, mottoeng = Light and Truth , established = , type =

Private university Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public student loans, and grants. Dep ...

, religious_affiliation = Christian , endowment = $45 million , staff = , faculty = , president = Polly Peterson , principal = , rector = , chancellor = , vice_chancellor = , provost = Paul J. Olson , head_label = , head = , students = 1290 , undergrad = , postgrad = , doctoral = , city =

Jamestown, North Dakota Jamestown is a city in Stutsman County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Stutsman County. The population was 15,849 at the 2020 census, making it the ninth largest city in North Dakota. Jamestown was founded in 1883 and is ...

, country = U.S. , coor = , campus = Urban, ) , former_names = Jamestown College (1883–2013) , free_label = , free = , colors =
Orange & Black , colours = , mascot = Knight , sports_nickname = Jimmies , athletics_affiliations = NAIA – GPAC – ACHA , academic_affiliations = APCU , website = , logo = UofJ Logo 69-98+k.jpg , logo_size = The University of Jamestown is a private Christian university in

. Founded in 1883 by the Presbyterian Church, it has about 1,300 students enrolled and has been

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

from its founding. Until August 2013, the school was known as Jamestown College.

History

The University of Jamestown was founded as Jamestown College in 1883, but closed fairly quickly during the

depression of 1893 The Panic of 1893 was an Depression (economics), economic depression in the United States that began in 1893 and ended in 1897. It deeply affected every sector of the economy, and produced political upheaval that led to the political realignmen ...

. The school reopened in 1909 and has remained in operation ever since. In 1979, Jamestown College's football team went to the NAIA National Championships. Two graduates of the institution have become Rhodes Scholars. In 2013, in light of a new master's program and applied doctorate degree program, Jamestown College changed its name to the University of Jamestown. In 2018, Dr. Robert Badal retired from his position as university president after serving in the role for nearly 16 years. He was succeeded by Dr. Polly Peterson.

Athletics

The Jamestown athletic teams are called the Jimmies. The university is a member of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its st ...

(NAIA), primarily competing in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) since the 2018–19 school year. The Jimmies previously competed in the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) from 2013–14 to 2017–18, and in the defunct

Dakota Athletic Conference The Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) was a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). As the name implies, member teams were located in the states of North Dakota and South Dakota. T ...

(DAC) from 2000–01 to 2011–12, as well as an NAIA Independent within the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) during the 2012–13 school year. Jamestown competes in 24 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, ice hockey (Division 1 and Division II), soccer, track and field (indoor and outdoor), volleyball and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, ice hockey, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, track & field (indoor and outdoor), volleyball and wrestling; and co-ed sports include eSports and shotgun sports.

Ice hockey

Starting in the 2016–17 school year, the University of Jamestown introduced a men's ice hockey team that competes in the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 1 (ACHA); a Division II men's team started competitive play in the 2020–21 season. The school announced in 2021 that they would field a women's hockey team for the 2022–23 season.

Notable people

Alumni

* Richard K. Armey (1962), U.S. Representative from Texas and House Majority Leader * Ron Erhardt (1953), head coach of the NFL New England Patriots * Ralph R. Erickson (1980), former chief judge on the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota and judge on the

United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (in case citations, 8th Cir.) is a United States federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the following United States district courts: * Eastern District of Arkansas * Western Dist ...

* Jessica Haak, former member of the North Dakota House of Representatives * Donald D. Lorenzen (1920–80), Los Angeles, California, City Council member, 1969–77 * George W. Johnson, President of George Mason University (1979–1996) * John Knauf, justice of the North Dakota Supreme Court (attended but graduated elsewhere) * Cory Mantyka, Canadian football player * Barbara McClintock (1976), illustrator and author of children's books * David Nething, Former member of the North Dakota State Senate * Raquel Pa'aluhi, professional

Mixed Martial Artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

, currently competing for

Invicta FC Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion dedicated to Women's mixed martial arts that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp. The promotion is current ...

Alvin Plantinga Alvin Carl Plantinga (born November 15, 1932) is an American analytic philosopher who works primarily in the fields of philosophy of religion, epistemology (particularly on issues involving epistemic justification), and logic. From 1963 to 198 ...

(1950), John A. O'Brien Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. Author and philosopher * Jasper Schneider, former acting administrator of the USDA Rural Utilities Service *

Kurt Schork Kurt Erich Schork (January 24, 1947 – May 24, 2000) was an American reporter and war correspondent. He was killed in an ambush while on an assignment for Reuters in Sierra Leone together with cameraman Miguel Gil Moreno de Mora of Spain, who work ...

(1969), reporter * Kyle Schweigert, head football coach at the University of North Dakota * J. J. Syvrud, American football player

Faculty

* Larry Woiwode, accomplished author and poet, serving as

Poet Laureate A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch ...

of the State of North Dakota since 1995 * William A. Wojnar, classical organist and Professor Emeritus of Music

References

External links

Official website

Official athletics website
{{authority control Private universities and colleges in North Dakota Educational institutions established in 1883 Education in Stutsman County, North Dakota Buildings and structures in Jamestown, North Dakota Universities and colleges affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) 1883 establishments in Dakota Territory Liberal arts colleges in North Dakota