19th century

In 1895, Martin Grove Brumbaugh became Juniata College's first president, serving until 1910

Huntingdon Normal School, a normal school, was established by a spry young Huntingdon physician, Dr. Andrew B. Brumbaugh, and his two cousins, Henry and John Brumbaugh. Henry provided a second-story room over his local print shop for classes, while John lodged and fed the college's first teacher, Jacob M. Zuck. Andrew was to "provide students and furniture".^[5][6] Juniata's first classes were held on April 17, 1876, with Zuck teaching Rebecca Cornelius, Maggie D. Miller, and Gaius M. Brumbaugh, the only son of Andrew Brumbaugh.

In 1877, the school changed its name to Brethren Normal School. At this time Zuck also discussed adding a "Scientific Course" and issuing "Certificates of Graduation". In 1879, classes moved into Founder's Hall, the school's first permanent building on the present-day campus then only known as "The Building". On May 11 of same year, Jacob Zuck died from pneumonia at age 32 when he insisted on sleeping in the then unfinished Founders Hall without a heater. James Quinter was then chosen to lead the school as the school's first president.^[6]

In 1894, due to a ruling at the Brethren Church's Annual Meeting against using the term "Brethren" in naming a school, the college was renamed Juniata College for the nearby Juniata River, one of the principal tributaries of the Susquehanna River. The name Juniata College was made the school's legal name in 1896.^[6]

In 1895, Dr. Martin Grove Brumbaugh, an 1881 graduate from Brethren Normal (Huntingdon Normal), took over the active presidency of Juniata College until 1910.

20th century

During and after his tenure, Brumbaugh remained intimately connected to the college and reacquired the college's presidency in 1924, after having served as governor of Pennsylvania from 1915 to 1919 and as commissioner of education to Puerto Rico in 1900.^[7] M. G. Brumbaugh died unexpectedly in 1930 while on vacation in Pinehurst, North Carolina, and was succeeded in his presidency by a former pupil at Juniata, Dr. Charles Calvert Ellis.

Presidents

• James Quinter (1879–1888)
• H.B. Brumbaugh (1888–1893)
• M.G. Brumbaugh (1893–1910)
• I. Harvey Brumbaugh (1910–1924)
• M. G. Brumbaugh (1924–1930)
• C.C. Ellis (1930–1943)
• Calvert N. Ellis (1943–1968)
• John N. Stauffer (1968–1975)
• Frederick M. Binder (1975–1986)
• Robert W. Neff (1986–1998)
• Thomas R. Kepple, Jr. (1998–2013)
• Jim Troha (2013–present)^[8]

Football

The Juniata College football program is a member of the Centennial Conference. The Goal Post Trophy goes to the winner of the annual football game with rival Susquehanna University. It is a section of the goal post that was torn down after the 1952 Juniata-Susquehanna game. The visiting Indians (now Eagles) upset the Crusaders in Selinsgrove, and Juniata fans tore down the goal post after the game.^[10]

Volleyball

Juniata College is known for its both its men's and women's volleyball program. The men's volleyball team competes in the Continental Volleyball Conference; it previously competed in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association, where it won several titles, even while under Division I and Division III sanctions. In 2023, the Juniata women's volleyball team won the NCAA D-III national championship. The Eagles completed a perfect season, going 35-0, earning the No. 2 seed in the D-III tournament and sweeping No. 4 Hope in straight sets, 25-22, 25-20, 25-21.

Notable alumni

Notable alumni include:

• Ronald R. Blanck, former Surgeon General of the United States Army and chairman of the board of regents at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
• Heidi Cullen, chief scientist for climate central and leads, World Weather Attribution program, and former first on-air climate expert at The Weather Channel
• Francis Harvey Green, former English Department chairman, West Chester University, and Pennington School headmaster
• Janet Kauffman, novelist
• Chuck Knox, former professional football head coach, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, and Seattle Seahawks
• John Kuriyan, 2005 Richard Lounsbery Award winner and professor, biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of California, Berkeley
• Pat Malone, former professional baseball player, Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees
• Morley J. Mays, former Elizabethtown College president
• Wayne M. Meyers, former president, International Leprosy Association, physician, researcher, medical missionary, author of medical articles, book chapters, and books
• William Daniel Phillips, atomic physicist, National Institute of Standards and Technology, jointly awarded Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997 for his contributions to laser cooling
• Michael Trim, producer and cinematographer for the Showtime original series Weeds and executive producer and director of photography for the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black
• Carrie Schofield-Broadbent, Episcopal priest
• Frank Vogel, NBA coach, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic, and Phoenix Suns
• Harriet Smith Windsor, former Delaware Secretary of State

Notable faculty and coaches

• Donald Deskey, art instructor who designed the interior of Radio City Music Hall and various Procter & Gamble products
• Regina Lamendella, biological sciences professor recognized for contributions to omics and microbiology^[11]
• Fayette Avery McKenzie, sociology professor during the Progressive Era who promoted adult education and aided Native Americans and Black people
• Jerry Sandusky, former Penn State defensive coordinator convicted of 45 charges of sexual abuse of young boys over 15 years^[12]
• Frank Vogel, former Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball player