Greenville University

Greenville University is a liberal arts university in Greenville, Illinois. It is affiliated with the Free Methodist Church, a church with an evangelical foundation, and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. Greenville College was renamed Greenville University on June 1, 2017.[3]

Greenville University
MottoPreparing Students for Lives of Character and Service
TypePrivate
Established1892
AffiliationCouncil for Christian Colleges and Universities
Religious affiliation
Free Methodist
Endowment$19.4 million[1]
PresidentSuzanne Allison Davis, J.D., MBA [2]
Academic staff
108
Students872
Location
Greenville
,
Illinois
,
U.S.

38°53′37″N 89°24′31″W
CampusSmall town
ColorsOrange and Black
   
AthleticsNCAA Division III
NicknamePanthers
Websitewww.greenville.edu

History

In 1855, Stephen Morse and Almira Blanchard founded a college for women: Almira College. Almira College shared an affiliation with the Baptist Church and educated young women until a change in leadership, affiliation and organization in 1892. At that time, the Central Illinois Conference of the Free Methodist Church purchased the property of Almira College and named it Greenville College. The institution was restructured to offer a co-educational experience for both genders. The institution was also incorporated as an independent college under the leadership of the Free Methodist Church. Greenville College was renamed Greenville University in 2017.[4]

Code of conduct

Students attending Greenville University are expected to adhere to a lifestyle that is codified and asks that the student agree to certain principles that the school calls "Christ-honoring", outlined in a document known as the Lifestyle Statement.[5] Violations of the lifestyle statement are handled through a grace-based system which seeks to help students recover from any negative effects (i.e. addiction, emotional distress) and rehabilitate them to live according to Christ's purpose for their life.[5]

The Lifestyle Statement exists to keep the GU community accountable for having a healthy lifestyle that keeps the individual in line with God's redemptive plan. It includes instructions for all students to avoid: "backbiting, cheating, dishonesty, drunkenness, gossip, immodesty of dress, lying, occult practices, profanity, sexual promiscuity (including adultery, homosexual behavior, pre-marital sex), theft, and vulgarity (including crude language)." Other actions that students must agree to refrain from, both while on and away from campus, include: "the use of tobacco in any form, alcoholic beverages, hallucinogenic drugs and substances (including marijuana), or narcotics not authorized by a physician", gambling, and using or possessing pornography. And, in keeping with the institution's focus on Christian principles, the document states: "Members of the community are to observe the Lord's Day (Sunday) as a day set apart primarily for worship, fellowship, ministry, and rest." These principles are set in place to hold students accountable for creating a learning environment that stands out from other universities and offers unique benefits to the health and well-being of the student. Greenville University understands that no student is perfect and is committed to providing support without judgment to anyone suffering from any kind of problem, addiction, or mental illness.[6] Struggling students are often encouraged to receive counseling or meet with a mentor in order to provide professional support as they attempt to make lifestyle changes.

Students are not required to sign a statement of faith; however, they must fulfill at least 36 chapel credits each semester. Most of these credits are fulfilled by attending a chapel service that is available on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of every academic week at 9:30am.

Campus
A view of Greenville's library.

Nearly 800 students live on campus in a variety of residence halls including Joy Hall, Janssen Hall, Burritt Hall, Holtwick Hall, Blakenship Apartments, Tenney Hall, Kinney Hall, and Ellen J. Mannoia Hall (formerly known as College Avenue Hall). An additional 101-bed dormitory, called West Oak Hall, opened Fall of 2007.[7] Students also live in a number of college-owned houses. In the summer of 2007, Janssen Hall (originally constructed in 1959) was gutted and completely updated and remodeled.[7] Joy Hall was renovated in the summer of 2011 to bring it up to modern safety code.

The college is home to the only museum dedicated to the works of the sculptor Richard Bock, an associate of Frank Lloyd Wright. The first classes of Almira College in the 1850s were held in John Brown White's home, which is called the Almira College House and houses Bock's sculptures.[8]

In 1999, under the leadership of President Mannoia, the college became the first campus in the nation to install a completely wireless internet network across the entire campus.[9]

Hogue Hall
Old Main, Almira College
Location315 E. College St., Greenville, Illinois
Coordinates38°53′35″N 89°24′31″W
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1860
Architectural styleItalianate
NRHP reference No.75000638[10]
Added to NRHPApril 21, 1975
In Memory of John Brown White, Teacher, Counsellor, and Friend, First President, Almira College, Founded in 1855. Placed By His Grateful Pupils 1931.

—Plaque on Hogue Hall

The previous oldest building on campus, Wilson T. Hogue Hall, originally housed Almira College. Bricks for the building were made on the front campus in 1855, and the building was erected between 1856 and 1864 and given the name "Old Main."[8] Hogue Hall contained the data processing center and administrative offices of the college on the lower two floors. The upper two floors, originally dormitory rooms, provided offices for the faculty and a few small classrooms. Informal conversation between faculty and students frequently took place in these offices. An open "bridge" at the third floor level led to the third floor of LaDue Auditorium and Marston Hall, which serves as the main classroom building. This building was part of the National Register of Historic Places.

