Eastern University (United States)

Eastern University (EU) is a private Christian university in St. Davids, Pennsylvania, with additional locations in Philadelphia and Harrisburg. The university offers undergraduate, graduate, and seminary programs. Eastern University is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA and has an interdenominational student body, faculty and administration.

History

Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary was created to provide a theologically conservative seminary within the American Baptist Churches. Founded in 1925 as a department in the seminary, the school became a separate institution in 1952 and moved to its present St. Davids location, taking the name Eastern Baptist College. In 1972, it was renamed Eastern College. In 2001, the Pennsylvania Department of Education granted the institution university status and it was renamed Eastern University. In 2004, the institution's Board voted to acquire its previous parent institution and Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary became a subsidiary of Eastern University. The following year, the seminary changed its name to Palmer Theological Seminary in honor of its longest serving president, Gordon Palmer (1936–48).

Campus

The main campus is on 114 acres just west of Philadelphia, in St. Davids, Pennsylvania. It was originally a private estate, named Walmarthon, which was owned by the Walton family. The size of the campus has expanded through purchases of surrounding buildings and land.

Warner Memorial Library is housed in the Harold Howard Center. The Mazie Hall African American History Room contains books and memorabilia from a local educator. The Edison Room houses several drawings and artifacts which belonged to Thomas Edison.

In addition to the main campus in St. Davids, Eastern has additional sites in Center City, Philadelphia; City Avenue, Philadelphia; and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Academics

Eastern University offers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees in more than 100 areas of study. The university also offers undergraduate, graduate and noncredit certificates. Academic programs at the institution are housed in seven schools:

* College of Arts and Humanities
* College of Business and Leadership
* College of Education
* College of Health and Sciences
* Palmer Theological Seminary
* Templeton Honors College
* Esperanza College

Accreditation

Eastern University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Several programs are also accredited:

* Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
* Association of Theological Schools in the U.S. and Canada
* Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
* Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education
* Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education ( CCNE)
* Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) for the Baccalaureate Major in Social Work
* Master’s in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council
* Association for Behavior Analysis International (Verified Course Sequence for Board Certified Behavior Analysts)
* American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB)

Student media

The ''Waltonian'' is Eastern University’s student-run newspaper. It is published bi-weekly, and covers university, national, and international news.

''Eastern'' is the magazine of Eastern University. It serves as a connection between the campus community of students, faculty, staff and administration and its alumni, trustees, friends, donors, parents and neighbors.

Athletics

The school's sports teams are called the Eagles. They are Division III members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Eastern University joined the Middle Atlantic Conferences (commonly referred to as the MAC) in 2008.

Sports include men's and women's soccer, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's volleyball, men's and women's lacrosse, men's baseball, women's field hockey, women's softball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's golf, and cross country. Eastern began fielding a football team in 2022 as an NCAA Division III independent and will begin playing in the MAC in 2023.

In 2002, senior Andrea Collesidis broke an NCAA scoring record for women's lacrosse.

Notable people

Alumni

* Morgan Hikaru Aiken, professional basketball player
* Tony Campolo, sociologist and pastor
*Shane Claiborne, author, prominent figure in New Monasticism movement, founder of The Simple Way
* Carolivia Herron, scholar of African-American Judaica
* Willie J. Hill Jr., bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church
*Doug Mastriano, politician and retired military officer
* Jamie Moffett, film director, producer, and social activist
* Richard Muenz, actor and singer
* Marvin Rees, mayor of Bristol, England
* Brandon 'Scoop B' Robinson, sports writer, radio host, television personality most notably with CBS Sports Radio
*Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative
* Regina Young, member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Faculty

* Phillip Cary, philosophy professor, philosopher, noted Augustine scholar, and author
* Peter Enns, history of religions professor, scholar, author
* Wilson Goode, professor emeritus and former mayor of Philadelphia
* Christopher Hall, emeritus professor, Episcopalian theologian
* Ron Sider, professor, activist, author, and founder/president emeritus of Evangelicals for Social Action

References

Further reading

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External links

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Radnor Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Universities and colleges affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA
Educational institutions established in 1925
Universities and colleges in Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
1925 establishments in Pennsylvania
Private universities and colleges in Pennsylvania