Midway University is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

university in

Midway, Kentucky Midway is a home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, in the United States. Its population was 1,641 at the time of the year 2010 U.S. census. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town sits just off ...

. Related by covenant to the

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. The denomination started with the Restoration Movement during the Second Great Awakening, first existing during the 1 ...

, it enrolls approximately 1,900 students earning two-year and four-year degrees as well as master's degrees. Midway was the only

women's college Women's colleges in higher education are undergraduate, bachelor's degree-granting institutions, often liberal arts colleges, whose student populations are composed exclusively or almost exclusively of women. Some women's colleges admit male st ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

until 2016 when it began admitting male undergraduate students.

History

Midway University originally opened as the Kentucky Female Orphan School on October 3, 1849, with one teacher and sixteen female students. The nine members of the Board of Trustees oversaw the school's endowment, the building and five acres of land. The co-founders of the school were Dr. L.L. (Lewis Letig) Pinkerton (1812–1875), minister of the Midway

from 1844 to 1860, and Mr. James Ware Parrish, a Midway Christian Church elder. They obtained a charter on February 17, 1847, from the Kentucky legislature through the help of Kentucky Senator Major George W. Williams. Before the school was permitted to open, an endowment of twenty-five thousand dollars had to be secured and investments made. This time was used for soliciting funds, purchasing land, construction of a building, and drafting and outline of government and management for the school. John Dawson was Superintendent and his wife, Mary, was Matron when the Kentucky Female Orphan School opened in 1849. Associate principal and assistant matron, Eliza Davies, wrote that in those early days the "house was not furnished; the girls slept on straw mattresses; the floors were uncarpeted." The Kentucky Female Orphan School girls' education was directed by four main points: # The development and corroboration of the moral constitution. # The improvement of the intellectual powers. # The development of the physical powers. # Such direction of all the capabilities and attainments of the pupils, as will afford them the best prospect of a livelihood, in the useful and honorable employment of their requirements. The early years of operation had four grades. They were compared to an intensive high school education which included all courses: Ray's Higher Arithmetic, two years of Algebra, plane geometry, trigonometry, physics, botany, physiology, psychology, astronomy, physical geography, chemistry, geology, mineralogy, zoology, grammar, spelling, diacritical marks, rhetoric, American and English Literature, classics, U.S. History, English History, ancient, medieval, and modern history, Latin, and instrumental and vocal music. Sixteen credits were required to graduate, but according to the school president Miss Lucy Peterson many students graduated with twenty-five credits. The school served, at various times, as an elementary and high school, and eventually became a junior college and, then a fully accredited baccalaureate-granting institution as Midway College. As a career training provider, the Kentucky Female Orphan School identified the needs of the community, the resources in the area and the demand for higher education. The intention was to empower disadvantaged women with an education in the field of teaching. In 2010, the school announced the launching of the Midway College School of Pharmacy in

Paintsville, Kentucky Paintsville () is a home rule-class city along Paint Creek in Johnson County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 3,459 during the 2010 U.S. Census. History A Paint Lick Station was referred to in m ...

. The plan was abandoned the next year due to higher than expected startup costs and failure to secure accreditation. On July 1, 2015, the college changed its name to Midway University. In the Fall semester of 2016, Midway University admitted men to its day program for the first time.

Campus

The school is located on a working

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...

in the heart of the

Bluegrass region The Bluegrass region is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It makes up the central and northern part of the state, roughly bounded by the cities of Frankfort, Paris, Richmond and Stanford. The Bluegrass region is characteri ...

. The campus overlooks Midway, a small town in central

. The

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government within the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of ...

placed

Pinkerton Hall Pinkerton may refer to: Places *Pinkerton, Ontario, named after surveyor and early settler Matthew Pinkerton * Pinkerton's Landing Bridge, railroad bridge in Pennsylvania People * Allan Pinkerton (18191884), Scottish detective and spy * Bill Pi ...

, the oldest building on campus, on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

on November 20, 1974.

Academic buildings

* Equine Education Center houses a x indoor riding arena, eight stalls, laboratory, classroom, a large

tack room TACK is a group of archaea acronym for Thaumarchaeota (now Nitrososphaerota), Aigarchaeota, Crenarchaeota (now Thermoproteota), and Korarchaeota, the first groups discovered. They are found in different environments ranging from acidophilic ...

, audio-visual room, wash stall and faculty offices. * Keeneland Barn contains equipment for horse rehabilitation, a tack room, wash room, office space, and 16 stalls for horses. * Ashland Equine Barn contains 8 stalls, office space, and a washroom. * Marrs Hall, with a

clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another build ...

