Kentucky Wesleyan College

File:Kentucky Wesleyan College in in Millersburg, Kentucky.png, active from 1858 to 1890|left|150x150px]]

File:Kentucky Wesleyan College Administration Building.jpg

Kentucky Wesleyan College was founded in 1858 by the Kentucky Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It was originally located in rural Millersburg, Kentucky. Classes began in 1866 and the first commencement took place in 1868. At first, it was a training school for preachers, but soon business and liberal arts classes were added to the curriculum.

In 1890, the school was moved to Winchester and soon after, women began to be admitted for the first time. In 1951, Lawrence W. Hager raised over US$1,000,000 to move the school to its present location in Kentucky's fourth largest city, Owensboro.{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-10-biggest-cities-in-kentucky.html|title=The 10 Biggest Cities In Kentucky|website=WorldAtlas|language=en|access-date=2020-02-29}}{{Cite web |title=1967 Lawrence Hager 1909 |url=https://alumni.centre.edu/s/285/bp20/interior.aspx?sid=285&gid=1&pgid=656 |access-date=2023-09-11 |website=alumni.centre.edu |language=en}}{{Break}}

College presidents include:[http://www.kwc.edu/page.php?page=43 Presidents of the College] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227190030/http://www.kwc.edu/page.php?page=43 |date=2013-12-27 }} https://kwc.edu/about-wesleyan/office-of-the-president/presidents-of-the-college/

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1. Charles Taylor (1866–1870)

Interim A.G. Murphy (1869–1870)

2. Benjamin Arbogast (1870–1873)

3. John Darby (1873–1875)

4. Thomas J. Dodd (1875–1876)

5. William H. Anderson (1876–1879)

6. David W. Batson (1879–1883)

7. Alexander Redd (1883–1884)

8. David W. Batson (1884–1893)

9. Benjamin T. Spencer (1893–1895)

10. Eugene H. Pearce (1895–1900)

11. John L. Weber (1901–1906)

12. Henry K. Taylor (1906–1909)

13. John J. Tigert (1909–1911)

14. James L. Clark (1911–1919)

15. William B. Campbell (1919–1924)

16. U. V. W. Darlington (1924–1925)

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17. David C. Hull (1925–1928)

Interim Walter V. Cropper (1928–1929)

18. Clarence M. Dannelly (1929–1932)

19. Reginald V. Bennett (1932–1937)

20. Paul S. Powell (1937–1950)

21. John F. Baggett (1950–1951)

22. Oscar W. Lever (1951–1959)

23. Dr. Harold P. Hamilton (1959–1970)

24. William E. James (1971–1979)

25. Luther W. White (1979–1988)

26. Paul W. Hartman (1988–1993)

Interim Ray C. Purdom (1993–1994)

27. Wesley H. Poling (1994–2004)

28. Anne C. Federlein (2004–2008)

Interim Dr. M. Michael Fagan (2008)

29. Cheryl D. King (2008–2011)

30. W. Craig Turner (2011–2014)

31. Barton D. Darrell (2014–2019)

Interim Gene Tice (2019)

32. Thomas Mitzel (2020–2024)

33. James Cousins (2025-){{cite web | url=https://kwc.edu/kentucky-wesleyan-college-announces-appointment-of-dr-james-cousins-as-36th-president/ | title=Kentucky Wesleyan College announces appointment of Dr. James Cousins as 36th president | date=15 April 2024 }}{{Col-end}}

Kentucky Wesleyan offers 30 majors and 13 pre-professional programs{{cite web|url=https://kwc.edu/about-wesleyan/|title=About Wesleyan|date=14 September 2015 |access-date=3 November 2017}} and has a student-to-faculty ratio of 13:1.{{cite web|title=KWC Common Data Set 2013-2014 |url=http://www.kwc.edu/radiate/radiateUploadFiles/CommonDataSet2013-2014.pdf |access-date=11 April 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413132439/http://www.kwc.edu/radiate/radiateUploadFiles/CommonDataSet2013-2014.pdf |archive-date=13 April 2014 }} Academics are divided into four divisions: Fine Arts & Humanities, Natural Sciences & Mathematics, Professional Studies, and Social Sciences.{{cite web|title=KWC Academic Divisions|url=http://www.kwc.edu/page.php?page=176|access-date=11 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413132351/http://www.kwc.edu/page.php?page=176|archive-date=13 April 2014|url-status=dead}}

