ROBERTS WESLEYAN COLLEGE

'Roberts Wesleyan College' is a private, Christian, liberal arts college located in North Chili, New York, 10 miles southwest of the City of Rochester. It is the first educational institution established for Free Methodists in North America.
Roberts Wesleyan is ranked as America's 3rd Best Value College in the latest edition (2006) of The Princeton Review. It was the only Christian college, and the only college in New York State, listed in the top ten.

Contents

History

Mission statement

Accreditations and affiliations

Academic offerings

Campus life

Athletics

Notable alumni

References

External links

History

Roberts Wesleyan College was originally established as Chili Seminary by Benjamin Titus Roberts in 1866. Roberts was a social activist who opposed slavery and oppression of the poor, and was a supporter of women's right to vote. He began the school to train well-educated young people to become servant leaders with high moral character.
In 1885, its name changed to Chesbrough Seminary in response to the $30,000 gift of its benefactor A.M. Chesbrough. In 1945, it was renamed Roberts Junior College. Four years later, in 1949, it was given its fourth and final name, Roberts Wesleyan College—in honor of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, and Roberts, who, besides being the founder of the school, was also the founder of the Free Methodist Church.
In 1998, Roberts Wesleyan College founded Northeastern Seminary as a graduate school of theology.

Mission statement

"As a community of learners committed to historic Christianity, Roberts Wesleyan College seeks to prepare thoughtful, spiritually mature, service-oriented people who will help transform society."[1]

Accreditations and affiliations

Roberts Wesleyan College is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, and is a member of the Association of Colleges and Universities of the State of New York, Rochester Area Colleges, Rochester Regional Library Council, the Association of Free Methodist Educational Institutions, the Council of Independent Colleges, and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.
The Art Department is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.
The Business Department, the Organizational Management Program, and the Master of Science in Management Programs are nationally accredited by the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education.
The Music Department is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music.
The Division of Nursing is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission.
The Social Work Department is a member of the Council on Social Work Education.
Roberts Wesleyan College is approved by the New York State Education Department for the training of veterans and other qualified persons.

Academic offerings

Roberts Wesleyan, a U.S. News & World Report Best Value, offers more than 50 undergraduate programs in a variety of disciplines, including Education, Business, Nursing, Social Work, Biblical Studies, Psychology, Art, as well as many others. The newest majors offered are Time-Based Media, Economic Crime Investigation, Early Childhood Education and Spanish Education. The school also has an 11:1 student to faculty ratio, which means professors are readily available to offer assistance to students.
Graduate programs are also offered. These include Education, School Psychology, School Counseling, Counseling in Ministry, Social Work, and Management. Roberts also offers innovative undergraduate degree-completion programs for working adults in Nursing (classroom-based) and Organizational Management (classroom and online). Through Northeastern Seminary, students can complete a Master of Arts in Theology, Master of Divinity or Doctor of Divinity degree.
Roberts offers students the opportunity to study internationally for a semester in Latin America, Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe. There are also a number of shorter international trips, which, in recent years, have included Greece, Japan and England.

Campus life

The majority of the college's students live in college-owned housing. There are a number of dormitories, men and women are in separate dorms. Juniors and Seniors have the option of living in apartment-style housing.
Students are required to go to 22 of 40 chapel services every semester. Chapels are ecumenical Christian services that encourage students to live Christ-like daily lives. If students do not meet their required number of chapel services they are penalized. Roberts also requires that its students sign a statement saying that they will abstain from alcohol, tobacco, gambling, plagiarism and sexual immorality while enrolled at the College. There is no dress code at the College.
Numerous student groups are active on as well as off campus in many areas of interest. Some of these include: Acting on AIDS, At the Foot of the Cross, Beacon Newspaper, Campus Crusade for Christ, Chesbronian Yearbook, Dance Ministry, Drama Ministry, Gospel Choir, Habitat for Humanity, In Jesus' Name (Street Ministry), Intramural Athletics, mission trips, Student Association, SIFE, Worship Teams.

Athletics

Roberts belongs to two national athletics associations - the National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). The athletics teams routinely make National tournament appearances in both the NAIA and the NCCAA. Roberts Athletics offers twelve intercollegiate sports including: basketball (men and women), soccer (men and women), track and field (men and women), cross-country (men and women), tennis (men and women), golf (men), and women’s volleyball. The school's mascot is the Raider.
Roberts has had a number of athletes move to the professional level:
-Roberts' basketball and track star, Jennifer Stuczynski, won the 2005 U.S. Indoor National Championships and the 2006 U.S. Outdoor National Championships for women's pole vaulting. She is currently sponsored by Adidas, and is training for the 2008 U.S. Summer Olympic Team.
-Two former Roberts Wesleyan basketball players have taken their game to the next level: Roberts hoopstress Judy Wright is playing professionally in Holland, while Raider standout Chaz Franklin is on the roster of a Central Germany professional basketball team.
-Former Roberts goalkeeper, Richard Goddard, is currently playing professional soccer for the Vancouver Whitecaps in the United Soccer Leagues (USL). Former Roberts soccer star, Ryan Leaver, spent a few years with the St. Catharines Wolves in the Canadian Professional Soccer League.

Notable alumni

★ Jennifer Stuczynski (2005), Pole Vaulter, 2006 USA Outdoor Champion, holds the record for the all-time highest women's vault in the U.S.A.

★ Sharon Sweet, Opera Singer, Metropolitan Opera Company & Vocal Professor, Westminster Choir College

★ Richard Goddard, Goalkeeper, Vancouver Whitecaps

★ Dr. Gordon Caswell, Former President, Baylor University Medical Center

★ Dr. Gary Walsh, Former President, Evangelical Fellowship of Canada; Former Bishop of the Free Methodist Church in Canada

★ Richard Snyder, Retired Bishop, Free Methodist Church-Eastern Area Conferences

★ Dr. Lesley Perry (1966), Associate Dean of Nursing, Villanova University

★ Richard LaMontagne (1996), Manager of Employee Development and Learning, Xerox Corp.

★ Rev. Doug Newton (1975), Senior Editor, ''Light and Life'' Magazine; Senior Pastor, Greenville Free Methodist Church

★ Alan Austin (1960), CEO, Nationwide Circuits

★ Daniel Yearick (1983) Co-Author of "Four Marks of the Healthy Ministry Professional" ©2007

★ Tim O'Keefe (2004), Accountant, July 2006 Employee of the month at DeJoy, Knauf & Blood, LLP.

★ David Goodfellow (2005), Accountant, May 2006 Employee of the Month at DeJoy, Knauf & Blood, LLP.

References

★ [2] Mission Statement, www.roberts.edu, retrieved July 21, 2006

External links

★ Roberts Wesleyan College, Official Site

★ Northeastern Seminary