Reformed Church in America
The Reformed Church in America (RCA) is a Mainline Protestant, mainline Reformed tradition, Reformed Protestant Christian denomination, denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 152,317 members. From its beginning in 1628 unti ...
. The college was founded in 1853 and has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1942. Central has a student body of approximately 1,100 undergraduates and 73 academic programs.
History
The
Baptist Convention of Iowa
The Baptist Convention of Iowa is a group of churches affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention located in the U.S. state of Iowa. Headquartered in Des Moines, it is made up of about 110 churches and five Baptist associations.
Associations
* ...
founded Central University of Iowa in 1853 and it officially opened on October 8, 1854. The first class totaled 37 people. Central was a
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christianity, Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe ...
institution until 1916, when it was transferred to the control of the
Reformed Church in America
The Reformed Church in America (RCA) is a Mainline Protestant, mainline Reformed tradition, Reformed Protestant Christian denomination, denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 152,317 members. From its beginning in 1628 unti ...
. Since 1886, Iowa Baptists had shifted their post-secondary education interests to Des Moines College, and hoped to reduce Central to a feeder school.
The college was called Central University of Iowa (CUI), at least until 1991. It renamed itself "Central College" in 1994.
It was home to local radio station 89.1 KCUI-FM and the award-winning newspaper “The Ray.”
Central has a history of interesting architectural features. The first buildings of the new college in 1853 are Dutch Colonial and part of what was recently known as Strawtown Inn. The first dormitory, Cotton Hall, is noted for its ornate
Victorian
Victorian or Victorians may refer to:
19th century
* Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign
** Victorian architecture
** Victorian house
** Victorian decorative arts
** Victorian fashion
** Victorian literature ...
porch and stained glass windows. Building innovation continues with the addition of "green" buildings.
In September 2019 it was announced that Central College would lower their yearly tuition starting in the Fall 2020 semester, dropping to $18,600, from $38,600.
Campus
Central College's campus is a few blocks from Pella's downtown square, two minutes from Iowa's largest lake and 40 minutes from
Des Moines
Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...
. Pella's annual Tulip Festival attracts more than 100,000 visitors each spring. Central is a residential campus where students can live in dormitories, townhouses, and apartment style "green pods."
The college's emphasis on
sustainability
Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...
has led to
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a
green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction ...
(LEED) ratings from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Vermeer Science Center was Iowa's first LEED-rated building, and Howard McKee Hall received the first gold rating in the state. The newest building, Roe Center, received a platinum rating.
Major buildings
Maytag Student Center—During the summer of 2014, the student center underwent a $3.1 million renovation to Maytag Student Center made possible by the Fred Maytag Family foundation. The renovations include a new workout facility, a new Student Activity Center and additional Fred's dining area.
The Roe Center—Named after Central's 20th president,
Dr. David H. Roe
Doctor is an academic title that originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb 'to teach'. It has been used as an academic title in Europe since the 13th century, w ...
, was completed in the fall of 2009. The $17 million facility houses the education, psychology and communication departments, as well as Community-Based Learning. Central was awarded a platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) for the design of the Roe Center. The facility features environmentally friendly building practices and an energy efficient building design, such as a green roof, natural ventilating system, radiant floor heating/cooling system and daylight harvesting systems.
Vermeer Science Center—Underwent a $20 million renovation in 2003, and was the first building in the state of Iowa and the first science building in the nation to be recognized as a green building by the U.S. Green Building Council. It was subsequently given a silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating. The mathematics, computer science, physics, biology and chemistry departments are located in this building. Vermeer features many study spaces and quiet tables located outside the professors’ offices are to encourage student/faculty interaction.
Weller Center for Business and International Studies—Built in 1999, it was Central's first step in green building featuring natural light, solar panels and carpet out of recycled materials in every room. It contains the business, foreign language and international studies departments.
Central Market—Central's main dining facility. It is designed to resemble a European marketplace.
Geisler Library—Holds nearly a quarter of a million resources including books, magazines, newspapers, music, reference periodicals, microfilm, historical information and art.
Kuyper Athletic Complex—The Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium received new Fieldturf in the summer of 2013. The field is surrounded by a 400-meter BSS 1000 polyurethane track which also house dual runways for jumping events and a two-way pole vault pit. The H.S. Kuyper Fieldshouse houses a 200-meter track and five tennis courts. The surface is Mondotrack, which is the same surface used in the
2008 Olympic games
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
.
