Ohio Wesleyan University

{{Main|History of Ohio Wesleyan University}}

File:SulfurSpringAdjusted2.jpg

In 1841, Ohio residents Adam Poe and Charles Elliott decided to establish a university "of the highest order" in central Ohio.Williams, p. 15. To that end, they purchased the Mansion House Hotel, a former health resort featuring the Sulphur Spring, using funds raised from local residents.{{cite web | url = http://catalog.owu.edu/cat-a09.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060306153516/http://catalog.owu.edu/cat-a09.pdf | archive-date = March 6, 2006| title = The University: Policy on Voluntary Sexual Relationships between Faculty/Staff and Students – Traditions (PDF) | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = September 1, 2005}}{{cite web | url = http://news.owu.edu/2003/elliott2.html| title = Elliott Hall Dedication | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = May 15, 2003}} Poe and Elliott wrote a charter emphasizing "the democratic spirit of teaching", which was approved by the Ohio State Legislature. Early in the following year they opened the college preparatory academy and formed a board of trustees.Hubbart, p. 14. Ohio Wesleyan University, named (like several other U.S. colleges and universities) after John Wesley, founder of Methodism, opened on November 13, 1844, as a Methodist-related but nonsectarian institution, with a College of Liberal Arts for male students.{{cite web | url = http://go.owu.edu/~catalog/cat-a04.pdf| title = Ohio Wesleyan University Catalogue | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = September 1, 2004 |archive-date=September 25, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050925114524/http://go.owu.edu/~catalog/cat-a04.pdf}}White, p. 229.{{cite web | author= Labaree, David F. | url = http://www.stanford.edu/~dlabaree/U.S.%20Universities%20Sorted%20by%20Founding%20Date%20ver%202.doc | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070615130643/http://www.stanford.edu/~dlabaree/U.S.%20Universities%20Sorted%20by%20Founding%20Date%20ver%202.doc | url-status = dead | archive-date = June 15, 2007 | title = U.S. Colleges and Universities | access-date = October 19, 2006}}

Ohio Wesleyan's first president, Edward Thomson, stated in his inaugural address on August 5, 1846, that the school was "a product of the liberality of the local people."Hubbart, p. 22. This liberal philosophy contributed to Ohio Wesleyan's vocal opposition to slavery in the 1850s.{{cite web| url = http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.cgi?path=231791077249253| title = Roots of Secession: Slavery and Politics in Antebellum Virginia| publisher = University of North Carolina Press| access-date = October 15, 2005| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050413133931/http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.cgi?path=231791077249253| archive-date = April 13, 2005| url-status = dead| df = mdy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://members.aol.com/revepete/HolinessCh3.html |title=The Methodist Movement Comes to America and Impacts Slavery |publisher=Reve' M. Pete |access-date=January 1, 2003 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040805035100/http://members.aol.com/revepete/HolinessCh3.html |archive-date=August 5, 2004 }}Hubbart, p. 38. In the annual celebration for George Washington's birthday in 1862, second president Frederick Merrick endorsed Ohio Wesleyan's "ideals of democracy" during his oration.

During the mid-19th century, Ohio Wesleyan focused on attracting students, adding fields of study, and fundraising, by which it significantly increased its endowment.Hubbart, p. 45. Sturges Hall was constructed as the university's first library in 1855.{{cite web|url=http://admission.owu.edu/sturges.html |title=Sturges Hall |publisher=Ohio Wesleyan University |access-date=March 4, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050410121140/http://admission.owu.edu/sturges.html |archive-date=April 10, 2005 }} In 1873, the school added the Department of Natural History housed in Merrick Hall.{{cite web | url = http://botany.owu.edu/depthist.html|title = Departmental History |publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University|access-date = March 4, 2007|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070209110531/http://botany.owu.edu/depthist.html |archive-date = February 9, 2007}} The Ohio Wesleyan Female College, established in 1853, merged with the university in 1877.Taylor, p. 53.{{cite web | url = http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=787|title = Ohio Wesleyan University|publisher = Ohio Historical Society|access-date = October 19, 2006}} Between 1876 and 1888, enrollment tripled and music education greatly increased, yet no major buildings were built in this time.Hubbart, p. 68.Hubbart, pp. 72–80.

By the end of the 19th century, Ohio Wesleyan had added a School of Music (1877), School of Fine Arts (1877), School of Oratory (1894), and Business School (1895) to the original College of Liberal Arts (founded in 1844).Kukula, R. & K. Trubner (1923). Minerva: Jahrbuch der Gelehrten Welt. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter and Company To address the need for new departments and specialized instruction, the administration improved the facilities and courses to make them on par with OWU's new academic position. University Hall, Slocum Library, extensions to the Monnett campus, and athletic facilities were all constructed during that period.Hubbart, pp. 87–88.

Between 1891 and 1895, Ohio Wesleyan specialized the curriculum by establishing departments for physics, zoology, geology, speech, history, French, English, and economics.Hubbart, p. 90. This specialization encouraged undergraduates to continue studies at graduate level, allowed professional preparation for the Doctor of Philosophy degree, and promoted exchange study in Europe.{{cite web|url = https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf06319/pdf/tabb1.pdf|title = Top 50 U.S. baccalaureate institutions of Ph.D.s: 1920–24 and 1995–99 (PDF)|publisher = National Science Foundation|access-date = December 24, 2006|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061108210719/https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf06319/pdf/tabb1.pdf|archive-date = November 8, 2006|df = mdy-all}} Two professional schools for law and medicine were formed in 1896.

File:OWU Athletic Grounds, Delaware Ohio 1915.jpg in the background.]]

In 1905, the board of trustees decided to keep Ohio Wesleyan a college, despite the expansion of the curriculum and campus and the word "university" in the institution's name.Hubbart, p. 110. The Bachelor of Science degree was abolished, which left only the Bachelor of Arts. Two students were selected as Rhodes Scholars in 1905 and 1909.Hubbart, p. 112. Edwards Gymnasium was built in 1906.{{cite web|url=http://bishops.owu.edu/hist1.html |title=The History of OWU Athletics |publisher=Ohio Wesleyan University |access-date=February 25, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090308111323/http://bishops.owu.edu/hist1.html |archive-date=March 8, 2009 }} In 1907, the United Societies of Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest undergraduate honor society in the United States, installed the "Eta of Ohio" ΦΒΚ chapter on campus.{{cite web|url=http://staging.pbk.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Chapter_Chronology&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=1624 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001756/http://staging.pbk.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Chapter_Chronology&Template=%2FCM%2FContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=1624 |archive-date=September 27, 2007 |title=The Phi Beta Kappa Society: Chapter Chronology N-Z |publisher=Phi Beta Kappa society |access-date=March 4, 2007 |url-status=dead }} In 1909, the school added Sanborn Hall, housing the Music Department.{{cite web | url = http://catalog.owu.edu/cat-i04.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070615130644/http://catalog.owu.edu/cat-i04.pdf | archive-date = June 15, 2007|title = Facilities |publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University|access-date = March 4, 2007}}

In the 1920s, academic requirements for the bachelor's degree were reduced, and Latin and mathematics were no longer emphasized.Hubbart, p. 142. During the presidency of John W. Hoffman (1916–1928), the academy and School of Business were closed; the academy had started in 1842 as a preparatory school, and throughout its seventy-five years frequently outnumbered the college in enrollment.Hubbart, p. 127. Also in the 1920s, the chapel service was dropped and sororities were formed. Ohio Wesleyan also increased the number of buildings on campus, including Selby Stadium, Austin Manor, and Perkins Observatory; another building, Stuyvesant Hall, was in planning; and Edgar Hall was opened.Hubbart, p. 141.

File:2012sept WesleyanUniversityStudentObservatory000.jpg.]]

During the Great Depression, both enrollment and alumni donations shrank.Hubbart, pp. 140–160. While the faculty size remained stable, lack of tuition and alumni revenues precipitated financial problems which threatened the college's survival in the administrations of Edmund D. Soper (1928–1938), Acting President Edward Loranus Rice (1938–1939), and Herbert John Burgstahler (1939–1949).Tull, p. 180.

The administration adjusted the curriculum during the early 1930s to address these problems.Hubbart, pp. 160–164. Greek and Latin declined, while business administration and economics thrived and the highest enrollments were in the social sciences, English, pre-medicine, and history. The registrar reported that, in these years, the number of students from New England states, urban Ohio areas, and from international locations increased. By the 1930s, the Methodist students were a minority among the student body;Burtchaell, pp. 174–175; formal ties to the Methodist church were severed in the 1920sBurtchaell, pp. 304–319. and led to debate among board members in the 1930s, eventually resulting in the university's current active but loose historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church.Burtchaell, p. 323. In a study into the relationship between American educational institutions and the Christian denominations they were historically affiliated with, James Tunstead Burtuchell writes that it was during this period that "in its personnel, its resources, and its students", Ohio Wesleyan lost its "symbiotic intimacy with the United Methodist Church."Burtchaell, p. 326.

In 1946, Ohio Wesleyan introduced a new "Centennial Curriculum", which enacted seven distribution requirements across the sciences and humanities; the new requirement for a foreign language course was added to the existing humanities requirement.Tull, p. 182. Thomson and Bashford Halls, originally men's dorms, were built between 1951 and 1954. In the 1960s, faculty, staff and administrators fought over administrative structure and control.Tull, pp. 182–183. They eventually settled on a new "statement of aims" that stressed values, rather than religious goal statements, and instituted a more internationalized curriculum, a new Women's Studies Program, and an International Business major; the faculty senate also introduced a new academic calendar with three 10.5-week terms.Tull, p. 183

Thomas Wenzlau's presidency (1968–1984) began with the challenge of campus unrest: Ohio Wesleyan students took over the ROTC building, demanded its shut-down, and eventually eliminated ROTC in 1970.Murchland, p. 34Murchland, p. 74. Students also demanded participation in departmental meetings and faculty committees, and the democratic process in the governance of Ohio Wesleyan grew in this period.Murchland, p. 35 Wenzlau's presidency witnessed decline in students' test scores, an unusually high attrition rate, lack of adequate research to identify potential major donors and a growing "party school" image,Murchland, pp. 38–39 leading to a rocky relationship between him and the student body.Murchland, p. 39 Between 1979 and 1982, the campus newspaper The Transcript frequently criticized Wenzlau's presidency, blaming it for "severely affecting the reputation of the college".Murchland, p. 41 This exchange resulted in a Washington Post report on the school that eventually precipitated the end of Wenzlau's presidency.Peterson, Bill. "Enrollments Lower, Costs Higher". The Washington Post, December 19, 1982, First Section, A5.

