Buena Vista College
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Buena Vista University is a
private university Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public student loans, and grant (money ...
in
Storm Lake, Iowa Storm Lake is a city in Buena Vista County, Iowa, United States. The population was 11,269 in the 2020 census, an increase from 10,076 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Buena Vista County. Storm Lake is home to Buena Vista University ...
. Founded in 1891 as Buena Vista College, it is affiliated with the
Presbyterian Church 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 priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
. The university's campus is situated on the shores of Storm Lake, a natural lake. At its inception, the college was housed in the Storm Lake Opera House, where it remained for only a year. Old Main, the college's first building, opened in 1892, and was occupied by faculty and students until it burned down in 1956. Major construction projects in the 1950s and 1960s extended the college, which soon included three
dormitories A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...
, a library, and a number of classroom buildings. The main campus of Buena Vista University offers a four-year residential collegiate experience and offers classes in 42 majors. Seventeen additional locations throughout Iowa and online serve working adult and graduate students as part of the Graduate & Professional Studies program.


Academics


Schools

The various major study areas of Buena Vista University are grouped within four schools, each of which is administered by a dean. * The Harold Walter Siebens School of Business * The School of Education * The School of Liberal Arts * The School of Science


Pre-professional programs

Buena Vista University also offers preprofessional programs. Specific course requirements vary with each particular professional and school area and are worked out in detail with the faculty advisor.


William W. Siebens American Heritage Lecture

This lecture series addresses American freedoms. Speakers have included former U.S. Presidents George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter; former Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan, Shimon Peres of Israel, F. W. de Klerk of South Africa, Margaret Thatcher and John Major of Britain; Madeleine Albright, Gen. Colin L. Powell, Walter Cronkite, Carl Sagan, Sir John Marks Templeton, Michael Gartner, Harry Blackmun, Bob Woodward, David Gergen, Jehan Sadat, Vicente Fox, and Paul Volcker.


ROTC program

In 2009, the military science program began at BVU, the only such program in Western Iowa. The mission of the program is derived directly from the regulations governing the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps (AROTC) which are issued by the Army Cadet Command and Army Training and Doctrine Command. Army ROTC is an elective curriculum students take along with their major program of study. The program is designed to give students tools, training and experiences that will help them succeed in any competitive environment.


Degree completion programs

Buena Vista University's degree completion programs offer educational opportunities across the state of Iowa at its off-campus locations. These sites are on the campuses of community colleges with which BVU has established partnerships. Locations include sites in Carroll, Council Bluffs, Creston, Denison, Fort Dodge, Emmetsburg, Estherville, Spencer, Spirit Lake, LeMars, Marshalltown, Mason City, Newton, Ottumwa, and West Burlington.


