Indiana Wesleyan University
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| Motto | Indiana Wesleyan University is a Christ-centered academic community committed to changing the world by developing students in character, scholarship and leadership. |
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| Type | private coeducational evangelical Christian |
| Established | 1920 |
| Endowment | $40 million |
| President | Dr. Henry Smith |
Academic staff | 135 |
| Students | 14,000 |
| Undergraduates | 3,100 |
| Postgraduates | 500 |
| 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 Christian liberal arts college in Marion, Indiana that is affiliated with the evangelical Wesleyan Church. IWU is the largest member of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities. It offers a blend of liberal arts 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.
In 2006, IWU was named "One of the Top Masters Universities in the Midwest" by U.S. News and World Report. It has also been named one of the "Top Ten Conservative Colleges" in the U.S. by the Young America's Foundation three years in a row.[1]
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 moved 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.
Having 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 at IWU 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 more than 11,400 students in 2007, 9,000 of whom are taking courses online or at IWU's 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.
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. 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 14,000 students enrolled as of September 2007. IWU now employs nearly 150 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.[2]
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 14,000 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 400 percent, from 1,250 students in 1989 to more than 11,500 students in the fall of 2007. With IWU’s expansion into contiguous states, 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 25,000 mark, making it the largest evangelical Christian university in the world.
Marion Campus
IWU is famous for its stunning, 300 acre main campus in Marion, Indiana. Indiana Wesleyan administrators believe superior facilities make a big difference in students' college experience and demonstrate that students are the university's number one priority. During the past two decades, over $200 million in new construction and renovation have transformed IWU into a debt-free, ultra-modern, student-focused, high-tech university. Since 1990, over 50 construction projects have been completed, including 20 residence halls and 16 academic/administrative buildings, along with 10 adult and professional studies structures around the Midwest. A national poll recently ranked IWU's campus #1 in the U.S. among evangelical Christian universities. IWU has also been ranked #1 in the nation for spiritual atmosphere by "Campus Life" magazine.
As the university continues to grow, new facilities are constantly being built. Chief among them is a new $20 million chapel (where required chapel services will be held 3 days a week) recently approved by the Board of Trustees, scheduled for completion in 2009. With nearly 4,000 seats, the new chapel will be the second largest theater in the Midwest, after Willow Creek Church's (near Chicago) 7,200 seat worship center.
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Phillippe Performing Arts Center (1996)
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Maxwell Center for Business (1998)
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Jackson Library (2003)
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Student Center (1994,2001,2006) -
Williams Prayer Chapel (2001) -
Scripture Hall (2001) -
John Wesley Statue (2003)
Athletics
IWU offers eight intercollegiate sports for both men and women. The Wildcats compete in the Mid-Central College Conference and is a member of the NCCAA Division I and NAIA Division II (but will be transferring to Division I soon). Eventually, IWU will become a member of the NCAA Division I. [4]
IWU has earned a national reputation for athletic excellence, while honoring Christ when the game is on the line. IWU has won the Mid-Central Conference All-Sports Cup a record six consecutive years, and has placed among the Top 20 in the NAIA United States Sports Academy Directors' Cup Standings nine straight years.
2006-2007 was a record year for IWU sports. Both the men's and women's soccer and basketball teams captured MCC championships, the first school to do so. In addition, 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.[5]
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| Footnotes | The ‡ symbol denotes institutional branches whose main campuses are located outside the Indianapolis metropolitan area. | |
