McKendree University

McKendree University, formerly known as McKendree College, is a private liberal arts college located in Lebanon, Illinois. The area is a part of the Metro-East region of Greater St. Louis. Founded in 1828 as the Lebanon Seminary, it is the oldest college in Illinois. McKendree enrolls approximately 2,400 undergraduates and nearly 900 graduate students and remains affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The school changed its name to McKendree University beginning with the 2007-08 academic year. McKendree University comprises McKendree College of Arts and Science, a School of Business, a School of Health Professions and a School of Education.

Fielding athletic teams known as the McKendree Bearcats, the university is in the process of transitioning athletics from the NAIA and member of the American Midwest Conference to NCAA Division II and the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC).

History


Established by pioneer Methodists, McKendree is the oldest university in the state and continues to have ties to the United Methodist Church. First called Lebanon Seminary, the school opened in two rented sheds for 72 students in 1828 under Edward Raymond Ames. In 1830, Bishop William McKendree, the first American-born bishop of the Methodist church, permitted the Board of Trustees to change the institution's name to McKendree College. Later Bishop McKendree deeded 480 acre of land in Shiloh, Illinois to endow the college. Reverend Peter Akers, in 1833, was the first president of the newly named college. He was president of McKendree College three times and received its first degree, an honorary Doctorate of Divinity. In 1835, the College received one of the first charters granted to independent church colleges by the Illinois legislature. The institution still operates under the provisions of a second, more liberal charter obtained in 1839.

McKendree has struggled throughout its history to be financially viable and only since the late 90s has it achieved a measure of economic stability. Since 1994 and the installation of its current President, Dr. James M. Dennis, the College has significantly increased its enrollment. In recent years, a new enrollment management strategy has yielded larger numbers of high quality students, built substantial graduate enrollments and strongly diversified the student body. In 2001, the College embarked on a capital campaign which raised more than $20 million for the campus including the creation of a Performing Arts Center.

Academics


McKendree University confers degrees from four colleges and schools and offers over 40 undergraduate majors, 38 minors, and master's degrees in four areas: business administration, education, nursing, and professional counseling. McKendree also grants several professional programs. The university is classified as Master’s Colleges and Universities (Master’s/L) by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

For 2011, McKendree was ranked 20th in Regional Midwest Colleges by U.S. News & World Report and is deemed a Tier I university. In addition, McKendree has full accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. McKendree has been fully accredited by the North Central Association of the Higher Learning Commission since 1915 and received its ten-year renewal in 2003-2004. McKendree’s School of Education is fully accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). McKendree's School of Nursing and Health Professionals is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

The university offers associate degrees, bachelor's degrees and master's degrees through its four schools:
 * College of Arts and Sciences
 * School of Business
 * School of Nursing and Health Professions
 * School of Education

More than 50% of the classes have fewer than 15 students. McKendree's student-to-faculty ratio is 15 to 1.

McKendree University is host to chapters representing a number of honor societies and academic fraternities including:


 * Alpha Psi Omega
 * Kappa Delta Pi
 * Lambda Pi Beta
 * Nursing Honor Society
 * Phi Alpha Theta
 * Phi Beta Lambda
 * Phi Kappa Phi
 * Pi Kappa Delta
 * Pi Gamma Mu
 * Pi Sigma Alpha
 * Psi Chi
 * Sigma Beta Delta
 * Sigma Tau Delta
 * Sigma Zeta
 * Upsilon Pi Epsilon

Main campus


McKendree University's main campus is located on a wooded 100 acre in Lebanon, Illinois, about 25 minutes from downtown St. Louis, Missouri.

The campus is laid out in roughly a rectangle boarded by Stanton Street and College Hill Cemetery to the west and Monroe St. to the east. North Alton St. and Summerfield St. bisect the campus and are the main roads for vehicular traffic on campus.

The university opened the Russel E. and Fern M. Hettenhausen Center for the Arts (the Hett) in September 2006. The state-of-the-art the $10 million, 34,400 sqft theater includes practice and storage space for the McKendree University band, choral department and faculty offices. The Hett includes a full-size stage with a 500-seat auditorium.

The Marion K. Piper Academic Center (Piper Academic Center or PAC for short) is the student union, which is the center of the campus, with the library located directly to the northwest of it. All academic buildings are located in the southwestern sections of the campus.

