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Tennessee Wesleyan University

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Coordinates:35°26′43″N84°35′40″W/ 35.4453°N 84.5944°W/35.4453; -84.5944
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Tennessee Wesleyan University
Former names
Athens Female College (1857–1866)
East Tennessee Wesleyan College (1866–1967)
East Tennessee Wesleyan University (1867–1886)
Grant Memorial University (1886–1889)
U.S. Grant Memorial University (1889–1906)
Athens School of the University of Chattanooga (1906–1925)
Tennessee Wesleyan College (1925–2016)
MottoLux et Veritas
Motto in English
Light and Truth
TypePrivate university
Established1857
Religious affiliation
United Methodist Church
Academic affiliations
NAICU[1]
IAMSCU
PresidentDr. Tyler Forrest
Academic staff
184
Students1,052
Location
Athens, Tennessee
,
U.S.

35°26′43″N84°35′40″W/ 35.4453°N 84.5944°W/35.4453; -84.5944
CampusSmall city
Colors
Blue & White
NicknameBulldogs
Sporting affiliations
NAIA–Appalachian
Websitewww.tnwesleyan.edu

Tennessee Wesleyan University(TWU) is aprivateMethodistuniversity inAthens, Tennessee.It was founded in 1857 and is affiliated with the HolstonConferenceof the United Methodist Church. It maintains a branch campus inKnoxville,where it offers evening programs in business administration. It also conducts its nursing classes in Knoxville.

History[edit]

Old College

Tennessee Wesleyan was founded in 1857 asAthens Female College.It consisted solely of one building (now Old College). In 1866 the name was altered toEast TennesseeWesleyanCollege,and in 1867 it becameEast Tennessee Wesleyan University.At that time, the college was one of only a handful ofcoeducationalcolleges in theSouthern United States.

In 1886, college president John F. Spence changed the name toGrantMemorial University[2]in an attempt to receive financial support fromNorthernbenefactors.[3] In 1889, it merged withChattanooga Universityto formU.S. Grant Memorial University[4](U.S. Grant University;U.S.being Grant's given names), becoming the consolidated university's Athens branch campus. Seventeen years later (1906), it was renamed the Athens School of the University of Chattanooga.

In 1925, the college split from Chattanooga to becomeTennessee Wesleyan Collegeand served as ajunior college.Tennessee Wesleyan became aliberal arts collegein 1957 when it began awarding bachelor's degrees.

In February 2016, the school announced that they would change their name to Tennessee Wesleyan University, effective July 1, 2016. The decision would be the first name change for the school in 91 years.

Academics[edit]

Articulation agreements[edit]

Tennessee Wesleyan University has articulation agreements withChattanooga State Community College,Cleveland State Community College,Motlow State Community College,Pellissippi State Community College,Roane State Community College,andWalters State Community College.

Degrees[edit]

Tennessee Wesleyan University offers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees inBehavioral Science,Biology,Business Administration,Chemistry,Communication,Criminal Justice,Early Human Development and Learning,Education,English,Exercise Science,Fine Art (Visual Art and Theatre),Music,individualized majors,History,Human Services,International Studies,Mathematics,Nursing,Psychology,Church Vocations, Pre-Seminary,Sociology,Social Work, andSpecial Education.

Admissions and rankings[edit]

Academic rankings
National
U.S. News & World Report[5]16 (Regional colleges South)

Tennessee Wesleyan University accepts 62% of all applicants and is considered "selective" by U.S. News & World Report.[6]

Athletics[edit]

Main article:Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs

The Tennessee Wesleyan athletic teams are called the Bulldogs. The university is a member of theNational Association of Intercollegiate Athletics(NAIA), primarily competing in theAppalachian Athletic Conference(AAC) since the 2001–02 academic year.[7][8]

Tennessee Wesleyan competes in 21 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, track & field and volleyball; while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball; and co-ed sports include cheerleading and eSports.

Baseball[edit]

The university's baseball team has won theNAIA World Series2 times (2012, 2019) as well as 24 conference championships and 12 conference tournament championships.[9]

Notable alumni[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"NAICU – Member Directory".Archived fromthe originalon November 9, 2015.
  2. ^Martin, LeRoy A. (1957).A History of Tennessee Wesleyan College.TWC. p. 39.It was during [Spence's] administration that the name of the school was changed first to Grant Memorial University, and then three years later to U. S. Grant University at the time of its consolidation with Chattanooga University.
  3. ^"Introduction brochure"(PDF).TWC. 2010. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on December 4, 2010.In an effort to secure financial support for the deeply indebted Southern college from Northern states and benefactors, the institution's president in 1886, John F. Spence, changed the name to Grant Memorial University and then to U.S. Grant Memorial University in 1889.
  4. ^"Mission & History".TWC. Archived fromthe originalon March 16, 2015.[Pre-merger name:] Grant Memorial University (1886-1889); [post-merger:] U.S. Grant Memorial University (1889-1906)
  5. ^"2023-2024 Best National Universities".U.S. News & World Report.RetrievedSeptember 22,2023.
  6. ^"Tennessee Wesleyan University Admissions".www.usnews.com.U.S. News & World Report.Archivedfrom the original on May 19, 2017.RetrievedApril 25,2023.
  7. ^"Schools".NAIA.ORG.NAIA.RetrievedMarch 16,2016.
  8. ^"Members".Appalachian Athletic Conference.RetrievedMarch 16,2016.
  9. ^"TENNESSEE WESLEYAN BASEBALL HISTORY".Tennessee Wesleyan University Athletics.RetrievedNovember 11,2021.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tennessee_Wesleyan_University&oldid=1227262567"