File:2012sept WesleyanUniversityStuyvesantHall001.jpg

The president, David Warren, increased admission standards in 1985, engaged students in a "live-in" presidency, expanded media exposure and established a National Colloquium focused on the liberal arts. Warren engaged in forty-one interviews on the ABC and NBC networks.Murchland, pp. 44–45

More recently, Ohio Wesleyan has achieved several academic and athletic recognitions. A 1986 study, titled "Educating America's Scientists: The Role of the Research Colleges," identified Ohio Wesleyan as one of 48 highly selective "science-active" liberal arts institutions in the nation.[http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=RecordDetails&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED258532&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=eric_accno&objectId=0900000b801160bc Educating America's Scientists: The Role of the Research Colleges]. Education Resources Information Center. Retrieved on March 1, 2007. The Battling Bishops won NCAA Division III national championships in men's basketball (1988) and men's (1998, 2011) and women's (2001, 2002) soccer. Despite these efforts, Ohio Wesleyan is one of many liberal arts colleges in the United States that is experiencing declining enrollment. The 2017 incoming class was 9% smaller than the year before.{{cite news |last1=Marcus |first1=Jon |title=Many small colleges face big enrollment drops. Here's one survival strategy in Ohio. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/06/29/many-small-colleges-face-big-enrollment-drops-heres-one-survival-strategy-in-ohio/ |access-date=January 8, 2019 |publisher=WaPo}}

Ohio Wesleyan continues to undertake construction projects. The Hamilton-Williams Campus Center opened in 1991. The Memorial Union Building was renovated in 2001 to accommodate the Economics Department, the Academic Resource Center, the Information Services portion of the combined Libraries and Information Services department, and the Woltemade Center for Economics, Business and Entrepreneurship. The Schimmel/Conrades Science Center opened in 2004 to provide {{convert|52000|sqft|m2}} of additional space for the science departments.[http://www.turnerconstruction.com/columbus/content.asp?d=1083&p=1064 Conrades-Wetherell Science Center at Ohio Wesleyan University]. Turner Construction. Retrieved on December 3, 2006. In 2011, the Meek Aquatics Center opened as a state-of-the-art facility, also used by the Delaware community.{{Cite web|url=http://www.northcoast.org/sports/mswimdive/Men_2010-11/releases/OWU_meekcenter|title=Ohio Wesleyan Opens Meek Aquatics and Recreation Center|date=2011-10-11|website=North Coast Athletic Conference|language=en|access-date=2019-12-02}} In 2018, the university opened the Delaware Entrepreneurial Center at OWU in collaboration with the City of Delaware and Delaware County.{{Cite web|url=https://www.delgazette.com/top-stories/71532/entrepreneurial-center-set-to-open|title=Delaware Entrepreneurial Center at OWU Opening|website=Delaware Gazette}} In 2019, Ohio Wesleyan announced an ambitious Residential Renewal project, committing $60M to renovating existing buildings and the construction of a new village of apartments.{{Cite web|url=https://www.owu.edu/news-media/details/the-excitement-builds/|title=The Excitement Builds|website=Ohio Wesleyan University|language=en|access-date=2019-12-02}}

{{Main|List of Ohio Wesleyan University buildings}}

{{see also|Richard Ross Museum of Art|Ohio Wesleyan University Library|Strand Theatre (Delaware, Ohio)}}

File:Elliott Hall, Ohio Wesleyan University — Delaware, Ohio.jpg's oldest collegiate Greek Revival building.

[http://www.owu.edu/news/2000/corns.html Renovated MUB Debuts as R.W. Corns Building] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071111161719/http://www.owu.edu/news/2000/corns.html |date=November 11, 2007 }}. Ohio Wesleyan University, August 3, 2000. Retrieved on January 8, 2007.

]]

The Ohio Wesleyan campus is next to downtown Delaware, and is bisected by Sandusky Street, the main north–south street through the heart of the city. The street informally divides the campus into an eastern sector composed mainly of academic buildings and a western sector composed mainly of residential and administrative buildings. Many facilities have been constructed in the last two years, with substantial benefit to science, art, and athletic programs on campus.

{{Main|Perkins Observatory|Strand Theatre (Delaware, Ohio)}}

OWU operates several facilities outside campus: The Philadelphia Business Center, Wesleyan in Washington, [http://nyartsprogram.org/ The New York Arts Program] for the performing, visual, and media arts (a GLCA arts program), Perkins Observatory, The Strand Theatre, and the Kraus Wilderness Preserve.

Perkins Observatory is situated in Delaware on land separate to the main campus.{{cite web|url=http://www.perkins-observatory.org/programs.html#directions |title=How to find us |publisher=Perkins Observatory |access-date=November 30, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060928084907/http://www.perkins-observatory.org/programs.html |archive-date=September 28, 2006 }} The observatory is named after Hiram Perkins, a former professor of mathematics and astronomy at the college.{{cite web|url=http://www.perkins-observatory.org/history.html#hiram |title=Hiram Perkins |publisher=Perkins Observatory |access-date=November 30, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060928085124/http://www.perkins-observatory.org/history.html |archive-date=September 28, 2006 }} When the observatory was built in 1931, it housed the third-largest telescope in the world, which has since been moved to Arizona.{{cite web|url=http://www.perkins-observatory.org/history.html#69 |title=History of Perkins Observatory |publisher=Perkins Observatory |access-date=November 30, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060928085124/http://www.perkins-observatory.org/history.html |archive-date=September 28, 2006 }} The Perkins dome now houses a {{convert|32|in|mm|adj=on}} telescope, which is the second-largest in Ohio.

The university also maintains offices for study abroad, US domestic study, and internship programs. Such programs include: Wesleyan in Washington, which allows students to study for a semester in Washington, D.C., in research and internship positions.{{cite web | url = http://connect2.owu.edu/newsandviews/49.php | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060901174920/http://connect2.owu.edu/newsandviews/49.php | archive-date = September 1, 2006 | title = Learning in Washington | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = October 14, 2006}} The Philadelphia Center offers students hundreds of internship and field placement opportunities off-campus and the chance to live independently.{{cite web | url = http://connect2.owu.edu/newsandviews/52.php | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060901175021/http://connect2.owu.edu/newsandviews/52.php | archive-date = September 1, 2006 | title = Philadelphia Center Gives Students Taste of Life in the Big City | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = November 30, 2006}} and the New York Arts Program, which allows students of the arts to gain a semester of hands on experience in the arts in New York City.{{cite web | url = http://www.newyorkartsprogram.org | title = Wesleyan Arts Program | publisher = New York Arts Program | access-date = November 21, 2007 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070923042407/http://www.newyorkartsprogram.org/ | archive-date = September 23, 2007 | df = mdy-all }}

{{see also|Delaware, Ohio}}

OWU has strong community ties with the City of Delaware.{{cite web | last = Donnelly | first = Sara | url = http://www.portlandphoenix.com/archive/features/02/04/19/feat_bates.html | title = Can Bates and L/A excel together? | publisher = The Portland Phoenix | date = April 18–25, 2002 | access-date = November 29, 2006 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071023030745/http://www.portlandphoenix.com/archive/features/02/04/19/feat_bates.html | archive-date = October 23, 2007 | df = mdy-all }} Students participate in Delaware's community through a variety of educational, social, and cultural programs. The student-led Columbus Initiative, founded in 1989, is an experiential learning partnership between OWU and Columbus public schools.{{cite web | url = http://magazine.owu.edu/2005_spring_pdfs/feat_linden.pdf | title = Learning at Linden (PDF) | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University|access-date = November 25, 2006}}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} More than 150 Ohio Wesleyan students from this program tutor and mentor underprivileged pupils from Columbus.{{cite web | url = http://magazine.owu.edu/feat_linden.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060901203431/http://magazine.owu.edu/feat_linden.html | archive-date = September 1, 2006 | title = Learning at Linden | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = November 25, 2006}}

The Ohio Wesleyan Ambassadors Program (ISAP) promotes cultural diversity and ethnic awareness within the local community, and exposes international students to American culture through the community. The program's ambassadors visit local schools to give presentations and participate in events for local non-profit community organizations.{{cite web | url = http://connect2.owu.edu/newsandviews/56.php | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060901175210/http://connect2.owu.edu/newsandviews/56.php | archive-date = September 1, 2006 | title = New International Student Ambassador Program at OWU | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = November 25, 2006}}

Campus organizations cooperate with local residents on issues of civic engagement and activism. Progress OWU allows students from Ohio Wesleyan and local schools to express their voices on politics, public policy, and corporate and social issues, both on campus and in the local community.{{cite web|url=http://service.owu.edu/organizations.html |title=Student Service Clubs, Organizations and Small Living Units |publisher=Ohio Wesleyan University |access-date=November 25, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070810015642/http://service.owu.edu/organizations.html |archive-date=August 10, 2007 }}

Cultural programs also take part in community relations. In the 1960s, Ohio Wesleyan donated the Arts Castle, then part of the Fine Arts department, to the City of Delaware. It is now home to the Delaware County Cultural Arts Center. The Arts Castle hosts a variety of community programs in art, and offers classes ranging from ballet to fine arts.{{cite web | url = http://www.artscastle.org/house.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061219180855/http://www.artscastle.org/house.html | archive-date = December 19, 2006 | title = History of The Arts Castle | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University, The Arts Castle | access-date = November 25, 2006}} In 2004, the OWU received a donation to rehabilitate the historic Strand Theatre in downtown Delaware.{{cite web | url = http://www.owu.edu/news/2002/strand.html | title = Gift Support Enables OWU to Purchase Strand Theatre | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = October 15, 2006 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080111190155/http://www.owu.edu/news/2002/strand.html | archive-date = January 11, 2008 | df = mdy-all }}

The university and the City of Delaware sponsor several events in town throughout the year: the Delaware Arts Festival, the Little Brown Jug, the Delaware County Fair, and the Castle Arts Affair.{{cite web | url = http://www.visitdelohio.com/big_events.php | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070103045602/http://visitdelohio.com/big_events.php | archive-date = January 3, 2007 | title = Big Events | publisher = Delaware County Convention & Visitors Bureau | access-date = December 15, 2006}} The Delaware Arts Festival is an annual event held the weekend after Mother's Day on the streets of Historic Downtown Delaware.{{cite web | url = http://www.delawareartsfestival.org | title = About the Delaware Arts Festival Association, Inc. | publisher = Delaware Arts Festival | access-date = December 20, 2006}} The festival hosts over 170 booths featuring works of local, regional, and other artists. OWU professors chair the committees that select winners.{{cite web | url = http://www.delawareartsfestival.org/Scholarship%20Application.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20021210035338/http://www.delawareartsfestival.org/Scholarship%20Application.htm | url-status = dead | archive-date = December 10, 2002 | title = Delaware Arts Festival|publisher = The Delaware Arts Festival|access-date = December 20, 2006 }} The Little Brown Jug, a harness race, is run during the Delaware County Fair in September.{{cite web | url = http://www.littlebrownjug.com/aboutus/history-of-jug | title = History of the Jug | publisher = The Delaware County Agricultural Society | access-date = December 20, 2006 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120311162954/http://www.littlebrownjug.com/aboutus/history-of-jug | archive-date = March 11, 2012 | df = mdy-all }} The OWU president and the college mascot traditionally award the trophy for the first division of the first heat of the race.{{cite web | url = http://connect2.owu.edu/ourtown/213.php | title = Battling Bishop Mascot to Present Trophy at Jug Races | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = December 20, 2006 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080111190055/http://connect2.owu.edu/ourtown/213.php | archive-date = January 11, 2008 | df = mdy-all }}

{{Infobox US university ranking

| USNWR_LA = 119 of 211

| Wamo_LA = 158 of 199

| THE_WSJ = 204 (tie) of 600

}}

Ohio Wesleyan University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, and is a member of the Great Lakes Colleges Association,{{cite web | url = http://www.ncahlc.org/component/com_directory/Itemid,/form_submitted,TRUE/institution,/showquery,/state,OH/submit,Search/ | title = Currently or Previously Affiliated Institutions | publisher = Higher Learning Commission| access-date = October 21, 2010}}{{cite web | url =http://www.glca.org/Member%20Colleges | title = Great Lakes Colleges Association Member Colleges | publisher = The Great Lakes Colleges Association | access-date = October 13, 2006|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080112070349/http://www.glca.org/Member%20Colleges/ |archive-date = January 12, 2008|url-status=dead}} the Oberlin Group,{{cite web | url = http://www.oberlingroup.org/about/members.php | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061009081013/http://www.oberlingroup.org/about/members.php | archive-date = October 9, 2006 | title = Member Institutions|publisher = The Oberlin Group|access-date = October 13, 2006}} and the Five Colleges of Ohio, a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges which also includes Kenyon College, Oberlin College, The College of Wooster, and Denison University.{{cite web|url=http://www.ohio5.org/aboutus.htm |title=About US |publisher=The Five Colleges of Ohio |access-date=October 13, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070723202332/http://www.ohio5.org/aboutus.htm |archive-date=July 23, 2007 }}

For 2011, Ohio Wesleyan accepted approximately 52% of its regular decision applicants, 33% of its transfer applicants, and had a yield rate of 26%.{{cite web | url = http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/CollegeDetail.jsp?collegeId=2009&profileId=1| title = Ohio Wesleyan University | publisher = College Board | access-date = October 1, 2007}}{{cite web | url = http://members.ucan-network.org/owu| title = About Ohio Wesleyan University | publisher = UCAN | access-date = November 7, 2007}}{{cite web | url = http://www.owu.edu/presidentialSearch/pdfs/20070913-presidentialSearchProfile.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070926185419/http://www.owu.edu/presidentialSearch/pdfs/20070913-presidentialSearchProfile.pdf | archive-date = September 26, 2007| title = Presidential Search Profile | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = October 1, 2007}} In 2010, the college accepted 36% of its international applicants.{{cite web | url = http://www.petersons.com/ugchannel/code/InstVC.asp?inunid=7951&sponsor=13 | title = Ohio Wesleyan University – Studying Abroad in the US | publisher = Petersons | access-date = January 26, 2010 |archive-date=June 14, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614014243/http://www.petersons.com/UGChannel/code/instvc.asp?inunid=7951&sponsor=13 }} The middle 50% range of matriculating students for the class of 2010 was 1125–1320 for the SAT (old scale) and 24–30 for the ACT.{{cite web | url = http://magazine.owu.edu/pdfs/2009AnnualReport.pdf | title = Ohio Wesleyan University | publisher = OWU Annual Report | access-date = February 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203182948/http://magazine.owu.edu/pdfs/2009AnnualReport.pdf |archive-date=3 February 2012|url-status=dead}} Approximately 35% of accepted applicants were granted internal scholarships.{{cite news | last = Finder | first = Alan | url = http://www.uh.edu/ednews/2006/nytimes/20060102ivyleague.html | title = Aid Lets Smaller Colleges Ask, Why Pay for Ivy League Retail? | work = The New York Times |date= January 2, 2006 |access-date = October 13, 2006}} Ohio Wesleyan follows a need-blind admission policy; financial circumstances are not considered when deciding whether to admit applicants.{{cite web|url=http://www.bestschoolsusa.com/cgi-bin/getsurvey.cgi?Ohio%20Wesleyan%20University%20(OH) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060215213958/http://www.bestschoolsusa.com/cgi-bin/getsurvey.cgi?Ohio%20Wesleyan%20University%20%28OH%29 |archive-date=February 15, 2006 |title=College Freshmen Admission Policy Survey |publisher=BestSchoolsUSA |access-date=October 13, 2006 |url-status=dead }} As of 2010, OWU's 1,950 students come from 43 states and 57 countries; 47% are from Ohio, 11% are international, and 54% are female.{{cite web | url = http://magazine.owu.edu/pdfs/2009AnnualReport.pdf | title = OWU Annual Report | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = February 27, 2010 | archive-date = February 3, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120203182948/http://magazine.owu.edu/pdfs/2009AnnualReport.pdf | url-status = dead }} The student body is about 10% Asian, 6% Hispanic, and 9% Black. Fifty-nine percent of Ohio Wesleyan students claim no religious affiliation.{{cite web | url = http://college.enotes.com/american-colleges/ohio-wesleyan-university/student-life |title = Student Life| publisher = eNotes| access-date = October 8, 2006}}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} The student-faculty ratio is 11:1 and faculty members teach all classes.{{cite web | url = http://www.owu.edu/about.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140627182018/http://about.owu.edu/ | archive-date=June 27, 2014 | title = About OWU | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = December 2, 2006}} Excluding independent studies and senior theses, nearly 60% of Ohio Wesleyan's class sections have fewer than twenty students enrolled.{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/t1libartco_brief.php |title=America's Best Colleges 2007 – Top Liberal Arts Colleges (95) |publisher=USNews.com |access-date=August 26, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060830165024/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/t1libartco_brief.php |archive-date=August 30, 2006 }} Ohio Wesleyan is generally known for a strong "left-leaning" student body and an administration with a "permissive" attitude. In 2007, 60% of OWU students favored the Democratic Party.Calhoon, Elisabeth.{{cite web |url=http://transcript.owu.edu/111004/inside3.html |title=National youth vote lower than expected'. |access-date=June 8, 2005 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041208185217/http://transcript.owu.edu/111004/inside3.html |archive-date=December 8, 2004 }} The Transcript (November 10, 2004). Retrieved on August 10, 2006; and {{cite web |url=http://www.owu.edu/news/2007/20071213-mock08Survey.html |title=Ohio Wesleyan University Students Favor Democratic Party, Barack Obama, Survey Shows |publisher=Ohio Wesleyan University |access-date=January 3, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080111190200/http://www.owu.edu/news/2007/20071213-mock08Survey.html |archive-date=January 11, 2008 }}; and {{cite web |url=http://www.dalisproject.org/pages/delaware_prec.htm |title=City & Township of Delaware Detail: Precincts 2-E and 2-F are OWU students |publisher=Delaware County, Ohio |access-date=October 30, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517084437/http://www.dalisproject.org/pages/delaware_prec.htm |archive-date=May 17, 2008 }}; and {{cite web |url=http://web.northnet.org/minstrel/delaware.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060430102618/http://web.northnet.org/minstrel/delaware.htm |archive-date=April 30, 2006 |title=Another Stolen Election |publisher=Richard Hayes Phillips |access-date=October 30, 2006 }} In its 2015 edition of U.S. college rankings, Niche ranked Ohio Wesleyan 56th (out of 880 colleges) most politically liberal college in the U.S.{{cite web | url = http://colleges.niche.com/rankings/most-liberal-colleges/ | title = America's Most Liberal Colleges | publisher = niche.com|access-date = June 30, 2015}}

