Taylor University
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| Motto | Beyond the Mind |
|---|---|
| Established | 1846 (details) |
| Type | private coeducational Christian |
| Endowment | $43.8 million[1] |
| President | Eugene Habecker |
| Faculty | 142 |
| Students | 1,887 |
| Undergraduates | 1,868 |
| Postgraduates | 19 |
| Location | Upland, IN, USA |
| Campus | small town: 250 acres (1.0 km²) |
| Athletics | 17 NAIA teams, called Trojans |
| Colors | Purple and Gold |
| Affiliations | interdenominational Christian |
| Website | www.taylor.edu |
Taylor University is a private, interdenominational Christian university with campuses located in Upland, Indiana and Fort Wayne, Indiana. Founded in 1846, it is one of the oldest evangelical Christian colleges in America.
The 250-acre (1 km²) Upland campus is the main campus, housing nearly 1,900 students from 45 states and 25 countries. [1] Taylor also operates Taylor University Fort Wayne, a 30-acre campus with over 1,040 students from 24 states and six countries. [2]
Taylor University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities and the Christian College Consortium. [3]
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[edit] Academics
Students can select from over 40 undergraduate majors. Popular programs include majors in art, business/accounting/economics, computer science and education. New media is one of the newest majors offered.
In 2003, Taylor began offering graduate-level programs again after having dropped such degrees nearly 60 years earlier. [4] Current graduate programs include a Master of Environmental Science and a Master of Business Administration. In 2007, Taylor will begin offering two additional programs, a Master of Arts in Higher Education and Student Development and a Master of Arts in Religious Studies.
The concept of "The Integration of Faith and Learning," or the conviction that knowledge and faith meet their highest potential when coupled together, is a central educational theme at Taylor. The two columns of the campus Rice Bell Tower, echoed by two spotlights that shine high into the night sky, are designed to reflect this theme. [5]
[edit] Campus life
Students, faculty and staff are required to sign the "Life Together Covenant" (LTC) upon joining the University. [6] Community members pledge to adhere to certain standards of conduct and refrain from certain behaviors, including social dancing (excepting marriages taking place off of school property and choreographed or folk dance), premarital sex, smoking, and the consumption of alcohol, with the intention of strengthening the community as a whole. Students cannot register for classes or housing unless they have signed the LTC pledge each semester. The LTC is viewed as not only a covenant, but as a binding contract as well. Penalties for not adhering to the LTC range from "citizenship probation" to expulsion from the university. In addition, those found to be in violation of the LTC usually must also sign in to chapel services held every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
The Life Together Covenant covers activities and behaviors not only on the Taylor campus, but off-campus as well. This is in sharp contrast to many other private Christian colleges, where rules and conduct are enforced only on campus property, e.g. Bluffton College (Ohio) and Manchester College (Indiana)[citation needed] The purpose is to stengthen the Christian community and to maintain a sense of maturity and accountability.
Chapel services are held three times a week, from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Services are varied, where worship can range from contemporary to something reminiscent of mass. Largely unique among Christian colleges, chapel attendance is required but attendance is on the honor system. [7]
Taylor has been a pioneer in dealing with the unique challenges that face Missionary Kids in their adjustment to American life. The first chapter of Mu Kappa International, a fraternal support organization for Missionary Kids, was founded at Taylor in 1985.
[edit] Campus facilities
The campus contains eight dormitories. Three dorms are co-educational, with the genders separated by floor: Evan Bergwall Hall, Les Gerig Hall and Swallow-Robin Hall. Three dorms are all-female: Mary Tower English Hall, Grace Olson Hall, and Haakonsen Hall. Two dorms are all male: Samuel Morris Hall and John Wengatz Hall. [8] Swallow Robin Hall was built by Samuel Plato, an African-American architect of the early 20th century. [9]
The newest building is the Kesler Student Activities Center. Named after president emeritus Jay Kesler, the Kesler Center features an indoor track, multi-purpose courts used for intramurals, an exercise room, an aerobics room, and multiple locker rooms. [10]
[edit] History
[edit] Fort Wayne
What is now Taylor University whose main campus is in Upland, Indiana began during 1846 as Fort Wayne Female College in Fort Wayne, Indiana.[11] Fort Wayne Female College was founded by the Methodist Church as an all-female school. During 1855 Fort Wayne Female College started admitting men coeducationally and hence changed its name to Fort Wayne College. During 1890, Fort Wayne College acquired the former facilities of nearby Fort Wayne Medical College that were vacated after Fort Wayne Medical College's merger with Indiana Asbury College, which is another Methodist-affiliated college. Upon completing this acquisition, Fort Wayne College changed its name to Taylor University, in honor of Bishop William Taylor (bishop). This explains the otherwise mysterious origin of the name College Street for a street in Fort Wayne that has no apparent modern relation to a college, as this was the location of Fort Wayne Female College, Fort Wayne College, and the 19th-century presence in Fort Wayne of Taylor University, which relocated in 1893.
[edit] Upland
In order to serve the increasing population of central Indiana between Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, Taylor University moved to their 250-acre campus in Upland, Indiana in 1893. This campus now serves as the main campus in the Taylor University system.
| Fort Wayne Female College | Established | 1846 | ||||
| Affiliations | Methodist | |||||
| Type | all-female | |||||
| Location | Fort Wayne IN USA | |||||
| Fort Wayne College | Renamed | 1855[12] | ||||
| Type | coeducational | |||||
| Taylor University | Renamed | 1890 | ||||
| Taylor University | Relocated | 1893 | ||||
| Location | Upland IN USA | |||||
| Taylor University Fort Wayne | Acquired | 1992 | from | Summit Christian College | Renamed | 1989 |
| Location | Fort Wayne IN USA | |||||
| Fort Wayne Bible College | Renamed | 1950[2] | ||||
| Fort Wayne Bible Insititute | Established | 1904[13] | ||||
| Affiliations | Missionary Church[14] | |||||
[edit] Taylor University Fort Wayne
To re-establish its presence in Fort Wayne after a 99-year hiatus, Taylor University acquired Summit Christian College during 1992. Summit Christian College was previously named Fort Wayne Bible College from 1950 to 1989 and Fort Wayne Bible Institute from its establishment in 1904 to 1989. Prior to acquisition by Taylor University, Summit Christian College was affiliated with the Missionary Church[15] for its entire independent history.
Taylor University Fort Wayne (TUFW) became an extension campus of Taylor University in 1992. [16] With the urban setting of Fort Wayne, Indiana, this campus' academic programs tend to be more vocational and its student body more non-traditional. Reflecting this, of TUFW's 1,040 member student body, approximately 224 students live on campus with the rest commuting or taking courses online. [17]
Popular majors include Biblical Studies and Christian Ministries, Education, English, and Business. [18]
[edit] Taylor Chapel UMC not a university spinoff
Although Taylor Chapel UMC and Taylor University are both organizations with a Methodist heritage originating in the Fort Wayne area, they were named for different Taylors. Taylor Chapel UMC began as Bowers Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church about 1865. In 1893, the Bowers Chapel congregation built a larger church and renamed themselves Taylor Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church to honor Arthur and Mary Taylor, who donated the land for the new church.
[edit] See also
List of Taylor University People
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Official athletics website
- Campus map
- Taylor University Fort Wayne official website
[edit] References
- 1 endowment America's Best Colleges 2006. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved on January 27, 2006.
- 2 FWBI_FWBC Missionary Worker magazine. October 1950 issue. Published by Missionary Church.
