Doane College

Doane College is a private liberal arts college in Crete, Nebraska, United States, with additional campuses located in Lincoln, Grand Island and Omaha.

History
The history of Doane College dates from 1857, when of the General Association of Congregational Churches, in its first annual meeting in Fremont, Nebraska, resolved to lay the foundations of a literary institution of a high order in the state. Fourteen years later, and after several unsuccessful attempts to establish Congregational schools across the state, an academy was founded in Crete on May 22, 1871. The efforts of Frederick Francis Alley, the local Congregational pastor, and Thomas Doane, chief civil engineer for the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad, were instrumental in advancing the idea of the Academy.

On July 11, 1872, Doane College preempted the old Crete Academy. Doane College is the first liberal arts and sciences college in Nebraska.

The college has had 61 Fulbright Scholars since the program began in 1946.

Enrollment
The enrollment consists of over 1,000 undergraduate students on the Crete campus, as well as 750 adult learners and 1,200 graduate students who attend the Lincoln and Grand Island campuses.

Academics
Doane offers 40 undergraduate majors, seven pre-professional programs and three graduate programs in counseling, management, and education.

Athletics
Doane College athletic teams, nicknamed the Tigers, are part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, track & field and wrestling, while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cheerleading, cross-country, dance, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball.

Doane has a rich athletic history. The first college football coach at Doane was F.P. Reed, who led the team to a 1-1 record. Other coaches in its football history include Al Papik, Tommie Frazier and current head coach Matt Franzen.

Doane's football team has participated on three bowl games and won two, tying in the third. The first was the 1950 Bean Bowl where they defeated Colorado State College by a score of 14–6. Doane then had back-to-back appearances in the Mineral Water Bowl in 1967 and 1968.

Notable alumni

 * Henry Pratt Fairchild - sociologist and educator
 * Zenon C.R. Hansen - former chairman of the board at Doane College and CEO of Mack Trucks, Inc
 * Weldon Kees - poet
 * John Perry - philosopher and professor of philosophy at Stanford University
 * Robert Van Pelt - District Judge, United States District Court for the District of Nebraska, 1957–88
 * Douglas L. Wilson - two-time recipient of the Lincoln Prize and professor at Knox College
 * Robert Taylor - American actor

Recognition
In 2008, Doane College was named to The Princeton Review's "Best Midwestern Colleges." The designation was given to 161 Midwest schools, including six from Nebraska. Doane College placed among the top 25 liberal arts colleges nationwide in the ‘least debt' rankings released in the Sept.17, 2007 issue of U.S.News & World Report. Kaplan/Newsweek College Catalog recently called it a "hidden treasure." U.S. News & World Report has ranked Doane a "Great School at a Great Price" for five consecutive years as well as placed it among the top 25 of 572 Midwestern schools. In 2009, Forbes rated it 66th of America's Best Colleges.


 * Doane was named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for 2006. Doane also received a distinction for Hurricane Relief Services for its hurricane relief efforts following the Gulf hurricanes of 2005.

Points of interest

 * Doane College Historic Buildings, including Gaylord Hall, Boswell Observatory and Whitcomb Conservatory/Lee Memorial Chapel.
 * Doane College Osterhout Arboretum
 * Frees Hall
 * Sheldon Hall
 * Hansen Hall
 * Smith Hall
 * Fiske Lodge
 * Dean Memorial Pergola
 *  Cassel Open Air Theatre an outdoor theatre   designed in 1936 and was named for Doane graduate and former treasurer of Doane College, Albert Thomas Cassel. It  serves as a location for classes, graduation ceremonies, and on some occasions, weddings.
 * Brandt Memorial Bridge
 * Porter Memorial Bridge
 * Butler Gymnasium