Type | Private liberal arts college |
---|---|
Established | 1815 |
Endowment | $181.6 million (2016) |
President | James H. Mullen, Jr. |
Academic staff
|
197 (2015) |
Students | 1,931 (2015) |
Location | Meadville, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Campus | Small town, 542 acres (219 ha) total |
Colors | Blue and Gold |
Athletics | NCAA Division III – NCAC |
Nickname | Gators |
Affiliations |
GLCA MSA – MCHE Annapolis Group |
Website | www |
Designated | November 19, 1946 |
University rankings | |
---|---|
National | |
Forbes | 285 |
Liberal arts colleges | |
U.S. News & World Report | 72 |
Washington Monthly | 30 |
Allegheny College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in northwestern Pennsylvania in the town of Meadville, approximately 35 miles (56 km) south of Erie. Founded in 1815, Allegheny is the oldest college in continuous existence under the same name west of the Allegheny Mountains. Allegheny is a member of the Great Lakes Colleges Association and the North Coast Athletic Conference and it is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
Allegheny was founded in April 1815 by the Reverend Timothy Alden, a graduate of Harvard's School of Divinity. The college was historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church after 1833, although it is currently non-sectarian.
The first class, consisting of four male students, began their studies on July 4, 1816, without any formal academic buildings. Within six years, Alden accumulated sufficient funds to begin building a campus. The first building erected, the library, was designed by Alden himself, and is a notable example of early American architecture. Bentley Hall is named in honor of Dr. William Bentley, who donated his private library to the College, a collection of considerable value and significance. In 1824, Thomas Jefferson wrote to Alden, expressing the hope that his University of Virginia could someday possess the richness of Allegheny's library. Alden served as president of the college until 1831, when financial and enrollment difficulties forced his resignation. Ruter Hall was built in 1853.