History
Presidents
| Carl Frederick Kranz |
1871-1874 |
| Phillip Frederick Meusch |
1974-1880 |
| Peter Goebel Peter Goebel was the third president of Elmhurst College. He served in this capacity from 1880 to 1887. He was succeeded by Daniel Irion in 1887. Goebel Hall at Elmhurst College is named in his honor....
|
1880-1887 |
| Daniel Irion |
1887-1919 |
| Herman J. Schick |
1919-1924 |
| Helmut Richard Niebuhr |
1924-1927 |
| Timothy Lehmann |
1928-1948 |
| Henry W. Dinkmeyer |
1948-1957 |
| Robert C. Stanger |
1957-1965 |
| Donald C. Kleckner |
1965-1971 |
| Ivan E. Frick |
1971-1994 |
| Bryant L. Cureton |
1994-2008 |
| S. Alan Ray |
2008-present |
In 1871, Jennie and Thomas Bryan gave land in Elmhurst to the German Evangelical Synod of the Northwest. This land was given for the purpose of establishing a school to prepare young men for the theological seminary and to train teachers for parochial schools, called the Elmhurst Proseminary. The first students, who were all male, studied Latin, Greek, English, German, music, history, geography, mathematics, science, and religion. All classes were taught in German. It wasn't until 1917 that the catalog was published in English. In 1919, the name was changed to the Elmhurst Academy and Junior College, and the expanded curriculum included courses in public speaking, physical education, economics, psychology, and the history of education. In 1923, the school was renamed Elmhurst College and became a four-year college for men. The college seal was designed in the 1920s by Robert Leonhardt, first registrar of the College, who also served as coach of the football team. Women first enrolled in 1930. The school was first accredited in 1934. In 1949, Elmhurst College offered its first part-time classes.
Campus
The campus is 38 acres (154,000 m²) in
Elmhurst, IllinoisElmhurst is a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County, Illinois. The population is 43,298 -History:Members of the Potawatomi Indian tribe, who settled along Salt Creek just south of where the city would develop, are the earliest known settlers of the Elmhurst area. Around 1836, European immigrants...
, a
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...
suburbSuburbs are defined in various different ways around the world. They can be the residential areas of a large city, or separate residential communities within commuting distance of a city. Some suburbs have a degree of political autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city...
. The Accelerator Art space houses a 350,000-volt Cockcroft-Walton particle accelerator. Originally built by Dr. Sam Allison, professor of physics at University of Chicago. It was moved to Elmhurst in the mid-late 1960s and first beam was run in 1973. The accelerator was initially capable of accelerating voltages of 750KeV, but both newer solid state diodes and proximity to the building structure limits the voltage to 350 KeV. The accelerator now shares the building space with the new-age art gallery. A. C. Buehler Library is home to a collection of Chicago Imagist art. Daniels Hall is home to the computer laboratories, the department of mathematics, computer science and information systems, foreign languages and literatures, and geography and environmental planning. The Instructional Media Center, located on the first floor, houses audio-visual material. Daniels Hall also contains several general purpose classrooms, the Gretsch Recording Studio, the weather station, and specialized laboratories. In 2008, it was named after Illinois Representative Lee Daniels. Constructed in 1911 and named for the fourth president, Irion Hall now exclusively houses the music department, and the building's Buik Recital Hall is used for concerts, recitals, and lectures. Kranz Forum is the site of a statue of
Reinhold NiebuhrKarl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr was an American theologian. A Protestant, he is best known for his study of the task of relating the Christian faith to the realities of modern politics and diplomacy...
, a pre-eminent 20th-century theologian and 1910 graduate of Elmhurst College. The statue was sculpted by
Robert BerksRobert Berks is an American sculptor, industrial designer and planner. He has created hundreds of bronze sculptures and monuments including the Mary McLeod Bethune memorial and the Albert Einstein Memorial in Washington, D.C....
. Memorial Hall houses the Deicke Center for Nursing Education. Formerly Memorial Library, this building was erected in 1921 to honor the 900 young men of the Evangelical Synod who lost their lives in World War I. Built in 1878, Old Main is the oldest building on campus. It contains classrooms, art and religion faculty offices, and modern art studios. Old Main is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Academics
Elmhurst College offers
bachelor's degreeA bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for four years, but can range from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
s and
master's degreeA master's degree is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
s. There were approximately 2,670 undergraduate students and 230 graduate students enrolled in Elmhurst College in 2007. . In 2004, the College's Master's program in Industrial/Organizational Psychology was ranked as 5th overall based on student ratings of quality.
