BETHANY COLLEGE (WEST VIRGINIA)

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'Bethany College,' is a private college located in Bethany, West Virginia. Founded in 1840, Bethany College is the oldest institution of higher learning still operating in West Virginia.

Contents

History

Fields of study

Major fields of study

Pre-professional fields of study

Minor fields of study

Student life

Athletics

Greek life

Campus

Academic buildings

Residence Halls

Notable alumni

External links

Further reading

History

Bethany College was founded by Alexander Campbell, one of the earliest leaders of the American Restoration Movement and the Christian Church, (Disciples of Christ). Although sharing a long legacy and close ties with Disciples of Christ Church, the College has been independent since its founding and the denomination exercises no sectarian control.
The College's roots stem from the Buffalo Seminary founded in 1818 by Campbell and held in the Campbell Mansion, home of Alexander Campbell and Thomas Campbell, located less than a mile away from the College's present location. On March 5, 1840 Bethany was chartered by the Virginia legislature and given "all degree-granting powers" of 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.
Bethany College is West Virginia's oldest degree-granting institution.
The College is the birthplace of Delta Tau Delta, an international social fraternity, founded in 1858.
An early center of coeducation, Bethany has admitted women since the 1880s.
Bethany College's main campus 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 campus encompasses more than 1600 acres of land.
The current President of Bethany College is G. T. "Buck" Smith, the former President of Chapman University, California.

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.

Major fields of study

Majors are offered in:

★ Accounting

★ Biology

★ Biochemistry

★ Chemistry

★ Communication, with an option for emphasis in

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★ Advertising

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★ Electronic Media

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★ Graphics

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★ Print Media

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★ Public Relations

★ Computer Science

★ Cultural Studies

★ Economics, with options for emphasis in

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★ Managerial Economics

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★ International Economics

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★ Financial Economics

★ Education

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★ Elementary Education

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★ Middle Childhood Education

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★ Secondary Education

★ English

★ Environmental Science

★ Equine Studies

★ Fine Arts

★ French

★ German

★ History

★ Interdisciplinary Studies (Major programs initiated and developed by individual students to fulfill their personal education goals)

★ International Relations

★ Mathematics

★ Music

★ Physical Education and Sports Studies, with options for emphasis on

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★ Sports Communication

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★ Sports Management

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★ Sports Services

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★ Teaching Physical Education

★ Physics

★ Political Communication

★ Political Science

★ Psychology, with options for emphasis in

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★ Scientific Psychology

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★ Human Services

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★ Pre-Physical Therapy

★ Psychology and Education

★ Religious Studies

★ Social Studies

★ Social Work

★ Spanish

★ Theatre Arts

★ Visual Art

Pre-professional fields of study

★ Pre-Dentistry

★ Pre-Engineering

★ Pre-Law

★ Pre-Medical

★ Pre-Ministry

★ Pre-Physical Therapy

★ Pre-Veterinary

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

Student life

Athletics

Bethany is NCAA Division III recognized 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.

Greek life

Fraternities and sororities constitute important social groups for upperclass men and women on campus. The fivesocial 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.
Social fraternities represented are Alpha Sigma Phi, Beta Theta Pi, Kappa Alpha Order, Phi Kappa Tau, and Sigma Nu. Sororities are Alpha Xi Delta, Phi Mu, and Zeta Tau Alpha.

Campus

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'
'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 National 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, Britannica 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. 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.

Residence Halls

'Harlan Hall' is an all male residence hall on campus. On April 11th, 2007, a fire damaged the building and forced its residents to evacuate.
'Phillips Hall' is listed as a Nationally Historic Landmark. Phillips Hall is also the only all-female residence hall, and simply the most beautiful of all the housing facilities. Its doors are always open, not only to the residents but to the array of Bethany students interested in visiting with female friends, attending intimate scholarly lectures in the infamous Phillips Hall Lounge, watching a series of interestingly picked academic movies at Maxwell's, or dancing like a rock star in Renner Too.
'Greek Hill [New Parkinson Place]' is a hilltop complex with 6 social Greek houses, consisting of three fraternities: Delta Tau Delta, Alpha Sigma Phi and Phi Kappa Tau and three sororities: Alpha Xi Delta, Phi Mu, Zeta Tau Alpha.
'Campbell Village' is Bethany College's newest, co-ed student housing unit. "CV" is a four-building complex, housing 380 students, completed during the 2000-2001 academic year.
'Goodnight and Woolery' are co-ed dormitories. Woolery was once the Delta Tau Delta house until 2002 when it then became an all-campus, co-educational housing unit.
'Morlan Hall' Morlan is unique because while it houses students (mostly female) on its third and fourth floors, it also houses the communication, economic, history and language department offices. Many students relax in the lounge which offers a new cafe as well as a piano and wireless internet.

Notable alumni

Amongst Bethany's many prominent alumni are Beauchamp "Champ" Clark (Class of 1873). Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and Democratic representative from Missouri, Thomas Buergenthal (1957). Sitting judge on the International Court of Justice, Dick "Hoopie" Mansfield (1962). Academy Award-winning actress Frances McDormand (1979). Actors William H. Macy and the late Tom Poston attended but did not graduate from Bethany College. Eric Hill, Chair, Theater Arts Dept., Brandeis University. Well-known radio personality in Pittsburgh, Atlanta radio personality Bill Celler (1979). Television newscasters Bob Orr and Faith Daniels. Toledo Blade Managing Editor Kurt Franck (1978). New York Times columnist Jeffrey L. Seglin (1978). Science fiction/fantasy writer Dale Bailey. Childrens book authors Cheryl Harshman and Marc Harshman. Sportscaster David Sims. Looksmart.com CEO David Hills. James "Butters" Hershner, middle heavyweight UFC continental champion. Also, professional wrestler Shane Douglas graduated cum laude (1986) with a bachelor's degree in history and political science.

External links

★ Official Bethany College Website

★ Virtual Campus Tour

★ 'Live' Chat

Further reading

★ Brent Carney, ''Bethany College'' (Charleston SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2004.)