Kalamazoo Hornets football

Kalamazoo College

Seal of Kalamazoo College
Motto	Lux Esto (Latin)
Motto in English	Let There Be Light
Type	Private liberal arts college
Established	1833
Affiliation	Not affiliated Baptist (historical)
Endowment	$222 million (2014)
President	Jorge Gonzalez
Provost	Mickey McDonald
Academic staff	103
Undergraduates	1,403
Location	Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States 42°17′24″N 85°36′04″W / 42.290°N 85.601°W / 42.290; -85.601Coordinates: 42°17′24″N 85°36′04″W / 42.290°N 85.601°W / 42.290; -85.601
Campus	Urban
Colors	Orange and black
Athletics	NCAA Division III – MIAA
Nickname	Hornets
Mascot	Buzz
Affiliations	GLCA CIC Annapolis Group Oberlin Group CLAC
Website	www.kzoo.edu

Kalamazoo College, also known as K College or simply K, is a private liberal arts college in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Founded in 1833, the college is among the 100 oldest in the country. Today, it produces more Peace Corps volunteers per capita than any other US academic institution. From 1997 to 2006 it ranked 21st among all baccalaureate institutions in the percentage of graduates who went on to earn doctorates. The school was founded by American Baptist ministers, but today maintains no religious affiliation.

Kalamazoo College is a member of the Great Lakes Colleges Association. It is listed in Loren Pope's Colleges That Change Lives. In 2012, Forbes rated it 65th of America's Best Colleges, the highest ranked in Michigan as a private college.

Kalamazoo College was founded in 1833 by a group of Baptist ministers as the Michigan and Huron Institute. Its charter was granted on April 22, 1833, the first school chartered by the Legislative Council of the Territory of Michigan. Instruction at the Institute began in fall 1836. In 1837, the name of the fledgling college was changed to the "Kalamazoo Literary Institute" and school officials made their first attempt to secure recognition as a college from the state of Michigan. In 1838, however, the University of Michigan opened the Kalamazoo Branch of the University of Michigan, providing a local competitor to the Literary Institute. In 1840, the two schools merged, and from 1840 to 1850 the College operated as the Kalamazoo Branch of the University of Michigan. In 1850, the Kalamazoo Literary Institute name was restored and in 1855 the school finally received an educational charter from the State of Michigan, establishing explicit recognition of the school as a college. After receiving its educational charter, the school changed its name to Kalamazoo College.