Alderson Broaddus University (AB) is a
private Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul com ...
university in
Philippi, West Virginia
Philippi ('FILL-uh-pea') is a city in and the county seat of Barbour County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,928 at the 2020 census. In 1861, the city was the site of the Battle of Philippi, known as the "Philippi Races". Alth ...
. It is affiliated with the
American Baptist Churches USA
The American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) is a mainline/evangelical Baptist Christian denomination within the United States. The denomination maintains headquarters in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The organization is usually considered mainli ...
. It was formed in 1932 as Alderson–Broaddus College by the union of two Baptist institutions: Alderson Academy (founded 1901) and Broaddus Institute (founded 1871; moved to Philippi, 1909). The school adopted its current name in 2013.
The university's academics are organized into five academic divisions: Education and Special Programs, Health Sciences, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences. It was the first college in West Virginia to offer a four-year degree in nursing and the first in the country to offer a four-year
physician assistant degree.
History
Alderson Broaddus University derives its name from the merging of two Baptist institutions in 1932. The older of the two, Broaddus Institute, was founded in
Winchester,
Virginia, in 1871 by
Edward Jefferson Willis, a Baptist minister who named the new school after Rev.
William Francis Ferguson Broaddus, a prominent Baptist minister at the time of the
American Civil War. In response to economic hard times, Broaddus Institute was moved across the
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range (; also spelled Alleghany or Allegany), informally the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the Eastern United States and Canada and posed a significant barrier to land travel in less devel ...
to
Clarksburg, West Virginia
Clarksburg is a city in and the county seat of Harrison County, West Virginia, United States, in the north-central region of the state. The population of the city was 16,039 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Clarksburg mic ...
, in 1876. The college was moved again to the small town of Philippi in 1909. In 1917 it became Broaddus College and Academy.
The other institution,
Alderson Academy, was founded in
Alderson, West Virginia
Alderson is a town in Greenbrier County, Greenbrier and Monroe County, West Virginia, Monroe counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, on both sides of the Greenbrier River. The population was 975 at the 2020 census.
History
Alderson is a c ...
, in 1901 by
Emma C. Alderson, a committed Baptist laywoman. Designed as a home school, it provided academic work in
classics
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classi ...
, sciences and
normal studies. Originally supported by the Greenbrier Baptist Church, control was assumed by the
West Virginia Baptist Association in 1910.
As the years passed, Broaddus became a junior college, then a senior college—first granting
baccalaureate degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
s in 1926—and Alderson Academy also added junior college status. Financial hardship in the late 1920s led to a decision to merge the two colleges, which shared common missions and outlooks as Baptist and liberal arts institutions; the merged institution, Alderson Broaddus College, opened its doors in 1932. Since its founding, Alderson Broaddus has been committed to a strong liberal arts education that seeks to imbue students with an appreciation of literature and the arts, Christian faith, music, and the sciences. In more recent times, the college has focused on developing programs in the natural and applied sciences as well. In 1945, Alderson Broaddus developed the first four-year
nursing and the first
radiologic technology programs in West Virginia.
A portion of the physical assets of
Storer College, a
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have of ...
Baptist college founded in 1865 in
Harpers Ferry
Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia. It is located in the lower Shenandoah Valley. The population was 285 at the 2020 census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, where the U.S. stat ...
, were transferred to Alderson Broaddus in 1964 and used to fund the “Storer Scholarship” given annually to an African-American students..
In 1968, the college pioneered the nation's first four-year
physician assistant (PA) program, an innovation that has had significant influence on the development of the PA profession nationwide. From this program emerged in 1991 the college's first graduate degree offering, the Physician Assistant Master's program.
In 2011, the college chose Richard Creehan as president. Creehan embarked on a plan to expand the college and the institution has since increased enrollment by over 600 students, expanded the athletic department, and added many new academic programs. In 2013, the college's Board of Governors renamed the institution Alderson Broaddus University. That same year, the institution matriculated the largest incoming freshman class in school history.
In June 2019, the Higher Learning Commission issued a public notice because it determined that the institution was at risk of becoming out of compliance with the commission's standards for accreditation in five areas. The commission will reevaluate the college in 2021 to determine if it meets accreditation standards.