, houses the Arthur Young Lloyd Board Room, and the Office of the President, Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations on the first floor. In 2020, the building had a major renovation and now houses the University's Welcome Center on the top floor which includes the Admissions Office, Business Office, and Financial Aid, making this a one stop location for prospective students and their families. The lower-level houses the Accounting, Human Resources and Marketing offices. * The Starks Center (on the original footprint of Starks Hall) was built in 2010, and serves as the main classroom building on campus. The building also contains the offices of the Vice President of Academic Affairs, the Dean of Arts & Science, the Dean of Business, Equine and Sport Studies and the

Registrar A registrar is an official keeper of records made in a register. The term may refer to: Education * Registrar (education), an official in an academic institution who handles student records * Registrar of the University of Oxford, one of the sen ...

. The Teacher Education division is housed on the second floor, along with classrooms and faculty offices. The basement houses the Equine Division's administrative offices, along with additional classrooms and faculty office space. * Anne Hart Raymond Center for Mathematics, Science & Technology opened in the fall 2003 semester. A building with laboratories for

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditar ...

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...

, microbiology/immunology,

botany Botany, also called plant science (or plant sciences), plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "bot ...

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which rel ...

, chemistry and physical/environmental science. Faculty members and upper-level students have access to dedicated laboratory space to pursue more advanced research projects. Additionally, the building has a 450-seat auditorium, classrooms, and faculty offices. * The Hunter Field House (opened June 2020) 20,000 square foot athletic building includes an auxiliary gymnasium, a weight and cardio room, an elevated walking track, two locker rooms, an athlete study room, coaches’ offices and meeting space. The Hunter Field House is used mostly for athletic practices and some special events. The Hunter Field House was made possible by the generous donation of Midway University Trustee Janet Green Hunter and her husband, Richard. Historic Pinkerton Hall in Summer 2019

Residential buildings

* Buster Hall offers traditional-style rooms with pod-style bathrooms on each floor and new laundry facility on the main floor (renovated in 2021) . This is the largest residence hall. (2). * Belle Wisdom Hall students live in suite-style rooms, sharing private bathrooms with 2–4 residents. Belle is the oldest dorm on the campus. * Pinkerton Hall was the first building on campus and housed all the functions of the Kentucky Female Orphan School before being converted to offices. The building was renovated in Summer 2019 to return it to housing.

Athletics

The Midway athletic teams are called the Eagles. The college 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 stud ...

(NAIA), primarily competing in the

River States Conference The River States Conference (RSC), formerly known as the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC), is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Although it was historical ...

(RSC; formerly known as the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) until after the 2015–16 school year) for most of its sports since the 1991–92 academic year; while its men's & women's bowling, men's & women's swimming, men's volleyball and men's wrestling teams compete in the

Mid-South Conference The Mid-South Conference (MSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee. The league is headquartered in Lo ...

(MSC). Formerly a women's institution, men's sports were added into the Eagles' athletic program since the 2016–17 academic year. Midway competes in 28 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, sprint football, swimming, tennis, track & field, volleyball and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field and volleyball.Midway College-Quick Facts
Retrieved on 2010-2-10 and co-ed sports include archery, cheer, dance, eSports, and equestrian (hunt seat, western and Dressage).

Sprint football

The most recently added sport is

sprint football Sprint football, formerly called lightweight football, is a varsity sport played by United States colleges and universities, under standard American football rules. As of the 2022 season, the sport is governed by the Collegiate Sprint Football ...

, a weight-restricted form of American football not governed by the NAIA or the

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

(NCAA). Midway began play in 2022 as one of six charter members of the

Midwest Sprint Football League The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

Notable faculty

Sally Haydon Sally Haydon (February 10, 1959 – April 13, 2014) was an American professor of equine science and a trainer of American Saddlebred horses and riders. She was Chair of the Equine Studies department at Midway College in Midway, Kentucky, preside ...

Bob Heleringer Bob Heleringer (born 1951) is an American politician. He served as a Republican member for the 33rd district of the Kentucky House of Representatives. In 1980, Heleringer won the election for the 33rd district of the Kentucky House of Represe ...

References

External links

Official website

Official athletics website
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1847 Universities and colleges affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Former women's universities and colleges in the United States Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Education in Woodford County, Kentucky Buildings and structures in Woodford County, Kentucky Education in Johnson County, Kentucky History of women in Kentucky River States Conference 1847 establishments in Kentucky Private universities and colleges in Kentucky