Arcadia University

Arcadia University is a private university in Glenside, Pennsylvania. A master's university by Carnegie Classification, the university has a co-educational student population of approximately 4,000 (undergraduate and graduate). The university was ranked 42nd in the Regional Universities North category by U.S. News & World Report in 2017. The 76 acre campus features Grey Towers Castle, a National Historic Landmark.

History
Arcadia University was founded in Beaver, Pennsylvania in 1853 as Beaver Female Seminary. By 1872, it had attained collegiate status, under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was named Beaver College. The school admitted men from 1872 to 1907, then limited enrollment to women until 1972. In 1925, Beaver College moved east to Jenkintown, Pennsylvania and changed its religious affiliation to Presbyterian Church (USA). In 1928, the school acquired the Harrison estate in Glenside, including Grey Towers Castle, the location of the current campus. The college operated both the Jenkintown and Glenside campuses until 1962, when it consolidated all activities to the Glenside campus. Some significant changes came in 1973, when the college launched its first graduate programs and began admitting men again. The rise of the internet, with systems designed to filter out sexually explicit material, repeatedly blocked access to the college's website. A research found that because of its name, the institution appealed to 30% fewer prospective students. In June 2001, trustees voted to apply for university status and to change the name. In July 2001, upon attaining university status, Beaver College officially changed its name to Arcadia University.

Today, Arcadia University operates on the main Glenside campus, at academic centers and offices around the world, and in Christiana, Delaware, where the university's Department of Medical Science opened a campus in 2006. From 2013 to 2017, the university was led by Nicolette DeVille Christensen, Ph.D., who was appointed as the university's 21st president on Oct. 11, 2013. After Christiansen's departure Hank Brown was named interim president of the university in June 2017. In January 2018 the university announced Dr. Ajay Nair as its incoming president.

Undergraduate programs
The university offers more than 80 fields of study in its undergraduate programs. Undergraduate majors are offered in the College of Arts & Sciences, College of Health Sciences, School of Education, and School of Global Business. There is also an option for students to propose self-designed majors, which may consist of courses offered in Glenside and through study abroad.

Graduate programs
Graduate and professional studies at Arcadia University range widely, from liberal arts to primarily professional, doctoral level to workshops. Arcadia's international perspective is reflected in programs such as its accelerated part-time MBA with a Global Perspective, its Master of Arts in International Peace and Conflict Resolution, and its Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy program, ranked second in Pennsylvania and 20th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report in 2016, provides international opportunities for pro bono work in locations such as England, Jamaica, Guatemala, and Peru. Additionally, there are clinical sites offered across the country, mainly in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S.

Arcadia's Master's program in Forensic Science is accredited by FEPAC, and faculty are certified by the American Board of Criminalistics and the American Board of Forensic Toxicology.

International programs
The university is known for its study abroad programs. In its 2016 Open Doors report, the Institute of International Education ranked Arcadia No. 1 in the nation for the percentage of undergraduate students participating in study abroad experiences at a master's level college or university. This was the seventh year the university earned this top ranking, and it has been in the top ten since 2004. The 2014-15 data from Open Doors shows 800 undergraduates studying abroad in that year, which—compared to a total of 482 graduating students—yields an estimated 166% participation rate. Additionally, 60 percent of first-year students participate in an overseas educational experience during Spring break.

In addition to sending a high percentage of its own students abroad, the university runs a number of programs that are open to students of other universities. The College of Global Studies (TCGS), which was given the status of a college in 2009, runs over 130 programs, which serve students from over 300 universities yearly. TCGS programs operate in Australia, Chile, Cuba, England, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, and Wales.

, The College also offers classroom space and administrative services in Arcadia Centers Abroad, located in 9 sites: Athens, Barcelona, Cape Town, Dublin, Edinburgh, Granada, London, Melbourne, and Rome.

In 2014, Arcadia University entered into a strategic academic alliance with Global Pathways Institute (GPI) in Mumbai, India. The alliance provides a pathway for students in India to begin their college career in India and finish it at Arcadia University, or at other universities in the U.S.

In affiliation with the American Graduate School of International Relations and Diplomacy (AGSIRD), Arcadia University also offers a two-year Master's program in International Relations and Diplomacy, accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and located in Paris.

In 2005, Arcadia University allied with IFSA-Butler to form the Alliance for Global Education. The Alliance for Global Education is still a thriving organization, specializing in sending students to India, China, and other Asian countries.

Athletics
Arcadia University teams compete in the NCAA Division III within the MAC Commonwealth of the Middle Atlantic Conferences. Men's sports teams include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, and volleyball. Women's sports teams include basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, and volleyball.

Student organizations
As of spring 2018, Arcadia University has more than 60 active governing, academic, sport, cultural, media, religious, and service clubs and organizations.

Notable people

 * Alumni
 * Julianne Boyd, theater director
 * William R. Evanina, the NCIX, the National Counterintelligence Executive of the United States, and director of the U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center
 * Catherine Gunsalus Gonzalez, religious author and Professor Emerita at Columbia Theological Seminary
 * Joe McKeehen, World Series of Poker Main Event Champion (2015)
 * Dorothy Germain Porter, amateur golf champion
 * Abbey Ryan, artist (painter)
 * M. Susan Savage, Secretary of State of Oklahoma and former Mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma
 * Edith Schaeffer, religious author and co-founder of the L'Abri study center
 * Oliver B. Shallenberger, electrical engineer
 * Anna Deavere Smith, actress
 * Faculty and administration
 * Hank Brown, U.S. Senator from Colorado and interim President of Arcadia University
 * Cynthia S. Burnett (1840-1932), educator, lecturer, temperance reformer, and newspaper editor