Information about Indiana Wesleyan University

Indiana Wesleyan University
Established	1920
Type	private coeducational evangelical Christian
Endowment	$40 million
President	Dr. Henry Smith
Faculty	150
Students	14,756[1]
Undergraduates	3,050[2]
Postgraduates	748[3]
Location	Marion, IN, USA
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.^[4]

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 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.^[5]

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 famous for its attractive 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 top priority. 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 ([1] 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. 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 $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 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. It will even be larger than the famous Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, home of the Academy Awards.

Phillippe Performing Arts Center (1996)	Jackson Library (2003)	Student Center (1994,2001,2006)	Student Center Mall (2006)
Globe Theatre, Student Center (2001)	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)	Hodson Hall (1996)	Scripture Hall (2001) and IWU Fountain (2003)	Upperclassman Lodges (2005)
New Dorms (2007)	New Communications Center (2007)	Entrance of New Communications Center (2007)	New College Wesleyan Church (2007)

Athletics

IWU offers eight intercollegiate sports for both men and women. The Wildcats compete in the Mid-Central Conference and IWU 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. ^[6]

IWU has earned a national reputation for athletic excellence while honoring Christ. IWU has won the Mid-Central Conference Commissioners 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.

The 2006-2007 school year 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 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.^[7]

The 2007-2008 school year has started well for the Wildcats, including repeat MCC championships in men's and women's soccer, women's tennis, men's cross country, and conference championships in women's cross country and men's golf. The men's soccer team posted a 14-3-1 regular season record, the best in school history, and reached #6 in the NAIA national rankings, also a record mark. IWU is well on its way to securing its seventh straight MCC Commissioners Cup.^[8]

References

• About Indiana Wesleyan University
• Society of World Changers

External links

• Official website
• Official athletics website
• Campus map
• Website of the Wesleyan Church

•  • [ e] Mid-Central College Conference (NAIA)
Bethel College • Goshen College • Grace College • Huntington University • Indiana Wesleyan University • Marian College • Spring Arbor University • Taylor University • University of St. Francis

•  • [ e] Colleges and Universities in metropolitan Indianapolis

Anderson University • The Art Institute of Indianapolis • Butler University • Christian Theological Seminary • Franklin College • Indiana Bible College • Indiana Business College • Indiana Institute of Technology-Indianapolis • Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis • Indiana Wesleyan University-Indianapolis • ITT Technical Institute • Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana • Kaplan College • Marian College • Martin University • Oakland City University-Indianapolis • University of Indianapolis • University of Phoenix • Vincennes University Aviation Technology Center • Wilson College

•  • [ e] Colleges and Universities in Metropolitan Louisville

Bellarmine University • Brown Mackie College • Indiana University Southeast • Indiana Wesleyan University • ITT Technical Institute • Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana • Jefferson Community and Technical College • Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary • Louisville Technical Institute • McKendree College • Simmons College • Southern Baptist Theological Seminary • Spalding University • Spencerian College • Sullivan University • University of Louisville • University of Phoenix • Webster University