Peru State College
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| Motto | "Campus of a thousand oaks" |
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| Type | Public |
| Established | 1865 |
| Endowment | $10.5 million |
| President | Daniel Hanson |
| Students | 2,422 (Fall 2014) |
| Undergraduates | 2,158 (Fall 2014) |
| Postgraduates | 264 (Fall 2014) |
| Location | Peru, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Campus | Rural, 104 acres (42 ha) |
| Colors | Azure Blue, White |
| Nickname | Bobcats |
| Mascot | Bob the Bobcat |
| Affiliations | NAIA (HAAC) |
| Website | www |
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Peru State College is a public four-year liberal arts institution located in Peru, Nebraska, in the Midwest region of the United States. Founded by members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1865, making it the first and oldest institution in Nebraska, it would undergo several name changes before receiving its current name.
The college is organized into three schools, each supporting a different set of majors, including a graduate program, plus an extensive online education program that is credited with the college's most recent successes. It occupies over twenty buildings on a beautiful 104-acre (42 ha) campus known as the "Campus of a thousand oaks".
Peru State College was originally incorporated under the name Mount Vernon School (sometimes reported as Mount Vernon Seminary or Mount Vernon College) on December 2, 1865, under the management of the Methodist Episcopal Church, after the need for a local institution was discussed November 11, 1865. The school was named after the community in which it was located, on a bluff above the Missouri. The town of Mount Vernon was supplanted by a community located at the base of the hill, whose original settlers came from Peru, Illinois. The Nebraska Territorial Legislature chartered the school on February 12, 1866, under the name Peru Seminary and College.
The executive committee of the school deeded the grounds to the State of Nebraska in June 1867, making it the first state-supported college in Nebraska on June 20, 1867, with the first classes held on October 24, 1867. The name was also changed to Nebraska State Normal School. This is also considered the official date of the school's establishment.
The name would change twice more before being changed to the current name of Peru State College in 1963. The name changed to Nebraska State Teachers College at Peru in 1921, and in 1949 it changed to Peru State Teachers College.
During World War II, the Peru campus of the Nebraska State Teachers College hosted a unit of the US Navy V-12 officer training program, which served as an alternative military route for college students who were drafted during the war.
The State of Nebraska established the Nebraska State College System by statute in 1978, and Peru State College was placed by statute under the control of the new governmental body at the same time.
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