Eastern Mennonite University

Infobox University
name = Eastern Mennonite University


motto = Serve and Lead
established = 1917
type = Private
affiliation = Mennonite Church USA
president =Loren E. Swartzendruber
faculty = 145
undergrad = 998
postgrad = 336
city = Harrisonburg
state = VA
country = USA
colors = White and Royal Blue
nickname = Royals
mascot = Lion
athletics = NCAA Division III, Old Dominion Athletic Conference
16 teams
website = [http://www.emu.edu/ www.emu.edu]

Eastern Mennonite University is a private Christian liberal arts college in Harrisonburg, Virginia affiliated with Mennonite Church USA. The 97 acre campus is located in the Shenandoah Valley, near the Blue Ridge Mountains. Eastern Mennonite Seminary (EMS) is the graduate theological division of EMU. [ [http://www.emu.edu/seminary/ Eastern Mennonite Seminary at EMU] ] EMU is also home to the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP). [ [http://www.emu.edu/cjp/ Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at EMU] ]

History

Eastern Mennonite College was founded in 1917 as a Bible academy to "provide a setting for young men and women of the Mennonite Church to deepen their biblical faith, study the liberal arts and gain specific skills in a variety of professions."cite web|url=http://www.emu.edu/history.html|title=A History of Eastern Mennonite University|publisher=EMU|accessdate=2007-12-24] In 1947, the baccalaureate degree program was approved by the state of Virginia. Regional accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools was achieved in 1959. In 1965, a seminary was added, "established with its formal name and an acting dean."cite web|url=http://www.emu.edu/seminary/catalog/history.html|title=Eastern Mennonite Seminary - Catalog- History|publisher=EMU|accessdate=2007-12-24] In 1994, however, Eastern Mennonite College and Seminary were renamed Eastern Mennonite University.

Eastern Mennonite was one of the first two white institutions of higher education in the former Confederacy to admit an African American student. cite web|url=http://www.eightyone.info/?p=304|title=EMU & Integration|publisher=eightyone|accessdate=2008-04-08]

Academics

EMU's current undergraduate programs include 37 majors and 35 minors. Students are required to participate in cross-cultural study. 95 percent of EMU graduates who applied to medical school in the past five years were accepted (compared to national average of 46 percent). Acceptance rate for all health sciences — veterinary school, dental, etc. — is 89 percent. [ [http://www.emu.edu/admissions/emuprofile.html EMU About webpage] ]

Eastern Mennonite Seminary is a graduate division of Eastern Mennonite University. The seminary has been accredited by the Association of Theological Schools since 1986. In addition to the Mennonite Church, it is approved as an institution for the training of candidates for ordination in the United Methodist Church. [ [http://www.emu.edu/seminary/catalog/methodist.html The Methodist Connection] ] In addition to its graduate theological division, EMU offers graduate programs in counseling, conflict transformation, education, and business administration.

The Center for Justice and Peacebuilding hosts the Summer Peacebuilding Institute each summer. Each year about 200 people from some 45 countries come to learn about building networks of peace.Fact|date=July 2007

tudent life

Students "do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God" (Micah 6:8). Close to half are non-Mennonite and some from other faiths, such as Islam and Hinduism. [ [http://www.emu.edu/general/at_emu What is a Mennonite? - What to Expect at Eastern Mennonite University] ] Like many intentionally-Christian colleges, EMU expects a community lifestyle commitment. [ [http://www.emu.edu/president/communitylifestylecommitment.html EMU Lifestyle Commitment Online] ]

"EMU emphasizes a balance between academic achievement and athletic accomplishment." [ [http://www.emu.edu/athletics/philosophy/ EMU Athletics Philosophy Online] ] EMU's sports teams are known as the Royals, and EMU competes as NCAA Division III, a member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Sports include basketball, volleyball, soccer, baseball, softball, and track and field (indoor and outdoor).

EMU has an intramural sports program dedicated to providing students and faculty an opportunity to play team or individual sports against their peers in friendly competitions. Volleyball and indoor soccer are the most popular intramural sports offered, with at least 20 teams per season. In each sport, there is an A league (former and current varsity and people who play a lot and are more competitive) and a B league (no varsity players, more relaxed and less competitive). At the end of each season, a tournament determines the champion. The prize is a t-shirt. [ [http://www.emu.edu/studentlife/recsports/intramurals.html Intramurals website] ]

References

External links

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