Athletics
Elmhurst College is a member of the NCAA Division III
College Conference of Illinois and WisconsinThe College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin is a college athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Its member teams are located in Illinois and Wisconsin...
(CCIW). The Elmhurst Bluejays compete in 18 varsity sports for men and women in
bowling Bowling is a Sport in which players attempt to score points by rolling a bowling ball along a flat surface either into objects called pins or to get close to a target ball. There are many forms of bowling, with one of the most recent being ten-pin bowling and the earliest dating back to ancient...
,
cross country runningCross country running is a sport in which runners compete to complete a course over open or rough terrain. The courses used at these events may include grass, mud, woodlands, and water...
, soccer,
golfGolf is a precision club-and-ball sport, in which competing players , using many types of clubs, attempt to hit balls into each hole on a golf course while employing the fewest number of strokes. Golf is one of the few ball games that does not require a standardized playing area...
,
tennisTennis is a sport played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a strung racquet to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court....
,
volleyball Volleyball is an Olympic team sport in which two teams of 6 players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules...
,
basketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of 5 players try to score points against one another by placing a ball through a
10 foot high hoop under organized rules...
, track and field,
softballSoftball is a team sport popular especially in the United States. It is a direct descendant of baseball. Some key differences between softball and baseball are that softballs are larger than baseballs, and pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand. Softball was invented by George Hancock...
,
footballAmerican football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, and often as Gridiron or Tackle football outside North America, is a competitive team sport known for combining strategy with physical play. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the...
,
wrestlingWrestling is an ancient martial art that uses grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, generally between two people, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
, and
baseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The goal is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond...
. Elmhurst was a member of the
Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceThe Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference was a college athletics conference that existed from 1908 to 1970.- History :At one time the IIAC was a robust league that claimed most of the Illinois institutions of higher education...
from 1925 to 1941. Langhorst field is named in honor of the late Oliver M. Langhorst, class of 1930.
Residence life
The Frick Center houses lounges, dining facilities, a game room, the mailroom, meeting rooms, and radio station
WRSEWRSE is a college radio station in Elmhurst, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago.-Mission:WRSE strives to entertain and inform the Elmhurst College community, plus eastern and central DuPage County, with student-run non-commercial music and talk programs...
(88.7mHz). The offices of the Student Government Association, Union Board, the yearbook, the college newspaper, Student Affairs and Student Activities, the Chaplain's Office, and the Writing Center are in this building. Formerly known as the College Union, this building was renamed in 1994 to honor the College's eleventh president, Dr. Ivan E. Frick, and his wife, Ruth Hudson Frick.
Students who live on campus reside in five residence halls. Dinkmeyer Hall, built in 1956, is named for the eighth president of the College and also houses the drop-in child care center. Niebuhr Hall houses a wellness center, which includes student health services and counseling services. North Hall, opened in 1999, also houses the Brinkmeier Vista Lounge and the School for Advanced Learning as well as conference and meeting facilities. Schick Hall, built in 1922 and expanded in 1967 and 1970, is named for Herman Schick, the fifth president of the college. Stanger Hall, built in 1968, is named for the ninth president of the college. West Hall, opened in fall of 2008, is an all-suite residence hall designed for junior-level students. Residence life no longer allows students of senior credit status to reside in residence halls, unless there are extenuating circumstances. Senior students must find housing in the nearby area or commute from home. The Office of Residence Life can also be found in West Hall.
Traditions
The college hash bell is a large handbell rung at Elmhurst College ceremonies as a reminder of the long history of the College. This is the bell that kept the school on schedule in its early years, and generations of alumni have recalled fondly the loud clanging that woke students in the morning, assembled them for classes and activities, and then called them from their chores to dinner in the evening. One of the earliest Elmhurst catalogs declares: "Life in the institution is regulated entirely by the stroke of the bell." Why it came to be called "the Hash Bell" remains a mystery, although it certainly divided up the day as "hash marks" do a football field, and hash may well have been on the dinner menu all too frequently. The Victory Bell is a large bell located in the corner of Langhorst Field, which is rung by every member of the team, after every victory the Elmhurst College football team brings to the school. The haunted Mill Theatre was acquired by Elmhurst College in the early 1960s. Before becoming the primary theatrical space for the college, it functioned as a paper mill operated by the Hammerschmidt family. During that time, there were numerous deaths that occurred on the property due to the hazardous nature of the facility. To this day there are strange accounts of voices and odd apparitions within the Mill Theatre.
