Information AboutWabash College |
Wabash College is a small private Liberal Arts College for Men , located in Crawfordsville, Indiana . Along with Hampden-Sydney College , Deep Springs College , and Morehouse College , Wabash is one of the only four remaining mainstream all- Men's Liberal Arts Colleges in the United States. Wabash College is listed in Loren Pope 's '' Colleges That Change Lives ''. HISTORY Wabash College was founded in 1832 by a number of men including several Dartmouth College graduates. It was originally called "The Wabash Teachers Seminary and Manual Labor College". In the early days a large number of students, deficient in credits, were required to attend the "Preparatory School" of Wabash.Gronert: pg 30-31, 107 Caleb Mills , the first faculty member, would later come to be known as the father of the Indiana public education system and would work throughout his life to improve education in the Mississippi Valley area. 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." After declaring the site at which they were standing would be the location of the new school, they knelt in the snow and conducted a dedication service. Although Mills, like many of the founders, was a Presbyterian minister, they were committed that Wabash should be Independent and Non-sectarian . Elihu Baldwin was the first President of Wabash from 1835 until 1840. He came from a New York City church and accepted the Presidency even though he knew that Wabash was threatened with bankruptcy. He met the challenge and gave thorough study to the "liberal arts program" at Wabash. After his death, he was succeeded by Charles White, a graduate of Dartmouth College, and the brother-in-law of Edmund O. Hovey, a professor at the college.Gronert: pg 66-67 Joseph F. Tuttle, after whom Tuttle Grade School in Crawfordsville was named in 1906, (and Tuttle Middle School in 1960), became President of Wabash College in 1862 and served for 30 years. "He was an eloquent preacher, a sound administrator and an astute handler of public relations." Joseph Tuttle, together with his administrators, worked to improve relations in Crawfordsville between "Town and Gown".Gronert: pg 205-206 ACADEMICS AND MISSION "Founded in 1832, Wabash College is an independent and selective liberal arts college for men with an enrollment of 850 students. Its mission is excellence in teaching and learning within a community built on close and caring relationships among students, faculty, and staff." This mission manifests itself in the College's motto: 'Wabash College educates men to think critically, act responsibly, lead effectively, and live humanely.' "Wabash offers qualified young men a superior education, fostering, in particular, independent intellectual inquiry, critical thought, and clear written and oral expression. The College educates its students broadly in the traditional curriculum of the liberal arts while also requiring them to pursue concentrated study in one or more disciplines. Wabash emphasizes manifold but shared cultural heritage. [Wabash students come from diverse economic, social, and cultural backgrounds; the College helps these students engage these differences and live humanely with them. Wabash also challenges its students to appreciate the changing nature of the global society and prepares them for the responsibilities of leadership and service in it. "The College carries out its mission in a residential setting in which students take personal and group responsibility for their actions. Wabash provides for its students an unusually informal, egalitarian, and participatory environment which encourages young men to adopt a life of intellectual and creative growth, self-awareness, and physical activity. The College seeks to cultivate qualities of character and leadership in students by developing not only their analytical skills, but also sensitivity to values, and judgment and compassion required of citizens living in a difficult and uncertain world. We expect a Wabash education to bring joy in the life of the mind, to reveal the pleasures in the details of common experience, and to affirm the necessity for and rewards in helping others." {Link without Title} ENDOWMENT A substantial endowment places Wabash amongst the top 120 colleges and universities in the nation, and on a per-student basis, amongst the top 25. This endowment drives a generous scholarship program. The benefactors that have funded this endowment include the Pharmaceutical Industrialist Eli Lilly , the company he founded, and his heirs. The school's library is named after Lilly. STUDENT GOVERNMENT The student government, referred to collectively as the Student Body of Wabash College, is comprised of Executive and Legislative branches. The executive authority of the Student Body is vested in a President and Vice-President who chair the Senior Council and Student Senate, respectively. They are '' Ex Officio '', non-voting members of the branches that they do not chair. The President has broad powers of appointment over all Senate Standing Committees . The Vice-President possesses a tiebreaking vote in the Student Senate. The Student Senate of Wabash College is the legislative authority, consisting of Representatives from each residence hall and fraternity, four representatives from each of the three underclasses, and the chairmen of the Senate's standing committees. The body of approximately 32 voting members manages an annual budget of over $350,000.00, allocating funds and setting guidelines for recognized associations. The Senate also serves as a general student forum. The Senate's standing committees are the Audit and Finance Committee, the Board of Publications, and the Constitution, Bylaw, and Policy Review Committee. The duties of the first two committees are self-explanatory; the third serves as a non-partisan resource for drafting legislative proposals; it is also empowered to adjudicate constitutional disputes and is occasionally called upon to evaluate proposed legislation. The Senior Council of Wabash College is a special quasi-legislative body comprising the presidents of certain student organizations and self-selected at-large members. The Senior Council is responsible for representing student concerns to the faculty and administration, as well as fostering campus unity and maintaining proper regard for college traditions. The student government does not include a Judicial branch. Power to interpret the Constitution Of The Student Body Of Wabash College is vested in the legislature; questions of interpretation are generally delegated to the Constitution, Bylaw, and Policy Review Committee. ATHLETICS 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 , where they are currently repeat (2005 and 2006) NCAC football champions. Every year since 1911, Wabash College plays rival DePauw University in the Monon Bell Classic. Wabash College is a member of the Great Lakes Colleges Association . The rallying cheer of Wabash College athletics is "Wabash always fights." Wabash College competes in Men's Intercollegiate Baseball, Basketball, Tennis, Cross Country, Golf, Football, Soccer and Wrestling. ALUMNI Notable alumni include
FRATERNITIES The Greek system is a major presence at Wabash; between 60-65 percent of students are members of one of the campus' ten Fraternities . Unlike virtually all other schools, all fraternity members--including pledges--live in the fraternity houses by default. While most Wabash fraternities allow juniors and seniors to live outside the house, the majority of Greek students live in their respective house all four years. This has led to the odd circumstance of a college with less than 1000 students being dotted with Greek houses of a size appropriate to campuses ten times Wabash's size. Fraternity Rush at Wabash begins before the academic year. During March, students accepted for the coming year are invited to the campus for Honor Scholar Weekend, during which they take a battery of exams and compete for Scholarship money. The students are distributed among the ten fraternities, where they stay during their visit. In the evenings following the day's testing, the fraternities and the Independent Men's Association host a variety of parties and events open to all. Fraternities are allowed to offer bids to prospectives starting that weekend, and rush runs through summer until it concludes one week after school begins. Upon accepting a bid, the pledge is then housed in the corresponding fraternity house. As many pledges accept over the summer, it is quite possible for a Freshman to never see the inside of a Dorm Room . List of fraternities WABASH IN FICTION AND POPULAR CULTURE Wabash College has, despite its small size, been referred to in several cultural contexts: Fiction
Film and Television
ON WABASH
- Byron K. Trippet '30, Ninth President of Wabash College SEE ALSO
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