Sterling College is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

evangelical Christian Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...

college in

Sterling, Kansas Sterling is a city in Rice County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,248. Sterling is home to Sterling College. History For millennia, the land now known as Kansas was inhabited by Native Ame ...

. It is accredited by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

History

The college was founded in 1887 by the Synod of Kansas of the

United Presbyterian Church of North America The United Presbyterian Church of North America (UPCNA) was an American Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a pri ...

as Cooper Memorial College. It changed its name to Sterling in 1920. When the Presbyterian Church (USA) came into existence in 1958, the newly formed Presbyterian Synod of Kansas considered combining Sterling and the

College of Emporia The College of Emporia was a private college in Emporia, Kansas from 1882 to 1974, and was associated with the Presbyterian church. When founded, it was one of two higher education institutions in the city of Emporia, the other at that time was t ...

. Sterling College launched , its online program, in 2007 in hopes of bringing its message to a larger audience. Students can now complete portions of their bachelor's degree online. Sterling College's online program is now called Sterling College Online.

Campus

The 1887 Cooper Hall building is a centerpiece of the campus. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1974 (NRHP# 74000845). Cooper Hall underwent a large renovation and after being closed, was reopened in 2003.

Athletics

The Sterling athletic teams are called the Warriors. The college is a member 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 st ...

(NAIA), primarily competing in the

Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The KCAC is the oldest conference in the NAIA and the second oldest in the United Stat ...

(KCAC) since the 1958–59 academic year; which they were a member on a previous stint from 1902–03 to December 1928 (of the 1928–29 school 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 ...

(NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the Central Region of the Division I level. Sterling competes in 23 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, powerlifting, soccer, swimming, tennis and track & field (indoor and outdoor); while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, powerlifting, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball; and co-ed sports include cheerleading.

Student organizations

* Honor societies:

Alpha Chi Alpha Chi National College Honor Society (or ) is an American collegiate honor society recognizing achievements in general scholarship. It was formed in 1922 by nineteen schools in the state of Texas. Since then it has expanded to 300 chapters ...

* Religious organizations:

Fellowship of Christian Athletes The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is an international non-profit Christian sports ministry founded in 1954 and based in Kansas City, Missouri. It has staff offices located throughout the United States and abroad. History FCA was foun ...

, CSA (Catholic students), Raya 327 (missions club). * General organizations: Student Government Association (SGA), Pi Kappa Delta (oldest organization on campus), Behavioral Science Club, Habitat for Humanity, AMP (History Majors Club), Campus Activity Board, Future Science Professionals of America, Residence Hall Councils, Class Officers, Sterling College Athletic Trainers, Musicians at Sterling College, TASC (Theatre Majors Club) * Media organizations: ''The Stir'' (newspaper), Sterling College Online Radio, Sterling College Online Television

Notable people

Faculty

* Stephen Carls, taught at Sterling College for twelve years

Alumni

* Brett Fairchild, member of the

Kansas House of Representatives The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafti ...

David Hahn David Charles Hahn (October 30, 1976 – September 27, 2016), sometimes called the "Radioactive Boy Scout" or the "Nuclear Boy Scout", was an American nuclear radiation enthusiast who built a homemade neutron source at the age of seventeen. A ...

, Nebraska politician *

Lorene Harrison Lorene Harrison (1905–2005) was an American educator, singer, choir director, and milliner. In 2009, she was inaugurated into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame. Early life and education Lorene Cuthbertson was born in 1905 in Sterling, Kansas ...

, musician, educator *

Waldo McBurney Ralph Waldo McBurney (October 3, 1902 – July 8, 2009) was said to be the oldest worker in the United States. Until a relatively short time before his death at age 106, he lived and worked as a beekeeper in the city of Quinter, Kansas. Alth ...

, centenarian (transferred to K-State after two years) * Windell Middlebrooks, actor * Osman Mendez, professional soccer player * Joshua Svaty, Kansas politician

References

External links

*
Sterling Athletics website
{{Authority control Educational institutions established in 1887 Education in Rice County, Kansas Buildings and structures in Rice County, Kansas 1887 establishments in Kansas Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Universities and colleges affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) Private universities and colleges in Kansas