Taylor University

Taylor University:
Motto	Lux et Fides[1]
Established	1846 (details)
Type	private coeducational Christian
Endowment	$57.1 million[2]
President	Eugene Habecker
Faculty	142
Students	2,333[3]
Undergraduates	1,874[3]
Postgraduates	123[3]
Location	Upland, IN, USA
Campus	small town: 952-acre (3.9 km2)[4][5]
Athletics	17 NAIA teams, called Trojans
Colors	Purple and Gold
Affiliations	None
Website	www.taylor.edu

Taylor University is a private, interdenominational, evangelical Christian college located in Upland, Indiana. Founded in 1846, it is one of the oldest evangelical Christian colleges in America.

Located on a 952-acre (3.9 km²) campus,^[4][5] Taylor University has 1,975 undergraduate students, 123 graduate students, and 435 online students.^[3]

Taylor University has been ranked first in U.S. News and World Report’s guide to America’s Best Colleges among 95 Midwest Region Baccalaureate Colleges for 3 years in a row.^[6]

Taylor University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities and the Christian College Consortium.^[7]

History

History at a glance

Original Fort Wayne campus

• Taylor University was originally established as Fort Wayne Female College in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1846. It was affiliated at the time with the Methodist and was an all-female college.
• It was renamed to Fort Wayne College in 1855^[8] and became coeducational.
• It was renamed Taylor University in 1890.
• The campus was relocated in 1893 to Upland, Indiana.

Modern Fort Wayne Campus

• It was established in 1904 as Fort Wayne Bible Insititute in Fort Wayne,Indiana^[9] It was affiliated with the at that time Missionary Church.^[10]
• It was renamed in 1950 to Fort Wayne Bible College.^[11]
• It was renamed Summit Christian College in 1989.
• It was acquired in 1992 by Taylor University.
• It was discontinued in 2009.^[12]

In depth

Original Fort Wayne campus

What is now Taylor University whose main campus is in Upland, Indiana began during 1846 as Fort Wayne Female College in Fort Wayne, Indiana.^[8] Fort Wayne Female College was founded by the Methodist Church as an all-female school. During 1855 Fort Wayne Female College started admitting men coeducationally and thus changed the name to Fort Wayne College. During 1890, Fort Wayne College acquired the former facilities of nearby Fort Wayne Medical College that were vacated after Fort Wayne Medical College's merger withIndiana Asbury College, another Methodist-affiliated college. Upon completing this acquisition, Fort Wayne College changed its name to Taylor University in honor of Bishop William Taylor. The original Taylor University campus was on College Street in Fort Wayne and now contains no college.^{[citation needed]}

Modern Fort Wayne Campus

In 1992, ninety-nine years after moving to Upland, Taylor University acquired Summit Christian College. Summit Christian College was previously named Fort Wayne Bible College (from 1950 to 1989) and Fort Wayne Bible Institute (from its establishment in 1904 to 1989). Prior to acquisition by Taylor University, Summit Christian College was affiliated with the Missionary Church^[10]

Taylor University Fort Wayne (TUFW) became an extension campus of Taylor University in 1992.^[13] With the urban setting of Fort Wayne, Indiana, this campus' academic programs tend to be more vocational and its student body more non-traditional. Reflecting this, of TUFW's 1,040 member student body, approximately 224 students live on campus with the rest commuting or taking courses online.^[14]

On October 13, 2008, the university announced plans to discontinue traditional undergraduate programs on the Fort Wayne Campus.^[15]

Popular majors included Professional Writing, Biblical Studies, Christian Ministries, Education, English, and Business.^[16]

TUFW athletics program was called the Falcons and participated in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association. The school offered basketball for men and women, soccer for men and women (2008-2009 was the first year for the women's program), and women's volleyball.

Upland campus

Swallow Robin Hall

A guest-preaching engagement in 1882 in the Upland Methodist Church afforded Taylor University (then Fort Wayne College) president Thaddeus Reade the chance to meet the minister of Upland Methodist Church, Rev. John C. White. Because the school was having financial difficulties at its location in Fort Wayne, White and Upland citizen J.W. Pittinger worked to bring the school to Upland. In the spring of 1893 White negotiated an agreement between the Taylor trustees and the Upland Land Company, whereby the university agreed to move to Upland, Indiana, and the company agreed to provide Taylor with $10,000 in cash and 10 acres (40,000 m²) of land. In the summer of 1893, Taylor University relocated to Upland. White was able to find the resources to support Taylor University because of the recent discovery of large deposits of natural gas in the area. In 1915, Taylor paid seven thousand dollars to purchase 70 acres (280,000 m²) more from Charles H. and Bertha Snyder.^[17] Swallow Robin Hall, the oldest remaining residence hall on campus, was built in 1916^[18] by Samuel Plato^[19]. The university added another 80 acres (320,000 m²) to its present location in the early 1920s when the Lewis Jones farm was purchased.^[17] The Taylor University Dome was designed by Orus Eash and built in 1958.^[20] It originally served as a cafeteria, but now serves as the student union.