Residence halls
Student housing is provided along the north-central and northeastern areas of the campus. McKendree offers three different types of residence halls- traditional dorm style, suite style, and apartment style. Traditional style halls are predominantly freshmen and are co-ed by floor. The residence halls are served by the Ames Dining Hall, located between Baker Hall and Walton Hall. Traditional dorms include: The suite style and apartment style halls are predominantly upperclassmen, freshmen are not allowed to live in McKendree West Apartments. Suite style residence halls are located in a 70-student complex on the eastern edge of campus called The Suites. The suites are co-ed by suite and include three bedrooms, one bathroom, and a common area. McKendree West Apartments are the university owned apartment style residence housing option. McKendree West houses approximately 330 students and is co-ed by apartment. They are located a half mile from the main campus. The university offers a shuttle service to transport residents to and from McKendree West, called the Bogey Bus named after McKendree's mascot, Bogey the Bearcat.
 * Baker Hall
 * Barnett Hall
 * Walton Hall
 * New residence halls opened in 2011

On October 23, 2010 the university held a groundbreaking ceremony for two new state-of-the-art residence halls. The new 75,000 sqft residence halls are designed in a modern glass-and-brick style of architecture to blend with other modern buildings on campus as well as the many historic brick buildings. Each new hall is a three-story structure connected by a two-floor glass bridge. The new residence halls tentatively named "New Residence Hall: East" and "New Residence Hall: West" were completed in time for the 2011-2012 academic year.

Regional campuses
McKendree University also has campuses in Louisville and Radcliff, Kentucky, classes at Scott Air Force Base, and nursing bachelors and masters programs at several locations in Southern Illinois.:

The Center at Scott Air Force Base
The Center at Scott Air Force Base is offered on-base for military personnel. Students can pursue an undergraduate degree while taking one-month classes to meet the busy and changing schedule for the service men and women.

Kentucky Campuses
McKendree University also has two campuses in Kentucky located in Louisville and Radcliff, Kentucky. Programs at these locations are structured to provide convenience for working adults who want to pursue undergraduate degree's in: Business Administration, Marketing, Accounting, Management, Human Resources Management, Computer Information Systems, Information Technology, and Nursing; or Master Degrees in Business Administration or Nursing.

Annual all-campus events



 * April: Spring Fling
 * September: Tailgate party &mdash; picnic, fest, and game kicks off the football season
 * October: Homecoming &mdash; parade, fest, and football game
 * December: Christmas tree lighting &mdash; eggnog, Christmas carols, and Christmas tree illumination

Athletics


McKendree University athletic teams are called the Bearcats. The university is currently in the process of transitioning to the NCAA Division II from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The university competed as an independent during the 2011-12 academic year before becoming a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) for the 2012-13 academic year as a provisional NCAA member. In addition to all GLVC sponsored sports, McKendree also fields men's and women's bowling as an independent programs, men's ice hockey as a member of the ACHA Division III in the Mid-American Collegiate Hockey Association (MACHA), and women's lacrosse as a member of the Western Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (WILA). McKendree University was a member of the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from 1912 to 1938. They were in the NAIA as members of the American Midwest Conference (with the exception of football where they played in the Midwest League of the Mid-States Football Association) through the 2010-2011 season.

Move to the NCAA
On July 12, 2010 the university was informed by the NCAA Division II Membership Committee that it was accepted into the NCAA Division II. McKendree continued to play in the NAIA during the two-year candidacy period, before it became a member of the GLVC during the provisional year. The fourth academic year, 2013–2014, the NCAA would vote to make McKendree an active member of NCAA DII.

On October 6, 2010 it was announced that McKendree University received and accepted an invitation to the GLVC. The Bearcats became the 17th member of the GLVC in 2012. During the 2012-13 year, the university will operate as a provisional NCAA member and follow all NCAA rules and regulation but will be ineligible for NCAA postseason competition; McKendree will be eligible for GLVC championships in football, cross country, men’s soccer, indoor and outdoor track and field, and women’s golf during the provisional year. The university will be eligible for all conference and NCAA championships in 2013-14 after attaining full membership into the NCAA.

The Bearcats participate at the intercollegiate level in 11 men's sports and 10 women's sports:

Men's sports

 * Baseball
 * Basketball
 * Bowling
 * Cross Country
 * Football
 * Golf
 * Ice Hockey (ACHA DIII)
 * Soccer
 * Tennis
 * Track and Field
 * Wrestling

Women's sports

 * Basketball
 * Bowling
 * Cross Country
 * Golf
 * Soccer
 * Softball
 * Tennis
 * Track and Field
 * Volleyball
 * Lacrosse

Men's Basketball
McKendree's men's basketball coach, Harry Statham, currently holds the all-time record for wins at a four-year institution. His 1,061 wins during his 46 seasons at McKendree are unmatched by any other men's basketball coach at a four-year college or university in the United States.