Kentucky Wesleyan College

Infobox University
name = Kentucky Wesleyan College


motto = "It's About Success"
established = 1858
type = Private Liberal Arts College
endowment =
president = Dr. Cheryl D. King
city = Owensboro
state = Kentucky
country = USA
students = 956
undergrad =
postgrad =
faculty =
campus = 55 acre (.22 km²) campus near the southern bypass
free_label = Athletics
free = 13 Division II NCAA teams
colors = Purple and Gold
mascot = Panthers
website = [http://www.kwc.edu www.kwc.edu]

Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC) is a private Methodist college in Owensboro, Kentucky. Kentucky Wesleyan College is known for its liberal arts programs. Fall 2007 enrollment was 956 students. [cite web |url=http://www.kwc.edu/about_kwc/kwc_at_a_glance.aspx |title=KWC at a Glance|accessdate=2008-09-10 |work= |publisher=KWC |date=2008 ]

Athletically, Kentucky Wesleyan College is a NCAA Division II school, nicknamed the "Panthers", that is part of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

History

Kentucky Wesleyan College was founded in 1858 by the Kentucky Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It was originally located in Millersburg. Classes began in 1866 and the first commencement took place in 1868. At first, it was a training school for preachers but soon business classes and liberal arts classes were added to the curriculum. In 1890 the school was moved to Winchester and soon after women began to be admitted to the school for the first time. In 1951 the school moved to its present location in Kentucky's third largest city Owensboro.

Presidents of Kentucky Wesleyan College (modern era)

* Rev. Paul Shell Powell, 1937–1950
* John F. Baggett, 1950–1951
* Dr. Oscar W. Lever, 1951–1959
* Dr. Harold P. Hamilton, 1959–1970
* Dr. William James, 1971–1980
* Dr. Luther Wesley White III, 1980–1988
* Dr. Paul Wayne Hartman, 1988–1993
* Dr. Ray Purdom (Acting President) 1993–1994
* Dr. Wesley H. Poling, 1994–2003
* Dr. Anne Cairns Federlein, 2003–2008
* Dr. M. Michael Fagan, 2008
* Dr. Cheryl King '70, 2008–present

Academics

Academics at Kentucky Wesleyan are divided into three academic divisions: Humanities and Fine Arts; Social Sciences; and Natural Sciences.

KWC offers a wide range of academic programs to choose from

Majors include:

Bachelor of Arts
Accounting
Art Education
Biology
Business Administration
Communication Arts
Computer Information
Corporate Communications
English
History
Human Services Administration
Interdisciplinary Studies
Music Industry
Political Science
Psychology
Religion
Sociology
Spanish
Spanish Education (P-12)

Bachelor of Music Degree

Bachelor of Music Education
Music Education Bachelor of Science
Accounting
Biology
Business Administration
Chemistry
Communication Arts
Computer Information Systems
Corporate Communications
Criminal Justice
Elementary Education
Fitness and Sport Management History (with department head’s special permission only)
Human Services Administration
Interdisciplinary Studies
Mathematics
Middle Grades Education
Physical Education
Physical Education P-12
Physics
Psychology
Public Service

Minors include:
Accounting
Art (Graphic Design)
Biology
Business Administration
Chemistry
Christian Ministries
Communication
Computer Information Systems
Criminal Justice
Economics
English
Forensic Science
French
German
History
Mathematics
Military Science
Music
Philosophy
Physics
Political Science
Political Science (Pre-Law)
Psychology
Religion
Sociology
Spanish
Sociology
Zoology

Kentucky Wesleyan also offers Secondary Education Certification in Biology, Chemistry, English, History, and Math

Pre-Professional programs offered by Kentucky Wesleyan College include:Christian Ministry
Pre-Chemical Engineering
Pre-Dentistry
Pre-Engineering
Environmental Science
Pre-Law
Medical Technology
Pre-Medicine/Pre-Veterinary Medicine
Pre-Optometry
Pre-Pharmacy
Pre-Physical Therapy
Pre-Physician Assistant

Student life

Kentucky Wesleyan offers over 40 student organizations on campus. These range from campus ministry, student government, Greek life, academic, and other special interest clubs. Intramurals are also offered on a seasonal basis.

Media and publications

"The Panogram" - Weekly student newspaper
"The Porphyrian" - Yearbook
90.3 WKWC - 5,000 watt FM radio station run by students and volunteers

Greek life

Kentucky Wesleyan has 3 national fraternities and 2 national sororities.

