William Jewell College

Infobox University
name=William Jewell College
motto= Deo Fisus Labora (Trust in God, Work)

established=1849
type=Private, liberal arts college
president=Dr. David Sallee
city=Liberty| state=Missouri
country=U.S.
undergrad=1,274
postgrad=None
postgrad_label=graduate students
faculty=
campus=Suburban
mascot= Cardinal
website= [http://www.jewell.edu/ www.jewell.edu]

William Jewell College is a private, four-year liberal arts college of 1,274 undergraduate students located in Liberty, Missouri, U.S. It was founded in 1849 by members of the Missouri Baptist Convention and other civic leaders which included Robert James, a Baptist minister and father of the infamous Frank and Jesse James of the James Gang. It was associated with the Missouri Baptist Convention for over 150 years, and it has a large collection of materials from Baptist history. Well respected in its field, Jewell was chosen by Time Magazine as its 2001 "Liberal Arts College of the Year". [ [http://www.jewell.edu/william_jewell/gen/william_and_jewell_generated_pages/Office_of_the_President_p393.html William Jewell College - Office of the President] ] The school maintained ties to the Missouri Baptist Convention until severing them over a dispute concerning evolution [ [http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/news/2003/MO/605_william_jewell_college_upholds_8_8_2003.asp William Jewell College Upholds Evolution - National Center for Science Education - August 8, 2003] ] and homosexuality [ [http://atheism.about.com/b/a/043002.htm Missouri Baptists Defund College ] ] in 2003.

History

Founding

The college is named after Dr. William Jewell, who in 1849 donated $10,000 to start a Baptist school. It was the first four-year men's college west of the Mississippi River. Jewell, who was from Columbia, Missouri, had wanted the school built in Boonville, Missouri. However, Liberty resident Alexander William Doniphan argued that donated undeveloped land in Liberty would be more valuable than the proposed developed land in Boonville, and Liberty was eventually chosen. Judge J.T.V. Thompson donated the hilltop land on which the campus sits. In the American Civil War during the Battle of Liberty, the main building on campus, Jewell Hall, was used as a hospital, infirmary, and stables for the United States Army. Union troops were buried on the campus. After the war, two sons of co-founder Robert James, Jesse James and Frank James, staged the first daylight bank robbery at the Clay County Savings Association four blocks west of the campus the James-Younger gang inadvertently killed George Wymore, a student who was across the street from the bank.

Gano Chapel

In 1926, the John Gano chapel was built, based on a donation from Gano's great-granddaughter, [The William Jewell website says she was Gano’s granddaughter. The "Time" magazine article says she was Gano’s great-granddaughter] Elizabeth Price, who lived in Kansas City. Price gave the money for the chapel with provisions that the chapel be named for Gano, that the school take over maintenance of the Gano family cemetery between Liberty and Excelsior Springs, and that it hang a painting of Gano baptizing George Washington in the Potomac River during the American Revolutionary War.

The painting has generated controversy over whether the event actually occurred, discussed in the September 5, 1932, issue of "Time". [ [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,744297,00.html Washington's Baptism - TIME ] ] Washington was baptized as a child into the Episcopal Church and worshiped at Episcopalian churches. Gano was a chaplain in the Continental Army during the war. According to the "Time" article, Washington one day went to Gano, was also the founding minister of the First Baptist Church in the City of New York, and proclaimed:

I have been investigating the Scripture, and I believe immersion to be baptism taught in the Word of God, and I demand it at your hands. I do not wish any parade made or the army called out, but simply a quiet demonstration of the ordinance.

He was then baptized in the Potomac River in front of forty-two witnesses. The painting was commissioned in 1908 by E. T. Sanford of Manhattan's North Church and hung in a Baptist Church in Asbury Park, New Jersey, until 1926 when it was donated to William Jewell. The official William Jewell website takes no stance on the controversy noting “William Jewell College does not own affidavits discussing the baptism.” [ [http://www.jewell.edu/william_jewell/gen/partee_center_generated_pages/Genealogy_m30.html Genealogy ] ]

Other Gano artifacts in the chapel include a painting depicting Gano leading the troops in a prayer of Thanksgiving in 1783 at the conclusion of the Revolutionary war and a sword that Washington was said to have given Gano (which in turn had been given to Washington by Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette).

