Muskingum University is a private universityinNew Concord, Ohio. Chartered in 1837 as Muskingum College, the institution is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). New Concord is located in far eastern Muskingum County, which derives its name from the Muskingum River. Muskingum offers more than 60 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 225 acres (0.91 km2) of rolling hills overlooking New Concord. 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".
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| Latin: Collegii Muskingumensis | |
Former names | Muskingum College (1837–2009) |
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| Motto | Omne trium perfectum (Latin) |
Motto in English | Everything of the three perfect (Note: the seal depicts a laurel wreath, lamp, and Bible symbolizing body, mind, and soul.) |
| Type | Private university |
| Established | 1837; 187 years ago (1837) |
Religious affiliation | Presbyterian |
Academic affiliations | APCU CIC |
| Endowment | $76.9 million (2020)[1] |
| President | Susan Schneider Hasseler |
Academic staff | 114 |
| Undergraduates | 1,300 |
| Postgraduates | 1,300 |
| Location |
, U.S. 39°59′53″N 81°44′17″W / 39.998°N 81.738°W / 39.998; -81.738 |
| Campus | Rural, 225 acres (91 ha) |
| Colors | Black and Magenta |
| Nickname | Fighting Muskies |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division III – OAC |
| Website | muskingum |
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In 1827, the National Road (now US 40) was laid through what is now New Concord, roughly following what had been the primitive roadway known as Zane's Trace. 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 merged by signing a historic agreement in Brown Chapel on Muskingum's campus. In 2001, the school's women's softball team captured the NCAA Division III National Championship, the school's first national title.
In 2009, Muskingum College achieved university status to become Muskingum University.
Muskingum has been continuously accredited by the North Central Association of College and Secondary Schools or one of its successors since 1919. "The school up on the hill", as it is sometimes called by locals, offers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees at the undergraduate level, and at the graduate level Master of Information Strategy Systems and Technology, Master of Arts in Education, and Master of Arts in Teaching graduate degrees. The university offers 44 academic majors along with a large number of minors, nine pre-professional programs (including pre-law and pre-medicine) and teaching licensure.
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.[2]
The university has five active fraternities: Phi Kappa Tau, Phi Kappa Psi, Kappa Sigma, Ulster (local), and M.A.C.E. (local). The Muskingum chapters of Phi Kappa Tau and Kappa Sigma both trace their roots to local fraternities, Alban and Sphynx. The university also has four active sororities: Chi Alpha Nu (local), FAD (local), Delta Gamma Theta (local), and Theta Phi Alpha.
Muskingum competes athletically in the NCAA as a Division III school and as one of the first and longest affiliated members of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). M.U.'s teams compete under the name the Fighting Muskies. Its mascot is the Fighting Muskie (muskellunge), 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 Pioneers (which ironically was originally called the Muskingum Academy when established in 1797). Muskingum fields teams in American football, men's and women's basketball, women's volleyball, baseball, women's softball, wrestling and men's and women's indoor track, outdoor track, soccer, tennis, cross country, lacrosse, and golf. Muskingum has won 79 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championships, since the school joined the conference in 1923.[citation needed]
In the 41 seasons between 1926 and 1966, Muskingum won 12 OAC football championships, ten outright, and two shared.[5] Six of those championships were won from 1945 to 1966 when the team was led by College Football Hall of Fame member Ed Sherman,[6] a former Muskingum quarterback. In Sherman's last three seasons, the Muskies represented the OAC in the Grantland Rice Bowl in 1964[7] and 1966.[8]
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 Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Muskingum in 1943.[9][10] He was awarded an honorary degree from Muskingum in 1961, and announced his retirement from the United States Senate in Brown Chapel live on national television in 1997. Upon his retirement, Glenn donated his archives to the Ohio State University, with special conditions that Muskingum students could benefit from the collection at any time.
