Olivet Comets
 |
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| Motto | Education for Individual and Social Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Type | Private |
| Established | 1844 |
| Affiliation | United Church of Christ and the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches |
| Endowment | $17.1 million as of 2014 |
| President | Steven Corey, Ph.D. |
|
Academic staff
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41 |
| Undergraduates | 1,145 |
| Location |
Olivet, MI, USA 42°26′28″N 84°55′22″W / 42.4410°N 84.9228°WCoordinates: 42°26′28″N 84°55′22″W / 42.4410°N 84.9228°W |
| Colors | red and white |
| Sports | NCAA Division III, Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association |
| Mascot | Comets |
| Website | www.olivetcollege.edu |
Olivet College is a coeducational, private liberal arts college located in Olivet, Michigan, United States, 29 miles (47 km) south of Lansing and 125 miles (201 km) west of Detroit. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches, and accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
In 1844, after founding Oberlin College, Rev. John J. Shipherd and 39 missionaries, including Oberlin faculty, students, and alumni, came to Michigan to create a college, which Shipherd deemed "New Oberlin."
The original land for the college was to be in present-day Ingham County, approximately twenty-five miles (40 km) from where the college stands. Olivetian lore says that while Shipherd was on a trip to the site in Ingham County, his horse continued to get lost, and would always wander back to a hill above a swamp, which is where Olivet's Campus Square exists today. Shipherd decided that powers from above must be drawing the horse back to this site, and Shipherd deemed that this would become the site for "New Oberlin." He then chose to name it Olivet, however, after the biblical Mount of Olives. Shortly after the founding of the college, John Shipherd succumbed to malaria, as many other early Olivetians would.
It is said that the founders of Olivet College believed in three essential components: first was a coeducational experience; service was another integral part of the founders' visions, as the founders helped to build the surrounding community as well as the broader community; they also believed that an education could be had by anyone, not just those "rich in the world's goods." Abolitionist beliefs, along with a coeducational experience, led the state legislature to deny a charter for the college until thirteen years after the first courses were offered. Some Olivetians believe that the charter was denied because of possible competition with Michigan College.
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