Ohio Wesleyan admits students of all cultures, lifestyles, and socio-economic backgrounds. An index examining gay-friendly policies places OWU among the nation's gay-friendly colleges,Windmeyer, pp. 5–100.{{cite web | url = http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/profiles/studentsSay.asp?listing=1023105&category=2<ID=1 | title = What Ohio Wesleyan Students Say About... | publisher = Princeton Review | access-date = January 10, 2007|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040804123405/http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/profiles/studentsSay.asp?listing=1023105&category=2<ID=1|archive-date=August 4, 2004 |url-status=dead}} and the university enacts policies to meet the six criteria developed by the Campus-Pride organization for recruiting and supporting students from a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender population.{{cite web | url = http://www.campuspride.net/| title = Campus PrideNet | publisher = Campus PrideNet | access-date = October 19, 2005}}{{cite web

|url = http://www.owu.edu/affirm.html

|title = Affirmative Action

|publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University

|access-date = October 19, 2005

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050722085541/http://www.owu.edu/affirm.html

|archive-date = July 22, 2005

|df = mdy

}}

• {{cite web

|url = http://go.owu.edu/~catalog/pdf/owu_cat0506.pdf

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060901181526/http://go.owu.edu/~catalog/pdf/owu_cat0506.pdf

|archive-date = September 1, 2006

|title = Statement of Non-Discrimination (PDF)

|publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University

|access-date = October 19, 2005

}}

• {{cite web

|url = http://admission.owu.edu/weekly.html

|title = Weekly, Monthly, and Annual Events

|publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University

|access-date = October 19, 2005

}}

• {{cite web

|last = Johnson

|first = Ramone

|url = http://gaylife.about.com/od/headlinesnewsstories/a/gay_university.htm

|title = Gay-Friendly Universities

|publisher = about.com

|access-date = April 15, 2005

|archive-date = May 15, 2005

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050515095907/http://gaylife.about.com/od/headlinesnewsstories/a/gay_university.htm

|url-status = dead

}}

• {{cite web

|url = http://glbtrc.owu.edu/index.html

|title = Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered Resource Center

|publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University

|access-date = October 19, 2005

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050204174116/http://glbtrc.owu.edu/index.html

|archive-date = February 4, 2005

|df = mdy-all

}}

• {{cite web

|url = https://stap.owu.edu/viewposition.php?id=92

|title = Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center Position

|publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University

|access-date = October 19, 2005

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060901201041/http://stap.owu.edu/viewposition.php?id=92

|archive-date = September 1, 2006

|df = mdy-all

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• {{cite web

|url = http://women.owu.edu/major.htm

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050826090343/http://women.owu.edu/major.htm

|archive-date = August 26, 2005

|title = Women's and Gender Studies

|publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University

|access-date = October 19, 2005

}} Nearly 18% of students at Ohio Wesleyan receive Federal Pell Grants, which mostly go to students whose family incomes are below $40,000.{{cite web | url = http://economicdiversity.org/profiles.php?unitid=204909 | title = Institutional Profiles: Ohio Wesleyan University | publisher = Peterson’s Undergraduate Financial Aid and Undergraduate Databases | access-date = December 2, 2006|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930003745/http://economicdiversity.org/profiles.php?unitid=204909 |archive-date = September 30, 2007|url-status=dead}} This measure indicates the degree to which economically disadvantaged groups are represented at OWU.

• {{cite web | url = http://economicdiversity.org/overview.php | title = Overview | publisher = Peterson’s Undergraduate Financial Aid and Undergraduate Databases | access-date = December 2, 2006|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061207104348/http://economicdiversity.org/overview.php |archive-date = December 7, 2006|url-status=dead}}
• {{cite web | url = http://www.diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_6019.shtml | title = Where Do Pell Grant Dollars Go? | publisher = Diverse Education | access-date = December 2, 2006|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061207104348/http://economicdiversity.org/overview.php |archive-date = December 7, 2006|url-status=dead}}
• {{cite web | url = http://www.hamilton.edu/news/more_news/display.cfm?id=7033| title = Study Affirms HC's Commitment to Socioeconomic Diversity | publisher = Hamilton College | access-date = December 2, 2006|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061207104348/http://economicdiversity.org/overview.php |archive-date = December 7, 2006|url-status=dead}}
• {{cite web | url = http://www.questbridge.org/cmp/partner_schools/oberlin/diversity.html| title = Socio-economic Make-up of Students: Oberlin College | publisher = Oberlin College|access-date = December 2, 2006|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061207104348/http://economicdiversity.org/overview.php |archive-date = December 7, 2006|url-status=dead}}

The faculty consists of 142 tenured members. As of 2010, all the university's tenured or tenure-track faculty members hold a PhD or other terminal degree.{{cite web|url=http://www.owu.edu/about.html |title=About OWU |publisher=Ohio Wesleyan University |access-date=January 26, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625093307/http://www.owu.edu/about.html |archive-date=June 25, 2008 }} The faculty is 37% female and 63% male, with 10% from underrepresented groups. Also as of 2006, women constitute 37% of the tenured professors and earn 94% of what male professors earn – numbers which suggest favorable gender circumstances.{{cite web | url = http://www.aaup.org/NR/rdonlyres/63396944-44BE-4ABA-9815-5792D93856F1/0/AAUPGenderEquityIndicators2006.pdf | title = AAUP Faculty Gender Equity Indicators 2006 (PDF) | publisher = American Association of University Professors | access-date = January 26, 2010}}

Freshmen are paired early in their first year with academic advisors who oversee their students' academic progress.{{cite web | url = http://campus.owu.edu/handbook.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070203035351/http://campus.owu.edu/handbook.html | archive-date = February 3, 2007 | title = Student Handbook | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = January 14, 2007}} Upon completing 34 units of coursework, students may earn diplomas in Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, or Bachelor of Music.{{cite web|url=https://catalog.owu.edu/content.php?catoid=18&navoid=515|title=Degree and Special Programs: Requirements for All Degrees|date=2017|publisher=Ohio Wesleyan University|access-date=February 11, 2018}} Ohio Wesleyan has research departments and teaching faculties in most academic disciplines; as of 2019, OWU offered nearly 90 majors.{{cite web|url=https://www.owu.edu/academics/|title=Majors and Courses of Instruction|publisher=Ohio Wesleyan University|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060902043806/http://catalog.owu.edu/cat-e01.html|archive-date=September 2, 2006|access-date=December 2, 2006}}

In its early days, OWU's curriculum began with classical studies, for the course catalogue maintained that "the classical course in Greek and Latin and pure mathematics bring correctness in mental processes that an applied art, or a living and slightly inflected language, do not permit."Hubbart, p. 88. Scientific courses were added to Ohio Wesleyan's curriculum in 1849, and since then, scientific subjects have become a foundation to the liberal arts curriculum.Tull, p. 48. OWU also has a highly respected music department.{{cite web | url = http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/profiles/studentsSay.asp?listing=1023105&category=5<ID=1 | title = What Ohio Wesleyan Students Say About... | publisher = Princeton Review | access-date = January 10, 2007|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040515224941/http://princetonreview.com/college/research/profiles/studentsSay.asp?listing=1023105&category=5<ID=1|archive-date=May 15, 2004 |url-status=dead}}

Its most popular majors, based on 2021 graduates, were:{{cite web |url=https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Ohio+wesleyan&s=all&id=204909#programs |website=nces.ed.gov |publisher=U.S. Dept of Education |title=Ohio Wesleyan University |access-date=February 15, 2023}}

• Zoology/Animal Biology (23)
• Psychology (21)
• Sports, Kinesiology, & Physical Education/Fitness (16)
• Business Administration & Management (15)
• History (15)
• Political Science & Government (12)

File:UniversityHallFlags.jpg

Ohio Wesleyan has upheld academic internationalism since its early years; since the 19th century, the college has established links with several international schools. In 1879, OWU alumna Elizabeth Russell founded Kwassui Women's College in Nagasaki, Japan, when predominant Japanese culture considered women's education unimportant.{{cite book | last = Windolf | first = Paul |author2=Francisco Ramirze | year = 1989 | title = Expansion and Structural Change: Higher Education in Germany, the United States, and Japan, 1870–1990 | publisher = Contemporary Sociology | id =Vol. 27, No. 2}} Today, Kwassui College is one of the top finishing schools for young women in Japan.{{cite web | url = http://www.kwassui.ac.jp/ | title = Kwassui Institute|publisher = Kwassui Institute|access-date = October 15, 2006}} In 1899, William Ehnis (from the class of 1898) traveled to Africa and opened a school in Mutare, Zimbabwe, that eventually became the Africa University.{{cite web | url = http://www.africau.edu/ | title = Africa University | publisher = Africa University | access-date = October 15, 2006}} Ada M. Coe was an early woman Spanish Professor here in 1917.{{Cite web|url=http://academics.wellesley.edu/lts/archives/3/3P_Coe.html|title=Wellesley College Archives|website=academics.wellesley.edu|access-date=2019-10-01}}

