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History of Nebraska Wesleyan UniversityNebraska Wesleyan University, chartered by its Methodist
founders on Jan. 2 This Wesleyan soon had its college of liberal arts, a music conservatory, its schools of art, business, and education, and the academy along with lower grades and kindergarten. The high school continued to 1931; the eight grades until 1941; and the kindergarten until 1942. Graduate work leading to the M.A. degree remained part of the university's program until 1937. NWU built its reputation as an excellent liberal arts college and was soon acclaimed to be one of the stronger institutions of its kind in the central west. Accreditation by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools had come in 1914, and there would be no break in the recognition. Nebraska Wesleyan University had its times of financial troubles, for often its Methodist backers were too short with their responses to meet the school's expanding needs. Chancellors Huntington and Schreckengast successfully resolved major crises which they inherited. The Great Depression after 1929 brought matters to heightened stress and threat. New leadership, a board of devoted trustees, and a faculty willing to accept reductions of wage up to 50 percent would by 1936 bring definite resurgence. Never again would this college operate on a brink of financial collapse. Challenges of military conflict caused great internal unrest, for the departures of young men for services resulted in disheartening imbalances on the campus. Resentments against the draft crescendoed - particularly during the Korean action and to much greater degree during the protracted conflict in Vietnam. NWU was simply part of the larger scene. Three emblems have been associated with this college - the Sunflower (1894-1907), the Coyote (1907-1933), and the Plainsman (since 1933). The sunflower lent its colors, yellow and brown, and these have remained as tradition. Since the late '50s, we have had a "Little Plainsman," gift from the cartoonist, Walt Kelly (the comic strip POGO), who visited the campus in 1958. This mascot continues to grace the t-shirts sent to warm the babies of alums. A compiled record of programs for convocations and forums would disclose the names of a host of significant persons who came to speak, to counsel, and to perform and recite. Such listing might begin with William Jennings Bryan and conclude with Ian Wilmut (cloning pioneer) - with the likes of E. Stanley Jones, John G. Neihardt, John F. Kennedy, Arnold J. Toynbee, Madame Chiang Kai-shek, Aaron Copland and Maya Angelou coming in turn and with remarkable impacts. Peculiar to this campus are umpteen anecdotal events and situations which bear review - of pivotal decisions, of some of the whims, fancies, and caprices of administrators and professors, of student responses to certain issues, of certain rivalries among the social houses, of the ups and downs of athletic performances, of annual tours of music and forensic groups, of the demises of the Coyote as school emblem and of Professor Jensen's radio station (WCAJ), and even the ghost of C.C. White (the building). More on the history of Nebraska Wesleyan can be found in volumes I and II of Of Sunflowers, Coyotes and Plainsmen: A History of Nebraska Wesleyan University by Dr. David Mickey ('39), professor emeritus of history at Nebraska Wesleyan. Copies are available for purchase in the Plainsman Bookstore, located in the Story Student Center, or by contacting the Nebraska Wesleyan Alumni Office at (402) 465-2316.
