Trine University

Trine University
Established	1884
Type	Private
Endowment	$20.9 million (2010)[1]
President	Earl D. Brooks II, Ph.D.
Students	1,779[1]
Location	Angola, Indiana, U.S. 41°37′56″N 85°00′20″W / 41.63222°N 85.00556°W / 41.63222; -85.00556
Campus	Rural, 450 Acres (1.8km²)
Former names	Tri-State Normal College (1884-1906), Tri-State College (1906-1975), Tri-State University (1975-2008)
Colors	Navy blue, white and Vegas gold[2]
Athletics	NCAA Division III
Sports	21 Varsity teams in the MIAA conference
Nickname	Thunder
Mascot	"Storm", a white tiger
Website	www.trine.edu

Trine University, formerly known as Tri-State University, is a private post-secondary institution located in Angola, Indiana. The school was founded in 1884, and offers degrees in the arts and sciences, business, education and engineering. Trine University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. It operates several satellite campuses across northern and central Indiana.

History

Trine was founded in 1884 as Tri-State Normal College, and retained the reference to the "Tri-State" area for more than 120 years — so named because of the school's location in Indiana and its proximity to Michigan and Ohio. In 1906 the school was renamed Tri-State College, and again in 1975 as Tri-State University. In 2008, the school's name was changed to the current Trine University, in honor of alumnus Dr. Ralph Trine. The dropping of the "Tri-State" identifier reflected a desire to brand the school as a nationally competitive private university, not to be confused as being state-funded, or as being associated with businesses or organizations nationwide also using the prevalent "Tri-State" tag.^[3] Throughout the 1990s, the university opened several satellite campuses in locations throughout northern and central Indiana.^[4]

Campus

The main campus covers 450 acres (1.8 km²) in Angola, Indiana.^[5] There is another campus for the School of Professional Studies in Angola, as well as other satellite campuses in South Bend, Schererville, Logansport, Indianapolis, Sturgis, Columbus, Warsaw, and Fort Wayne.^[6]

Affiliations

The institution is a member of the Midwestern Undergraduate Private Engineering Colleges (MUPEC) and accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCACS).^[7]

Academics

There are associate's degrees, bachelor's degrees, and master's degrees in 35 major fields of study and a 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio.^[6]

Student life

There are fewer than 1,700 students who live on the main This is a summary of Trine's students gathering for a good cause. ^[8] National fraternities on the campus include Alpha Sigma Phi, Delta Chi, Kappa Sigma, Phi Kappa Theta, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Tau Kappa Epsilon and Sigma Phi Delta, while sororities on campus include the local organizations Gamma Phi Epsilon, Theta Phi Alpha, Kappa Sigma Alpha, and Phi Sigma, a National Chapter of Alpha Sigma Tau and an International Chapter of Kappa Beta Gamma. The school also features a Christian Campus House ministry.^[9]

Athletics

Trine University is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III and the nation′s oldest collegiate athletic conference, the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA). The Thunder previously competed as a member of the Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) until the 2003-04 season. Over 600 student-athletes participate in 21 varsity sports.

Originally, Trine's athletic teams were nicknamed the "Engineers". In 1967, they became known as the "Trojans", and then to the current "Thunder" in 1990^[4] with the colors of Navy blue and white.^[2] The school offers sports for men and women, including football, basketball, tennis, soccer, softball, baseball, volleyball, track, cross-country, collegiate wrestling, and lacrosse.^[10] The school is also home to the Zollner Golf Course.^[11]

Trine athletic teams have been instrumental in providing a foundation for the university to join the ranks of the top academic and athletic institutions in America. During the past five years, Trine has participated in three NCAA championships in football and four NCAA tournaments in softball. On an individual level, Trine has had two NCAA All-American wrestlers, and one NCAA National Champion in track.

Alumnus Eric Watt, 2010, was the quarterback of the Thunder football team and received the NCAA Division III’s prestigious Gagliardi Trophy in December 2010. He also received the Albert L. Deal Award from the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The award is named in honor of Albert L. Deal, who served as the MIAA commissioner from 1970-1990. It recognizes the top male graduating scholar athlete, based upon athletic accomplishments, academic achievement and community service. Watt’s No. 13 also was permanently retired. His jersey is on display in the Fred Zollner Athletic Stadium.

In 2009, the Trine football team finished 9–1, won their second MIAA conference title in as many years, and earned an automatic bid to the Division III football playoffs. The team beat Case Western Reserve University 51–38 in the first round, but lost 34–17 in the second round to Wittenberg University.

In June 2010, the Thunder were picked No. 5 in the Lindy's Sports NCAA Division III football Top 25. The Sporting News poll tabbed Trine as No. 20.

In 2010, the Thunder softball team made its third straight NCAA appearance in NCAA Division III.

Trine softball has appeared in four-straight NCAA softball regional tournaments. The Thunder lost in the semi-final round in 2010 and 2011.

Trine wrestling continues to gain prominence: in 2010, Nick Kraus became the university's first participant in the NCAA Division III National Championship. Elias Larson and Alex Fleet both participated in the 2011 National Championship, where Elias was selected an All-American.

Trine's Zollner Golf Course will host the 2012 NCAA Division III Women's Golf National Championship.

References

External links

• Official website
• Official athletics website