McPherson College
TypePrivate college
Established1887 (1887)
Religious affiliation
Church of the Brethren
Endowment$1.59 billion (2023)
PresidentMichael Schneider
ProvostAmanda Gutierrez (Executive Vice President)
Academic staff
40[1]
Administrative staff
90[2]
Undergraduates811[3]
Location
McPherson
,
Kansas
,
United States[4]
Campus23 acres (9.3 ha)
ColorsRed and white[5]
   
NicknameBulldogs
Sporting affiliations
NAIA
MascotBen the Bulldog
Websitewww.mcpherson.edu

McPherson College is a private college associated with the Church of the Brethren and located in McPherson, Kansas. It was chartered in 1887 and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

History

Miller Library (2011)

During their 1887 Annual Meeting, the Church of the Brethren recognized the need for a college west of the Mississippi River to serve the educational desires of settlers moving westward. The first academic semester opened on 5 September 1888, with 60 students and a faculty of seven. The Dormitory, a single building which served as residence hall, college, and library had been constructed before the semester began. By the end of the first school year nearly 200 students had enrolled and the foundation had been laid for the main building. In 1898, Sharp Hall was completed, though it had been used for school purposes for some time while still incomplete. On 12 February 1898, the school was officially christened "McPherson College."[6]

In 1926, J Willard Hershey synthesized one of the world's earliest synthetic (man-made) diamonds on the McPherson College campus.[7][8] Reporting on his experiments, Hershey wrote, "Since we first began our experiments in their manufacture more than 50 diamonds have been made synthetically at McPherson College, ranging in size from the smallest, one millimeter (about 1/25-inch) in diameter, to the largest, which, is two millimeters by one and one half millimeters by one millimeter, weighing 1/30 carat."[9] One of the diamonds is on display at the McPherson Museum in McPherson, Kansas. There is some debate about the success of Hershey's experiments, with some researchers concluding that the diamonds were not true diamonds and others concluding that some of them were.[10][11]

In 1962, McPherson College became a charter member of Brethren Colleges Abroad (BCA).[12]

In 1976, local entrepreneur Gaines H. "Smokey" Billue, provided funds for the construction of Templeton Hall along with additional operating capital through the donation of a portion of his classic and antique car collection. This donation provided the spark to launch the Automotive Restoration Technology program at McPherson College. The Tonight Show host Jay Leno has been a financial supporter of the Automotive Restoration Technology program since 1997 and a member of the program's National Advisory Board since 1998.[13]

By the fall of 2010, McPherson College had the highest student fall enrollment in over 40 years.[14]

In 2022, the college received a $500 million endowment match. An anonymous donor contributed two dollars for every dollar given by others, up to $500 million in total.[15] This resulted in a staggering increase in endowment to $1.59 billion,[16][17] making it one of the largest endowments of a small liberal arts college in the United States.[18][19]

Presidents

McPherson College has been led by thirteen presidents and four interim presidents.

  • Soloman Z. Sharp – 1888–1896
  • Charles E. Arnold – 1896–1902
  • Edward Frantz – 1902–1910
  • Samuel J. Miller (acting) – 1910–1911
  • John A. Clement – 1911–1913
  • Henry Jacob Harnly (acting) – 1913–1914
  • Daniel W. Kurz – 1914–1927
  • Vernon F. Schwalm – 1927–1941
  • Woodford W. Peters – 1941–1950
  • Desmond W. Bittinger – 1950–1965
  • J. Jack Melhorn – 1965–1972
  • Galen R. Snell – 1972–1976
  • Paul W. Hoffman – 1976–1996
  • Steven Gustafson (interim) – 1996–1997
  • Gary A. Dill – 1997–2002
  • Neil Thorburn (interim) – 2002–2003
  • Ronald D. Hovis – 2003–2009
  • Michael P. Schneider – 2009–present

Academics

McPherson College operates on a 4-1-4 (four-month semester- January Session- four-month semester) academic calendar. The present campus has sixteen major buildings on twenty-three acres of land.

Three out of four of the faculty hold terminal degrees. Twenty three hold PhDs. All of the arts faculty hold the degree of Master of Fine Arts or higher. The remainder hold non-terminal degrees.[20] McPherson College has a 13/1 student-faculty ratio.[21]

Freshman and Sophomore seminars

Academic Community Essentials (known as ACE) is the name of McPherson's First Year Experience program. Freshmen must enroll in the course in both the fall and spring semesters of their first year. The course goal is that "Students will show that they have learned about college life, create a degree plan, and practice good study skills, critical thinking, and conflict resolution.[22]

Sophomores must enroll in one semester of Sophomore Seminar. The course goal is that "Students will complete a service project, develop a career plan, and show that they have explored internship options."[22]

Automotive Restoration Technology

McPherson College offers the only four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Automotive Restoration Technology in the United States.[23] The program focuses on the complete restoration of valuable, classic, and antique automobiles built from 1886 to 1970.