Upon the celebration in 1993 of Taylor's 100th anniversary in Upland, the university worked with the community to purchase and relocate a train depot from Muncie to Upland to serve as a local museum.^[17]

Taylor University is now developed on 250 acres (1 km²) of land and will be Taylor University's only campus starting with the 2009-2010 school year due to the closure of the Fort Wayne campus. The campus was recently expanded by the acquisition of 668 acres (2,700,000 m²) of undeveloped land west of the original campus.

Academics

Rice Bell Tower symbolizing the integration of faith and learning

There are 90 undergraduate majors with popular programs including education, business, new media and exercise science.

In 2003, Taylor began offering graduate-level programs again after having dropped such degrees nearly 60 years earlier.^[21] Since then, the university has expanded its offerings to include a Master of Environmental Science, a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Arts in Higher Education and Student Development (MAHE), and a Master of Arts in Religious Studies.

The concept of "The Integration of Faith and Learning," the idea that knowledge and faith meet their highest potential when coupled together, is a central educational theme at Taylor. The two distinct columns of the Rice Bell Tower on campus and the spotlights that shine up from each of them symbolize this theme to the campus community.^[4]

Campus life

Life Together Covenant

Students, faculty and staff are required to sign the "Life Together Covenant" (LTC) upon joining the University.^[22] Community members pledge to adhere to certain standards of conduct and refrain from certain behaviors, including social dancing (excepting marriages taking place off of school property and choreographed or folk dance), premarital sex, homosexuality, smoking, and the consumption of alcohol, with the intention of strengthening the community as a whole. Students cannot register for classes or housing unless they have signed the LTC pledge each year. The LTC is viewed as not only a covenant, but as a binding contract as well. Penalties for not adhering to the LTC range from "citizenship probation" to expulsion from the university. In addition, those found to be in violation of the LTC usually must also sign in to chapel services held every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

The Life Together Covenant covers activities and behaviors not only on the Taylor campus, but off-campus as well. The purpose is to strengthen the Christian community and to maintain a sense of maturity and accountability.

Chapel services are held three times a week, from 10:00 to 10:50 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Services generally follow a modern nontraditional Christian theme. Chapel attendance is expected but attendance is on the honor system. In spite of this, chapel is nearly always close to full.^[23]

Multicultural development

View of campus from Wengatz Hall

American Ethnic students, International students, and Third Culture students are supported by the Director of American Student Ethnic programs, the advisor of MuKappa, the advisor of the International Student Society, and other faculty and staff through various student leadership groups, social clubs, and programs on campus:

• Multi-Ethnic Student Association (MESA) which acts as the supervising organization for the following:
  • International Student Society (ISS)
  • Mu Kappa
  • Asian Awareness Association (AAA)
  • Black Student Association (BSA)
  • Taylor Black Men (TBM)
  • Taylor Gospel Choir
  • Indian Student Awareness Association (ISAA)
  • Latino Student Union (LSU)

These groups and their subsequent events and programs play a role the University's goal of "...promoting diversity awareness, social justice, and globally-minded Christianity throughout the campus".^[24]

Mu Kappa

Taylor has been a pioneer in dealing with the unique challenges that face Missionary Kids in their adjustment to American life. The first chapter of Mu Kappa International,^[25] a fraternal support organization for Missionary Kids, was founded at Taylor in 1985.

Campus facilities

Olson Hall (left) and Wengatz Hall (right)

The Upland campus contains eight dormitories. Three dorms are co-educational, with the genders separated by floor: Evan Bergwall Hall, Les Gerig Hall and Swallow-Robin Hall. Three dorms are all-female: Mary Tower English Hall, Haakonsen Hall, and Grace Olson Hall. Two dorms are all male: Samuel Morris Hall and John C. Wengatz Hall.^[26] Swallow Robin Hall was built by Samuel Plato, an architect of the early 20th century.^[27]

Newer buildings include the Kesler Student Activities Center, and Modelle Metcalf Visual Arts Center. The Kesler Center, named after president emeritus Jay Kesler, features an indoor track, multi-purpose courts used for intramurals, an exercise room, an aerobics room, and multiple locker rooms.^[28]

Athletics

Football

Taylor University football ended the 2009 season ranked #19 in the NAIA coaches poll.^[29]

Volleyball

The Taylor University Women's Volleyball 2009 season ended in a single elimination game as part of the top 12 teams in the NAIA playoffs with the team ranked #11 in the NAIA.^{[30][31][32][33]}

2006 van accident

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Whitney Cerak and Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope. (Discuss)

On April 26, 2006, Taylor received national attention when a University van was involved in a fatal accident outside Marion, Indiana, while traveling between the Fort Wayne and Upland campuses. The accident happened when a northbound semi-trailer truck driver fell asleep at the wheel, crossed the median and struck the southbound passenger van on I-69. Four students and one staff member were killed, and three staff members and one student were injured. The accident occurred two days before current University president Eugene Habecker's inauguration ceremony. The truck driver was convicted of reckless, involuntary manslaughter and received a four-year prison sentence.

