Messiah College seal
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Former names
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Messiah Bible School and Missionary Training Home, Messiah Bible School |
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Motto | "Christ Preeminent" |
Type | Private |
Established | 1909 |
Affiliation | Founded by Brethren in Christ Church; currently nondenominational |
Endowment | US $130 million |
President | Kim Phipps |
Provost | Randall G. Basinger |
Academic staff
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189 Full-time |
Students | 3,305 undergraduate and graduate students |
Undergraduates | 2,788 |
Postgraduates | 517 |
Location |
Mechanicsburg, PA, USA 40°09′19″N 76°59′36″W / 40.155269°N 76.99325°WCoordinates: 40°09′19″N 76°59′36″W / 40.155269°N 76.99325°W |
Campus | Suburban/Rural |
Colors | Navy and white |
Athletics | NCAA Division III, the Middle Atlantic Conferences |
Affiliations | Christian College Consortium, Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, Middle Atlantic Conferences |
Mascot | The Falcon |
Website | www.messiah.edu |
Messiah College is a private Christian college of the liberal arts and applied arts and sciences located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Messiah's mission is to "educate men and women toward maturity of intellect, character, and Christian faith in preparation for lives of service, leadership, and reconciliation in church and society."
Messiah College was founded in 1909 by the Brethren in Christ Church, and was originally called Messiah Bible School and Missionary Training Home. Originally located in Harrisburg, Pa., in the home of Messiah's first president, Samuel Rogers (S.R.) Smith, a local businessman and leader in the Brethren in Christ Church, the school was moved to the village of Grantham in 1911 following the construction of the campus' first building, Old Main. The building was constructed on land donated by S.R. Smith, who had moved his home and various business interests outside of the city to allow for growth in the farmlands surrounding Grantham. In the early years, the school offered a high school curriculum and several Bible programs. By 1921 it had also become a junior college, making it the second junior college in Pennsylvania, and changed its name to Messiah Bible School.
By the 1950s, the school offered four-year college programs and accordingly in 1951 it changed its name to Messiah College. Messiah discontinued its high school program in 1959 and added liberal arts programs during this period. It was accredited as a four-year college in 1963, and continued to expand its liberal arts programs.
Even though it is no longer owned by the Brethren in Christ Church, Messiah continues to be influenced by its traditions primarily in the Anabaptist, but also the Pietist and Wesleyan holiness movements. Today, Messiah College is a nondenominational Christian college, with a faith base that is broadly evangelical and includes students and employees from a variety of denominations and Christian faith traditions.
Other Key Points in Messiah's History
Messiah College offers more than 150 majors, minors, concentrations, and pre-professional advising options in four schools: the School of the Arts; the School of Business, Education and Social Sciences; the School of Science, Engineering and Health; and the School of the Humanities. In addition to major requirements, there is a general education curriculum, required for all students. General education requirements include but are not limited to theology courses, a philosophy, a literature, a social science, an art course, a world views class, physical education courses, first year and senior seminars, and a comprehensive first-year seminar course added in 2009 called Created and Called for Community.