Kentucky Wesleyan College was ranked #24 (tie) in the Regional Colleges South category by U.S. News & World Report in 2022–23. The college was also named #33 in Top Performers on Social mobility.{{Cite web |date=September 12, 2023 |title=U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Kentucky Wesleyan College |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/kentucky-wesleyan-college-1969 |website=U.S. News & World Report}}

Kentucky Wesleyan is located on 55 acres of land. Their campus includes buildings for academics, administration, student residence halls, and athletic facilities.

{{Cite web|url=https://kwc.edu/admissions/visit/|title=Visit Campus|date=2015-09-22|website=Kentucky Wesleyan College|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-29}}

• Barnard-Jones Administration building, which houses the Office of Admissions and includes Tapscott Chapel and the Snyder Faculty Office building.
• Winchester Campus Community Center, a student space that has meeting spaces, student organization offices, and the campus security office.
• Hocker Family Dining Center/Greenwell Library and Learning Center, a large building that includes the dining hall, library, computer labs, student work spaces, and group and individual study spaces. This building connects to the Winchester Center for student ease of access.
• Ralph Center for Fine Arts and Communication Arts, an academic building housing the majority of the Fine Arts and Humanities degree programs and the auditorium.
• Yu Hak Hahn Center for the Sciences, an academic building that includes the majority of the Natural Sciences & Mathematics and some Social Sciences degree program classes.

The campus includes both student athletic facilities and athlete spaces.

• Jones Gymnasium/Woodward Health and Recreation Center, home to the practice facilities for the university's basketball teams and student health resources.
• Panther Hitting Facility, where university baseball and softball teams practice.
• Panther Park and Foster Field, where the baseball and softball teams compete.
• Panther Field, where the soccer teams practice and compete.
• Bullet Wilson Field at Steele Stadium, where the university's football teams practice and compete.

Kentucky Wesleyan offers over 40 student organizations on campus. These range from campus ministry, student government, Greek life, academic, and other special interest clubs.{{cite web|title=KWC Campus Clubs, Organizations, & Societies|url=http://www.kwc.edu/page.php?page=87|access-date=11 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140829151923/http://www.kwc.edu/page.php?page=87|archive-date=29 August 2014|url-status=dead}} Intramural sports are offered on a seasonal basis.

Several student organizations provide leadership for other students and organizations, including:{{Cite web|url=https://kwc.edu/campus-life/campus-clubs-organizations-societies/|title=Campus Clubs, Organizations & Societies|date=2015-10-13|website=Kentucky Wesleyan College|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-29}}

• Student Government Association (SGA), the self-governing body on campus that provides students with a voice in college affairs, ranging from administrative to social matters. SGA consists of an elected executive council and senate. Two senators represent each class. Elections are open to any interested student.
• Panhellenic Council, the governing body for the national sororities on campus. It fosters cooperation, good will and harmony among the sororities, plans activities and administers policies and regulations governing Recruitment activities.
• Interfraternity Council, which regulates the affairs of the social fraternities, administers rules governing rush and pledging and encourages cooperation and harmony among its members.