[https://www.hlcommission.org/download/_PublicDisclosureNotices/20190708%20PDN%20Alderson%20Broaddus%20On%20Notice.pdf ]
Campus
The university is located on a campus with approximately 1100 students. The campus occupies a rolling hilltop overlooking the
Tygart Valley River
The Tygart Valley River — also known as the Tygart River — is a principal tributary of the Monongahela River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed Aug ...
and the community of Philippi, with its county courthouse, church spires and the historic
Philippi Covered Bridge
The Philippi Covered Bridge, on the Tygart Valley River, is the main local landmark and historical icon of Philippi, West Virginia, USA.
The celebrated bridge was commissioned by the General Assembly of Virginia and constructed in 1852 by ...
, used by both Confederate and Union troops during the first land battle of the Civil War. The campus includes seven residence halls, the old Broaddus Hospital, a student center and cafeteria, an arena that houses the basketball, swimming, wrestling, and acrobatics and tumbling programs, tennis courts, a grass field used for intramural sports, a state of the art stadium that houses the football, lacrosse, and soccer teams, six academic buildings, a library, and a chapel.
The oldest extant building on the campus,
Whitescarver Hall (circa 1911), was named for
George M. Whitescarver of
Pruntytown, WV. The
Classical Revival
Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...
building was designed by the architectural firm of
Holmboe and Lafferty and was placed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
Student life
AB is home to a big Greek community, with three local fraternities (Sigma Delta Nu, Epsilon Tau Eta Sigma, and Lambda Omega Mu), three local sororities (Lambda Sigma Phi, Phi Kappa Delta, and Zeta Eta Theta), one national sorority (
Sigma Alpha Iota
Sigma Alpha Iota () is a women's music fraternity. Formed to "uphold the highest standards of music" and "to further the development of music in America and throughout the world", it continues to provide musical and educational resources to its m ...
), and one national fraternity (
Kappa Alpha Psi).
Residence life
The campus has seven different dorms for students to live in. All housing options are co-ed.
The seven dorms are: Priestley Hall, Benedum Hall, Kincaid Hall, Battler Hall, and Blue, Gold and University (BGU) Halls. Kincaid, Priestley, Blue and Gold Halls are suite style residence halls, complete with bedrooms, bathrooms, and shared living space. Some of these suites have kitchens. Benedum is a true dorm with community bathrooms. Battler and University rooms are two dorm rooms connected by a bathroom. All dorms have a Residence Director and several Residence Assistants.
Athletics
Known as the "Battlers" (harkening back to the 1861
Battle of Philippi
The Battle of Philippi was the final battle in the Wars of the Second Triumvirate between the forces of Mark Antony and Octavian (of the Second Triumvirate) and the leaders of Julius Caesar's assassination, Brutus and Cassius in 42 BC, at Ph ...
), Alderson Broaddus is a member of the
Mountain East Conference
The Mountain East Conference (MEC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level and officially began competition on September 1, 2013. It consists of 12 schools, m ...
(MEC) and
NCAA Division II. The team's colors are Navy Blue, Gray and Gold, and its mascot is named Skirmish. The university offers 24 sports, 22 at the Varsity level: Football (which became a full varsity program in 2013),
Baseball, Softball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and
Women's Soccer
Women's association football, more commonly known simply as women's football or women's soccer, is a team sport of association football when played by women only. It is played at the professional level in multiple countries and 176 national te ...
, Men's and Women's Lacrosse, Men's (club level; to become full varsity in 2015–16) and Women's Volleyball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Men's and Women's Track, Men and Women's Golf, Men and Women's Rugby, Men and Women's Swimming, Men's Wrestling, Men's Sprint Football, Women's Acrobatics and Tumbling, Women's Tennis and Cheerleading.
AB and its predecessor institutions had been members of the
West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) since that league's formation in 1924. The WVIAC disbanded at the end of the 2012–13 school year, after the nine WVIAC members that then played football announced they would break away to form a new league that eventually became the
Mountain East Conference
The Mountain East Conference (MEC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level and officially began competition on September 1, 2013. It consists of 12 schools, m ...
.