Dr. Vance D. Rogers Address to the Newcomen Society of North America About the Newcomen Society: Were American Newcomen to do naught else, our work is well done if we succeed in sharing with America a strengthened inspiration to continue the struggle towards a nobler civilization - through wider knowledge and understanding of the hopes, ambitions, and deeds of leaders of the past who have upheld Civilization's material progress. As we look backward, let us look forward. - Charles Penrose (1886 - 1958) The following editorial dealing with the history of Nebraska Wesleyan University is from an address delivered at the 1977 Nebraska Dinner of the Newcomen Society of North America when Dr. Vance D. Rogers was the guest of honor speaker on March 16th, 1977: Nebraska Wesleyan University is 90 years old this year. It is a college which I have served with special pride and enthusiasm as president for the past 20 years and which I will soon be leaving so others may bring in fresh ideas and energy into preserving the legacy we have inherited. The first chancellor of Nebraska Wesleyan, C. F. Creighton, spoke in 1888 of the challenge facing those supporting the new endeavor before the college even opened its doors. He said: "We are apt to think that we are at the top in everything, and that ours is at the zenith of civilization. We boast of our church, our institutions, and our state as if we had passed the period of youth and were in the prime of life. But in fact, we are pioneers... we have only begun to make history... we are laying foundations for generations to come". We are pioneers yet today. Men and Women from across the country have sacrificed during each generation to preserve this college. Dr. Rogers was asking for assistance to aid in their 10 year development program. He said: "For almost 100 years, each succeeding generation has helped to sustain Nebraska Wesleyan with thought labor and money. Each of us can be proud of this heritage. But an honorable heritage carries with it responsibility. We, too, must leave an equal legacy to inspire and educate our children and our children's children." When Chancellor Creighton spoke in 1888, Nebraska Wesleyan existed only on paper and in the minds of a few Nebraskans. It would be nine months before Wesleyan opened its doors and its dream can be traced back to the 1850's before even a single Methodist church had been built in the Territory. In 1855, a group received a charter from the Territorial Legislature for a "Simpson University" to be located in Omaha City, then the Territorial Capitol. This early project never succeeded. For the next 30 years, various efforts were made to establish Methodist higher education in Nebraska. John Evans who helped found Northwestern and Denver Universities, tried to establish a Methodist institution at Oreapolis in Nebraska. Other efforts were made at Pawnee City, Nebraska City, Fremont, and Osceola. J. J. Fleharty was even given the name "Nebraska Wesleyan University" and was moved to Fullerton but was abandoned after the move. The Fleharty endeavor had among it backers John H. Mickey later a trustee of Nebraska Wesleyan and a future Governor of the State of Nebraska (1903 - 1907). By 1886, three Methodist Universities managed a shaky toe-hold. They were: Mallalieu University at Bartley, Nebraska Central at Central City, and York College at York, Nebraska. In 1886, Bishop C. H. Fowler arrived in Nebraska and C. F. Creighton, then minister of Saint Paul Methodist Church in Lincoln, convinced the Bishop of the wisdom of merging the three struggling universities. A "Plan of Agreement" was drawn up for the unification of the three universities by a joint commission of 28 members representing the three Methodist Conferences and the three universities meeting at Lincoln in 1886. It called for creating one major university and the other Methodist Schools to serve as a junior college type program preparing students to enroll in the central university. The first board of trustees met and formalized the Articles of Incorporation on January 20th, 1887, the founding date of Nebraska Wesleyan. There were several cities that bid for the new University. York, Central City, Omaha and Lincoln all bid but Lincoln came in with the lowest bid of cash, land, and a 40 acre campus totaling $293,000. The local newspaper enthused: "When Lincoln men go after anything like a railroad or a big Methodist University, they usually get it". The first building called the Main Building (now called "Old Main") was started and stills serves us today and was recently placed on the National Register of Historical Places. The college opened its doors on September 25th, 1888, with 96 students, eight faculty members among them two women professors, and many workmen. The building wasn't finished. Ladders were used to get between floors and three houses and many haystacks surrounded the college building in what soon was to become University Place. Tuition was $10.00 per term with a incidental fee of $4.00 in the College of Liberal Arts. Room and Board were available in Lincoln for $3.50 per week in private homes. The three existing homes were given over to the ladies and the men slept on the second floor of the Main Building. The college advertised that this was