Campus buildings

Ballou Building Formerly the main library facility, the Ballou Building houses the Offices of the President and Institutional Advancement, including the National Alumni Association. The lower level still houses the Allee Curriculum Library, containing 7,800 volumes; a student lounge and other library materials. Dixon-Eilers Hall Dixon-Eilers Hall houses BVU's business offices and the Office of the Registrar, in addition to housing classrooms. The building was completed in 1958 and stands on the site of the original "Old Main." Edson Hall Originally known as Victory Hall, the University gym before Siebens Fieldhouse was constructed in 1969, Edson Hall is now home to the BVU music department. Renovation of the hall was completed in early 1997 with the addition of a choral rehearsal room, nine state-of-the-art practice rooms, a piano/keyboard lab, a student work area, and additional office space. Estelle Siebens Science Center Completed in the summer of 2004, the facility comfortably houses BVU's five interdisciplinary fields of science (biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, and physics), fostering collaboration among the disciplines, as well as between students and faculty. The 18 laboratories complement seven classrooms, three research areas, and 24 offices. "Science Avenue," a prominent atrium corridor that puts projects on display, connects the two-story, glass-walled rotunda (nicknamed "The Beaker") to a greenhouse with three environmental growth chambers. Finkbine Natatorium Named in appreciation of Frank Finkbine in memory of his wife Mae Finkbine, Finkbine Natatorium is a six-lane competition pool.This pool has been out of commission since 2020 and was turned into a court in 2021. Harold Walter Siebens School of Business/Siebens Forum The Harold Walter Siebens School of Business/Siebens Forum was completed in the spring of 1985. In addition to the Harold Walter Siebens School of Business and a conference center, it houses the Student and Career Services offices, food service and cafeteria, Anderson Auditorium (a 386-seat auditorium), Siebens Den, the Geisinger Student Leadership Center, the bookstore, post office, games area and snack bar, and other offices and lounges. Included in the Harold Walter Siebens School of Business are tiered seminar rooms, a case-study seminar room, faculty offices, and a special resource room that enables students to receive the latest market information from Wall Street and other sources. The conference center includes a board room, conference rooms, lobbies, and offices. The $10 million building, made possible by an $18 million gift from the late Dr. Harold Walter Siebens, also has telecommunication capabilities. Library The BVU Library is a facility with a capacity of 300,000 printed volumes, as well as one thousand journals and periodicals. Computerized periodical databases access many sources not available in the library. A coffee shop was added to the library in 2008. The Teaching and Learning with Technology Center, (TLTC) is in the library. The TLTC supports faculty in the integration of technology tools into teaching and learning. Lage Communication Center Lage Communication Center is the home of telecommunication at BVU. Lage houses the radio, television and print studios for the School of Communication and Arts. It is the control center for the telecommunication system, which extends throughout campus. Lamberti Recreation Center Construction was completed in 2001 on this addition to the Siebens Fieldhouse. It features a six-lane indoor track, three courts for basketball, volleyball and tennis, an exercise and weight room, coaches offices, and locker/shower facilities. The $9.5 million project, funded entirely by donors, also included an renovation of the Siebens Fieldhouse. Lighthouse A brick lighthouse was built on the shores of Storm Lake near Siebens Fieldhouse in 1992 in memory of Buena Vista University trustee and benefactor Harold Walter Siebens. The lighthouse was a gift from the Siebens family. McCorkle Hall McCorkle Hall was completed in January 1996 and houses 72 students in six-person suites. Peterson Field Peterson Field is the site of football, soccer, and track activity. It is home to the J. Leslie Rollins Football Stadium. The stadium extends between the lines and has a
seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...
of approximately 2,500. Formerly known as Bradford Field, the field underwent massive renovation in 2011 with the addition of an artificial turf field and new all-weather track. Field lighting was added in 2012. Schaller Memorial Chapel Schaller Memorial Chapel, dedicated in 1963, adjoins Dixon-Eilers Hall. It serves as an auditorium and theater and is used for convocation services. Special events, such as Baccalaureate and Founders Day, are held here. A small meditation chapel is in the lower level. A special feature of the chapel is the Hansen Organ, a three-manual Reuter pipe organ with 2,048 pipes. Siebens Fieldhouse The main level of Siebens Fieldhouse houses a gymnasium, which seats 4,000 spectators. On this level are classrooms and coaches' offices. The balcony is used for aerobics, and a large double hitting area for softball and baseball. A shot put area is also available. On the lower level are varsity locker rooms for men and women, laundry facilities, a wrestling room, a training room, handball and racquetball courts, and one of the most extensive weight lifting areas in the Iowa Conference. East of the Fieldhouse are four outdoor tennis courts for recreational and conference play. Smith Hall Built in 1925, Smith Hall was completely renovated in 1970. It houses classrooms and faculty offices. Social Sciences and Art Hall This building contains art facilities, classrooms and offices for social sciences, as well as an inviting gathering space with a fireplace and television. The building originally housed the science programs, and extensive remodeling was completed in 2008. Steward D. Siebens Computer Center The Stewart D. Siebens Computer Center offers hardware and software technical support via the Help Desk. The Help Desk also provides checkout services for digital still cameras, digital video cameras, extra batteries, laptop computers, and automobile A/C adapters. In the lab area, the Computer Center has a laser printer and several scanners. Victory Arch The Victory Arch was constructed from the remains of the Old Main archway. Old Main, constructed in 1893, was the principal building on campus until it was destroyed by fire in 1956. The Victory Arch is a symbol linking the past to the present. The Victory Arch stood on the southeast corner of Chapel lawn for many years before it was rebuilt atop the Harold Walter Siebens School of Business/Siebens Forum in 1984-85.


Student life


Residence life

The university has seven residence halls available for student living. Swope Hall The first residence hall built on campus, Swope Hall has single and double occupancy rooms. There are 10 housing communities, each with a resident advisor available for help. This building is no longer used to house students; instead, it is home to the nursing department for Iowa Central Community College and the theatre department for costume storage/design. Pierce and White Halls It is a double complex, comprising two buildings. Both Pierce and White are co-ed halls with four floors and seven housing communities, each with a resident advisor available for help. The buildings share a common lobby and are connected underground with the Harold Walter Siebens School of Business/Siebens Forum, the main building on campus. Extensive remodeling of both buildings was completed in 2012. Grand Hall Built in 1998, Grand Hall is a co-ed community with three floors. The building houses 100 students, including four resident advisors. Grand Hall was the first residence hall on campus to have an elevator. Liberty Hall Finished in 2002, Liberty Hall is a voluntary substance-free building, built with similar design to Grand Hall. There is space, however for a faculty member to live in the building. Residents choosing to live in Liberty Hall sign a pledge form to not partake in drinking alcohol or smoking and chewing tobacco while on building premises. Suites The suites are apartment-style living quarters that group six residents in a suite in three bedrooms. There are three suite buildings: Constitution, Briscoe (formerly Centennial Hall; named for former college president Keith Briscoe), and McCorkle (formerly Heritage Hall, named for Trustee Paul McCorkle). Entrance in the suites is reserved for sophomores, juniors and seniors and is based on a point system made up of points assigned for the student's year and grade point average and seniority in the suites.


