Iowa Wesleyan 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 Mount Pleasant, Iowa. It is Iowa's first co-educational institution of higher learning and the oldest of its type west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...

. The institution is affiliated with the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelica ...

. It was founded as the Mount Pleasant Literary Institute in 1842, and was known as Mount Pleasant Collegiate Institute from 1843 to 1855, Iowa Wesleyan University from 1855 to 1912, and Iowa Wesleyan College from 1912 to 2015. The name reverted to Iowa Wesleyan University in 2015. Two campus buildings

Old Main Old Main is a term often applied to the original building present on college or university campuses in the United States. The building serves today as home to administrative offices, such as the president or provost, but in its early inception may ...

and the Harlan-Lincoln House are listed on 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 ...

. The latter, the former summer home of

Robert Todd Lincoln Robert Todd Lincoln (August 1, 1843 – July 26, 1926) was an American lawyer, businessman, and politician. He was the eldest son of President Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln. Robert Lincoln became a business lawyer and company presi ...

, is now a museum featuring various artifacts from the Harlan and Lincoln families.

History

In 1841 a group of Methodist settlers in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, met and began lobbying the Iowa territorial legislature to establish an institute of higher learning in their burgeoning community. On February 17, 1842, the legislature granted a charter for the Mount Pleasant Literary Institute, soon to be renamed as Mount Pleasant Collegiate Institute. Despite the charter, organization and fund raising were sluggish at first. Twenty acres of land was donated for the campus by four Mount Pleasant residents in March 1843. That same month, organizing officials hired Reverend Artistides J. Heustis as the institution's first president. From February 1855, the school was known as Iowa Wesleyan University, honoring

John Wesley John Wesley (; 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, theologian, and evangelist who was a leader of a revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies he founded became the dominant form of the independent Meth ...

, the founder of Methodism The institution's name was modified to Iowa Wesleyan College in 1912, reflecting its contemporary status as a four-year baccalaureate degree institution of higher learning. On August 10, 2015, Iowa Wesleyan adopted its new name: Iowa Wesleyan University, reflecting its broad educational opportunities and its roots as one of the oldest four-year co-educational church-related universities west of the Mississippi River. The university occupies a 60-acre central campus of historic red brick buildings and modern structures, including some listed on the

. The chapel, built in 1896, received a complete renovation and restoration in the early 21st century. Iowa Wesleyan is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools to offer academic programs leading to the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Music Education degrees. Undergraduate enrollment at the college is approximately 600 full-time students. Christine Plunkett has been president of the university since August 2019.

Student life

Iowa Wesleyan University offers many activities for students outside the classroom, including the Student Government Association, the Student Union Board, Association of Student Athletes, Campus Ministry, Black Student Union, Hispanic Latino Alliance, Gender Sexuality Alliance, Student Nurses Association, Cheerleading, Dance Team, Intramurals, and Hall Councils. Field of interest clubs are available for Art, Behavioral Science, Business, Esports, Criminal Justice, Music Education, and Nursing. Iowa Wesleyan University also offers a number of performing groups such as the IW Choir, Primae Voces, IW Band, and IW Jazz Combo. Beginning in late mid-1800s, Iowa Wesleyan maintained an active Military Department, in which students organized as a corps of cadets received training under the guidance of

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

officers. Among Iowa Wesleyan's commandants were

Ulysses G. McAlexander Major General Ulysses Grant McAlexander (30 August 1864 – 18 September 1936) was an American officer who served in the United States Army. He was heavily decorated for valor, and is one of the iconic fighting men of the American Expeditionary F ...

(1891 to 1895) and

Charles L. Hodges Charles L. Hodges (March 13, 1847 – December 26, 1911) was a career officer in the United States Army. A Union Army veteran of the American Civil War, American Indian Wars, Spanish–American War, and Philippine–American War, Hodges remained ...

(1895 to 1897)

Greek life

Greek life has a rich history at Iowa Wesleyan University. The Beta chapter of Alpha Xi Delta sorority was the oldest sorority on campus, being on campus since 1902. It is the oldest chapter of Alpha Xi Delta in the country. Currently, Iowa Wesleyan University has 3 active Greek organizations, which include Theta Sigma Rho sorority, Zeta Psi Mu fraternity, and Omega Delta Alpha fraternity. The

P.E.O. Sisterhood The P.E.O. Sisterhood (Philanthropic Educational Organization) is a U.S.-based international women's organization of about 230,000 members, with a primary focus on providing educational opportunities for female students worldwide. The Sisterhood ...

was founded at Iowa Wesleyan University on January 21, 1869. Greek organizations that have had chapters on campus include:

National Panhellenic Conference The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) is an umbrella organization for 26 (inter)national women's sororities throughout the United States and Canada. Each member group is autonomous as a social, Greek-letter society of college women and alum ...

