William Penn University is a

private university Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...

Oskaloosa, Iowa Oskaloosa is a List of cities in Iowa, city in, and the county seat of, Mahaska County, Iowa. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, Oskaloosa was a national center of bituminous coal mining. The population was 11,558 in the 2020 U ...

, United States. It was founded by members of the

Religious Society of Friends Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

(Quakers) in 1873 as Penn College. In 1933, the name was changed to William Penn College, and finally to William Penn University in 2000.

History

Originally founded as Penn College, William Penn University opened on September 24, 1873. The college's name was changed to William Penn College in 1933. In 2000, the name was changed again from William Penn College to William Penn University. In 1916, a fire destroyed the original campus and caused two deaths when a four-ton bell crashed through the main building. Penn College's business manager Robert Williams and freshman student Harry Oakley were killed after being struck by the bell. In 1995, William Penn's "College for Working Adults" was founded, which enrolls non-traditional students in an evening program of accelerated study. In January 2000 the university returned to the NAIA Division II. William Penn University is currently 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 ...

and a member of the

North Central Association The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), also known as the North Central Association, was a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states engaged in educational accreditation. It ...

. In 2007, Musco Lighting, an Oskaloosa based lighting manufacturer, donated $12 million to the school for various projects—the biggest single gift in the school's history. The money was to be used for of new structures including student recreation, classrooms, laboratories, and a stand-alone Industrial Technology Center building called the Musco Technology Center (MTC), which is home for the expanding Digital Communication Program.

Historic district

Part of the campus has been set aside as a nationally recognized

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...

that was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1996. At the time of its nomination, it contained ten resources, which included one contributing site, four

contributing buildings In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...

, two

contributing structures In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distr ...

, two non-contributing buildings, and one non-contributing structure. The focus of the district is the Quadrangle, which is the main contributing site. Penn Hall (1917), Lewis Hall (1917), the Central Heating Plant (1917), and Spencer Memorial Chapel (1923) are the historic buildings. The historic structures are two Memorial Gates (c. 1918).

Bloomington, Illinois Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census showed the city had a population of 78,680, making it the List of municipalities in Illinois, 13th-most populous ci ...

architect A. T. Simmons designed the conceptual plan for the campus and the plans for individual buildings. He also designed the memorial gates; which were erected on May 20, 1918. The campus mainly features the use of

Prairie School architecture Prairie School is a late 19th and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped i ...

Athletics

The William Penn athletic teams are called the Statesmen. 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 higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...

(NAIA), primarily competing in 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 ...

(The Heart) since the 2015–16 academic year. The Statesmen previously competed in the defunct

Midwest Collegiate Conference The Midwest Collegiate Conference (MCC) was a college athletic conference, consisting of colleges and universities located in Iowa and Wisconsin. Founded in 1988, the conference's member schools competed on the NAIA level in 15 different sports. ...

(MCC) from 2001–02 to 2014–15 (when the conference dissolved); as well as in the

Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) is an intercollegiate athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. From 1927 until August 9, 2018, it was known officially as the Iowa Intercollegia ...

(IIAC; now known as the American Rivers Conference since the 2018–19 academic year) of the

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is the lowest division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that do not offer athletic scholarships to student- ...

ranks from 1962–63 to 2000–01 (which they were a member on a previous stint from 1922–23 to 1953–54). William Penn competes in 23 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, track & field, volleyball and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, track & field, volleyball and wrestling; and co-ed sports include cheer & dance and shotgun sports.

Men's basketball

The men's basketball teams have had significant success, finishing as the runner-up in the

2013 NAIA Division II men's basketball tournament The 2013 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball national championship was held in March at Keeter Gymnasium in Point Lookout, Missouri. The 22nd annual NAIA basketball tournament featured thirty-two teams playing in a single-elimination format. ...

. In 2014 William Penn set a record for points scored in the NAIA National Basketball Tournament.

Notable people

Joseph Benavidez Joseph Rolando Benavidez (born July 31, 1984) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the Flyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He fought for the UFC Flyweight championship four times. ...

, professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

Casey Fien Casey Michael Fien ( ; born October 21, 1983), is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, and Philadelphia Phillie ...

, professional baseball player * John M. Haines, tenth Governor of

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

from 1913 to 1915 *

Damon Harrison Damon Paul Harrison (born November 29, 1988) is a former American football defensive tackle. He played college football at William Penn University and was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He was also a member of t ...

, professional football player *

Barb Kniff McCulla Barbara Kniff McCulla (born 1956) is an American politician and entrepreneur who has represented the 37th district in the Iowa House of Representatives since January 2023, which consists of most of Marion County, parts of southern Jasper Coun ...

, member of the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

* Jerry Kutzler, professional baseball player * Clarence Pickett, 20th-century American

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

* Lilly Peckham Pickett, 20th-century American

, graduated in 1908 *

Bruce Polen Bruce Polen (born October 22, 1951) is an American former college football coach who was the tenth head football coach at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas, serving for two seasons, from 1982 until 198 ...

, college football player and coach * Kevin Ritz, professional baseball player * Andy Stokes, professional football player * Rob Taylor,

Ed Thomas Ed Thomas (born 1961, Abercraf, Powys, Wales) is a Welsh playwright, director, and producer. Biography He studied English at Cardiff University, before venturing into London's theatre scene. Thomas later returned to Wales and became a founding me ...

, football coach * Antonio Pérez, educator * D. Elton Trueblood, 20th-century American

Abel Trujillo Abel Nazario Trujillo (born September 18, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist. He last competed in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Born in Greensboro, North Carolina, Trujillo attended Rive ...

, four-time NAIA All-American wrestler; professional mixed martial artist *

Kamaru Usman Kamarudeen Usman (born May 11, 1987) is a Nigerian-American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler, and graduated folkstyle wrestler. He currently competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championsh ...

, professional mixed martial artist, former

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

Welterweight Champion * Thomas E. Watson,

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

Lieutenant General, commander of the

2nd Marine Division The 2nd Marine Division (2nd MARDIV) is a division of the United States Marine Corps, which forms the ground combat element of the II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF). The division is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina a ...

during the

Battle of Saipan The Battle of Saipan was an amphibious assault launched by the United States against the Empire of Japan during the Pacific War, Pacific campaign of World War II between 15 June and 9 July 1944. The initial invasion triggered the Battle of the ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Mary Chawner Woody ''For the American nurse, hospital administrator, and university professor, see Mary Woody.'' Mary Chawner Woody (December 22, 1846 – December 25, 1928) was an American Quakers, Quaker minister, educator, and Temperance movement in the United S ...

, president, North Carolina

Woman's Christian Temperance Union The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program that "linked the religious and the secular through concerted and far ...

* Wilbur Young, professional football player * Miriam Were, Nobel Peace Prize nominee

References

External links

*
Official athletics website
{{authority control Quaker universities and colleges Liberal arts colleges in Iowa Education in Mahaska County, Iowa Oskaloosa, Iowa Historic districts in Mahaska County, Iowa Buildings and structures in Mahaska County, Iowa Educational institutions established in 1873 National Register of Historic Places in Mahaska County, Iowa University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa 1873 establishments in Iowa Private universities and colleges in Iowa Universities and colleges accredited by the Higher Learning Commission