Roberts Wesleyan University is a private

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

offering liberal arts and professional programs in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

. It was the first educational institution established for Free Methodists in

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. Roberts is accredited by the

Middle States Commission on Higher Education The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (abbreviated as MSCHE and legally incorporated as the Mid-Atlantic Region Commission on Higher Education) is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evalua ...

, is a member of the Association of Colleges and Universities of the State of New York, the Rochester Area Colleges, the Association of Free Methodist Educational Institutions, the

Council of Independent Colleges The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) is an association in the United States of more than 650 independent, liberal arts colleges and universities and more than 100 higher education affiliates and organizations that work together to strengthen ...

(CIC), and the

Council for Christian Colleges and Universities The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) is a global organization of evangelical Christian colleges and universities. The headquarters is in Washington, D.C. History In 1976, presidents of colleges in the Christian College Co ...

(CCCU). Northeastern Seminary (NES) is a

graduate school Postgraduate or graduate education refers to Academic degree, academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by higher education, post-secondary students who have earned an Undergraduate education, un ...

of theology located on the campus of Roberts Wesleyan University. Northeastern has been fully

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. History It was founded in 1918. The assoc ...

since 2003. It is also accredited by the

and approved by the New York State Board of Regents

University of the State of New York The University of the State of New York (USNY, ) is the state of New York (state), New York's governmental umbrella organization for both public and private institutions in New York State. The "university" is not an educational institution: it i ...

History

Roberts Wesleyan University was originally established as Chili Seminary by Benjamin Titus Roberts in 1866. Roberts was a social activist who opposed slavery and oppression of the poor, and was a supporter of women's right to vote. He began the school to train young people to become servant leaders with high moral character. Having first used a local tavern as a school, in 1869 a three story brick building was erected. There were 56 students total that year. In 1885, its name changed to Chesbrough Seminary in response to the $30,000 gift of benefactor A.M. Chesbrough. In the fall of 1892 both Cox Hall and Roberts Hall were completed. Cox Hall was used as both class rooms and administration, and now houses the Department of Music and Performing Arts. The first public event held in Cox Hall was founder B.T. Roberts' funeral in 1893. Students laid a sidewalk between Cox and Roberts Hall in 1929. Carpenter Hall was opened in 1935. It was named for Miss Adella P. Carpenter who had taught at the school from 1877 to 1916. Carpenter Hall has housed many important pieces of the campus, including the dining hall, library, and dorms. The building currently houses the Art, Social Work, and Psychology Departments. In 1945, it was renamed Roberts Junior College in honor of B.T. Roberts, the founder of both the college and the

Free Methodist Church The Free Methodist Church (FMC) is a Methodist Christian denomination within the holiness movement, based in the United States. It is evangelical in nature and is Wesleyan–Arminian in theology. The Free Methodist Church has members in over 100 ...

. Four years later, it was renamed as Roberts Wesleyan College to indicate the transition to a four-year baccalaureate institution and to root itself clearly within the Wesleyan theological tradition. In 1998, Northeastern Seminary was established as Roberts'

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. In 2022, it was renamed Roberts Wesleyan University in accordance with the New York State Education Board of Regents (on 9/13/22).

Academics

Roberts Wesleyan University has undergraduate (60+), graduate and doctoral (16) and adult degree-completion (6) programs and online programs including hybrid options (12). Roberts also has a doctoral programs in Clinical & School Psychology and Occupational Therapy. Northeastern Seminary at Roberts Wesleyan University students can complete a Master of Arts in Theology, Master of Divinity, Doctor of Ministry degree, and several certificate programs.

Athletics

The Roberts Wesleyan athletic teams are called the Redhawks. Roberts is a member of the Division II level of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA); primarily competing in the

East Coast Conference The East Coast Conference (ECC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in the northeastern United States in the states of C ...

(ECC) since the 2012–13 academic year. They are also a member of the

National Christian College Athletic Association The National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) is an association of Christian universities, colleges, and Bible colleges in the United States and Canada whose mission is "the promotion and enhancement of intercollegiate athletic co ...

(NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the Midwest Region of the Division I level. The Redhawks previously competed in the defunct

American Mideast Conference The American Mideast Conference (AMC) was an affiliate of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics that included eight member institutions in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts. Founded in 1949, it was known as the Mid-O ...

of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stu ...

(NAIA) from 2001–02 to 2011–12 (when the conference dissolved). Roberts Wesleyan competes in 16 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include basketball, cross country, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving and track & field (indoor and outdoor); while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball.

Move to Division II

In July 2011, Roberts was accepted into the

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

reclassification process from the NAIA to the NCAA. Roberts became a full member of NCAA Division II for the 2014–15 academic year. Roberts Wesleyan University is the first NCAA Division II school in the Greater Rochester Region.

Residence Life

Residence halls include Davison Hall, the Alumni Villages (made up of Morrow Hall, Sittig Hall, Mohnkern Hall, and Wittingham Hall), the Beeson Apartments, and fifteen townhouses, Miner Hall and The Quads (O'Brien Hall, Updyke Hall, and Magill Hall).

Notable alumni

Kirk Wagar Kirk W. B. Wagar (born July 13, 1969) is a former United States Ambassador to Singapore. He was sworn in as ambassador on September 4, 2013. Following the inauguration of President Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is ...

(class of 1990), United States Ambassador to the Republic of Singapore * John Walsh (class of 1990), President of the Conservative Party of Canada * Jennifer Suhr (class of 2004),

Pole Vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

er, 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist, 2008 Olympic Silver Medalist, 2013 Women's Pole Vault Champion – USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, holder of the indoor women's pole vault world record, American women's pole vault record, holder of 15 National Titles. * Timothy Bellavia (class of 1992), Children's Author / Illustrator & Professor,

Touro College Touro University is a private Jewish university system headquartered in New York City, with branches throughout the United States as well as one each in Germany, Israel and Russia. It was founded by Bernard Lander in 1971 and named for Isaac ...

* Richard Goddard, Goalkeeper,

Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on Mar ...

Juan Pablo Galavis Juan Pablo Galavis Guinand (; born August 5, 1981) is an American-born Venezuelan television personality and former professional soccer player. In 2013, he was chosen as the first Latino star of the ABC-TV reality show '' The Bachelor'' aft ...

(class of 2001), Former professional soccer player and contestant on '' The Bachelor'' *

Sharon Sweet Sharon Sweet (born August 16, 1951 in Gloversville, NY) is an American dramatic soprano. Sharon Sweet has appeared in leading roles in several major venues in Europe and the United States and has made notable contributions to several recordings, in ...

(class of 1974), Opera Singer,

Metropolitan Opera Company The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is opera ...

& Vocal Professor,

Westminster Choir College , mottoeng = Let us be judged by our deeds , established = 1926 , type = Private , president = Gregory G. Dell'Omo , dean = Marshall Onofrio , city = Dayton, OH (1926–1929), Ithaca, NY (1929–1932), Princeton, NJ (1932–2020), Lawrenc ...

. * Daniel Bennett (class of 2002), Award winning Manhattan-based jazz bandleader and composer * Jesus Paesch (class of 2012), Former professional soccer player * Brian Kolb (class of 1996 & 1998), Former Minority Leader of the New York State Assembly *

Malcolm Shaw (soccer) Malcolm Isaiah Shaw (born 27 July 1995) is a professional Association football, footballer player who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for Cavalry FC. Born in Canada, he plays for the Trinidad and Tobago national football team, ...

(class of 2017), Canadian professional soccer player, forward * Michael Cunningham (soccer) (class of 2014), English professional soccer player, forward

References

External links

*
Official athletics website
{{Coord, 43.125743, -77.798530, type:edu_globe:earth_region:US-NY, display=title Private universities and colleges in New York (state) Universities and colleges in the United States affiliated with the Free Methodist Church Educational institutions established in 1966 Universities and colleges in Monroe County, New York Evangelicalism in New York (state) 1866 establishments in New York (state) Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Liberal arts colleges in New York (state)