Fraternities

Sigma Alpha Mu

Sigma Nu

Sigma Phi Epsilon

ororities

Kappa Delta

Sigma Kappa

Athletics

Kentucky Wesleyan has a long athletic history, and currently has men's teams competing in baseball, basketball, football, golf, cross country and soccer, and women's teams competing in basketball, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, cross country and volleyball.

Basketball

The KWC men's basketball team has been a powerhouse in NCAA Division II competition for decades. The Panthers advanced to the Division II championship game six consecutive years (1998–2003), winning in 1999 and 2001. In addition to these most recent successes, they also won six other championships (1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1987, and 1990) and were runners-up in 1957. Overall, Kentucky Wesleyan has won eight NCAA Division II National Men's Basketball Championships, which is the most by any NCAA Division II School. Two Kentucky Wesleyan basketball players played in the ABA. Lead by two three time national champions; George Tinsley and Dallas Thorton. Three Kentucky Wesleyan basketball players have played in the National Basketball Association. Kelly Coleman was drafted in the 2nd round, as 11th player overall in the 1961 NBA draft, by the New York Knicks. he played two years for the Knicks, and decided that NBA money was not enough. Sam Smith played two seasons in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks (1978–1979) and the Chicago Bulls (1979–1980). Corey Crowder played two seasons in the NBA for the Utah Jazz (1991–1992) and the San Antonio Spurs (1994–1995) and later played 14 seasons in Italy, Spain, France and Israel. Crowder was a key member of the 1990 NCAA Division II National Championship team. Crowder was a three time All-American performer, newcomer of the year in the GLVC and two-time GLVC "Player of the Year" and the 1991 NABC "Player of The Year" in Division II, which helped get him elected to the Great Lakes Valley Conference Hall of Fame in 2002. Kentucky Wesleyan is a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference and its basketball team frequently represents that conference in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. After coming off probation, the Panthers finished 13–14 in the 2006–2007 season. The past season saw the Panthers return closer to their old status as powerhouse, attaining a record of 24–8 and making the NCAA tournament for a record 34th time. Star center Jeff Fahnbuelleh was named GLVC Player of the Year and Coach Todd Lee was named Coach of the Year.

Football

Kentucky Wesleyan has an American football team, which competes in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Football Conference. The Kentucky Wesleyan College football Panthers joined the conference prior to the 2006 football season. Steele Stadium (Bullet Wilson Field) located on Kentucky Wesleyan's campus is the home of the Kentucky Wesleyan Panther football team. From 1983 to 2003 the Kentucky Wesleyan Football team played their home games at Owensboro area high schools. In 2004, the Panthers began playing their home football games at Bullet Wilson Field, an on campus field completed prior to the 2004 football season. The playing surface at Bullet Wilson Field features field turf, an artificial playing surface. The stadium around the field underwent a major upgrade project following the 2006 season. When the upgrade was completed the home of the Panthers football team was to be known as Steele Stadium (Bullet Wilson Field).
After a 53-year absence, Football returned to Kentucky Wesleyan in 1983. The college's decision to re-establish its football program was announced in December 1982. KWC dropped the football program in 1931 due to financial reasons after having a team from 1907–1930. KWC has had three winning seasons since football returned in 1983 (1993 6–4, 1997 6–4, 1999 7–4). KWC was the 1999 National Champion Runner-Up in NCAA Division II.

Kentucky Wesleyan's Great Lakes Valley Championship teams

Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletic Teams have won eighteen (18) Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships. The Kentucky Wesleyan College Softball Team won three GLVC Championships in the 80s (1984, 1986, and 1989)and in 1994. The KWC Men's Golf Team won the Great Lakes Valley Conference in 1983. Kentucky Wesleyan's Men's Basketball Team has won 13 GLVC Championships.

Notable alumni

* Urban Valentine Williams Darlington - former bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
* G. Lindsey Davis - Bishop of the United Methodist Church
* Stanley Forman Reed - former justice of the United States Supreme Court
* Jody Richards - Speaker of the House, Kentucky House of Representatives
* Roy Hunter Short - former Bishop of The Methodist Church and the United Methodist Church
* A. J. Smith - Executive Vice President and General Manager of the San Diego Chargers
* Benjamin T. Spencer
* Edward Lewis Tullis- former bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South and the United Methodist Church
* Cory Wade - Pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers

References

External links

* [http://kwc.edu/ Official website of Kentucky Wesleyan College ]
* [http://kwc.edu/athsportindex.asp?sport=11 KWC Football Official Site]
* [http://www.glvc.org GLVC Communication]