Former names
|
Maine Literary and Theological Institution (1813-1821) Waterville College (1821-1867) Colby University (1867-1899) |
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Motto | Lux Mentis Scientia (Latin) |
Motto in English
|
Knowledge [is] the Light of the Mind |
Type | Private |
Established | 1813 |
Endowment | $710.7 million (2016) |
President | David A. Greene |
Academic staff
|
171 full time and 48 part time |
Undergraduates | 1,825 |
Location | Waterville, Maine, U.S. |
Campus | Rural |
Colors | Colby Blue and Priscilla Gray |
Mascot | Mules |
Website | www |
University rankings | |
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National | |
Forbes | 41 |
Liberal arts colleges | |
U.S. News & World Report | 12 |
Washington Monthly | 21 |
Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. Approximately 1,800 students from more than 60 countries are enrolled annually. The college offers 54 major fields of study and 30 minors. Among national liberal arts colleges, Colby was ranked 12th by U.S. News & World Report, 21st by Washington Monthly, and 41st Forbes Magazine. Colby was founded in 1813, and is named after businessman and Christian philanthropist Gardner Colby, who funded the school while it was in financial trouble.
Located in central Maine, the 714-acre Neo-Georgian campus sits atop Mayflower Hill and overlooks downtown Waterville and the Kennebec River Valley. The college competes in the NESCAC conference as the Mules, and is a member of the Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Consortium, an athletic rivalry and academic exchange program.
On February 27, 1813, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, led by Baptists, adopted a petition to establish the Maine Literary and Theological Institution. It was moved to Waterville, Maine and used 179 acres of land donated by citizens. In 1818, trustees assigned the institution to Rev. Jeremiah Chaplin and classes began a vacant Waterville home. After Maine separated from Massachusetts in 1820, the first Maine legislature affirmed the Massachusetts charter for the institution, but made significant changes. Students could no longer be denied admission based on religion, the institution was prohibited from applying a religious test when selecting board members, and the trustees now had the authority to grant degrees. The Maine Literary and Theological Institution was renamed Waterville College on February 5, 1821, and four years later, the theological department was discontinued. In 1828 the trustees decided to turn the somewhat informal preparatory department of the college into a separate school, to which was given the name Waterville Academy (most recently called the Coburn Classical Institute.