a Methodist Mecca and the University Place location avoided the encroachment of the saloons. Students had only one rule to follow: The rule of Honor. "It is presumed that none but gentlemen and ladies are in attendence. Conduct becoming such is all that is required and none others will be tolerated". Chancellor Creighton forsaw the shaky future that faced the new endeavor. He said: "Most people entertain the idea that grounds and building constitute a college. There the expense ends. The fact remains that there the expense begins. You have created an immense machine with which to use up money. It must be fed in porportion to its capacity or starve to death. The boom of the 1880's turned into a bust that threatened the collapse of the new venture. Only the dedication of the Chancellor and members of the trustees saved the new enterprise and permitted the finishing of the "Main" building. Another building soon rose on the knoll in University Place. College officials made contact with Jacob Haish, a barbed wire manufacturer in DeKalb, Illinois who said he would invest $75,000 for a new Manual Training Building. One-half of the proceeds of the sale of Haish barbed wire in Nebraska was to go for the new building. The state was organized behind the campaign and described Haish wire as "Methodist Wire". College students created a yell: "You Try'er, You Buy'er. Haish Wire, Haish Wire". The building was occupied in 1892. It was to make Nebraska Wesleyan the best manual and technical training center in the nation but in 1894, the uninsured Haish Building was destroyed by fire by an arsonist and never rebuilt. Another devoted individual was D.W.C. Huntington who became Chancellor in 1898 after a scandal in the Treasurers Office had shaken the trust in the college. Dr. Huntington at 68, began restoring the confidence in the University. The next 10 years the college experienced unpresented growth. In 1908, the enrollment was 1,200. There were seven separate divisions: The College of Liberal Arts, The Teachers College and Normal School, The Academy, The Conservatory of Music, The School of Expression and Oratory, The School of Commerce, The School of Art, and an affiliation with the new College of Medicine at Lincoln. New friends had been found to help the college. Andrew Carnegie gave the college $10,000 and the Women's Wesleyan Educational Council and others supplied funds to build the C.C. White Building, in 1906, a memorial to C.C. White, a businessman and President of the Board of Trustees. The Music Conservatory, housed in the building proclaimed itself "the greatest school of music between Chicago and the West Coast". The Wesleyan Quartet who toured the nation for 10 years, had spread the name and reputation of the college. Under Dr. Huntington, the School of Commerce developed to the point it was able to print letters of praise from business firms across the state. One letter spoke highly of "the splendid work that it has done and is doing for its young men and women and was signed by M. Weil, President of the National Bank of Commerce and Sylas H. Burnham, President of the First National Bank of Lincoln called Nebraska Wesleyan University a "prosperous school, doing a high class of educational work, and philanthropists disposed to aid such institutions cannot find a better place for the investment of their funds". Chancellor Avery of the University of Nebraska said: Nebraska Wesleyan University is, in my judgement, filling an important place in the educational work of the state. The standards of the school are very good and the faculty is devoted to its work. Devoted men made the dream secure. J. H. Mickey and J. M. Stewart were two of those. Governor Mickey was praised in an early yearbook: "No one has made larger sacrifices than he, and when he felt he could give no more, he helped the University borrow more money, standing staunchly by her credit." Of Mr. Stewart it was said: Wesleyan has many quiet friends, whose silent deeds are unknown to the world. He has stood with Wesleyan through the darkest hours, never faltering." Kinfolk of both these great men continue their relationship with Nebraska Wesleyan. Another name was that of A. L. Johnson of Crete, for 17 years head of the Board of Trustees, a man remembered on our campus with the Johnson Residence Hall, the first building constructed after World War II. By 1917, when Chancellor I. B. Schreckengast began his 14 year tenure, the college was on solid footing having completed a $500,000 endowment drive. The Van Fleet Teachers College Building, a gift of an early alumnus, was built in 1918, The Lucas Library Building was completed in the early 1920's. Another $1,000,000 drive was completed and financial problems had eased. The Chancellor had turned his attention to the academic program. The Faculty who are the backbone of the college, responded: J. C. Jensen, who pioneered in radio; Ethel Booth and Bernise Halbert, devoted teachers of English; E. Glenn Callen, father of the Nebraska Merit System; F.M. Gregg; Roy Deal; Howard Durham; Claude Shirk; Marietta Snow; Mamie Corns; Enid Miller Hoffman, National Honors in Debate and Drama; F. W. Alabaster; B. E. McProud; Oscar "Pop" Bennett, who brought so much musicial enjoyment through the Lincoln Pinewood