The school also manifests international interest in the percentage of international students it recruits and enrolls annually. Since 1983, Ohio Wesleyan has been listed in U.S. News & World Report among colleges that attract the highest percentage of international students.{{cite web | url = http://www.edupass.org/finaid/undergraduate.phtml | title = Schools with Financial Aid for International Undergraduate Students | publisher = Mark Kantrowitz | access-date = October 29, 2006}}{{cite web | url = http://www.edupass.org/admissions/schoolsearch.phtml | title = Choosing a School | publisher = Mark Kantrowitz | access-date = October 29, 2006}}{{cite web | url = http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/?p=49938 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20041117223809/http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/?p=49938 | url-status = usurped | archive-date = November 17, 2004 | title = International Students: Leading Institutions by Institutional Type | publisher = Institute of International Education | access-date = October 29, 2006}}{{cite web | url = http://www.pmc.edu/about/ranking/2005/international.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060908002353/http://www.pmc.edu/about/ranking/2005/international.html | archive-date = September 8, 2006 | title = Most International Students | publisher = U.S. News & World Report| access-date = October 29, 2006}} The percentage of international students grew in the early and mid-1990s.Desruisseaux, Paul. Chronicle of Higher Education, 12/10/99, Vol. 46 Issue 16, pA57, 5p, Ohio Wesleyan University. Foreign Students Continue to Flock to the U.S. 1999.McMurtrie, Beth. "Foreign Students at U.S. Institutions, 1999–2000". Chronicle of Higher Education, November 17, 2000, Vol. 47 Issue 12, pA76, 1p, Ohio Wesleyan University. In a study adjusted for school size, Ohio Wesleyan came ninth among 118 American colleges and universities in total aid awards to international students and 69th in average award per international student among both large universities and small liberal arts colleges.{{cite web | url = http://www.oacac.com/docs/IntlFinAid.xls | title = American Institutions with financial aid for international undergraduates (xls) | publisher = Overseas Association for College Admissions Counseling | access-date = August 10, 2006 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060814043140/http://www.oacac.com/docs/IntlFinAid.xls | archive-date = August 14, 2006}} South East Asian students have significantly contributed to this growth.{{cite web | url = http://admission.owu.edu/international7.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061004113727/http://admission.owu.edu/international7.html | archive-date = October 4, 2006|title = Countries Currently Represented|publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University|access-date = October 15, 2006}} The United Nations flag, along with the flags of more than sixty represented nations and the U.S. flag, flies in University Hall in honor of the ideal of peaceful international relations.{{cite web | url = http://transcript.owu.edu/033105/topstory1.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060901203940/http://transcript.owu.edu/033105/topstory1.html | archive-date = September 1, 2006 | title = Inauguration festival Saturday | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = October 18, 2006}}

High participation in formal exchange programs constitutes a third target of the school's international focus.Tull, p. 140. Under a Great Lakes Colleges Association agreement, OWU established an exchange program with Waseda University in 1962 to provide approximately 30 American students with opportunities to study in Japan and 30 Japanese students to study at Ohio Wesleyan each year.{{cite web | url = http://www.waseda.jp/intl-ac/bulletin/c14.html | title = Agreements with Overseas Institutions | publisher = Waseda University | access-date = October 18, 2006}} The Salamanca program, founded by Conrad Kent in 1988,{{cite web | url = http://go.owu.edu/~jjarriba/Salamanca/programhistory.htm|title = Ohio Wesleyan University: The Salamanca Program|publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University|access-date = October 18, 2006|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060901180552/http://go.owu.edu/~jjarriba/Salamanca/programhistory.htm |archive-date = September 1, 2006}} conducts the exchange of approximately one hundred students and faculty between OWU and the University of Salamanca in Spain. The academic collaboration frequently extends to joint participation in academic symposia: in 1993, members of the Salamanca faculty participated in a symposium on the Golden Age in Salamanca.{{cite web | url = http://go.owu.edu/~jjarriba/Salamanca/programhistory.htm | title = Ohio Wesleyan University: The Salamanca Program | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University|access-date = October 18, 2006 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060901180552/http://go.owu.edu/~jjarriba/Salamanca/programhistory.htm | archive-date = September 1, 2006}}

The Beeghly Library is the main library of OWU. The library contains nearly 500,000 volumes in its collection, and is also home to the Archives of Ohio United Methodism, the Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Artifacts collection, as well as an archival collection of materials related to the history of the university.

The Hobson Science Library is part of the Schimmel Conrades Science Center and supports research in the earth, life, and physical sciences.{{Cite web|url=https://library.owu.edu/about|title = LibGuides: About the Libraries: Home}}

OWU has 11 full-time librarians, with subject liaisons for each academic department, as well as a full-time archivist.{{Cite web|url=https://library.owu.edu/staff-directory/az|title=LibGuides: Library Staff: All Library Staff A-Z}}

{{see also|OWU Radio}}

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Ohio Wesleyan University has 95 student clubs and organizations.{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/brief/drextras_3109_brief.php |title=Ohio Wesleyan University: Extracurriculars |publisher=U.S. News |access-date=November 29, 2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050405091937/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/brief/drextras_3109_brief.php |archive-date=April 5, 2005 }} The university offers three chapels as well as several Christian and other religious groups for its students.{{cite web|url = http://chaplain.owu.edu/aboutUs/facilities.html| title = Office of University Chaplain |publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University|access-date = February 4, 2015}}{{cite web|url = http://admission.owu.edu/relgroups.html|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070403223344/http://admission.owu.edu/relgroups.html|archive-date = April 3, 2007| title = Religious Groups|publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University|access-date = January 4, 2007}} Its social organizations cover a wide range of interests, including chess, ultimate, finance, and medieval sword fighting.{{cite web|url=http://admission.owu.edu/clubs.html |title=Special-Interest Clubs |publisher=Ohio Wesleyan University |access-date=November 29, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061011143119/http://admission.owu.edu/clubs.html |archive-date=October 11, 2006 }} There are two a cappella singing groups on campus, "The OWtsiders," a student-run group formed in 1999, and the all-female "Pitch Black" established in 2005.{{cite web | url = http://connect2.owu.edu/ourtown/66.php | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060901175422/http://connect2.owu.edu/ourtown/66.php | archive-date = September 1, 2006| title = The OWtsiders-Mixing Music and Fun|publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University|access-date = November 29, 2005}} Another entertainment-related club is "The Babbling Bishops", an improvisational comedy troupe.{{cite web|url=http://go.owu.edu/~bablweb/ |title=Ohio Wesleyan's Premier Improv Comedy Troupe! |publisher=The Babbling Bishops |access-date=October 15, 2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050425234559/http://go.owu.edu/~bablweb/ |archive-date=April 25, 2005 }} The "Babbling Bishops" started in the fall of 1990 when a group of theatre concentration students formed a performance-oriented project for their theatre degrees. The project became an improv comedy troupe, rehearsing in Stuyvesant Hall and performing with other college improv troupes since 1996.{{cite web|url=http://babbling.owu.edu/history.html |title=Our Story |publisher=Ohio Wesleyan University |access-date=December 26, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613072053/http://babbling.owu.edu/history.html |archive-date=June 13, 2007 }}

File:OWU Pride June 2013.jpg

Socially conscious students can join organizations such as the activist group "Young Democratic Socialists" or participate in student government groups, such as the Campus Programming Board and the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs. The "PRIDE" organization offers support to OWU's LGBT students.{{cite web| url = http://glbtrc.owu.edu/| title = Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center| publisher = GLBTRC| access-date = November 29, 2006| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060902092126/http://glbtrc.owu.edu/| archive-date = September 2, 2006| df = mdy-all}}

Fewer than a third of Ohio Wesleyan's students are involved in Greek life,{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/brief/drlife_3109_brief.php |title=Campus Life |publisher=U.S. News & World Report |access-date=December 10, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060823191900/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/brief/drlife_3109_brief.php |archive-date=August 23, 2006 }} but that percentage has fluctuated significantly throughout the university's history.{{cite web | url = http://greek.owu.edu/history.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061028002955/http://greek.owu.edu/history.html | archive-date = October 28, 2006| title = History of Greek Life|publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University|access-date = December 10, 2006}} All six fraternities and five sororities on campus are currently involved in many philanthropic and community programs.{{cite web | url = http://greek.owu.edu/ | title = Greek Life | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University|access-date = December 10, 2006}} The OWU chapter of Phi Kappa Psi (Phi Psi) was closed after the death of Luke Anthony Gabbert, a pledge who fell into a creek in 2016 after drinking large amounts of alcohol.{{Cite news |date=April 15, 2016 |title=OWU closes fraternity for rule violations |work=Delaware Gazette |url=https://www.delgazette.com/2016/04/15/owu-closes-fraternity-for-rule-violations/}}

OWU's oldest student organizations are its literary clubs, including a number of student journals, magazines, and newspapers. The school's student-run weekly newspaper, The Transcript, is the oldest continuously published, independent, college newspaper in the United States.{{cite web | url = http://transcript.owu.edu/info.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051115045848/http://transcript.owu.edu/info.html | archive-date = November 15, 2005| title = General Info | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = November 29, 2005}} The OWL, an annual literary publication, features students' work and is one of the nation's oldest college literary magazines.{{cite web | url = http://connect2.owu.edu/ourtown/32.php | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060901175501/http://connect2.owu.edu/ourtown/32.php | archive-date = September 1, 2006| title = The OWL: Not Just for English Majors | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = November 29, 2005}} Other student publications include The Civic Arts Review, the electronic Connect2OWU bulletin, and @Wesleyan, a quarterly online magazine.{{cite web | url = http://news.owu.edu/publications.html| title = Administrative Publications|publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University|access-date = January 6, 2007}} OWU Radio, formerly WSLN, broadcasts from Phillips Hall, and offers show times to students, faculty, and local citizens of Delaware.

The university also has a student government, the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA).

{{Main|Activism at Ohio Wesleyan University}}

File:ProtestOWU.jpg

Activism as represented in OWU's founding vision has had a significant role in Ohio Wesleyan's history.Hubbart, p. 10.Tull, p. 132.