Academics
Central offers 73 academic programs and pre-professional advising, including the college's newest major, engineering. The 14 pre-professional programs include medicine, law, nursing and pharmacy. Academic programs include: accounting, athletic training, biology, communication studies, computer science, education, music, natural science, physics and languages. 85 percent of faculty have a PhD or terminal degree. The average class size is 16 students and the student to faculty ratio is 12–1.
About 50 percent of Central students study abroad at some point. Central offers year-round programs around the world. Summer programs are also available in many locations.
Athletics
Central has 20 sports programs and competes in the
ARC
ARC may refer to:
Business
* Aircraft Radio Corporation, a major avionics manufacturer from the 1920s to the '50s
* Airlines Reporting Corporation, an airline-owned company that provides ticket distribution, reporting, and settlement services
* ...
of the NCAA. Sports include: football, wrestling, volleyball, softball, baseball, women's triathlon; men's and women's golf, track, soccer, basketball and tennis. Cheerleading, dance team and intramural sports are also offered.
Highlights of Central athletics programs include:
* The football team has not had a losing season since 1960.
* The softball team has 25 Division III tournament berths and 13 finals appearances. They have four national champion titles.
* The volleyball team has three national titles—1998, 1999 and 2000.
* The track and field team combined has 35 individual championships. The men's program has 15 individual championships, with seven in the multi-event category.
Central College's athletic teams include:
Men's sports
*
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...
*
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
Football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
Soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
Soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
Central has over 100 clubs and activities for students to get involved with on campus. Students are also given the opportunity to create their own club and have it officially recognized by the college.
Clubs and Organizations Include intramural sports, mock trial, non-national Greek life, Campus Ministries, and more.
There are honorary organizations for theatre, chemistry, mathematics, art, music, history, political science, psychology, English and biology.
There are also 18 music ensembles available for participation on campus including a cappella choir, steel drum ensemble, pep band, jazz band, woodwind ensemble, community chorus and chamber singers.
Notable alumni
*
Bernadette Allen
Bernadette Mary Allen (born 1956) is a United States foreign service officer and ambassador. She is the former United States Ambassador to Niger, U.S. Ambassador to Niger.
Education and career
Allen was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Seat ...
Bert Bandstra
Bert Andrew Bandstra (January 25, 1922 – October 23, 1995) served one term as a Democratic U.S. Representative from south central Iowa, winning election in 1964 but losing elections in 1966 and 1968.
Born in Monroe County, Iowa to Dutch immigra ...
, (1950) Member of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa
*
George Alfred Baitsell
George Alfred Baitsell (1885 – September 24, 1971)B.S. 1908)
* Steve Bell, television reporter and anchor
*
Cyrenus Cole
Cyrenus Cole (January 13, 1863 – November 14, 1939) was a newspaper editor, columnist and historian, then a Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 5th congressional district for over eleven years.
Born near Pella, Iowa, Cole graduated from ...
, (1887) Member of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa
* Vern Den Herder, defensive end who was part of the Miami Dolphins' "No Name Defense" that won 2 consecutive Super Bowls, and is a member of the
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...
*
Cory Synhorst SerVaas
Cory Synhorst SerVaas (June 21, 1924 – March 6, 2020) was an American editor, inventor, and doctor. She edited the Lionel train magazine and ''The Saturday Evening Post''. Her work included hosting a weekly health show, advocating for health is ...
, Editor, inventor, and doctor
*
Adam Gregg
Adam Gregg (born April 26, 1983) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 47th lieutenant governor of Iowa. He has held this position since 2019. Gregg previously served as Acting Lieutenant Governor from 2017 to 2019. A member of the ...
, (2006) Lieutenant Governor of Iowa as of May 25, 2017. Public Defender of Iowa from December 8, 2014, to May 25, 2017.
* John Hospers, (1939) first U.S. presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party.
*
Solomon F. Prouty
Solomon Francis Prouty (January 17, 1854 – July 16, 1927) was an academic, lawyer and politician, serving as a one-term state legislator, Iowa Courts, Iowa trial court judge, and a two-term Republican Party (United States), Republican United ...
, (1877) Member of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa
* Harry Smith, (1973) television reporter