Bowl shows; Gladys Lux; and others. These teachers led the way to lay the base of academic excellence, and they did it well. A study made by the National Science Foundation showed that Nebraska Wesleyan ranked first among all Nebraska Colleges and second only to the University of Nebraska among all the colleges in the state and in the top 20% of some 1,200 colleges in the nation. But the Schreckengast Era may have been the golden era for the college up to that time. But disaster was around the corner. The bottom fell out of the stock market, depression and drought swept the area. The firm who held the endowment funds suffered bankruptcy. Fewer and fewer students could not find resources to attend college. Funds became critical and the wolf was at the door. The Faculty knew what was at stake. In 1932 they voted a 10% salary cut and later on another 20% cut. They meant to keep the doors open, and they did. The shaky years of the 1930's, the Faculty stayed on the job. Students such as Richard W. Smith, James N. Ackerman and many others started their distinguished careers. These dedicated teachers turned out many scientific leaders such as Dr. John Dunning, Columbia University, and the first man to split the uranium atom. Those graduates of the depression years who have been devoted alumni like George A. Knight, 50 years of service on the Board of Trustees, the late John Heyer Miller, in the construction field, and Ernest L. Smith served loyally during the crisis years. Chancellor B. F. Schwartz led the college through the war years, and the trauma of the 1930's was still with the University. The decision was made to revise its goals. It would become a liberal arts college offering a four year program of undergraduate training. It would not offer graduate degrees as it had in the past. After the depression and the war years, the University was slow to pick up the pieces. Leadership changed frequently. But in 1950, Chancellor A. Leland Forrest saw the potential of what Nebraska Wesleyan could be. He died in office but new faces emerged. Charles L. Horn and the Olin Foundation granted more than $5 million dollars for two major buildings. Others, such as Woods Charitable Fund, The Cooper Foundation, and many firms and individuals such as Mrs. Maude Burt and Mrs. Edith Elder, made major finiancial investments to the college. J. D. Anderson of the Board of Trustees and Jim Ackerman Chairman of the Board of Governors and others have given thousands of hours of their time to provide leadership to the college. The campus has undergone dramatic change. A speach and theatre complex is needed, and a few buildings need to be torn down, and some repairs to make, but the Smith-Curtis Classroom -Administration Building, the Olin Hall of Science, the Fine Arts Center, the Cochrane-Woods Library, the George A. Knight Field House, Centennial and Plainsman Residence Halls, and the Campus Center will satisfy our space needs for several decades. The reconstruction of our campus is a tribute to the devotion of hundreds of persons throughout the city, the state, and the nation. Nebraska Wesleyan is dedicated to excellence that guarantees expermentation and innovation. We try new methods and new ideas because we think we can do something better. A program of experimental theatre for student actors and directors and the Brownville Village Theatre, the state's oldest repertory theatre program are innovative approaches of recent years. Nebraska Wesleyan was the first to recognize the importancce of using the Nebraska Unicameral as a research tool for our political science students. The college was the first to recognize that its teacher education majors earn a baccalaureate degree before seeking certificiation, a common standard now. The Nebraska Wesleyan history department has one of the few programs in quantitative history in the nation. We are dedicated to teachers who "assist and encourage" rather than "intimidate and repel". We are dedicated to excellence in the liberal arts because our space-oriented technology leaves a void if there is no respect of the "true, beautiful, and the good. We are also dedicated to the uplifting, the enlarging, and the expanding of the mind. That is why we opened the Fine Arts Center, and provided space for the Elder Gallery and installed the Cadwallader Organ. Nebraska Wesleyan was the one of the first colleges in the early 1960's to establish a student and faculty exchange with predominantly black colleges in Tennessee. That is why we were the first college in the state to elect students and faculty to the governing boards of Nebraska Wesleyan where they serve as full members with vote. Nebraska Wesleyan has more than 8,200 graduates, nearly half of them completing their work in the past 20 years. Very early in the history of Nebraska Wesleyan, dedication to excellence was proclaimed by the University. It was the goal of those early leaders: "To inculate respect for the true, the beautiful and the good. Our theory of education is first to draw out, second to develop the whole being and third to do this under Christian influnces. Whoever advertises to educate by quanity does not comprehend what an education means. It consists not in filling up the mind nor in drawing out the mind, but in drawing