Olivet College is a private liberal arts college located in Olivet, Michigan, United States, 29 miles (47Â km) south of Lansing and 125 miles (201Â km) west of Detroit. Olivet College is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches and stands in the Reformed tradition of Protestantism. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
History
In 1844, after founding Oberlin College, Rev. John J. Shipherd and 39 missionaries, including Oberlin faculty, students, and alumni, came to Michigan to create a college, which Shipherd deemed "New Oberlin."
The original land for the college was to be in present-day Ingham County, approximately twenty-five miles (40Â km) from where the college stands. Olivetian lore says that while Shipherd was on a trip to the site in Ingham County, his horse continued to get lost, and would always wander back to a hill above a swamp, which is where Olivet's Campus Square exists today. Shipherd decided that powers from above must be drawing the horse back to this site, and Shipherd deemed that this would become the site for "New Oberlin." He then chose to name it Olivet, however, after the biblical Mount of Olives. Shortly after the founding of the college, John Shipherd succumbed to malaria, as many other early Olivetians would.
It is said that the founders of Olivet College believed in three essential components: first was a coeducational experience; service was another integral part of the founders' visions, as the founders helped to build the surrounding community as well as the broader community; they also believed that an education could be had by anyone, not just those "rich in the world's goods." Abolitionist beliefs, along with a coeducational experience, led the state legislature to deny a charter for the college until thirteen years after the first courses were offered. Some Olivetians believe that the charter was denied because of possible competition with Michigan College.
The first courses began in December 1844. Because President Reuben Hatch's petition for a charter was denied, Olivet became the Olivet Institute, and remained a two-year school until chartered in 1859.
The 20th century saw Olivet College become a liberal arts school, with a short-lived attempt at an Oxford-style curriculum from 1934 to 1944.
After assuming leadership in 2010, President Steven Corey announced the "Olivet College 2020 and Beyond Strategic Plan", which includes renovating existing buildings and facilities, creating a new student center, increasing endowment, and expand the student population to 1,500.
Academics
Olivet offers 32 programs that lead to a bachelor's degree and a master's degree of Business Administration in Insurance. Student-to-faculty ratio is 16:1.
Athletics
Along with Albion College and Michigan State University, Olivet founded the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) in 1888. The MIAA is the nation's oldest collegiate conference. Olivet College athletic teams, nicknamed the Comets, participate in the following intercollegiate sports as a member of the MIAA include:
Men baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, club tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor), club volleyball, and wrestling (Division III Independent). Volleyball will become a full varsity sport in 2015â€"16 (2016 season), competing in the Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League.
Women basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor), volleyball, and cheerleading.
Olivet College Radio
Olivet College has an FCC-Licensed Non-Commercial Educational student-run radio station, broadcasting in the Olivet area at 89.1Â MHz FM with the callsign WOCR. The broadcast is also available for people outside the studio range online at. Students can volunteer for a radio shift from 7:30am to midnight Monday through Friday to broadcast music, campus events, news, and talk shows. Comet Football and Basketball is also often broadcast live from the game site.
Statistics
Olivet College has approximately 1,040 students, 40% female and 60% male. 74% of classes have less than 24 students, and there is a 16:1 student/faculty ratio. The college has a 59% retention rate for first to second year students. For the 2017-2018 school year, tuition is currently $25,780, room and board is $9,310, and yearly fees are $915. Approximately 99% of students receive some sort of financial aid.
Notable alumni
- John Henry Barrows (1967), 5th President of Oberlin College
- Augusta Jane Chapin, 2010 inductee into Michigan Women's Hall of Fame
- Adeola Fayehun (2007), Nigerian journalist
- Daron Cruickshank, current mixed martial artist competing in the UFC's Lightweight Division
- Dave Cutler (1965), software engineer, designer and developer of operating systems including Windows NT at Microsoft and RSX-11M, VMS and VAXELN at Digital Equipment Corporation
- James C. Harrison (did not graduate), artist
- James McCloughan (1968), Recipient of the Medal of Honor in 2017
- Wolfgang Mieder, educator
- George Pyne III (1965) football player
- John Ray (1950), football player and coach
- Sugar Chile Robinson, child musical prodigy
- Vern Ruhle (1975), MLB pitcher and coach
- Claressa Shields, Olympic boxing gold medalist
- Scott Sigler, author of science-fiction and horror, podcaster
- John Swainson, 42nd Governor of Michigan
- Ralph Thacker (1909), college football coach
- Robie Macauley (did not graduate), editor, novelist and critic whose literary career spanned more than 50 years
Notable faculty
- Sherwood Anderson, creative writing
- Hubert Lyman Clark, zoology
- Ford Madox Ford, creative writing
- Alfred Korzybski, semantics
- Golo Mann, history
- Gertrude Stein, guest lecturer, creative writing
Notes and references
External links
- Olivet College
- Olivet College Athletics
- Reinventing A Liberal Arts Institution
- WOCR 89-1