The Leader is the student newspaper,
WRSEWRSE is a college radio station in Elmhurst, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago.-Mission:WRSE strives to entertain and inform the Elmhurst College community, plus eastern and central DuPage County, with student-run non-commercial music and talk programs...
(88.7mHz) is the radio station, the
MiddleWestern Voice (MWV) is the student-run art and literary magazine, and
The Elms is the yearbook.
Elmhurst College is home to six sororities and six fraternities:
Alpha Phi AlphaAlpha Phi Alpha is the first intercollegiate fraternity established by African Americans. Founded on December 4, 1906, on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, Alpha Phi Alpha has initiated over 185,000 men into the organization and has been open to men of all races since 1940...
,
Alpha Phi OmegaAlpha Phi Omega is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses, an active membership of approximately 17,000 students, and over 350,000 alumni members...
,
Alpha Sigma PhiAlpha Sigma Phi Fraternity is a social fraternity with 68 active chapters, colonies, and interest groups. Founded at Yale in 1845, it is the 10th oldest fraternity in the United States....
,
Lambda Chi AlphaLambda Chi Alpha is one of the largest men's general fraternities in North America, by its own count, having initiated more than 270,000 members and held chapters at more than 300 universities. It is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference and was founded by Warren A. Cole,...
,
Phi Beta SigmaPhi Beta Sigma is a predominantly African-American fraternity which was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914. by three young African-American male students. The founders A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse, and Charles I...
, Phi Mu Alpha,
Alpha PhiAlpha Phi fraternity for women founded at Syracuse University on September 18, 1872. Its celebrated Founders Day is October 10. It was the third Greek-letter organization founded for women. In Alpha Phi the Greek letter Phi is pronounced "Fee". It is a common misconception that this...
,
Phi MuPhi Mu is the second oldest female fraternal organization established in the United States. It was founded at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. The organization was founded as the Philomathean Society on January 4, 1852, and announced publicly on March 4 of the same year...
,
Sigma Alpha IotaSigma Alpha Iota , International Music Fraternity. Formed to "uphold the highest ideals of a music education" and "to further the development of music in America", it continues to provide musical and educational resources to its members and the general public. Sigma Alpha Iota is a fraternity for...
,
Sigma Gamma RhoSigma Gamma Rho was founded on the campus of Butler University on November 12, 1922, by seven school teachers in Indianapolis, Indiana...
,
Sigma KappaSigma Kappa is a sorority founded in 1874 at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Sigma Kappa was founded by five women: Mary Caffrey Low Carver, Elizabeth Gorham Hoag, Ida Mabel Fuller Pierce, Frances Elliott Mann Hall and Louise Helen Coburn...
, and
Sigma Lambda GammaSigma Lambda Gamma ' is a sorority founded on April 9, 1990, at the University of Iowa.-History:During the fall of 1989, the foundation of Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority Inc. decided it was important to form an organization that provided empowerment to Latina women and women of all cultural...
.
The Spiritual Life Council is the umbrella organization for all religious student organizations.
Notable persons
Reinhold NiebuhrKarl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr was an American theologian. A Protestant, he is best known for his study of the task of relating the Christian faith to the realities of modern politics and diplomacy...
, a pre-eminent 20th-century theologian, was a 1910 graduate of Elmhurst College.
Ricardo LamasRicardo Alejandro Lamas is an American mixed martial arts fighter. He currently fights as a lightweight in the World Extreme Cagefighting organization. Lamas trains with Team Top Notch in Elmhurst, Illinois. He also trains and serves as an instructor at Overtime MMA in Naperville, Illinois...
, a
WEC-Organizations:* Westinghouse Electric Company, the multinational company supplying nuclear services, fuel, and power plants* Wisconsin Energy Corporation ticker symbol* World Energy Council, a multi-energy international organisation-Sports:...
fighter, is a 2005 graduate.
External links