out, expanding, enlarging, uplifting, and strengthening the mind itself." But not just a select few would be served. The prospectus of 1888 stated: "None will be turned away who are competent to rank with any of the classes of the University, and it will be the aim of the faculty to assist and encourge rather than to intimidate and repel." In addition, it was announced very clearly that Nebraska Wesleyan "is non-sectarian and its partonage includes every shade of religious belief. Methodism is not taught nor are students proselyted, but genuine Christian character is one of the chief ends sought while denominational affiliations are matters of personal option." (Editors Note: As every Mason knows, This is a shining example of Freemasonry). "Nebraska Wesleyan University is a magnificent, everchanging dream. As men and women of diverse natures and backgrounds are called to make a commitment to the college, the dream takes on new shapes. At Nebraska Wesleyan, we must always be pioneers, laying the foundations for generations to come." Dr. Vance D. Rogers A memorial service for Dr. Vance Rogers, 84, will be held at Trinity Methodist Church on Thursday, November 1, 2001, where Dr. Rogers served as minister for four years before becoming Wesleyan President in 1957. U. S District Judge Warren Urbom described Rogers as a visionary and realist whose leadership and fundraising ability helped form Wesleyan from a "quiet and modest provincialism" into a dynamic force in th city, state, and nation. In his 20 year tenure as president, Rogers was responsible for constructing nine buildings, strengthening the faculty, improving curriculum, and improving student body. His plan was to stay at the helm for 20 years, then leave. He could have remained as chancellor, to continue as fundraiser but he choose to run for Governor when Charles Thone would not be a candidate. He knew he would not win, but he met many people and he said it was a very satisfying experience. At a 1989 recognition luncheon sponsored by Wesleyan, the Lincoln Foundation, and National Bank of Commerce, then Mayor Bill Harris said Rogers helped him on many projects. James Stuart Jr. of First Commerce Bancshares, said Rogers had left " a trail of success" in his association with Wesleyan, and NBC as board director and in customer and community relations, and as staff consultant and later interim president of Lincoln Foundation. In 1986, Rogers received the Distinguished Service Award from Nebraskans for Public Television for his support and serving two terms as chairman of the Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Commission. He was born in Lake City, Minnesota. He received his bachelor's degree from Hamline University in St. Paul and Masters of Divinity Degree from Northwestern University. He served as Navy Chaplain and minister of two churches in Illinois before coming to Trinity Methodist church in Lincoln in 1953. While at Wesleyan, he served as presidents of Nebraska Independent College Foundation, Association of Methodist College and Universities, and Nebraska Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. He was also awarded honorary degrees by six colleges and universities. He is survived by his wife, Barbara, two daughters, and four grandchildren. Edited from article from Lincoln Journal Star Editors Note: Dr. Rogers remained a member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Lincoln. He was a kind and gentle man who treated everyone with respect and never knew a stranger. He will be missed. THE NEWCOMEN SOCIETY From Lieut. General James G. Harbord, late American Member of Council at London of the Newcomen Society: "The roads you travel so briskly lead out of dim antiquity, and you study the past chiefly because of its bearing on the living present and the promise for the future." - Lieutenant General James G. Harbord - U.S. Army (Retired) - (1866 - 1947) Edited by R. W. Miner Editorial: Because the Newcomen Society represents and embodies the principles of Freemasonry, I feel that it is with merit that we should share with the reader the purpose of this society that has its beginning in England long before our country was settled: THE NEWCOMEN SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA.......... In April 1923, the late L. F. Loree (1858 - 1940) of New York, then dean of American railroad presidents, established a group known as "American Newcomen" and interested in Business History, as distinguished from political history. Its objectives center in the beginings, growth, development, contributions, and influence of Industry, Transportation, Communication, the Utilities, Mining, Agriculture, Banking, Finance, Economics, Insurance, Education, Invention, and the Law - these and correlated historical fields. In short, the background of those factors which have contributed to the progress of mankind. The approach in most cases has been a life story of corporate organizations, interpreted through the ambitions, the successes and failures, and the ultimate achievements of those pioneers whose efforts led the foundations of the particular enterprise. THE NEWCOMEN SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES The Society’s name perpetuates the life and work of Thomas Newcomen (1663-1729), the