• The Panogram — weekly student newspaper
• 90.3 WKWC — 5,000 watt FM radio station run by students and volunteers

Kentucky Wesleyan has three national fraternities and two national sororities.{{Cite web |url=http://www.kwc.edu/page.php?page=65 |title=Greek life at KWC |access-date=2013-12-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227194200/http://www.kwc.edu/page.php?page=65 |archive-date=2013-12-27 |url-status=dead }}

Kentucky Wesleyan, as a private Christian college, has partnerships with twelve churches of various denominations as well as on-campus services and religious organizations.{{Cite web|url=https://kwcministries.churchcenter.com/groups/find-a-church|title=Find a Church...|website=KWC Campus Ministries|language=en|access-date=2020-02-29}}

{{Main|Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers}}

The Kentucky Wesleyan (KWU) athletic teams are called the Panthers. The college is a member of the Division II ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) as a founding member since the 2013–14 academic year. The Panthers previously competed as a charter member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) from 1978–79 to 2011–12 (but was fulfilling its commitments to the final year of competition for its other sports in the GLVC as a full member for the 2012–13 school year; before beginning competition as a full G-MAC member). They also competed in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC; now currently known as the River States Conference (RSC) since the 2016–17 school year) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1916–17 to 1954–55.

KWU competes in 22 intercollegiate varsity sports: men's teams include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball; and co-ed sports include cheerleading.[http://kwcpanthers.com/index.aspx?path=mtrack&&tab=1 Athletic teams]

The men's basketball team advanced to the NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship Game six consecutive years (1998–2003), winning in 1999 and 2001 under the direction of Ray Harper.{{Cite web |url=http://www.wkusports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&ATCLID=204789389&DB_OEM_ID=5400 |title=Men's basketball NCAA Div. II Championships |access-date=2012-12-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026201625/http://www.wkusports.com/ViewArticle.dbml |archive-date=2012-10-26 |url-status=dead }} In addition to these successes, they won six other championships (1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1987, and 1990) and were runners-up in 1957. Overall, Kentucky Wesleyan has won eight NCAA Division II National Men's Basketball Championships, which is the most by any NCAA Division II School.

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• Mohamed Abu Arisha (born 1997) - professional basketball player
• Keelan Cole - professional football player
• Urban Valentine Williams Darlington - former bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
• G. Lindsey Davis - bishop of the United Methodist Church
• Edgar Hager (1868–1935), criminal defense lawyer, Mayor of Ashland, Kentucky, and President of the Kentucky Municipal League.{{cite book|title=Directory of the Legal Fraternity of Phi Delta Phi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-yzPAAAAMAAJ|first=George Anthony|last=Katzenberger|year=1909|via=Google Books}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pgdGAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA81|title=Directory of the International Legal Fraternity of Phi Delta Phi|via=Google Books|last1=Phi|first1=Phi Delta|year=1909}}
• Ray Harper - college basketball coach
• John Wesley Hughes - founder of Asbury University and Kingswood College in Kentucky
• Joseph Jackson – assistant drama editor at The New York World and Hollywood screenwriter.[https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=94999300 "Film Beauty Weds Publicity Manager"]. Los Angeles Evening Express. February 19, 1921. p.2. Retrieved February15, 2022.
• Doug Moseley - Kentucky state senator and United Methodist minister
• Paul A. Porter - former Federal Communications Commission chairman
• Stanley Forman Reed - former Justice of the United States Supreme Court
• Jody Richards - former Speaker of the House, Kentucky House of Representatives
• Roy Hunter Short - Bishop of The Methodist Church and the United Methodist Church
• A. J. Smith - Executive Vice President and General Manager of the San Diego Chargers
• Benjamin T. Spencer - scholar of American literature and professor at Ohio Wesleyan University
• Edward Lewis Tullis - bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South and the United Methodist Church
• Cory Wade - professional baseball player

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• {{Official website|http://www.kwc.edu/}}
• [http://kwcpanthers.com Official athletics website]

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Category:Universities and colleges established in 1858

Category:Buildings and structures in Owensboro, Kentucky

Category:Liberal arts colleges in Kentucky

Category:Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

Category:Education in Daviess County, Kentucky

Category:1858 establishments in Kentucky

Category:Private universities and colleges in Kentucky