The first president, Edward Thomson, staunchly supported the abolition of slavery and liberalism. Other individuals associated with the university have fought racism. Branch Rickey, an alumnus, broke the racial barrier in baseball.{{cite web |url=http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/sports/special/barriers/rickey.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060524170110/http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/sports/special/barriers/rickey.html |archive-date=May 24, 2006 |title='Higher Calling': Rickey's moral conviction to social progress was mightier than dollar |work=Houston Chronicle |access-date=December 7, 2006}} Mary King, a civil rights activist,{{cite web |url=http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/coldwar/interviews/episode-19/king1.html |title=Interview with Mary King (12/6/97)|publisher=George Washington University|access-date=December 7, 2006}} worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr. in the U.S. civil rights movement while she was a staff member of OWU's Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).Anderson, p. 57. In the 1980s, Ohio Wesleyan's administration fully divested holdings connected to South Africa.Vellela, pp. 20–21.Tull, pp. 142–143. As of September 2007, Ohio Wesleyan joined a small group of liberal colleges that opposed the methodology and questioned the usefulness of U.S. News & World Report college rankings, despite the fact that the magazine ranked Ohio Wesleyan highly.{{cite web|url=http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YTBmYzA2OTcyYjc0MzBiNDhkMzVmNzc5ZDc5YmQ0YmE= |title=They Protest Too Much |work=National Review Online |access-date=September 15, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070810032940/http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YTBmYzA2OTcyYjc0MzBiNDhkMzVmNzc5ZDc5YmQ0YmE%3D |archive-date=August 10, 2007 }}

OWU has partisan political groups ranging from liberal to socialist, such the College Democrats and Young Democratic Socialists of America, and several activism awareness groups such as Black Men of the Future, Black Student Union (formerly Student Union on Black Awareness), PRIDE, Viva Latinx, and Rafiki Wa Afrika. Many students complete internships for state representatives in the nearby state capitol, Columbus.{{cite web|url=http://www.owu.edu/admission/opportunities.html |title=Apprenticeships and Internships |publisher=Ohio Wesleyan University |access-date=December 7, 2003 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041024123247/http://www.owu.edu/admission/opportunities.html |archive-date=October 24, 2004 }}{{cite web |url=http://wcebe.owu.edu/files/students.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031218051155/http://wcebe.owu.edu/files/students.html |archive-date=December 18, 2003|title=Internships |publisher=Ohio Wesleyan University |access-date=December 7, 2003}}

{{see also|Ohio Wesleyan Sweetly and strong}}

Many Ohio Wesleyan traditions originate from its early years. Monnett Weekend, beginning in 1896, welcomes female alumni, parents, and friends of the university. Events include a "People's Parade" with clowns, banners and marching, faculty lectures, Maypole dancing, Choral Arts Society, and an all-campus carnival.Murchland, p. 79.Hubbart, p. 121. It started as a girls' athletic fête held at the Monnett Athletic Club for Mothers Day. All events were held at the Monnett Campus, where female students danced around the Maypole, while men were barred. The men, in turn, developed their own tradition: they arrived at Monnett Campus early in the morning, and concealed themselves in trees to watch the festivities, discreetly.Tull, p. 102.

In 1884, Ohio Wesleyan held its first Mock Convention, which has recurred in every United States presidential election year since 1920.{{cite web | url = http://go.owu.edu/%7Emock2004/cygnus/rules.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060902092424/http://go.owu.edu/~mock2004/cygnus/rules.htm | archive-date = September 2, 2006| title = Mock Convention| publisher = Miller, Candi | access-date = December 5, 2006}} Its purpose is to inform participants, students, faculty staff, and Ohio residents about the presidential nominating convention,{{cite web | url = http://go.owu.edu/%7Emock2004/cygnus/news.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060902092552/http://go.owu.edu/~mock2004/cygnus/news.htm | archive-date = September 2, 2006 | title = 2004 Mock Convention Platform| publisher = Miller, Candi | access-date = December 5, 2006}} presidential candidate, and key issues in the upcoming election.{{cite web | url = http://go.owu.edu/%7Emock2004/cygnus/board.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060902092430/http://go.owu.edu/~mock2004/cygnus/board.htm | archive-date = September 2, 2006 | title = A Tradition Since 1917| publisher = Miller, Candi | access-date = December 5, 2006}}

Beginning in the 1920s, all freshmen were required to wear "dinks", red caps with black brims and a black W on the front.Tull, pp. 98–99. This tradition ended in the 1960s. The freshman class of 1957 wore dinks for half the first semester.Murchland, p. 64.

Ohio Wesleyan's Homecoming takes place in early October,{{cite web| url = http://connect2.owu.edu/ourtown/230.php| title = Homecoming Aims for Increased Student Involvement| publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University| access-date = December 1, 2006| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080111190100/http://connect2.owu.edu/ourtown/230.php| archive-date = January 11, 2008| df = mdy-all}} while the Ohio Wesleyan football team plays one of its traditional rivals.

The President's Ball, a recent gala organized by the college president, takes place on the first Saturday of December.{{cite web | url = http://welcome.owu.edu/questions9.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050207140214/http://welcome.owu.edu/questions9.html | archive-date = February 7, 2005| title = Ohio Wesleyan Campus Traditions | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = December 1, 2006}} Other traditions include OWU vs. Denison, which stages a "fierce" athletic rivalry between Ohio Wesleyan and Denison University;{{cite web | url = http://bishops.owu.edu/mlax.html| title = Men's Lacrosse

| publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = December 1, 2006}} the Sagan Colloquium, spanning the fall semester, recently expanded to include the spring semester, which consists of speeches focusing on an issue of concern to the liberal arts;{{cite web|url = http://www.collegetoolkit.com/Colleges/Profile/204909.aspx| title = What Makes Us Unique|publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University|access-date = December 1, 2006}} and Orchesis, an annual celebration of modern dance and the arts, which occurs at the end of the academic year. "Fresh-X" is an optional program for newly admitted students that occurs just before orientation in which students may choose between hiking, backpacking and other outdoor activities to make friends with their new classmates.{{cite web| url = http://fresh-x.owu.edu/| title = Welcome to "Fresh X"| publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University| access-date = December 1, 2006| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061215033844/http://fresh-x.owu.edu/| archive-date = December 15, 2006| df = mdy-all}}

The campus used to host two major musical events, Unity through Music and Springfest. Unity through Music occurred once a year in the fall semester, and covered various musical styles in a carnival atmosphere, during the day; during the evening, a huge dance is held in the Hamilton-Williams Campus Center.{{cite web | url = http://connect2.owu.edu/newsandviews/158.php | title = CPB Presents Unity Through Music | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = January 5, 2007 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080111190034/http://connect2.owu.edu/newsandviews/158.php | archive-date = January 11, 2008 | df = mdy-all }} Springfest, the second musical event, proceeded in mid-April and had featured well-known music groups such as Counting Crows, The Roots, Guster, Ben Folds, and Gym Class Heroes. It was organized by the Campus Programming Board, who have changed the name to "Bishop Bash," in an attempt to create more campus pride.{{cite web | url = http://go.owu.edu/~owunews/021005/topstory1.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050228081451/http://go.owu.edu/~owunews/021005/topstory1.html | archive-date = February 28, 2005| title = Springfest funding in limbo | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University|access-date = December 1, 2006}}

A rock next to Hayes Hall has been part of the residential campus for the last 50 years, and students continually repaint it with graffiti and slogans.{{cite web | url = http://owjl.owu.edu/description.php | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060901202313/http://owjl.owu.edu/description.php | archive-date = September 1, 2006| title = Description| publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = December 12, 2006}}

The university can house up to 1,600 students on campus. First-year students are required to live on campus in Smith Hall during their first two semesters. A lottery system matches second to fourth-year students with dormitories and another lottery system determines how many students are allowed to live in off-campus housing. Housing options include dormitories, small living units, fraternities, and cooperative housing.{{cite web | url = http://admission.owu.edu/reslife.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070303012234/http://admission.owu.edu/reslife.html | archive-date = March 3, 2007 | title = Residential Life | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = January 5, 2007}}

Thomson, Bashford, Stuyvesant, and Smith Halls are large mid-rise dormitories on campus. Welch Hall is designated as a "quiet" dorm for honors students.{{cite web|url=http://admission.owu.edu/welch.html |title=Welch Hall |publisher=Ohio Wesleyan University |access-date=January 1, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050211041933/http://admission.owu.edu/welch.html |archive-date=February 11, 2005 }} Hayes Hall is an all-female dorm.{{cite web|url=http://admission.owu.edu/hayes2.html |title=Hayes Hall |publisher=Ohio Wesleyan University |access-date=January 1, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050920043146/http://admission.owu.edu/hayes2.html |archive-date=September 20, 2005 }}

Approximately 90 non-freshmen students live in Small Living Units (SLUs), which are co-ops united voluntarily to meet shared economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations in democratically controlled houses. The houses allow students to live cooperatively with one another by sharing regularly scheduled house chores, participating in the decision process, and, in some, sharing the cooking duties. Each unit houses a group of 10–17 students, and is organized to promote a common theme, usually indicated by the co-op's name. As of the 2022–2023 academic year, the SLUs consist of The Creative Arts House; The Citizens of the World House; The Sexuality and Gender Equality House; The House of Linguistic Diversity (HOLD); LA CASA; The Tree House; The Service, Engagement, and Leadership House; and The Interfaith House. The university owns these houses; the co-ops, therefore, must follow the university's living policies. The co-ops do, however, elect their own members and do not have resident advisers or faculty in residence like other on-campus residence halls. They have a House Moderator who is selected by Residential Life and undergoes the same training as a resident advisor. At the end of each calendar year, every existing and potential co-op must submit a house proposal describing its plans for theme promotion for the next academic year. The University Housing office places co-ops in houses every year on a competitive basis.{{cite web | url = http://connect2.owu.edu/ourtown/95.php | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060901174509/http://connect2.owu.edu/ourtown/95.php| archive-date=September 1, 2006| title = SLUSH is Here: Apply to your Favorite SLU | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = January 5, 2007}} In addition the school offers Theme Houses, which do not have to go through the renewal process. They include the Honors House (HoHo) and House of Black Culture.