(NPC) Sororities: *

Pi Beta Phi Pi Beta Phi (), often known simply as Pi Phi, is an international women's fraternity founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois on April 28, 1867 as I. C. Sorosis, the first national secret college society of women to be modeled after ...

, 1868–2004 * Phi Mu, 1914–1943 * Zeta Tau Alpha, 1918–1987 North American Interfraternity Conference (IFC) Fraternities *

Phi Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta (), commonly known as Phi Delt, is an international secret and social fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, along with Beta Theta Pi and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad. ...

, 1871–2009 *

Beta Theta Pi Beta Theta Pi (), commonly known as Beta, is a North American social fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. One of North America's oldest fraternities, as of 2022 it consists of 144 active chapters in the Uni ...

, 1868–1915 * Delta Tau Delta, 1875–1980 *

Sigma Phi Epsilon Sigma Phi Epsilon (), commonly known as SigEp, is a social college fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College (now the University of Richmond), and its national headquarte ...

, 1913–1976 *

Lambda Chi Alpha Lambda Chi Alpha (), commonly known as Lambda Chi, is a college fraternity in North America which was founded at Boston University in 1909. It is one of the largest social fraternities in North America, with more than 300,000 lifetime members a ...

, 1924–1974 *

Tau Kappa Epsilon Tau Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as or Teke, is a social college fraternities and sororities, fraternity founded on January 10, 1899, at Illinois Wesleyan University. The organization has chapters throughout the United States and Canada, maki ...

, 1947–1954 *

Phi Kappa Tau Phi Kappa Tau (), commonly known as Phi Tau (), is a collegiate fraternity located in the United States. The fraternity was founded in 1906. As of November 2022, the fraternity has 161 chartered chapters, 79 active chapters, 6 Associate chapte ...

, 1968–1984

Athletics

The Iowa Wesleyan athletic teams are called the Tigers. The university 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 stu ...

(NAIA), competing in the

North Star Athletic Association The North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) that began play in the 2013–14 school year. The conference currently has eight full member ...

(NSAA) for football, the

Heart of America Athletic Conference The Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC or The Heart) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska in ...

(HAAC) for wrestling, and the

Continental Athletic Conference NAIA independent schools are four-year institutional members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) that do not have formal conference affiliations. NAIA schools that are not members of any other athletic conference are ...

as its primary home for all other sports as of the 2021–22 academic year. Iowa Wesleyan competes in 16 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, track & field and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track & field, volleyball and wrestling. In 2015 and 2017, the men's basketball teams qualified for the USCAA Division I national tournament. In 2014, 2015 and 2016, the women's basketball teams qualified for the USCAA Division I national tournament. The 2016 team finished as the national runner-up. In 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2011, the men's basketball teams qualified for the NAIA Division II national tournament. In 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011, the women's basketball teams qualified for the NAIA Division II national tournament. In 2022, the women's basketball team qualified for the NAIA single division national tournament. In 1995, the men's basketball team qualified for the NAIA Division I national tournament. From 1989 to 1991,

Hal Mumme Hal Clay Mumme (born March 29, 1952) is a former American football coach and former player. He most recently served as an offensive advisor for the Dallas Renegades of the XFL. Previously, Mumme served as the head football coach at Iowa Wesleyan ...

was head

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 ...

coach, with Mike Leach as his

offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football or Canadian football team who is in charge of the team's offense. Generally, along with the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator, this coach r ...

. It was at Iowa Wesleyan that they developed the air raid offense.

Conference affiliations

Prior to July 2021, the Tigers were members of the following athletic organizations: *2021–22 to present –

(CAC) -

(NSAA) -

(NAIA) * 2017–18 to 2020–21 –

St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) is an NCAA Division III collegiate athletic conference in the Midwestern The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four cen ...

(SLIAC) –

Upper Midwest Athletic Conference The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) is a college-level athletic conference. The UMAC is a conference of NCAA Division III since the 2008–09 season. Prior to that, it was a non scholarship conference affiliated with National Associati ...