British pioneer whose valuable improvements to the newly invented steam engine in Staffordshire, England brought him lasting fame in the field of the Mechanic Arts. The Newcomen Engines, in use from 1712 to 1775, helped pave the way for the Industrial Revolution. Newcomen’s inventive genius preceded by more than 50 years the brilliant work in steam in Birmingham, England by the world-famous James Watt of Scotland. The Newcomen Society of the United States is a nonprofit membership corporation chartered in the State of Maine, with headquarters at 412 Newcomen Road, Exton, Pennsylvania 19341, located 30 miles west of Center City, Philadelphia. In a decisive move to prepare for the 21st century, Newcomen Trustees voted in 1999 to re-deploy physical assets and sharpen the focus on our primary mission. Our goals remain the same--to promote and record free enterprise, by emphasizing meetings and membership, as well as increasing our commitment to acadeemic scholarship and research. Since 1948, the Society's staff has managed real estate in Exton, PA ranging from three to 30 acres, while also operating and maintaining an office complex, five resident houses and The Thomas Newcomen Memorial Library and Museum in Steam Technology and Industrial History, a reference collection suitable for research. With a current staff of four professionals, the Trustees voted unanimously that the value of these assets in Exton would better serve Newcomen if relocated to higher traffic locations. We have already significantly increased the value of our academic awards and grants. Harvard Business School Baker Library has acquired a substantial portion of our library. Proceeds from the sale of real estate will be transferred to the Society's endowment fund and designated for the support of academic scholarship, research of business history and other appropriate areas. We have already significantly increased the value of our academic awards and grants. Harvard Business School Baker Library has acquired a substantial portion of our library. The Newcomen Society of the United States is affiliated with The Newcomen Society for the Study of the History of Engineering and Technology, with offices at The Science Museum, South Kensington, London, S.W.7, England. The Society is also associated in union with the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, whose offices are at 6 John Adam Street, London, W.C.2, England. Members of American Newcomen who visit Europe are invited to visit the home of Thomas Newcomen at Dartmouth in South Devonshire, England and to see a working model of a Dartmouth Newcomen Engine. updated 1/11/00 The Website of the Newcomen Society has changed to www.newcomen.org
Dr. Jeanie WatsonPresident, Nebraska Wesleyan UniversityJeanie Watson became the 15th president of Nebraska Wesleyan University on July 1, 1997. Before coming to Nebraska Wesleyan, she served as dean of the H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College at Tulane University; dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Hamline University; and associate dean of the Brown College of Arts and Sciences at Southwestern University (Georgetown, Texas). Earlier in her career, she held teaching positions at Rhodes College, Marshall University, Gustavus Adolphus College, Stonehill College, and the University of Nebraska. Dr. Watson earned her bachelor's degree in English at Baylor University; her master's degree at Midwestern State University; and her doctorate, in English, at Ohio University. She is the author or editor of several books, including Approaches to Teaching the Arthurian Tradition, Risking Enchantment: Coleridge's Symbolic World of Faery, and Ambiguous Realities: Women in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Dr. Watson has participated in a variety of professional and community service activities, including The American Council on Education's Commission on Women in Higher Education; the Board of Directors for the National Association of Schools and Colleges of The United Methodist Church (NASCUMC); the NCAA Division III Presidents Council; the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) Committee on Tax Policy; the Board of Trustees for BryanLGH Medical Center; and the Board of Directors for the United Way of Lincoln-Lancaster County. Dr. Watson is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Mortar Board. President Watson has two grown children: Melissa Elaine Rosenbaum and Michael Stuart Rosenbaum. FROM PRESIDENT, DR. JEANIE WATSON INAUGURATION SPEACH IN 1997
