Muskingum University is a private liberal arts college in New Concord, Ohio. Chartered in 1837 as Muskingum College, the institution is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Collectively, the university's alumni are referred to as the "Long Magenta Line" and students (both past and present) are known simply as "Muskies" while its athletic teams are called the "Fighting Muskies". New Concord is located in far eastern Muskingum County, which derives its name from the

Muskingum River The Muskingum River (Shawnee: ') is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. An important commercial route in the 19th century, it flows generally southward through the eastern hill country o ...

. Muskingum offers more than 40 academic majors. Graduate programs are offered in education and management information systems, strategy and technology. Muskingum's campus consists of 21 buildings, a football stadium, and a small lake which all sit atop of rolling hills overlooking New Concord.

History

In 1827, the

National Road The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and was a main tran ...

(now US 40) was laid through what is now New Concord, roughly following what had been the primitive roadway known as

Zane's Trace Zane's Trace is a frontier road constructed under the direction of Col. Ebenezer Zane through the Northwest Territory of the United States, in what is now the state of Ohio. Many portions were based on traditional Native American trails. Co ...

. A year later, the village of New Concord was established by Scotch-Irish Presbyterians. On July 9, 1836, the first recorded meeting of the "Friends of Education" in New Concord, led by residents Samuel Willson and Benjamin Waddle, was held. A year later, the Ohio General Assembly authorized the creation of a college in New Concord after being petitioned by the "Friends of Education" committee. On April 24, 1837, Muskingum College opened. Muskingum became a coeducational institution in 1854. In 1958, the United Presbyterian Church of North America and the

Presbyterian Church in the United States of America The Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA) was the first national Presbyterian denomination in the United States, existing from 1789 to 1958. In that year, the PCUSA merged with the United Presbyterian Church of North Americ ...

merged by signing a historic agreement in Brown Chapel on Muskingum's campus. In 2001, the school's women's

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

team captured the NCAA Division III National Championship, the school's first national title. In 2009, Muskingum College was achieved university status to become Muskingum University.

Academics

Muskingum has been continuously accredited by the North Central Association of College and Secondary Schools since 1919. "The school up on the hill", as it is sometimes called by locals, offers

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

and

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degrees at the undergraduate level, and at the graduate level Master of Information Strategy Systems and Technology,

Master of Arts in Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum a ...

, and

Master of Arts in Teaching The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) or Master of Science in Teaching (MST) degree is generally a pre-service degree that usually requires a minimum of 30 semester hours beyond the bachelor's degree. While the program often requires education ...

graduate degrees. The university offers 44

academic major An academic major is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits. A student who successfully completes all courses required for the major qualifies for an undergraduate degree. The word ''major'' (also called ''conc ...

s along with a large number of minors, nine pre-professional programs (including

pre-law In the United States, pre-law refers to any course of study taken by an undergraduate in preparation for study at a law school. The American Bar Association requires law schools to admit only students with an accredited Bachelor's Degree or it ...

and pre-medicine) and teaching licensure, all of which must be pursued within a strong liberal arts curriculum, known at Muskingum as the "Liberal Arts Essentials" (LAEs) (see below). Among Muskingum's strongest undergraduate academic programs are its science division, math program, education department, and English department. Muskingum is often proclaimed as a "best value" in education, by combining strong academics with low tuition, by '' U.S. News & World Report'' and similar publications. In their 2008 ''America's Best College's'' guide, ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Muskingum the "31st Best Master's Level University" in the Midwest academically. and the "4th Best Value" among Midwest Master's Level Universities.