(UMAC) –

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 ...

(NCAA) Division III * 2013–14 to 2016–17 –

(SLIAC) –

(NCAA) Division III (provisional member while associated with the

United States Collegiate Athletic Association The United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) is a national organization for the intercollegiate athletic programs of 72 mostly small colleges, including community/ junior colleges, across the United States. The USCAA holds 15 natio ...

(USCAA)) * 2012–13 – Independent -

(NAIA) * 1995–96 to 2011–12 – Midwest Collegiate Conference (MCC) –

(NAIA) * 1993–94 to 1994–95 – American Midwest Conference –

(NAIA) * 1974–75 to 1992–93 – Independent –

(NAIA)

Notable alumni

Warren Wallace Beckwith Warren Wallace Beckwith Sr. (August 10, 1874 – September 24, 1955) was an American sportsman who served as a minor league baseball player during the late 1800s. His first wife was Jessie Harlan Lincoln, a member of the Lincoln family and grandd ...

, minor league baseball player and historical figure * Bill Bedenbaugh, Co-Offensive Coordinator/OL Coach (

University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...

) *

William Andrews Clark William Andrews Clark Sr. (January 8, 1839March 2, 1925) was an American politician and entrepreneur, involved with mining, banking, and railroads. Biography Clark was born in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. He moved with his family to Iowa in 1 ...

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

and business magnate * Clement Isong, second governor of the

Central Bank of Nigeria The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is the central bank and apex monetary authority of Nigeria established by the CBN Act of 1958 and commenced operations on 1 July 1959. The major regulatory objectives of the bank as stated in the CBN Act are ...

* George B. Corkhill,

United States Attorney for the District of Columbia The United States Attorney for the District of Columbia (USADC) is the United States Attorney responsible for representing the federal government in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The U.S. Attorney's Office for t ...

prosecuted Charles J. Guiteau for the

assassination of James A. Garfield James A. Garfield, the 20th president of the United States, was shot at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington, D.C., at 9:30 am on Saturday, July 2, 1881. He died in Elberon, New Jersey, 79 days later on September 19, 1881. ...

Dana Holgorsen Dana Carl Holgorsen (born June 21, 1971) is the head football coach at the University of Houston. He was the head coach at West Virginia University from 2011 to 2018. During his coaching career he has served under coaches such as Hal Mumme, Mike ...

, head football coach (

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

) * Davey Lopes, former manager,

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

baseball team; 16-year Major League Baseball career *

Jessie Wilson Manning Jessie Wilson Manning (, Wilson; October 26, 1855 – August 30, 1947) was an American author and lecturer. She was an active worker and eloquent speaker on literary subjects and for the cause of temperance. Manning died in 1947. Biography Jessie ...

(1855-?) - author, lecturer * Belle Babb "Arabella" Mansfield, first woman lawyer in the United States *

John H. Mickey John Hopwood Mickey (September 30, 1845 – June 2, 1910) was an American banker and Republican politician who served as the 13th Governor of Nebraska from 1903 to 1907. Life and career Early life and ancestors He was born near Burlington, ...

, 17th governor of

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

(1903 to 1907) *

Ola Babcock Miller Eunice Viola "Ola" Babcock Miller (March 1, 1871 – January 25, 1937) was an American politician and the first female Iowa Secretary of State. Born in Washington County, Iowa, Miller and her family moved to Washington, Iowa. She went to Io ...

, Iowa Secretary of State * Sandy Sandberg, American football player *

James Van Allen James Alfred Van Allen (September 7, 1914August 9, 2006) was an American space scientist at the University of Iowa. He was instrumental in establishing the field of magnetospheric research in space. The Van Allen radiation belts were named aft ...

, an astrophysicist who discovered the Van Allen radiation belt circling the earth * Peggy Whitson, former

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...

Chief Astronaut The Chief of the Astronaut Office is the most senior leadership position for active astronauts at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Chief Astronaut serves as head of the NASA Astronaut Corps and is the principal advi ...

and first female commander of the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest Modular design, modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos ( ...

References

External links

Official website

Official athletic website
* * {{coord, 40.9725, -91.5522, format=dms, name=Iowa Wesleyan University, display=title Educational institutions established in 1842 Education in Henry County, Iowa Buildings and structures in Henry County, Iowa USCAA member institutions Mount Pleasant, Iowa Private universities and colleges in Iowa