Athletics

Buena Vista University competes in 21 intercollegiate sports at the varsity level. The university is an
NCAA 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 ...
Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...
institution and a member of the
American Rivers Conference The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) is an NCAA Division III athletic conference. From 1927 until August 9, 2018, it was known officially as the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) and commonly as the Iowa Conference. History The A ...
(formerly the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference). Teams that compete at BVU include baseball, men's and women's basketball, cross country, football, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, track & field, volleyball, and wrestling. Roughly one out of every four BVU students participate in intercollegiate athletics. Buena Vista's mascot is the Beaver. The origins of the Beaver as the Buena Vista mascot go back to the early 1900s, when the football team was called the BVers. In the spring of 1921, a Buena Vista student combined that nickname with then-popular soft drink Bevo to create the nickname the Beavers. Buena Vista's softball team appeared in one
Women's College World Series The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States. Eight teams participate in the WCWS, which begins with a double-elimination tournament. In other wo ...
in 1971.


Notable alumni

*
Nate Bjorkgren Nate Bjorkgren (; born June 20, 1975) is an American basketball coach, currently an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the University of South Dakota and Buena ...
, former head coach of the
Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...
*
Jim Doran James Robert Doran (August 11, 1927 – June 30, 1994) was a National Football League (NFL) wide receiver for the Detroit Lions (1951–1959) and the Dallas Cowboys (1960–1961). He played college football at Iowa State University. He was ...
,
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 ...
player for the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
and
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
. *
Jim Fanning William James Fanning (September 14, 1927 – April 25, 2015) was an American-Canadian catcher, manager and front office executive in Major League Baseball. Often called "Gentleman Jim", Fanning was the first general manager of the Montreal Expo ...
, MLB player with
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
, first General Manager
Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...
*
Ryan Grubb Ryan Grubb is an American football coach and former player. He currently serves as the associate head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Washington Huskies. Playing career Grubb played football while attending Kingsley ...
, Offensive coordinator at the
University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...
* Carlos Martinez,
kicker Kicker or The Kicker may refer to: Sports * Placekicker, a position in American and Canadian football * ''Kicker'' (sports magazine), in Germany * Kicker, the German colloquial term for an association football player * Kicker, the word used i ...
for the
Philadelphia Soul Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia TSOP, is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often feat ...
of the
Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...
. *
Nelle Peters Nelle Elizabeth Nichols Peters, usually known as Nelle Peters, (1884–1974) was one of Kansas City's most prolific architects, designing a wide range of buildings there. Biography Born Elizabeth Nichols in a sod house in Niagara, North Dakota ...
, architect *
Randy Rahe Randy Michael Rahe (born June 12, 1960) is an American college basketball coach and the former head men's basketball coach at Weber State University. Randy Rahe was hired on March 23, 2006, as the 9th coach in Weber State's 47-year history. Rahe ...
, current head basketball coach at
Weber State University Weber State University (pronounced ) is a public university in Ogden, Utah. It was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. History Weber State University was founded ...
*
Jesse Schmidt Jesse Schmidt (born June 23, 1983) is a former arena football wide receiver. Schmidt was a standout member of the Buena Vista University football team where he set records for catches in a single game (11), most catches in a career (132), most ...
, record setting wide receiver for the
Iowa Barnstormers The Iowa Barnstormers are a professional indoor American football, indoor football team based in Des Moines, Iowa. They are currently members of the Indoor Football League (IFL). They play their home games at Wells Fargo Arena (Des Moines, Iowa) ...
of the Arena Football League who was voted as the twenty-fifth greatest wide receiver in the league's history during the
2012 Arena Football League season The 2012 Arena Football League season was the 25th season in the history of the league. The regular season began on March 9, 2012 with a game between the Pittsburgh Power and the Orlando Predators and ended on July 22, 2012 with a game between the ...
. * Shelly M. Shelton, Republican member of the
Nevada Assembly The Nevada Assembly is the lower house of the Nevada Legislature, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Nevada, the upper house being the Nevada Senate. The body consists of 42 members, elected to two-year ...
. * Andre D. Wagner, photographer *
Lindsay Peoples Wagner Lindsay Peoples Wagner is an American editor. She is the former editor-in-chief of ''Teen Vogue'', and was the youngest editor-in-chief of any Condé Nast magazine. She was named editor-in-chief of ''New York'' magazine's '' The Cut'' in 2021. ...
, current editor-in-chief of the Cut.


References


External links


Official website
https://bvuathletics.com official Athleticwebsite {{authority control Private universities and colleges in Iowa Universities and colleges affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) Educational institutions established in 1891 Education in Buena Vista County, Iowa Buildings and structures in Buena Vista County, Iowa Tourist attractions in Buena Vista County, Iowa 1891 establishments in Iowa Storm Lake, Iowa