Campus

Most of Muskingum's academic buildings are clustered around a traditional quad near the southern part of the campus. The quad is bordered by Montgomery Hall and the College Library to the south, Caldwell Hall, Cambridge Hall and the Student/Faculty Center to the west, the Recreation Center and John Glenn Gym to the north and Boyd Science Center to the east. Brown Chapel sits on the southeastern corner of the quad. * Paul Hall (1873) is the oldest building on Muskingum's campus. Two previous versions of this building burnt down early in the school's history. This third structure is named for Dr. David Paul, president of the college from 1865 to 1879. The building, which currently houses the art department, is registered as a National Historic Site. * Johnson Hall (1899) is named for Dr. Jesse Johnson, Muskingum's president from 1883 to 1902. Renovated in 1977, it contained art studios, the Louis Palmer Gallery and a 160-seat proscenium thrust theater. Johnson Hall was torn down in 2008. * The Little Theater (1900) was constructed for physical education purposes and remodeled in 1943 for theatrical use, and was used as classroom space primarily in theatre until it was torn down in 2009. * Brown Chapel (1912) is a multi-purpose building which serves the college as a church, chapel, auditorium and classroom. The chapel was named for J.M. Brown, a benefactor of the college and long-time member of the school's board of trustees. * Montgomery Hall (1921) is the administrative hub of the campus, containing administrative and faculty offices and classrooms. The building is named for Dr. John Knox Montgomery Sr., president of Muskingum from 1904 until 1931, and the unofficial ''"Father of Muskingum College"''. * Cambridge Hall (1929) was built largely with funds contributed by citizens of nearby Cambridge, Ohio. Along with classrooms, the business, English, political science, psychology, sociology, history departments. * John Glenn Gym (1935) was named in 1962 in honor of the distinguished astronaut-senator graduate. It houses two gymnasiums, a swimming pool, recreation and intramural equipment and coaches' offices. * The Student/Faculty Center (1960) includes the campus center, snack bar, mailroom, bookstore, and meeting rooms. It also houses the Student Life Office, the Office of Career Services, Internships and Leadership Development, Student Senate, Student Activities, Counseling and Special Events. * Boyd Science Center (1971) is a four-floor building housing the biology, chemistry, geology, mathematics, modern languages, computer science and physics departments. * Anne C. Steele Center (1986) is a four-story building named for Dr. Anne C. Steele, Muskingum's 20th president, and first female president. Muskingum's Opening Convocation and Commencment are held each year in the center. It houses a 2,800-seat gym, dance rooms, racquetball courts, weight room, athletic training room and locker rooms. It also houses the physical education department and the athletic department. * Caldwell Hall (2004) a . sq., state-of-the-art facility houses Muskingum's speech, journalism and theatre programs, and graphic arts initiative. This 21st century instructional space features multi-media classrooms, computer-aided design laboratory, lecture hall, seminar rooms, exhibit hall, radio and television studios, a 250-seat theatre, recital hall and cinema, costume & set design laboratories, tech support areas and an experimental theatre/rehearsal hall. * Chess Center (2008) a . sq., state-of-the-art campus center. featuring a three-level forum where students gather, socialize, study, work, & work out. The innovative design of this new building also "bridges" the east and west hills of the campus. * The Neptune Center (2008) This building is home for the Art Department's program in ceramics, sculpture, and other three-dimensional creative work. * Walter Hall (2010) - Dedicated in April 2011. It became the new home for the music program, world languages and the Center for the Advancement of Learning (PLUS program). * Roberta A. Smith Library (2016) This new facility houses the new library as well as the Teacher Preparation Program.

Fraternities and sororities

More than one in every four undergraduate students at Muskingum are members of fraternities or sororities. The university has seven active fraternities on campus: Phi Kappa Tau,

Phi Kappa Psi Phi Kappa Psi (), commonly known as Phi Psi, is an American collegiate social fraternity that was founded by William Henry Letterman and Charles Page Thomas Moore in Widow Letterman's home on the campus of Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pen ...

Kappa Sigma Kappa Sigma (), commonly known as Kappa Sig, is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1869. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest international fraternities with currently 318 active chapters and col ...

Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America (colloquially known as Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Phi Mu Alpha, or simply Sinfonia) () is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music. The fraternity is open to men "w ...

, Ulster (local), M.A.C.E. (local), and Stag (local). Phi Kappa Tau and Kappa Sigma started as local organizations (Alban and Sphinx respectively) while other national organizations came on as colonies. The university also has five sororities: Chi Alpha Nu (local), FAD (local), Delta Gamma Theta (local), Theta Phi Alpha, and

Alpha Sigma Alpha Alpha Sigma Alpha () is a United States National Panhellenic sorority founded on November 15, 1901, at the Virginia State Female Normal School (later known as Longwood College and now known as Longwood University) in Farmville, Virginia. Once a sor ...