Off-campus housing is available only to students residing in Delaware, Ohio while living with their spouse or direct family; 17 percent of students live off-campus.{{cite web | url = http://reslife.owu.edu/housing.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060901203805/http://reslife.owu.edu/housing.htm | archive-date = September 1, 2006 | title = Housing Options | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = December 1, 2006}}{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/brief/drlife_3109_brief.php |title=Campus Housing |publisher=U.S. News & World Report |access-date=December 3, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060823191900/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/brief/drlife_3109_brief.php |archive-date=August 23, 2006 }} Most students assert Ohio Wesleyan's policy of off-campus housing as one of the "worst things" about Ohio Wesleyan.{{cite web | url = http://www.collegeprowler.com/guide.asp/1427402604/index.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061101191135/http://www.collegeprowler.com/guide.asp/1427402604/index.html | archive-date = November 1, 2006 | title = Students tell it like it is | publisher = College Prowler Guide Book | access-date = December 3, 2006}}

{{Main|Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops}}

File:Selby Field entrance.jpg is home to OWU's football, lacrosse, and field hockey teams.]]

Ohio Wesleyan participates in the NCAA's Division III as a member of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Known as the Battling Bishops, Ohio Wesleyan competes in 25 varsity men's and women's sports. The newest sports, men's wrestling and women's rowing, begin competition during the 2018–2019 academic year.{{cite web|url=https://battlingbishops.com/news/2017/2/22/GEN_02222017.aspx?path=general|title=Ohio Wesleyan to Add Men's Wrestling, Women's Rowing|website=BattlingBishops.com|publisher=Ohio Wesleyan University|access-date=December 22, 2017}} The official school colors are red and black.{{cite web | url = http://bishops.owu.edu/info.html| title = Quick Facts | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = October 17, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070520054756/http://bishops.owu.edu/info.html|archive-date=May 20, 2007}}

Formal athletics at the college date to 1875, when the first football teams were organized to play against other institutions. In the late 1880s, Ohio Wesleyan had perhaps the strongest amateur baseball team in the state of Ohio behind the pitching of Phil "Lefty" Saylor. The school joined the Ohio Athletic Conference in 1902. In 1983, Ohio Wesleyan joined with nine other colleges in Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania to create the North Coast Athletic Conference.{{cite web|url=http://www.northcoast.org/ncacintropage.html |title=About NCAC |publisher=NCAC |access-date=October 31, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061111230313/http://www.northcoast.org/ncacintropage.html |archive-date=November 11, 2006 }} The NCAC seeks to bring together a group of liberal arts institutions that value the primacy of the academic mission over the athletic one.

Massa, Robert J. [http://www.collegenews.org/x2680.xml "College Athletics: The Tail Wagging the Dog?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121170323/http://www.collegenews.org/x2680.xml |date=November 21, 2010 }} College News (June 24, 2003). Retrieved on June 21, 2006.

The men's lacrosse, golf and soccer teams are the most historically successful of the varsity teams, and soccer is the university's most intently followed sport.{{cite web|url=http://bishops.owu.edu/history.html |title=Ohio Wesleyan All-Americans |publisher=Ohio Wesleyan University |access-date=October 31, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061013181005/http://bishops.owu.edu/history.html |archive-date=October 13, 2006 }}{{cite web | url = http://alumni.owu.edu/lax.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060920091241/http://alumni.owu.edu/lax.html | archive-date = September 20, 2006 | title = Ohio Wesleyan LAX Alumni | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = October 31, 2006}} For seven of the last twelve years, Ohio Wesleyan has won the NCAC conference All-Sports Trophy for excellence in both women's and men's sports.{{cite web|url=http://www.northcoast.org/all-sports/allsports.html |title=NCAC All-Sports Competition |publisher=NCAC |access-date=November 4, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060907093331/http://www.northcoast.org/all-sports/allsports.html |archive-date=September 7, 2006 }} In the Sears Director's Cup standings, OWU is among the top 25 overall collegiate athletics programs in the country.{{cite web | url = http://www.nescac.com/Releases/Williams_SearsCup03.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061129220914/http://www.nescac.com/Releases/Williams_SearsCup03.htm | archive-date = November 29, 2006 | title = Williams Wins Fifth NACDA Directors Cups in a Row | publisher = NESCAC | access-date = November 4, 2006}} Because of the North Coast Athletic Association athletic agreement, the university is not permitted to offer academic scholarships for athletic recruiting.{{cite web | url = http://bay-village-ohio.com/ncac/content.html | title = Broadening the Playing Field for Collegiate Athletics | publisher = The Bay Village Community Advocate| access-date = June 21, 2006|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071009095030/http://bay-village-ohio.com/ncac/content.html |archive-date = October 9, 2007|url-status=dead}}

Ohio Wesleyan has won five NCAA Division III Championships, including men's basketball (1988), men's soccer (1998 and 2011), and women's soccer (2001 and 2002). In addition, Ohio Wesleyan's varsity athletic teams have been NCAC champions over 100 times, leading the Denison Big Red and the Kenyon Owls.{{cite web|url=http://www.northcoast.org/champions.html |title=Championship Totals |publisher=NCAC |access-date=November 4, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060909162424/http://northcoast.org/champions.html |archive-date=September 9, 2006 }}

The nickname The Battling Bishops dates to 1925. This is also the name of the university's mascot, The Battling Bishop. Due to its ironic name, the mascot has been listed as one of the weirdest college mascots.{{cite news | first = C.K. | last = Binswanger | title = Let's Go, Slugs!

| work = Newsweek | page = 8 |date= September 8, 1997}} Due to its red robe, The Battling Bishop looks actually like a Cardinal.{{cite web | url = http://owuannualfund.blogspot.com/| title = A Smiling What...!?! | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = November 4, 2006}} Before 1925, Ohio Wesleyan's teams were referred to as "The Red and Black" and "The Methodists". Many schools, including several other Methodist ones, also claimed crimson and black as their colors, so the university decided to change the name.{{cite web|url=http://bishops.owu.edu/hist2.html |title=1925 |publisher=Ohio Wesleyan University |access-date=November 4, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202081429/http://bishops.owu.edu/hist2.html |archive-date=February 2, 2007 }} File:OWUDenison2.jpg

Ohio Wesleyan maintains athletic rivalries with other NCAC institutions. The men's lacrosse team has a historic rivalry with the Denison Big Red, the football team with the Wittenberg Tigers, the soccer team with the Kenyon Owls, and the field hockey team with the Oberlin Yeomen.{{cite web|url=http://www.northcoast.org/champions.html |title=NCAC Champions |publisher=NCAC |access-date=November 4, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060909162424/http://northcoast.org/champions.html |archive-date=September 9, 2006 }} Both Denison and Ohio Wesleyan issued alerts to their fans specifically for the OWU-Denison lacrosse game about unsportsmanlike behavior and profanity.{{cite web | url = http://www.denison.edu/athletics/db/site/newsreleases/ml/20060323_1840.html| title = Denison Tops OWU in Overtime | publisher = Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation | access-date = March 23, 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060613095209/http://denison.edu/athletics/db/site/newsreleases/ml/20060323_1840.html |archive-date = June 13, 2006}}

In addition to the school's varsity athletics, club sports teams, including ultimate Frisbee, chess, indoor hockey, cricket, rugby, ski, and scuba, have been organized as student organizations under the auspices of the Office of Student Activities. Ohio Wesleyan's intramural program includes 16 sports. Sports such as skiing, squash, and water polo have been offered, as well as a sports trivia competition.{{cite web | url = http://www.fastweb.com/fastweb/colleges/view_ohio_wesleyan_university_7951| title = Ohio Wesleyan University| publisher = FastWeb College Guide|access-date = November 4, 2006}}

"Oh we're from dear old Wesleyan" is Ohio Wesleyan University's primary fight song. The song's lyrics were written in 1914 by Chass Cupett '1916.{{cite web | title = The Ohio Wesleyan Fight Song | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | url = http://campus.owu.edu/hand-b01.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060901154128/http://campus.owu.edu/hand-b01.html | archive-date = September 1, 2006| access-date = October 17, 2006}}

{{Main|List of Ohio Wesleyan University presidents}}

{{see also|Mark Huddleston}}

File:Slocum Library, Ohio Wesleyan University.jpg

Under the charter granted by the State of Ohio, the board of trustees possesses the legal authority to operate the college. The charter and bylaws stipulate a board of 34 trustees, of whom one is the president. In general, it is the board that elects the president. Since Ohio Wesleyan's beginnings, sixteen people have held the title of president, and a few have served as interim president. Former presidents include lawyers, literary scholars, politicians, executives, and clergymen.Tull, pp. 26–29.

After several disagreements between Huddleston and the Ohio Wesleyan administration,

[http://alumni.owu.edu/facultyforum/071004_RustyMcClure.html Faculty and Staff Forum] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825062027/http://alumni.owu.edu/facultyforum/071004_RustyMcClure.html |date=August 25, 2012 }}. Faculty and Staff Forum (October 20, 2007). Retrieved on June 2, 2006

Huddleston accepted a position as president of the University of New Hampshire and left Ohio Wesleyan on June 30, 2007, giving him the second shortest presidency, behind David Lockmiller, 1959–1961. On May 29, 2007, the appointment of current university provost Dr. David O. Robbins as interim president was unanimously endorsed by OWU's board of trustees. Dr. Robbins' term as Interim President began on July 1, 2007.[http://news.owu.edu/2007/20070529-robbins.html David O. Robbins Named Interim President of Ohio Wesleyan University]. Recent News Releases (May 29, 2007). Retrieved on June 2, 2006.

On December 17, 2007, Dr. Rockwell "Rock" Jones was elected to serve as the 16th president of Ohio Wesleyan University.

[http://www.owu.edu/presidentialSearch/ Ohio Wesleyan University Names Rock Jones, Ph.D., as 16th President] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213083744/http://www.owu.edu/presidentialSearch/ |date=February 13, 2012 }}=. Presidential Search (December 17, 2007). Retrieved on December 19, 2007.

Dr. Jones' inauguration ceremony took place on October 10, 2008, in Ohio Wesleyan's Gray Chapel, in University Hall.

