Bethany College (West Virginia)
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| Motto | Permission to Dream |
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| Established | 1840 |
| Type | Private |
| President | G. T. "Buck" Smith |
| Students | 900 |
| Location | Bethany, West Virginia, West Virginia, USA |
| Campus | Rural |
| Athletics | 20 NCAA Division III Athletic Teams |
| Mascot | Bison |
Bethany, is a private, accredited, four-year institution located in Bethany, Brooke County, West Virginia. It was founded in 1840 by Alexander Campbell, one of the major early leaders in the American Restoration Movement and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Although having strong ties to Church, the College has been independent since its founding and the denomination exercises no sectarian control.
The College's roots stem from the Buffalo Academy founded by Campbell in 1818 near the present location.
Bethany was chartered by the Virginia legislature on March 5, 1840 and given all degree-granting powers as then held by the University of Virginia. West Virginia's secession from Virginia on June 22, 1863 recognized existing Virginia charters and the College continues to operate under the Virginia charter today. It is West Virginia's oldest college.
The College is the birthplace of Delta Tau Delta, an international college fraternity, founded there in 1858.
An early center of co-education, Bethany has admitted women since the 1880s.
Amongst many prominent alumni is Beauchamp "Champ" Clark (Class of 1873), later Speaker of the United States House of Representatives while a Democratic representative from Missouri.
Bethany is located approximately forty miles southwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and fifteen miles north of Wheeling, West Virginia, in West Virginia's northern panhandle. The Bethany College campus includes more than 1600 acres.
Bethany is a NCAA Division III recognized school and is a member of the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) as well as the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). Its mascot is the Bison, and its colors are green and white.
The present President of the College is G. T. "Buck" Smith, formerly President of Chapman University, California.
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[edit] Fields of study
Bethany College offers a wide array of studies, awarding bachelor of science and bachelor of arts degrees in more than 30 fields of study, many with options for emphasis. Students also may include as part of their programs one or more optional minors.
[edit] Major fields of study
Majors are offered in:
- Accounting
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Communication, with options for emphasis on
- Advertising
- Electronic Media
- Graphics
- Print Media
- Public Relations
- Computer Science
- Economics, with options for emphasis on
- Managerial Economics
- International Economics
- Financial Economics
- Education
- Elementary Education;
- Middle Childhood Education
- Secondary Education
- English
- Environmental Science (Interdisciplinary)
- Equine Studies (Interdisciplinary)
- Fine Arts
- French
- German
- History
- Interdisciplinary Studies (major programs initiated and developed by individual students to fulfill their particular education goals)
- International Relations (Interdisciplinary)
- Mathematics
- Music
- Philosophy
- Physical Education and Sports Studies, with options for emphasis on
- Sports Communication
- Sports Management
- Sports Services
- Teaching Physical Education
- Physics
- Political Communication (Interdisciplinary)
- Political Science
- Psychology, with options for emphasis on
- Scientific Psychology
- Human Services
- Pre-Physical Therapy
- Psychology and Education (Interdisciplinary)
- Religious Studies
- Social Studies (Interdisciplinary)
- Social Work
- Spanish
- Theatre Arts
- Visual Art
[edit] Pre-professional fields of study
- Pre-Dentistry
- Pre-Engineering
- Pre-Law
- Pre-Medical
- Pre-Ministry
- Pre-Physical Therapy
- Pre-Veterinary
[edit] Minor fields of study
Minors are offered in:
- Accounting
- American Government and Politics
- American Literature
- Botany
- British Literature
- Chemistry
- Communication
- Computer Science
- Economics
- Environmental Biology
- Experimental Physics
- Film Studies
- French
- German
- History
- International Relations
- Management
- Mathematics
- Medieval and Renaissance Studies
- Music
- Multi-Category Special Education K-Adult
- Philosophy
- Public Policy
- Religious Studies
- Secondary Education
- Spanish
- Theatre
- Theoretical Physics
- Visual Art
- Women's Studies
- Writing and Language
- Zoology
[edit] Residence life
Bethany College's residence life program offers a variety of living and learning environments. These options include traditional style residence halls, suite style and apartment living. The apartments provide an opportunity for students to have a private bedroom while sharing a living room, small efficiency kitchen, and a full bath with three other roommates.
[edit] Greek life
Fraternities and sororities constitute important social groups for upperclass men and women on campus. The six fraternities and three sororities are nationally affiliated, and their members constitute approximately forty percent of the student body. Representatives from each serve on agencies which coordinate fraternal affairs and activities.
Fraternities represented are Alpha Sigma Phi, Beta Theta Pi, Delta Tau Delta, Kappa Alpha, Phi Kappa Tau, and Sigma Nu. Sororities are Alpha Xi Delta, Phi Mu, and Zeta Tau Alpha.
[edit] Campus
[edit] Academic buildings
Grace Phillips Johnson Visual Arts Center Renovated in 1984, this building offers facilities for computer graphics, television, painting, sculpture and design. This building was formerly Irvin Gymnasium (1919). Complete renovation accomplished during 1983-1984 makes this an outstanding facility for instruction in the visual arts.
Kirkpatrick Hall of Life Sciences Formerly Oglebay Hall (1912), this building accommodates laboratories and classrooms for the Biology and Psychology departments. The building, a gift from Earl W. Oglebay of the class of 1869, was renovated and restored in 1998-1999 and renamed Kirkpatrick Hall of Life Sciences, honoring Forrest H. Kirkpatrick of the class of 1927, long-time professor and dean of the college.
Old Main is the centerpiece of Bethany's academic buildings. Its tower dominates the campus and is the chief architectural feature noted as one approaches the College. Old Main is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The building is one of the earliest examples of collegiate Gothic architecture in the United States. Old Main was designated a historic landmark in 1990.
T.W. Phillips Memorial Library serves as the hub of an academic information network that provides the campus with over 250,000 items locally (books, periodicals, newspapers, audiovisuals, archival materials) and access to information through online subscriptions to ProQuest Direct, Lexis-Nexis Universe, JSTOR, Brittanica Online, and many other sources. The Center for Campbell Studies, housed in the Library, contains books, periodicals, letters, paintings, photographs, and museum pieces related to Bethany's founder and first President Alexander Campbell. The Upper Ohio Valley Collection, which includes books, magazines, maps, pictures, and ephemera focusing on the nine counties in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio surrounding Bethany, is also located in the library.
Richardson Hall of Science provides contemporary facilities for the chemistry, physics, and mathematics departments and houses the Academic Computing Center. It is named for Robert Richardson, Bethany's first science professor.
David and Irene Steinman Fine Arts Center provides excellent facilities for music and theatre. A fully equipped theatre occupies the central portion of the building. Teaching studios, studio-classrooms, a general rehearsal room for the larger vocal and instrumental groups, and individual practice rooms support instruction in music.
[edit] Dormitories
Harlan Hall, a male residence
Phillips Hall, a female residence. Phillips Hall is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Greek Hill is a hilltop complex that houses three fraternities and three sororities.
Campbell Village is Bethany's newest student residence facility. A four-building complex, housing 380 students, Campbell Village was completed in the 2000-2001 academic year.
Goodnight and Woolery are dormitories based on cube-style living.
[edit] External link
[edit] Further reading
- Brent Carney, Bethany College (Charleston SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2004.)
| Presidents' Athletic Conference |
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| Bethany • Chatham† • Geneva† • Grove City • Saint Vincent • Thiel • Thomas More • Washington & Jefferson • Waynesburg • Westminster † joining mid-2007 |
