan Church and Christian higher education, and the development of increasing numbers of graduate programs.
Having already established a solid liberal arts college, in 1983, its leadership decided to begin offering courses and degrees to working adults during evening hours and Saturdays, forming what would eventually become the innovative College of Adult and Professional Studies (CAPS). This decision proved to be very successful and massively affected IWU’s future, wiping out the school's sizable debt and funding the expansion and revitalization of the Marion campus, eventually transforming the college into a major evangelical Christian university. The CAPS program provides the majority of the funding used in campus renovation and construction projects, keeping student tuition at a relatively low level compared with other similar colleges.
Enrollment in the CAPS program has grown radically since 1985 when the first courses were offered. IWU has now become the fastest-growing university in Indiana and one of the fastest-growing in the U.S. IWU has grown by more than 200 percent since 1990 to educate nearly 15,000 students, 11,500 of whom are taking courses online or at IWU's CAPS educational centers in Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. Site-based classes are held at 11 education and conference centers: Indianapolis (2), Fort Wayne, Shelbyville, Kokomo, and Columbus, Ind.; Louisville and Lexington, Ky.; and Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Dayton, Ohio. Classes are also held at more than 80 off-campus locations in Indiana. Many private universities across the country are attempting to copy IWU's successful program. IWU's CAPS program is the second largest adult education program in the United States, after the University of Phoenix.
In 2000, IWU organized its academic structure into three colleges; the College of Arts and Sciences (traditional four-year liberal arts education), the College of Graduate Studies (traditional semester-based graduate degrees), and the College of Adult and Professional Studies (non-traditional, accelerated programs for working adults).
IWU is the fastest-growing university and the largest private university in Indiana. Among the 105 members of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (the main organization of evangelical schools of higher education in the US and Canada), IWU has become its largest member with nearly 15,000 students enrolled as of September 2007. IWU now employs more than 200 full-time faculty, over 400 full-time administrative and staff members and over 700 adjunct faculty members.
On July 1, 2006, Dr. Henry Smith succeeded Dr. James Barnes as president of IWU. Dr. Barnes served as president from 1987-2006 and is credited with transforming IWU from a small, struggling Bible college into one of the largest and most successful evangelical Christian universities in the world. Dr. Barnes now serves as university chancellor.[6]
Honors
In 2007, IWU was named "One of the Top Masters Universities in the Midwest" by U.S. News and World Report, ranked 62nd among 138 schools. In the 2008 edition, IWU jumped up to 31st in the rankings.[7]
The New Media Consortium recently recognized IWU as a world leader in its innovative approaches to the use of technology. IWU is the first member institution of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities to be selected. President and CEO of the New Media Consortium, Dr. Larry Johnson, identifies IWU as "a place where smart, creative people are devising innovative solutions to challenges we all face in teaching and learning. The dedication to excellence here is palpable, and students and faculty are the clear beneficiaries."[8]
IWU was one of 12 independent colleges chosen nationally to receive the Foundation of Excellence Award from the Policy Center on the First Year of College. As a result, the university is helping to develop programs and best practices that many institutions across the country will view as the gold standard for outstanding first-year programming.[9]
The Best Christian Workplaces Institute, a research-based organizational and human resources consulting firm, recently named the university one of the three Best Christian Workplaces in America. The Institute has surveyed 400-plus Christian organizations, with more than 40,000 employees, during the last four years.[10]
The Center for Life Calling and Leadership has developed a national reputation for excellence grounded in groundbreaking research and innovative application.[11]
Two faculty members have recently received Fulbright research grants.[12]
The university has also been named one of the "Top Ten Conservative Colleges" in the U.S. by the Young America's Foundation four years in a row.[13]
Enrollment
Indiana Wesleyan University’s total enrollment has grown tremendously the past 20 years, from a student total of 2,000 in 1987 to nearly 15,000 in 2007. This rapid growth has made IWU the largest institution in the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (the main organization of Christ-centered, four-year, liberal arts institutions in the U.S and Canada), the largest private university in the state of Indiana and the fastest-growing university in Indiana.
The population of traditional students living in university-owned residence facilities has increased from 442 students in 1989 to nearly 2,500 in the fall of 2007.
Enrollment in the College of Adult and Professional Studies programs has increased more than 900 percent, from 1,250 students in 1989 to more than 11,500 students in the fall of 2007. With IWU’s continued expansion around the Midwest, enrollment in the adult programs is projected to double during the next ten years.
Recently, the Board of Trustees voted to double the undergraduate student population to 6,200. Eventually, the university's total student body will surpass the 30,000 mark, making it the largest evangelical Christian university in the world.
Main Campus
Indiana Wesleyan University is noted for its award-winning 300 acre main campus in Marion, Indiana. During the past two decades, over $200 million in new construction and renovation have transformed IWU into a debt-free, student-focused, state-of-the-art university. Since 1990, over 50 construction projects have been completed, including 20 residence halls and 16 academic/administrative buildings, along with 11 adult and professional studies structures around the Midwest. Fort Wayne, Indiana based architectural firm,Design Collaborative, has designed the majority of the campus facilities. A national poll recently ranked IWU's campus #1 in the U.S. among evangelical Christian universities.[citation needed] IWU has also been ranked #1 in the nation for spiritual atmosphere by Campus Life magazine.[citation needed]
As the university continues to grow, new facilities are constantly being built. Chief among them is a new $22 million chapel/auditorium (where required chapel services will be held 3 days a week) recently approved by the Board of Trustees, scheduled for completion in 2010. With 4,000 seats, the new chapel will be one of the largest theaters in the Midwest. It will even be larger than the famous Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, home of the Academy Awards.