The restoration technical disciplines include research, documentation, automotive history, historical design, technical drawing and CAD, metal shaping, welding, body and paint, engine rebuilding, machining, applied diagnostics, chassis rebuilding, drivetrain rebuilding, final assembly, electricity and electronics, technical woodworking, materials engineering, foundry, and trim and upholstery.

The courses are conducted at Templeton Hall, a 33,000 square foot facility, which houses a combination of traditional classrooms and large work spaces including a metals lab, trim and upholstery lab, wood lab, machine lab, engines lab, chassis lab, assembly lab, paint lab, foundry, and motorcycle lab.[23][24]

There are eight scholarships offered exclusively to Automotive Restoration students.[25] The most famous are the Fred Duesenberg Memorial Scholarship endowed by Jay Leno and Peter Heydon, and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Scholarship in honor of Phil Hill endowed by the Pebble Beach Company Foundation and Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.[26][27]

Entrepreneurship program

McPherson College recently added an interdisciplinary entrepreneurship program. The slogan for the program is "Freedom to Jump" and was developed by students in a communication course.[28] The program has four different components.[29] The program is led by the Vice President for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.[30][31][32]

Transformative Entrepreneurship Minor

Students in any major may take the Transformative Entrepreneurship Minor. Coursework for the minor is completed in four departments: Entrepreneurship, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Science & Technology.[33]

Global Enterprise Challenge

Students have the option to form teams and compete in the Global Enterprise Challenge. Teams create a plan to meet a need in a country that is selected and announced each fall. The students present their plans to a committee of faculty members. The winning team travels to the country the following summer.[34] In 2011 the Challenge country was Haiti and in 2012 it was Panama.[35][36]

Horizon and Opportunity Funds

McPherson College has two grant funds to support entrepreneurial projects by students, faculty, and staff. Students apply to the Horizon Fund and faculty and staff to the Opportunity Fund.[29][37] Winning student plans have included a campus community garden, college prep summer camp for middle school students, a sundry and snack shop on campus, a baking business, and a photography studio specializing in photos of vintage cars.[38]

Jump Start Kansas

McPherson College offers entrepreneurship grants and scholarships for high school students in Kansas. Students compete by presenting plans to a committee of faculty and administration members. There are two winners, one in the category of commercial projects and one in the category of social projects.[39][40]

Milwaukee Center

The college operates a satellite in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Milwaukee Center offers short courses which are designed for K-12 educators who already have a bachelor's degree.[41]

Graduate courses in education

In the fall of 2012, McPherson College started offering graduate courses in education. This program is designed to become the foundation for a master's degree in the Arts of Teaching and is pending accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission. As of the fall of 2012, three regional school districts had endorsed the graduate courses for their teachers.[42] The program requires 35 credit hours of requirements and electives.[43] Through a partnership agreement, these courses may also be used toward the Educational Leadership program at Fort Hays State University.[44][45]

Athletics

The McPherson athletic teams are called the Bulldogs. The college is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) since the 1902–03 academic year. Their athletic team colors are red and white, with black being used as a complementary color in logos and uniforms.

McPherson competes in 18 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, soccer, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball; and co-ed sports include competitive cheer, competitive dance and shotgun sports.

Campus

The college's campus is located on the east side of the city of McPherson. There are five instructional buildings and two administration buildings. Miller Library serves the entire campus population and houses the college archives, academic support services and career services.[46] Students living on campus live in one of the seven residential halls. There are two male dormitories, one female dormitory, and one co-ed dormitory. In addition, there are two co-ed apartment style dormitories.[47] Hoffman Student Union houses the dining hall, bookstore, and mail center.[48] The Sports Center contains all of the coaches' offices and locker rooms.[49] Outdoor field sports are played at McPherson Stadium.[50] In the summer of 2012 the stadium was renovated and two large practice fields were added to the campus.[51][52]

Student life

In 2022 there were 810 students enrolled in McPherson College. The population is 64% male and 36% female. Among the student body, 63% identify as white and 28% identify as minorities. The majority of the students (95%) are considered traditional. Students from Kansas constitute 44%, out of state are 51%. The 1% of international students come from six countries.[53]

The Student Government Association is led by a President and Chief of Staff. There are representatives elected from each academic year and each of the residence halls.[54]

Clubs and Honor societies include:

