| William Penn University | |||||||||||||
| President: | John E.E. Ottosson | ||||||||||||
| Established: | 1873 | ||||||||||||
| Type: | Private university | ||||||||||||
| Religious Affiliation: | Quakers[1] | ||||||||||||
| Students: | 1,372 | ||||||||||||
| City: | Oskaloosa, Iowa | ||||||||||||
| Country: | U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Coordinates: | 41.309°N -92.6481°W | ||||||||||||
| Campus: | Rural | ||||||||||||
| Former Names: | Penn College (1873–1933) William Penn College (1933–2000) | ||||||||||||
| Colors: | Navy Blue & Gold | ||||||||||||
| Mascot: | Statesmen | ||||||||||||
| Sports Nickname: | Statesmen | ||||||||||||
| Athletics Affiliations: | NAIA – Heart of America Conference | ||||||||||||
| Module: |
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William Penn University is a private university in Oskaloosa, Iowa, United States. It was founded by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in 1873 as Penn College. In 1933, the name was changed to William Penn College, and finally to William Penn University in 2000.
Originally founded as Penn College, William Penn University opened on September 24, 1873.[2] The college's name was changed to William Penn College in 1933. In 2000, the name was changed again from William Penn College to William Penn University.
In 1916, a fire destroyed the original campus and caused two deaths when a four-ton bell crashed through the main building. Penn College's business manager Robert Williams and freshman student Harry Oakley were killed after being struck by the bell.
In 1995, William Penn's "College for Working Adults" was founded, which enrolls non-traditional students in an evening program of accelerated study. In January 2000 the university returned to the NAIA Division II. William Penn University is currently accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.[3]
In 2007, Musco Lighting, an Oskaloosa based lighting manufacturer, donated $12 million to the school for various projects—the biggest single gift in the school's history. The money was to be used for 200000square feet of new structures including student recreation, classrooms, laboratories, and a stand-alone Industrial Technology Center building called the Musco Technology Center (MTC), which is home for the expanding Digital Communication Program.[4]
Part of the campus has been set aside as a nationally recognized historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. At the time of its nomination, it contained ten resources, which included one contributing site, four contributing buildings, two contributing structures, two non-contributing buildings, and one non-contributing structure.[5] The focus of the district is the Quadrangle, which is the main contributing site. Penn Hall (1917), Lewis Hall (1917), the Central Heating Plant (1917), and Spencer Memorial Chapel (1923) are the historic buildings. The historic structures are two Memorial Gates (c. 1918). Bloomington, Illinois architect A. T. Simmons designed the conceptual plan for the campus and the plans for individual buildings. He also designed the memorial gates; which were erected on May 20, 1918. The campus mainly features the use of Prairie School architecture.[5]
Per the school's website: "At William Penn University, students are encouraged, but not required, to participate in religious life programming. Programming sponsored by Campus Ministries is Christian in orientation and interdenominational in nature. Campus Ministry assists students to explore questions of faith in a nurturing environment and discover spiritual resources to face life's challenges."[6]
The William Penn athletic teams are called the Statesmen. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (The Heart) since the 2015–16 academic year. The Statesmen previously competed in the defunct Midwest Collegiate Conference (MCC) from 2001–02 to 2014–15 (when the conference dissolved); as well as in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC; now known as the American Rivers Conference since the 2018–19 academic year) of the NCAA Division III ranks from 1962–63 to 2000–01 (which they were a member on a previous stint from 1922–23 to 1953–54).
William Penn competes in 23 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, track & field, volleyball and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, track & field, volleyball and wrestling; and co-ed sports include cheer & dance and shotgun sports.
The men's basketball teams have had significant success, finishing as the runner-up in the 2013 NAIA Division II men's basketball tournament. In 2014 William Penn set a record for points scored in the NAIA National Basketball Tournament.[7]