| Muhlenberg College | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1848 |
| Type | Liberal arts college |
| Endowment | US $140 million[1] |
| President | Peyton Randolph "Randy" Helm |
| Academic staff | 161 full-time and 109 part-time |
| Students | 2,180 |
| Undergraduates |
2,180 students (43% men, 57% women) |
| Location | Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Colors | Cardinal Red and Gray |
| Mascot | The Mule |
| Affiliations | Evangelical Lutheran Church in America |
| Website | muhlenberg.edu |
Muhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America.
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Muhlenberg College was initially established in 1848 as the Allentown Seminary by Reverend Samuel K. Brobst, a Reformed Lutheran minister. Reverend Christian Rudolph Kessler was the school's first teacher and administrator.[2] Between 1848 and 1867, the entity that is today Muhlenberg College operated as the Allentown Seminary, the Allentown Collegiate and Military Institute and the Allentown Collegiate Institute.[3] In 1867, the college moved into Trout Hall,[4] the former mansion of William Allen's son, James Allen, and was renamed after Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America. Muhlenberg's great-grandson, Reverend Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg, served as president of the college from 1867 to 1876.[3] In 1905, the college purchased and relocated to a 51-acre (21 ha) tract located in Allentown's West End, the site of today's campus.[4] In 1910, seeing a need for evening study in the community, Muhlenberg College opened The Wescoe School and began offering adult education classes.
Muhlenberg's current 81-acre (33 ha) campus is located in a residential neighborhood in Allentown's West End. The campus includes numerous buildings with distinctive red doors in traditional European/Protestant style. The Library Building, now the Haas College Center, was built between 1926 and 1929. The Miller Tower, the distinctive dome and tower which sits on top of the Haas College Center, was inspired by Oxford University's Christopher Wren-designed Tom Tower. It is named for David A. Miller (Class of 1894), founder of Allentown's The Morning Call newspaper.[4] Muhlenberg's Polling Institute teams with the Allentown Morning Call to publish surveys of preferences and trends among Pennsylvanians, especially in the Lehigh Valley.[5]
In 1988, the college opened the Harry C. Trexler library, named for local industrialist Harry Clay Trexler.[4]
As of 2007, a new science building and an additional residence hall have been completed. In addition to the main campus, Muhlenberg maintains the 40-acre (16 ha) Lee and Virginia Graver Arboretum and a separate 40-acre (16 ha) wildlife sanctuary.
As of 2010, ongoing construction to expand Seegers Student Union and the dining facilities is nearing completion.
Muhlenberg College offers Associate and Bachelor's degrees. The college offers an accelerated program, cross-registration, double major, honors program, independent study, internships, Army ROTC, student-designed major, study abroad, teacher certification, visiting/exchange student program and Washington semester.
39.8% of applicants were offered admission for the 2008-2009 academic year. 50% of the 2008-2009 freshman class were in the top 10% of their graduating class, 74% in the top 20% of their graduating class and 96% in the top 40% of their graduating class. Muhlenberg is primarily a regional college, with 77% of incoming freshmen coming from New Jersey, Pennsylvania or New York.[6].
In their 2011 rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked the college #81 among liberal arts colleges.[7] It was also ranked by US News and World Report as the 56th most popular liberal arts school in the US. Forbes Magazine also ranked Muhlenberg #110 on their list of best colleges in the United States. In addition, Princeton Review lists Muhlenberg as one of the best colleges in the northeast, out of a total number of 218 chosen schools. Also, as of 2011, the college's theatre program was ranked #1 in the nation and the college was chosen as one of the "Top 286 Green Colleges" in the country in collaboration with the U.S. Green Building Council. [8]
| University rankings (overall) | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Forbes[9] | 132 |
| Liberal arts colleges | |
| U.S. News & World Report[10] | 81 |
| Washington Monthly[11] | 146 |
There are more than 100 clubs and organizations on campus. In addition, the Muhlenberg Activity Council (MAC) is responsible for bringing events and activities to campus. The college arranges off-campus community service opportunities, as well as intramural and club sports for students. The performing arts are represented on-campus through various theatre, dance and music programs.
The college's official student-run print publication is The Muhlenberg Weekly. Established in 1883, the paper is published every week while school is in session. The Muhlenberg Advocate, an online, twice-monthly publication, not affiliated with the college, was established in 2000. The student-run radio station is WMUH, operated year-round by both students and volunteers from the surrounding Lehigh Valley community.
There are five sororities affiliated with the college: Phi Mu, Phi Sigma Sigma, Delta Zeta, Alpha Chi Omega, and Theta Nu Xi (colony), and four fraternities: Phi Kappa Tau, Delta Tau Delta, Sigma Phi Epsilon and Alpha Tau Omega. College rules stipulate that students may not pledge to join a Greek organization until their sophomore year. There is also Kappa Kappa Psi, a band fraternity, as well as Alpha Phi Omega, a service fraternity; both of these can be pledged as freshman.
Muhlenberg, a NCAA Division III school, participates in 22 intercollegiate sports and competes in the Centennial Conference as well as the Eastern College Athletic Conference. The college also has club teams in both ice hockey and women's rugby union.
Both men's and women's teams exist for: basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, and track and field. In addition, there are men's teams in baseball, football, and wrestling; women have teams for softball, field hockey and volleyball.
Athletic facilities have been expanded in recent years; in 2004, a 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m2) addition was built west of the field house. The tennis courts were built in 2003, as well as two fields in 1998 and 1997 respectively.
| Wikisource has the text of the 1905 New International Encyclopedia article Muhlenberg College. |
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