I've spent the past several months listening to the Wesleyan story. I've read in Dr. Mickey's history about the struggle to unify Methodist higher education in Nebraska in the late nineteenth century. This struggle led to the founding of Nebraska Wesleyan University in 1887, with the commitment that "diplomas granted to future students would reflect standards to 'command universal respect.' " On September 22, 1887, the cornerstone of the Main Building--now, Old Main--was laid, and an auction of the land adjacent to the campus proper--known as University Place--was held, in order to raise money for the endowment. The school sold approximately 50 lots for $13,000--property we've, no doubt, been buying back, ever since! A full year's tuition, plus incidentals, that first year was $42. The children of ministers--and students who planned to become ministers--received discounts: our earliest financial aid packages. Women were admitted from the beginning; and over the years, several schools and colleges were established as part of the university. Wesleyan's interest in technology first became evident in the fall of 1893 when the Haish Manual Training School was opened, offering "practical education with tools and mechanical drawing . . . coupled with course work in the college of liberal arts." Six months later, an arsonist set fire to the new building housing the school, and it burned to the ground. An advertisement for Nebraska Wesleyan from the 1920's details complete courses of study in the College of Liberal Arts, the Teacher's College, the Conservatory of Music, the Academy, the School of Art, and the School of Expression and Oratory, with Summer School an option and 120 hours required for graduation. Over the years, there were intense debates over curriculum and general education--some things never change!--but always there was a sense of mission and dedication to an important purpose. In 1935, during very difficult years, the faculty elected to cut their salaries in half in order to retain jobs for the entire faculty. I've not only read the written story, I've also listened to the spoken stories of current students and their parents, alumni, current and emeritus faculty, members of the staff, trustees and governors and people in the community. I've heard about four-generation Wesleyan families. I've heard parents tell how their son or daughter would not have been able to graduate had it not been for faculty who took a personal interest; I've heard about students, faculty and staff who gathered last August to "Lend a Hand to Lincoln"; about the excellence of our academic programs and student-faculty research projects in a range of disciplines; about internships that have resulted in valuable experience and in jobs; about high school teachers from throughout the state--and, indeed, the nation--who come to our campus for workshops; about our students winning national fellowships and awards, like Trumans and Fulbrights, and winning prestigious graduate and professional school awards. There are many, many individual stories of dedication and determination and laughter that have come together to make the Wesleyan story, a communal story that belongs, in its own way, to each of us. A story that continues to be made, even as we tell it. Today, as Nebraska Wesleyan University stands on the threshold of the twenty-first century, we find ourselves in a position of strength. Our students are bright and caring and ambitious. Our faculty are committed to student learning and to active participation in their academic fields. Our staff is dedicated to serving the mission of the institution. The university is financially solid; buildings are well-maintained; the campus is aesthetically pleasing. Wesleyan's reputation in Nebraska and the Great Plains region, as well as at home in Lincoln, as a premiere national Baccalaureate I institution is well-established. Our historic partnership with the United Methodist Church continues to serve us in new and creative ways. A justifiable sense of pride and an atmosphere of trust and good faith--a true spirit of community--characterize Wesleyan University and provide foundational strength for the future.
Nebraska Wesleyan CampusThe inviting atmosphere of the University Place neighborhood, complete with coffeehouses and a local art gallery, creates a perfect place for a university campus. Nebraska Wesleyan sits on 50 acres in this quiet, safe, residential neighborhood. Stately trees (the campus includes the Alice Abel Arboretum, part of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum), flowering shrubs and natural grasses offer changing beauty throughout the seasons and complement historic architecture. Yet, our campus is very modern and still growing. Exciting new buildings and renovations create a perfect environment for living and learning Old MainOld Main is the symbol of Nebraska Wesleyan's heritage. Listed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks, it is the University's original building. Constructed in 1888 of Colorado red sandstone and pressed brick, Old Main underwent renovation and refurbishment in 1988. Today the building houses the Departments of English, Modern Languages, and Philosophy and Religion, as well as the University Ministries Office and Miller Chapel.
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1887, has met the challenges of the times. Symbolic of the institution's durability has
been its Old Main building, with ground breaking in April 1887 and the laying of the
cornerstone on Sept. 22. A teaching and administrative staff of eight (the chancellor
included) welcomed students for registration on Sept. 25, 1888. Classes for 96 students
(those of the academy, included) were soon underway in the building - yet without
stairways completed and with ladders to be used, without glass in several windows, without
flooring in many rooms, etc. Four women were the first to graduate in 1890. Four men
followed in 1891.
Virtual Tour of Wesleyan University : 
