Muskingum College

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Muskingum College
Motto	Omni, Trinum, Perfectum
Established	1837
Type	Private
President	Dr. Anne C. Steele
Undergraduates	1,700
Postgraduates	1,300
Location	New Concord, OH, USA
Campus	Rural, 225 acres (910,000 m²)
Colors	Black & Magenta
Mascot	Fighting Muskie
Website	www.muskingum.edu

Muskingum College is located in New Concord, Ohio, approximately sixty miles east of Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1837, Muskingum College is affiliated with Presbyterian Church (USA). School colors are black and magenta. School mascot is a “fighting muskie” (the muskellunge, the largest member of the pike family). New Concord, Ohio is located in eastern Muskingum County Ohio, hence the name Muskingum was used in naming the school.

In 1996, Muskingum College gained national headlines when the school substantially cut its tuition – an act that was counter to the practices of other United States liberal arts colleges.

The first building constructed on the campus was Paul Hall, which still serves the campus. This was followed by Johnson Hall, however the location of these buildings did not permit for expansion. To remedy this, College President J. Knox Montgomery began advocating for a new campus that would situate academic buildings around a traditional quadrangle. In order to do so, the heart of the campus was moved west and a flat plateau was constructed using fill dirt.

William Rainey Harper, actress Agnes Moorehead, Astronaut and United States Senator John Glenn, Annie Glenn, Jim Heacock, defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at The Ohio State University (2002 National Champions), former running back for the San Francisco 49ers, Bill "Cannonball" Cooper and Zoo Keeper and television personality Jack Hanna are among the college’s notable alumni body. Both John and Annie Glenn are natives of New Concord, Ohio.

According to campus tradition, if you step on the college seal (Montgomery Hall foyer), then you will fail your next exam. Another myth holds that if you kiss someone three times in the Spoonholder, a gazebo that is on the banks of the college lake, then that is the person you will one day marry.

Campus housing consists of dormitories, social (fraternities and sororities) clubs and program houses. There are six dormitories on the campus: Kelley Hall, Patton Hall (which houses all but three of the six sororities), Finney Hall, Memorial Hall, Moore Hall, and Thomas Hall. There are 12 living areas for Greek Life on campus. Each of the men's clubs, fraternities, has their own house. They include, ΦΜΑ (Sinfonia), STAG, Ulster, ΦΚΤ, ΚΣ, and M.A.C.E. The ΧΑΝ club is the only women's club to have a house off campus. The F.A.D and ΔΓΘ are local social clubs and national ΘΦΑ sororities live in lounges located within Patton Hall, while ΛХΩ(local club), and AΣA (national sorority) has its own program house. The program houses along Lakeside Drive cover a wide range of themes. Several of the houses are based on language programs: the French House, German House, and Spanish House. There are also two Christian ministry houses: the Lighthouse (women) and the REAL House (men).

In 1983, John Glenn launched his White House bid from the Muskingum College quad in the heart of the campus. Upon retirement from the United States Senate, Glenn donated his archives to the Ohio State University, with special conditions that Muskingum students would benefit from the collection at anytime.

In the late 1800s, Muskingum College assumed the Ohio Central College of Iberia, Ohio; as such, Warren G. Harding, an Ohio Central College graduate, is considered an alumnus of Muskingum. In 1920, Muskingum assumed the records of Franklin College of New Athens, Ohio.

Currently, 1,700 full-time undergraduate students attend Muskingum, choosing from more than 40 academic majors. New programs have recently been launched in graphic design and criminal justice, with a new program in engineering coming soon. Graduate programs are also offered in education and management information systems and technology.

In 2003, the campus grew with the addition of Philip and Betsey Caldwell Hall, which houses the College's theatre and communication programs. Ground was broken in April 2006 for the Walter K. Chess Campus Center, a new student center slated to open in 2008. Also on the drawing board is a new music facility, to be designed by designLAB architects[1] in partnership with Ricciutti Balog Partners.

During the spring and summer of 2005, Muskingum resurfaced Ed Sherman Field (football) with Pro-Grass Artificial Turf. This was the result of a fundraising campaign conducted by former players and current head coach, Jeff Heacock (who is a Muskingum Alum and brother to Jim). The Fighting Muskies fell to the College of Wooster 13-10 in the first game played on the new surface.

In September 2006, Muskingum College opened a new campus-wide disc golf course. Reactions from students have been positive, but several of the discs have already met an untimely end at the bottom of the college lake.

[edit] Notable alumni

• John Glenn United States Senator, First American to orbit the earth
• Jack Hanna Former Columbus Zoo Director and television personality
• William Rainey Harper First President, University of Chicago
• Agnes Moorehead Emmy Award-Winning Actress ("Bewitched")
• Philip Caldwell Retired CEO of Ford Motor Company
• William Dentzer Founding Chairman and CEO of the Depository Trust Corporation
• Richard Pipes Professor of History Emeritus, Harvard University
• Samuel Speck Associate Director of FEMA during Reagan Administration. President of Muskingum College

• Robert M. Warner Sixth Archivist of the United States
• Walter Young Retired CEO of Champion Enterprises, Inc.
• William Oxley Thompson President, The Ohio State University
• Charles J. Pilliod, Jr. United States Ambassador to Mexico, 1986-1989
• Richard Shawger American High School Math Teacher, Coach, Master Snowball Thrower

• Michael W. Viers Retired LtCol, USMC, first of three Viers' to graduate from Muskingum.