Type | Private, Liberal Arts |
---|---|
Established | 1840 |
Affiliation | Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) |
Endowment | $77 million |
President | Rev. Dr. Tamara Rodenberg (January 2016 - ) |
Students | 1,030 (910 full-time) |
Location | Bethany, West Virginia, United States |
Campus | Rural 1,300 acres (526 ha) |
Athletics | 22 NCAA Division III Athletic Teams and an Equestrian club team. |
Colors | Green and White |
Mascot | Bison |
Website | www.bethanywv.edu |
Bethany College is a private, liberal arts college located in Bethany, West Virginia, United States. Founded in 1840 by Alexander Campbell of the Restoration Movement, who gained support by the Virginia legislature, Bethany College is the oldest institution of higher education in West Virginia.
Bethany's 1,300-acre campus is located in the northern panhandle of West Virginia, situated on the hilly Allegheny Plateau. Wheeling, West Virginia; Washington, Pennsylvania; and Steubenville, Ohio, are each about half an hour away. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is a 50-minute drive from campus.
A liberal arts college, Bethany was chartered on March 2, 1840, by the Virginia legislature and given "all degree-granting powers" of the University of Virginia. West Virginia's secession from Virginia on June 20, 1863, recognized existing Virginia charters; Bethany College continues to operate under the Virginia charter today.
It was founded by Alexander Campbell, a minister in the Restoration Movement who provided the land and funds for the first building and served as the first president. Bethany has been a four-year private liberal arts college affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), since its inception. This religious body, of which Campbell was one of the principal founders, continues to support and encourage the college but exercises no sectarian control. An early center of coeducation, Bethany has admitted women since the 1880s.