In the spring of 2007, then President Vincent James Mannoia was made aware of structural problems within Hogue Hall that led to a remodeling project in the building. In the summer of 2007, remodeling work on the lower floor found significant cracks in the timber holding up the masonry wall. When it became aware of the situation, the college stopped the remodeling and consulted with a structural engineer and architectural experts on old buildings for advice.[11] These experts' initial inspection uncovered major structural concerns in the East Wing of the historic building.[11] Classes were moved from the four classrooms on the third floor of the building, and faculty with offices located in the East Wing were relocated to the classrooms.[11] After extensive consultation with local citizens, faculty, staff, alumni, and the Board of Trustees President Mannoia determined that Hogue Hall should be torn down in the summer of 2008, despite objections from Illinois' state preservation agency. The site of Hogue Hall is now a grassy open space area; while original plans were to rebuild a new Hogue Hall in the same location, the college board of trustees is deciding whether to rebuild it in another location.[12]

Athletics

Greenville University teams participate as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III. The Panthers are a member of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, track & field and volleyball; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball. Greenville added men's volleyball in the 2015–16 school year (2016 season); since the SLIAC only sponsors volleyball for women, that team will compete in the Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League.

Notable alumni
Name Class year Notability Reference(s)
Bands
Augustana rock-n-roll band; formed on campus in 2002–2003; members attended but did not graduate
Jars of Clay Christian rock band; formed on campus in the early 1990s, granted honorary degrees in 2001 after dropping out in 1994
Paper Route Indie/Rock Band; members met at Greenville College
People
Ernest L. Boyer former Chancellor of the State University of New York system
Bob Briner once a leading figure in professional sports management, an Emmy Award-winning television producer, and president of ProServ Television. The Greenville University Robert A. Briner Salt and Light Award[13] is named after him.
Matt Bronleewe A founding member of Jars of Clay as well as a notable Christian producer and author. http://www.mattbronleewe.com/#/about/
Leila Fletcher 1916 piano pedagog; Greenville College was Leila Fletcher's sixth form college for girls and young women. http://www.leilafletcher.com/
John Hammond General Manager of the Orlando Magic as of May 23, 2017. http://www.nba.com/magic/news/magic-name-john-hammond-general-manager
D. Ray Heisey professor of Damavand College in Tehran, Iran
Alfred Harrison Joy Bruce Medal-winning astronomer
Mary Previte author of Hungry Ghosts, served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1998 to 2006
Stephanie Smith 2006 Christian singer/songwriter; discovered, signed at Greenville College
Esther Snyder co-founder of In-N-Out Burger chain with her husband
Coleman Griffith considered the Father of American Sport Psychology, continued education and taught at University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign where he wrote the predecessors to many modern sport psychology and physical fitness text books; worked with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team and the Chicago Cubs as a consultant
Nicholas Morrow 2017 Linebacker for the Oakland Raiders. http://www.raiders.com/team/roster.html

Faculty

1956 Prohibition Party candidate for President, Enoch A. Holtwick, was a professor of history and government at Greenville College and is honored at GU through the Enoch A. Holtwick Literary Award and Enoch A. Holtwick Hall, a residence building.

GU professor Richard Huston became a Fulbright scholar for the third time in July 2007. He spent a year lecturing at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Nicaragua in Leon, Nicaragua, beginning in February 2008.[14]

Greenville University depends heavily on full-time faculty as the foundation for its educational program, particularly in the four-year traditional undergraduate programs. In the spring of 2009, 69 full-time faculty were employed at the school.

According to the Faculty Handbook, full-time faculty are reviewed regularly. They are reviewed in their second, fourth, and sixth years of employment. For those faculty on the tenure track, the sixth year review is usually a tenure review. Post-tenure reviews occur every seven years. In each review, teaching and professional growth are evaluated. Faculty are also evaluated in at least one other area: scholarship, service, and/or governance. Greenville University says the review process is based on its published standards and what it calls its commitment to excellence in teaching.

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See also

References
  1. "Greenville College". rankingsandreviews.com.
  3. http://www.wgel.com/news/2017/06/greenville-university/
  4. "Historic Roots". greenville.edu.
  5. "Lifestyle Statement - Greenville University :: Christian University in Illinois". www.greenville.edu. Retrieved 2019-07-21.
  6. "Lifestyle Statement – Greenville College". Greenville College. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
  7. "College Work to Be Done for New Term". Greenville Advocate. July 19, 2007.
  8. Allan H. Keith, Historical Stories: About Greenville and Bond County, IL. Consulted on August 15, 2007.
  9. "College in Illinois is the First to Deliver Internet Without Wires". St. Louis Post Dispatch (Vol 129 Number 279). October 6, 1999.
  10. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  11. "Major Repairs Needed for G.C.'s Historic Hogue Hall". Greenville Advocate. August 28, 2007.
  12. "G.C. Board Wants More Options for New Building". Greenville Advocate. November 20, 2008.
  13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-12-01. Retrieved 2008-09-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. "Gc professor to teach in Central America". WGEL. July 3, 2007. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-14.

Further reading
  • Still Abides the Memory by Mary A. Tenney. Student and faculty member writes about the history and her experience of Greenville College
  • Man Proposes, But God Disposes: A Biography of John Brown White, Lawyer, Minister, Educator, and Founding President of Almira College by Dr. Donald Jordahl, Emeritus Professor of History at Greenville College
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