{{Main|List of Ohio Wesleyan University people}}

Ohio Wesleyan alumni are active in several annual events, organizations, and initiatives. The events and associations with significant alumni involvement are Homecoming, 'W' Association, and A/PART (the alumni admission team). For the 2005–2006 fiscal year, Ohio Wesleyan's alumni giving rate was 35%.{{cite web|url=http://www.owu.edu/about.html#alumni |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061210031838/http://www.owu.edu/about.html |archive-date=December 10, 2006 |title=Alumni |publisher=Ohio Wesleyan University |access-date=December 3, 2006 |url-status=dead }} A number of the school's alumni have made notable contributions in the fields of government, law, academia, business, arts, journalism, and athletics, among others.

In academia, Frank Sherwood Rowland (class of 1948) won the 1995 Nobel Prize for chemistry for his research on the depletion of the Earth's ozone layer. Ezra Vogel (1950) is a prominent author on China-Japan issues and was the director of Harvard's Fairbank Center for East Asian Research from 1995 to 1999.{{cite web|url=http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~rijs/people/faculty/e_vogel.html |title=Ezra F. Vogel |publisher=Harvard University |access-date=December 3, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061008230209/http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~rijs/people/faculty/e_vogel.html |archive-date=October 8, 2006 }} William Hsiao (1963) is an economist in the field of international health at Harvard,{{cite web | url = http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/faculty/WilliamHsiao.html|title = William Hsiao|publisher = Harvard University|access-date = December 3, 2006| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061016020202/http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/faculty/WilliamHsiao.html| archive-date = October 16, 2006}} and the designer of a landmark study to examine the United States' system of reimbursing physicians for medical services. Dennis R. Appleyard (1961) is the author of an international economics textbook.{{cite web | url = http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072877375/information_center_view0/ | title = International Economics | publisher = McGraw-Hill Higher Education | access-date = December 3, 2006}}

Image:Charles Fairbanks photo portrait seated.jpg|{{center|Charles Fairbanks }}

Image:Frank Sherwood Rowland (black and white).jpg|{{center|Frank Sherwood Rowland }}

Image:Kheli.jpg|{{center|Shirin R. Tahir-Kheli }}

Image:Branch Rickey (1914 baseball card).jpg|{{center|Branch Rickey }}

Image:Norman Vincent Peale NYWTS.jpg|Norman Vincent Peale

In politics, Kathryn Barger serves as Los Angeles County's Fifth District Supervisor; Barger graduated in 1983.{{cite web |title=Kathryn Barger - Los Angeles County Supervisor |url=https://scvhistory.com/scvhistory/lw3109.htm |website=SCVHistory.com |access-date=February 10, 2021}} John Wesley Hoyt (1849) was the third Governor of the Wyoming Territory.{{cite web| url=http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=2290&term_type_id=1&term_type_text=people&letter=H|title= Term: Hoyt, John Wesley 1831 – 1912|publisher=Wisconsin Historical Society |access-date=July 20, 2012}} Charles Fairbanks (1872) was the 26th Vice-President of the United States.{{cite web | url = https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/resources/pdf/charles_fairbanks.pdf | title = Vice Presidents of the United States (PDF) | publisher = U.S. Government Printing Office | access-date = December 5, 2006}} Jo Ann Emerson (1972) served as a U.S. Representative from Missouri.{{cite web|url = http://www.house.gov/emerson/about/|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061202205852/http://www.house.gov/emerson/about/|archive-date = December 2, 2006| title = U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson|publisher = U.S. House of Representatives|access-date = December 5, 2006}} Arthur Flemming (1927) was a Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, was known for his commitment to civil rights,[http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,864320,00.html "A Pro for HEW".] TIME, (May 19, 1958). Retrieved on December 22, 2006. was the recipient of two Presidential Medals of Freedom, and served as president of University of Oregon, Ohio Wesleyan University, and Macalester College. Lucy Webb Hayes (1853), wife of U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes, was the first woman to be called First Lady, and the first First Lady to hold a college degree.{{cite web|url=http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/haye-luc.htm |title=Lucy Ware Webb Hayes |publisher=Women in History |access-date=December 3, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060930183809/http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/haye-luc.htm |archive-date=September 30, 2006 }}

Notable journalists and media personalities include Frank Stanton (1930), a president of CBS known for supporting broadcast journalism before Congress; Byron Pitts (1982), a national correspondent for CBS News;{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/10/09/broadcasts/main524933.shtml |title=Byron Pitts |publisher=CBS News |access-date=December 12, 2006 |date=October 9, 2002 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060914142715/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/10/09/broadcasts/main524933.shtml |archive-date=September 14, 2006 }} Wendie Malick (1972), an Emmy-nominated actress known for her role on the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me! and now as "Victoria Chase" on the TV Land sitcom "Hot in Cleveland";Lewisohn, Mark. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/j/justshootme_999060905.shtml "Just Shoot Me".] British Broadcasting Service, (no date given). Retrieved on December 3, 2006. Melvin Van Peebles (1953), an actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, and composer; Patricia Wettig (1974), the actress who plays vice president Caroline Richards on Prison Break; and Clark Gregg (1984), the actor playing Richard in The New Adventures of Old Christine with Julia Louis-Dreyfus.{{cite web| url = http://www.cbs.com/primetime/old_christine/bios/clark_gregg_bio.shtml| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070104180505/http://www.cbs.com/primetime/old_christine/bios/clark_gregg_bio.shtml| archive-date = January 4, 2007 | title = The New Adventures of Old Christine | publisher = CBS |access-date = January 6, 2007}}

Numerous Ohio Wesleyan alumni have been associated with social justice. Branch Rickey (1904) was a baseball manager and executive known for signing Jackie Robinson as the first African-American in Major League Baseball.{{cite web | url = http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/hofer_bios/Rickey_Branch.htm | title = Branch Rickey | publisher = National Baseball Hall of Fame | access-date = October 15, 2006|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061004194924/http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/hofer_bios/Rickey_Branch.htm |archive-date = October 4, 2006|url-status=dead}} Another graduate, Mary King (1962), worked alongside the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the U.S. civil rights movement when she was a young student, and was a member of the staff of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).{{cite web | url = http://news.owu.edu/2004/mlk.html| title = Mary King | publisher = Ohio Wesleyan University | access-date = December 7, 2006}} Rev. Norman Vincent Peale (1920) was the author of The Power of Positive Thinking and the winner of a Presidential Medal of Freedom for his theological contributions.{{cite web | url = http://www.nndb.com/honors/482/000045347/ | title = Presidential Medal of Freedom|publisher = NNDB|access-date = January 2, 2007}} Others found fame in other forms: Mildred Elizabeth Sisk (aka Axis Sally) was the first American woman to be tried and sentenced for treason, convicted of broadcasting for Nazi Germany during World War II. In 1917, she majored in dramatic arts, but did not graduate due to her failure to meet all university requirements. After serving a 12-year sentence, Sisk returned to OWU, where she received a bachelor's degree in speech in 1973.{{cite web | url = http://www.historynet.com/mildred-elizabeth-sisk-american-born-axis-sally.htm | title = Mildred Elizabeth Sisk: American-Born Axis Sally | date = June 12, 2006 | publisher = Weider History Group | access-date = January 2, 2007}} James J. Nance an Ohio born industrialist who became president of Hot-Point and later the Studebaker-Packard Corporation. He became chief executive of the Central National Bank of Cleveland, chairman of the executive committee of Montgomery Ward and chairman of the board of trustees of the Cleveland State University.

{{Reflist}}

• Adams, I. & S. Ostrander (2002). Ohio: A Bicentennial Portrait. San Francisco, CA: Browntrout Publishers. {{ISBN|0-7631-5590-X}}
• Burtchaell, James (1998). The Dying of the Light. Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. {{ISBN|0-8028-3828-6}}
• College Prowler (2006). Ohio Wesleyan University: Off the Record. Pittsburgh, PA: College Prowler. {{ISBN|1-4274-0260-4}}
• Ehrlich, Thomas (1988). Civic Responsibility and Higher Education. Washington, DC: American Council on Education Oryx Press Series on Higher Education. {{ISBN|1-57356-289-0}}
• Hubbart, Henry (1944). Ohio Wesleyan's First Hundred Years. Delaware, OH: Ohio Wesleyan University. {{OCLC|785302}}
• Murchland, Bernard (1991). The History of Ohio Wesleyan University from 1942 to 1992. Delaware, OH: Ohio Wesleyan University. {{ISBN|0-9630909-1-7}}
• Taylor, James M. (1991). Before Vassar Opened: A Contribution to the History of the Higher Education of Women in America. Boston, MA: Ayer Co Pub {{ISBN|0-8369-6786-0}}
• Tull, Barbara Mitchell (1991). 150 Years of Excellence: A Pictorial View of Ohio Wesleyan University. Delaware, OH: Ohio Wesleyan University {{ISBN|0-9630909-0-9}}
• U.S. News & World Report (2005). U.S. News Ultimate College Guide. New York: Sourcebooks {{ISBN|1-4022-0292-X}}
• Vellela, Tony (1988). New Voices: Student Political Activism in the '80s and '90s. Cambridge, MA: South End Press. {{ISBN|0-89608-341-1}}
• White, E.E. (1876). A History of Education in the State of Ohio. Columbus, OH: Authority of the General Assembly. {{ISBN|1-4255-5021-5}}
• Williams, W.G. (1894). Fifty Years of History of the Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, 1844–1894. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Print. and Pub. Co {{OCLC|2672685}}
• Windmeyer, S.(2006). The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students. Boston, MA: Alyson Publications, Inc. {{ISBN|1-55583-857-X}}

• Pope, Loren. Colleges That Change Lives , Penguin Group, 2000, {{ISBN|0-14-029616-6}}
• Easterbrook, Gregg. (October 2004). "[https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2004/10/who-needs-harvard/303521/ Who Needs Harvard?]", The Atlantic Monthly

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