Athletics

Muskingum competes athletically in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

as a Division III school and as one of the first and longest affiliated members of the

Ohio Athletic Conference The Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) was formed in 1902 and is the third oldest athletic conference in the United States. Its current commissioner is Sarah Otey. Former commissioners include Mike Cleary, who was the first General Manager of a profe ...

(OAC). M.U.'s teams compete under the name the ''Fighting Muskies''. Its mascot is the Fighting Muskie (''

muskellunge The muskellunge ''(Esox masquinongy)'', often shortened to muskie, musky or lunge is a species of large freshwater predatory fish native to North America. It is the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae. Origin of name The name "muskell ...

''), the largest member of the pike family. Rather than using the traditional magenta, Muskies athletics wear black and red. The school's main athletic rival is fellow OAC competitor the

Marietta College Marietta College (MC) is a private liberal arts college in Marietta, Ohio. It offers more than 50 undergraduate majors across the arts, sciences, and engineering, as well as Physician Assistant, Psychology, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, a ...

Pioneers (which ironically was originally called the Muskingum Academy when established in 1797). Muskingum fields teams in

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

, men's and women's basketball, women's

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

, women's

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

and men's and women's indoor track, outdoor track, soccer,

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

, cross country, lacrosse, and

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

. Muskingum has won 79

(OAC) Championships, since the school joined the conference in 1923. In the 41 seasons between 1926 and 1966, Muskingum won 12 OAC football championships, ten outright, and two shared. Six of those championships were won from 1945 to 1966 when the team was led by College Football Hall of Fame member Ed Sherman, a former Muskingum quarterback. In Sherman's last three seasons, the Muskies represented the OAC in the

Grantland Rice Bowl The Grantland Rice Bowl was an annual college football bowl game from 1964 through 1977, in the NCAA's College Division, for smaller universities and colleges, and later Division II. The game was named for Grantland Rice, an early 20th century A ...

in 1964 and 1966.

Alumni

Collectively, Muskingum's alumni are referred to as the "Long Magenta Line". Former astronaut and U.S. senator John Glenn grew up in New Concord and graduated with a

degree in

Engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

from Muskingum in 1943. He was awarded an honorary degree from Muskingum in 1961, and announced his retirement from the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in Brown Chapel live on national television in 1997. Upon his retirement, Glenn donated his archives to the

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

, with special conditions that Muskingum students could benefit from the collection at any time.

References

* Fisk, William L. (1978) ''A History of Muskingum College''. New Concord: Muskingum College. * Porter, Lorie (2001) ''"John Glenn's New Concord"''. Arcadia Publishing. * Miller, R.J. (2006) ''A Christian Educator: John Knox Montgomery, President of Muskingum College 1904-1931''. Kessinger Publishing, LLC. * ''Muskingum College 2004 Alumni Directory'' (2004) Chesapeake, VA: Beranard C. Harris Publishing Company, Inc. * Edsall, Donna and Yan Sun (2003) ''A Song of the Seasons: Paintings by Jianmin Dou''. Arbor Hill Press. * 2007-2008 Ohio Athletic Conference Directory & Records Book * Davis, Dan (Sunday, March 18, 2007) ''"Muskie Traditions, Curiosities Uncovered,"'' The Daily Jeffersonian. Cambridge, Ohio. Section C: Pages C-1 & C8. * Official NCAA Softball Record Book, available online at https://web.archive.org/web/20071202055520/http://www.ncaa.org/library/records/softball/softball_records_book/2007/2007_softball_records.pdf

External links

Official website

Official athletics website
{{authority control Victorian architecture in Ohio Private universities and colleges in Ohio Liberal arts colleges in Ohio Educational institutions established in 1837 Education in Muskingum County, Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Muskingum County, Ohio Buildings and structures in Muskingum County, Ohio Universities and colleges affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) Tourist attractions in Muskingum County, Ohio 1837 establishments in Ohio