Shortly after the announcement of the Mountain East split, AB found a new conference home, accepting an invitation to join the G-MAC in the fall of 2013.
AB and three other West Virginia schools—former WVIAC members Davis & Elkins and Ohio Valley, plus independent Salem International—all entered the G-MAC.
In 2012 AB started its football program, initially competing at the club level before moving up to Division 2 the following year. Alderson Broaddus originally competed as an independent football team without a conference. In 2016 the G-MAC conference decided to partially make football a competitive sport in the conference with the full competition to start in 2017.The Battlers first defeated Kentucky Wesleyan in the Founders Cup in 2015 to become the first ever G-MAC football Champion. The Battlers became the first G-MAC Conference football champions on 11/12/16 when they defeated Kentucky Wesleyan University 31–28. The G-MAC added another new team to the conference in 2017 of Malone University.
Alderson-Broaddus Baseball won the G-MAC conference title for the first time on May 14, 2016, over Trevecca Nazarene 9–6.
On June 9, 2020, Alderson Broaddus announced that they're leaving the Great Midwest Athletic Conference and will join the Mountain East Conference.
Notable alumni
*
Denise Campbell, politician and a
Democratic member of the
West Virginia House of Delegates
*
Fred Chenoweth, former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
coach
*
Theodore S. Coberly, former
air force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...
brigadier general who was director of reconnaissance and electronic warfare and deputy chief of staff
*
Randy Dobnak
Randy Travis William Dobnak (born January 17, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Minnesota Twins organization. Listed at and , he throws and bats right-handed.
Career
Dobnak attended South Park High School in South Park ...
, Major League pitcher for the
Minnesota Twins
*
Josh Gabriel
Josh Gabriel is an American electronic dance music DJ and producer, most known for his collaborative partnership Gabriel & Dresden with Dave Dresden.
History Early years (1988–2000)
In 1988-89, a 20-year-old exchange student from Californi ...
, Grenadian international footballer
*
Barrington Gaynor
Barrington Gaynor (27 September 1965 – 19 March 2011) was a Jamaican national football player.
Early years
Gaynor lived in Trench Town, Kingston, Jamaica, until he was nine years old. While living in Trench Town, he attended Trench Town ...
, former professional soccer coach
*
Bob Gray, former men's soccer coach at
Marshall University
*
Hunter Hardman, former college football coach
*
Ernie Nestor, college basketball coach
*
Donovan Olumba, NFL player
*
John O'Neal, politician and a
Republican member of the
West Virginia House of Delegates
*
Kirk Pearson, former professional soccer player
*
Enrico del Rosario, professional soccer player
*
Ed Schrock
Edward Lee Schrock (born April 6, 1941) is a retired naval officer (1964–1988) and American Republican politician who served as a member of the Senate of Virginia from 1996 - 2001. He also served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Janu ...
, U.S. Congressman (R., VA), 2001–2005
*
Gil Vainshtein
Gil Vainshtein (born 29 October 1984 in Ukraine) is a Canadian association football player who plays as a midfielder for the Italia Shooters of the Canadian Soccer League. In university he played for Alderson-Broaddus College, with whom ...
(born 1984), Canadian former professional soccer player
*
Jimmy Williams, professional basketball player
*
Steve Willis
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve ...
,
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul com ...
pastor and national health activist
*
Richard F. Wilson, President,
Illinois Wesleyan University
* Maj. Gen.
Jessica L. Wright, first woman
Adjutant General
An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer.
France
In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in sta ...
of the
Pennsylvania National Guard
The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the oldest and largest National Guards in the United States Department of Defense. It traces its roots to 1747 when Benjamin Franklin established the Associators in Philadelphia.
With more than 18,000 per ...
; second woman to hold such a position in the USA
References
External links
Official websiteOfficial athletics website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alderson Broaddus
Universities and colleges affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA
Baptist Christianity in West Virginia
Education in Barbour County, West Virginia
Educational institutions established in 1871
Buildings and structures in Barbour County, West Virginia
Tourist attractions in Barbour County, West Virginia
1871 establishments in West Virginia
Universities and colleges formed by merger in the United States
Private universities and colleges in West Virginia