Notable alumni and faculty

Further reading

References

  1. ↑ "McPherson College Faculty Directory". McPherson College. Archived from the original on 19 August 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  2. ↑ "McPherson College Staff Directory". McPheson College. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  3. ↑ "McPherson College=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/mcpherson-college-1933". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  4. ↑ GNIS for McPherson College; USGS; 13 October 1978.
  5. ↑ McPherson College Graphic Standards (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016.
  6. ↑ "Introduction – McPhearson College" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 January 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  7. ↑ J. Willard Hershey (2004). The Book of Diamonds: Their Curious Lore, Properties, Tests and Synthetic Manufacture. Kessinger Publishing. pp. 123–130. ISBN 1-4179-7715-9.
  8. ↑ J. Willard Hershey PhD (1940). Book of Diamonds. Heathside Press, New York. pp. 127–132. ISBN 0-486-41816-2. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
  9. ↑ Hershey, Willard (1940). Book of the Diamond. New York: Hearthside Press. p. 140.
  10. ↑ O'Donoghue, Michael (ed.) Gems, 6th edition, Elsevier, 2006, ISBN 0-7506-5856-8. p. 473
  11. ↑ Spear, Karl (1994). Synthetic Diamond: Emerging CVD Science and Technology. Wiley-Interscience. p. 23. ISBN 978-0471535898.
  12. ↑ "BCA Timeline". BCA. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  13. ↑ Grady, Tina (1 August 2003). "Jay Leno scholarship helps prep future techs". Automotive Body Repair News. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016.
  14. ↑ "McPherson College Reaches Highest Enrollment Numbers in 40 Years". 29 September 2010.
  15. ↑ "$500 Million Endowment Match". McPherson College. Archived from the original on 7 November 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  16. ↑ "McPherson College Exceeds Double Match Challenge - Establishing A Future $1,500,000,000 Endowment". McPherson College (Press release). 21 July 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  17. ↑ Palmer, Kathryn (17 August 2023). "A Tiny Kansas College's Billion-Dollar Gift". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  18. ↑ Stavola, Michael (21 July 2023). "Second $500M pledge boosts Kansas college's total endowment to 'historic' $1.59 billion". Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  19. ↑ Maglione, Francesca (21 July 2023). "Kansas College Nabs $1 Billion Gift From Anonymous Donor". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  20. ↑ "Faculty Directory". McPherson College. Archived from the original on 19 August 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  21. ↑ "McPherson College". College Navigator. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  22. 1 2 "Catalog 2012" (PDF). McPherson College. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  23. 1 2 Brock, Fred (11 June 2006). "A Curriculum in Classics With a 4-Wheel Degree". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  24. ↑ "Templeton Hall". McPherson College. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  25. ↑ "Automotive Restoration Scholarships". McPherson College. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  26. ↑ "Host Leno financing scholarship for student mechanics". Boca Raton News. 6 April 1997. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  27. ↑ "Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and Pebble Beach Company Foundation Name First Recipients of Phil Hill Scholarships". Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Archived from the original on 21 August 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  28. ↑ ""Jumping" to New Ideas". Inside Higher Ed. 5 July 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  29. 1 2 "Entrepreneurship". McPherson College. Archived from the original on 27 August 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  30. ↑ "MC Hires First Director of Entrepreneurship". McPherson College. Archived from the original on 14 September 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  31. ↑ "Administration Directory". McPherson College. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  32. ↑ Marin, Robert (7 April 2011). "Anonymous gift to help fund new initiative at McPherson College". KWCH 12 Eyewitness News. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  33. ↑ "Transformative Entrepreneurship Minor". McPherson College. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  34. ↑ "Global Enterprise Challenge Guidelines". McPherson College. Archived from the original on 15 September 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  35. ↑ "Global Enterprise Challenge Returns from Haiti with Global Perspective, New Relationship s". McPherson College. Archived from the original on 13 September 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  36. ↑ "McPherson College Global Enterprise Challenge Team Forges Panama Possibilities". McPherson College. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  37. ↑ "McPherson College Entrepreneurship Program is Fostering Hope!". The InternView. Archived from the original on 4 June 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  38. ↑ "Horizon Fund Wraps Up Second Year". McPherson College. Archived from the original on 28 August 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  39. ↑ "Jump Start Kansas". McPherson College. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  40. ↑ "Recycled Steel Water Bottle Business, Information Website for Teens Win $5,000 Grants in Jump Start Kansas". McPherson College. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  41. ↑ "Milwaukee Center". McPherson College. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  42. ↑ "First Graduate Courses in Education at McPherson College Starting Fall of 2012". McPherson College. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  43. ↑ "Course List". McPherson College. Archived from the original on 31 March 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  44. ↑ Pracht, Adam (11 July 2012). "Mac College signs graduate course agreement with FHSU". McPherson Sentinel. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  45. ↑ "McPherson College Names Director for First Graduate Program in Education". McPherson College. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  46. ↑ "Miller Library". McPherson College. Archived from the original on 27 August 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  47. ↑ "Directory". McPherson College. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  48. ↑ "Hoffman Student Union". McPherson College. Archived from the original on 13 September 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  49. ↑ "Sports Center". McPherson College. Archived from the original on 13 September 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  50. ↑ "McPherson Stadium". McPherson College. Archived from the original on 13 September 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  51. ↑ "Mac College plans expansion, renovation of stadium". McPherson Bulldogs. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  52. ↑ "New Practice Facilities for McPherson College". McPherson. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  53. ↑ "McPherson College". College Navigator. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  54. 1 2 "Student Services". McPherson College. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  55. ↑ Barry, Brandon. "MACPAC promotes peace on campus". Spectator. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  56. ↑ "MacPAC". MyMC. Spring 2011.
  57. ↑ McPherson man made history at La Brea tar pits; McPherson Sentinel; January 17, 2012.
  58. ↑ Page Museum History.

38°22′18″N 97°38′32″W / 38.37167°N 97.64222°W / 38.37167; -97.64222

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