However, because the Grant County coroner and Taylor officials failed to positively identify all the victims, the incident later made international headlines when there was a shocking case of mistaken identity between two of the victims^[34]. Senior Laura Van Ryn, who died on the scene, was mistaken for surviving freshman Whitney Cerak. This was initially thought to be due to Cerak being in a coma for several weeks, a minor resemblance between the two women, swelling to Cerak's face, and Cerak's family being reluctant to personally identify the body. The Cerak (actually Van Ryn) funeral was conducted with a closed casket, and the mistake was not discovered until Cerak identified herself after waking up from a coma over a month later. Neither family spoke publicly about the incident for nearly two years.^[35][36]

In the fall of 2007, the popular Fox television series House, aired the first episode of the show's fourth season entitled "Alone," which was inspired by the Van Ryn-Cerak case of mistaken identity. A Third Season episode of CSI: NY, titled "And Here's To You, Mrs. Azrael", which aired November 15, 2006, was also similar to the "Case Of Mistaken Identity Story".

The families' silence was broken when their story was chronicled in a recent book, Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope, written by Whitney Cerak, her parents Newell and Colleen, Don and Susie Van Ryn and Mark Tabb, which was released on March 25, 2008. On March 27 and 28, 2008, the Ceraks and Van Ryns were interviewed on NBC's The Today Show and were also profiled on a two-hour episode of Dateline on the 28th.

The prayer chapel built in memory of those killed in the van accident

During the Dateline interview, the Van Ryns revealed that they had suspected that the patient in the hospital was not their daughter for several days prior to informing officials. Soon after the accident, the Van Ryns noticed several key indicators that Whitney was not Laura, such as discovering the difference in Cerak's teeth and navel piercing (which Van Ryn did not have), and Cerak later stating that her name was Whitney, not Laura, after coming out of her coma. The Van Ryns revealed that family friends eventually had expressed concerns that the woman they were caring for was not their daughter. Don Van Ryn also revealed that Cerak had accused them of being "false parents." Finally, when Cerak told Laura's sister the name of her parents, Newell and Colleen, the Van Ryns notified officials of the tragic mistake - more than a month after the accident. The Van Ryns explained their actions by stating that they were convinced by medical personnel that Cerak was their daughter and that emotional distress kept them from realizing the truth. It is believed^[who?] that this admission, along with possible resulting public criticism, is one of the reasons the families had not publicly spoken about the incident for two years.^[37]

As a result of this incident, Indiana changed the procedure for identifying victims involved in accidents. Cerak graduated from Taylor on May 23, 2009, and the two families remain close. On April 26, 2008, the two year anniversary of the accident, the University dedicated the $2.4 million Memorial Prayer Chapel as a memorial to the victims: students Laurel Erb, Brad Larson, Betsy Smith and Laura Van Ryn, along with Taylor employee Monica Felver.^[38]

Notable alumni and faculty of Taylor University

• Thomas Atcitty, Third President of the Navajo Nation
• Ralph Edward Dodge, a Bishop of The Methodist Church
• Eugene Habecker, President of Taylor University, former President of the American Bible Society
• Jay Kesler, President Emeritus of Taylor University, former President of Youth for Christ
• Rollin Ford, Chief Information Officer of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc^[39][40]
• Dan Gordon, President of Gordon Food Service^[41][42]
• John Groce, Head Coach of the Ohio Bobcats men's basketball team
• Tom Halleen, VP of the AMC movie network^[42]
• John Hill, Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration^[42]
• Stephen L. Johnson, Former administrator, Environmental Protection Agency^[41][42]
• Phil Madeira, award winning songwriter and recording artist, and member of Emmylou Harris' band.^[43]
• Rolland D. McCune
• Jeff Meyer - Former assistant head coach for the Hoosiers
• Geoff Moore, Contemporary Christian music artist, songwriter
• Samuel Morris, 1872-1893 (formerly Prince Kaboo of Western Africa)
• Harold Ockenga
• Charles Wesley Shilling, Leader in the field of undersea and hyperbaric medicine, research and education.^[44]
• Joel Sonnenberg, Christian motivational speaker
• William Vennard‎, Singing teacher and opera singer
• Tim Walberg, Former Republican Congressman for Michigan's 7th congressional district.
• Dan Wolgemuth, Current President of Youth for Christ^[42]
• Jackie Walorski, Republican Indiana State Representative for District 21

Gallery

Nussbaum Science Center	Rice Bell Tower	Rice Bell Tower in a snowstorm	Part of social justice week at Taylor
View of the prayer chapel and Zondervan Library from Wengatz during sunrise	View of Nussbaum from Wengatz during sunrise	Taylor University Student Union	The Taylor University Student Union
The Taylor University Memorial Prayer Chapel			English Hall (left) and Gerig Hall (right)
Zondervan Library	Hodson Dining Commons

External links

• Official website
• Official athletics website
• Campus map
• Taylor University Fort Wayne official website

References

Coordinates: 40°27′29″N 85°29′50″W / 40.45806°N 85.49722°W / 40.45806; -85.49722