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Phillippe Performing Arts Center (1996) -
Jackson Library (2003) -
Student Center (1994,2001,2006) -
Globe Theatre, Student Center (2001) -
Student Center Mall (2006) -
Student Center Piazza (2006) -
Maxwell Business Center (1998) -
Recreation Center (1999) -
Burns Hall of Science and Nursing (2000) -
Williams Prayer Chapel (2001) -
John Wesley Statue (2003) -
John Wesley Administration Building (1893,2003) -
President's Home (1998) -
Noggle Christian Ministries Center (1984,2008) -
Hodson Hall (1996) -
Scripture Hall (2001) and IWU Fountain (2003) -
Upperclassman Lodges (2005) -
New Women's Hall (2007) -
New Academic Building (2007) -
New College Wesleyan Church (2007)
Athletics
IWU offers eight intercollegiate sports for both men and women. The Wildcats compete in the Mid-Central College Conference, in which they are the conference's winningest school in history, and IWU is a member of the NCCAA Division I and NAIA Division II (but will be promoted to Division I soon).[14] IWU is also home to MCC conference president, Dr. Mike Fratzke, who was recently voted the 2007 NAIA Athletics Director of the Year.[15]
IWU has earned a national reputation for athletic excellence and in recent years, has dominated the MCC. IWU has won the Mid-Central Conference Commissioners Cup a record six consecutive years, and placed among the Top 20 in the NAIA United States Sports Academy Directors' Cup Standings nine straight years.
The 2006-2007 school year was a record year for IWU sports, winning conference championships in 10 of the 14 MCC sports, which is a conference record. Both the men's and women's soccer and basketball teams captured MCC championships, the first school to do so. In addition, the men's golf team captured its second straight NCCAA National Championship and the women's basketball team captured the first NAIA National Championship in school history. The Wildcats posted a perfect 38-0 record, becoming the first basketball team in NAIA history to go undefeated.[16]
The 2007-2008 school year has started well for the Wildcats, including MCC championships in men's (2nd in a row) and women's soccer (10th in a row), women's tennis (16th in a row), men's (3rd in a row) and women's cross country, women's volleyball (2nd in a row), and men's golf. Both the men's and women's soccer teams and the women's volleyball team (6th in a row) secured MCC Tournament championships as well. The men's soccer team posted a 14-3-1 regular season record, the best in program history, reached #6 in the NAIA national rankings (also a record mark), and won the NCCAA Midwest Regional Championship, as well as being ranked #1 in the NCCAA national poll for most of the season. The women's soccer team also won the NCCAA National Championship (the program's 2nd in 8 years and 3rd overall) and finished with a season record of 21-2-1, the best in school history.[17] IWU is well on its way to securing its seventh straight MCC Commissioners Cup, currently holding a 20 point lead over arch-rival, Taylor University.[18]
In December, the women's basketball team broke a 24 year old NAIA record by winning their 48th consecutive game. They started the season 18-0, extending their record mark by winning a staggering 56 consecutive games. The historic streak was snapped, however, on January 12, 2008 in a loss to MCC rival Bethel College.[19]
Trivia
- Michael Moffitt, Vice President for Student Development, is a former tight end for the Green Bay Packers NFL club and his wife, Latrese, Director of Multicultural Student Services, is a former Olympic track star.
- On February 27, 2008, Tony Dungy, head coach of the Indianapolis Colts NFL club, spoke at IWU, received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree, and was inducted into the Society of World Changers[20].
- In 2007, Dr. Benjamin Carson, Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, spoke at IWU, received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree, and was inducted into the Society of World Changers.
- In 2005, noted evangelical leader, Dr. James Dobson, spoke at IWU's academic convocation, received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree, and was inducted into the Society of World Changers.
- Best-selling author and leadership guru, Dr. John Maxwell, serves on the Board of Trustees and the Maxwell Business Center is named in his honor.
- Actor and evangelist Kirk Cameron spoke in chapel in 2003.
- Best-selling author Frank Peretti spoke in chapel in 2002 and was inducted into the Society of World Changers in 2003.
- In 2001, Fox News Channel's Col. Oliver North (ret.) spoke at Indiana Wesleyan following the terrorist attacks on 9/11 in a packed PPAC auditorium, sponsored by the College Republicans.
- Current Republican mayor of Marion, Wayne Seybold, is a graduate of IWU and competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics.
- With 4,000 seats, IWU's new chapel will be the largest auditorium in Indiana and one of the largest in the U.S. when completed in 2010. It will even be larger than the famous Kodak Theatre in L.A.
- If current growth goals are met, IWU will eventually be the largest evangelical Christian university in the world.
References
- ^ Indiana Wesleyan University | Alumni
- ^ Indiana Wesleyan University
- ^ Indiana Wesleyan University
- ^ Indiana Wesleyan University
- ^ CCCU : About Us | Members
- ^ Indiana Wesleyan University
- ^ Indiana Wesleyan University | Alumni
- ^ Indiana Wesleyan University | Alumni
- ^ Indiana Wesleyan University | Alumni
- ^ Indiana Wesleyan University | Alumni
- ^ Indiana Wesleyan University | Alumni
- ^ Indiana Wesleyan University | Alumni
- ^ Young America's Foundation In The News
- ^ Indiana Wesleyan University Athletic Department
- ^ Indiana Wesleyan University Athletic Department
- ^ College of Arts and Sciences - Indiana Wesleyan University
- ^ Indiana Wesleyan University Athletic Department
- ^ Mid-Central College Conference - 2007 Men's Soccer
- ^ Indiana Wesleyan University Athletic Department - 2007-08 Women's Basketball
- ^ http://www.indwes.edu/news/2008/Tony-Dungy-honored.htm
External links
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| Footnotes | The ‡ symbol denotes institutional branches whose main campuses are located outside the Indianapolis metropolitan area. | |