Recent history

According to the school's website, Luciano Pavarotti made his international recital debut at the campus in 1973. Perspiring before the debut, he asked for a handkerchief and only a white dinner napkin could be found. The napkin has become a signature part of Pavarotti's act ever since. [ [http://www.jewell.edu/william_jewell/gen/william_and_jewell_generated_pages/A_Brief_History_m21.html Jewell History ] ] During that time, William Jewell College also played host to the Kansas City Chiefs as their pre-season NFL Training Camp. However, their training camp was moved to River Falls, Wisconsin in 1991. [ [http://www.kcchiefs.com/history/90s/ Kansas City Chiefs - Chiefs History 1990 ] ]

On May 4, 2003, at the height of a debate over whether the Missouri Baptist Convention should continue to fund the school, an F2 tornado that was part of the May 2003 tornado outbreak sequence hit the campus damaging virtually every building ripping roofs off dormitories and separating the landmark clock tower from the chapel. Considerable damage was also done to the campus radio station, KWJC, 91.9 FM. Although damage is estimated at between $15 and $20 million, nobody at the school was killed or injured. The Baptist Convention followed through on its threat and pulled the financing. Nonetheless, classes resumed the next fall with the school relying on other private sources.

Its library included at one time the 5,103 volume library of the Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon. The college bought the library from Spurgeon's estate for £500 in 1906. [Jewell.edu: [http://campus.jewell.edu/academics/curry/library/collections/spurgeon.html "Charles Haddon Spurgeon Collection"] ] The Collection was sold in 2006 to Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City. [ [http://www.mbts.edu/library/spurgeon_collection.html Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary article on Spurgeon Library] ]

Academic

The college is noted for having an extremely successful debate team. In 2007, the William Jewell debate team of Kevin Garner and Luke Landry defeated a debate team from University of California, Berkeley to win the national championship at the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence. William Jewell College is also known for its distinctive Oxbridge Honors Program.Fact|date=May 2008 Oxbridge majors take tutorials in their major, study abroad in Oxford or Cambridge, and take comprehensive exams during their senior year. The college has also sent many students and professors to the University of Evansville's satellite campus at Harlaxton Manor.

Notable alumni

*Edwin Charles Boulton (A.B., 1950), a Bishop of the United Methodist Church
*Nancy Boyda, Democratic congresswoman from Kansas, 2007—
*Robin Carnahan, Missouri Secretary of State, 2005—
*Chris Cissell (A.B., 1994), head coach of men's soccer & women's soccer at William Jewell College. NSCAA/adidas NAIA Men's National Coach of the Year in 2006. [William Jewell's Cissell Wins National Coach of the Year: [http://www.nscaa.com/articles/20070104200732163.php] ]
*Bill Snyder (A.B., 1962), head American football coach for Kansas State University, 1989–2005
*David Ring, motivational speaker with cerebral palsy
*Terry Teachout, drama critic for the "Wall Street Journal", the music critic of Commentary, and the author of "Sightings," a column about the arts in America
*Donald Marolf, (1987), astrophysicist
*William Spencer, (1954), physicist, Director Xerox PARC, Director Bell Labs, Director Sandia National Laboratories, CEO SEMATECH, Inc.
*Larry Holley, former basketball coach at Central Methodist University and Northwest Missouri State and current head coach at William Jewell College.
*Homer Drew, head basketball coach at Valparaiso University

Athletics

William Jewell College's official mascot is the Cardinal. Its athletic teams compete in the Heart of America Conference of the NAIA. Jewell's basketball team competes as a NAIA Division I school (the NAIA divides the sport into Division I and Division II categories).

Varsity sports

*Football
*Basketball - Men & Women
*Baseball
*Softball
*Willam Jewell College Men's Soccer
*William Jewell College Women's Soccer
*Volleyball - Women
*Track & Field - Men & Women
*Cross Country - Men & Women
*Tennis - Men & Women
*Golf - Men & Women
*Spirit Team - Co-ed

Greek life

Fraternities

*ΚΑ Kappa Alpha Order — [http://www.kappaalphawjc.com/ Alpha Delta Chapter]
*ΛΧΑ Lambda Chi Alpha — [http://www.carpetride.org/ Epsilon-Nu Zeta]
*ΦΓΔ Phi Gamma Delta — [http://www.zetaphiwjc.com/ Zeta Phi Chapter]
*ΣΝ Sigma Nu — [http://www.wjcsigmanu.com/ Beta Xi Chapter]

Sororities

*ΑΔΠ Alpha Delta Pi — [http://www.geocities.com/adpigammanu1949 Gamma Nu Chapter]
*ΑΓΔ Alpha Gamma Delta — [http://www.freewebs.com/jewellalphagam/index.htm Epsilon Epsilon Chapter]
*ΔΖ Delta Zeta — [http://www.geocities.com/zetarho2004 Zeta Rho Chapter]
*ΖΤΑ Zeta Tau Alpha — [http://www.jewell-zta.com/ Delta Chi Chapter]

References

External links

* [http://www.jewell.edu Official website]