Juniata College

Coordinates: 40°29′58″N 78°0′59″W / 40.49944°N 78.01639°W / 40.49944; -78.01639
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Juniata College
Former names
Huntingdon Normal School (1876–1877)
Brethren Normal School (1877–1896)
MottoVeritas Liberat (Latin)
Motto in English
Truth Sets Free
TypePrivate liberal arts college
EstablishedApril 17, 1876; 147 years ago (1876-04-17)
AffiliationChurch of the Brethren[1]
Endowment$114.8 million (2020)[2]
PresidentJames Troha
Administrative staff
403
Undergraduates1,573[3]
Location, ,
United States
CampusRural, 800 acres (3.2 km2)
ColorsOld Gold and Yale Blue           
MascotEagles
Websitewww.juniata.edu

Juniata College is a private liberal arts college in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1876 as a co-educational normal school, it was the first college started by members of the Church of the Brethren. It was originally founded as a center for vocational learning for those who could not afford formal education. As of 2015, Juniata College has about 1,600 students from 42 states and territories and 45 countries.[4]

History[edit]

19th century[edit]

In 1895, Martin Grove Brumbaugh became Juniata College's first president, serving until 1910

Huntingdon Normal School, a normal school, was established by a spry young Huntingdon physician, Dr. Andrew B. Brumbaugh, and his two cousins, Henry and John Brumbaugh. Henry provided a second-story room over his local print shop for classes, while John lodged and fed the college's first teacher, Jacob M. Zuck. Andrew was to "provide students and furniture".[5][6] Juniata's first classes were held on April 17, 1876, with Zuck teaching Rebecca Cornelius, Maggie D. Miller, and Gaius M. Brumbaugh, the only son of Andrew Brumbaugh.

In 1877, the school changed its name to Brethren Normal School. At this time Zuck also discussed adding a "Scientific Course" and issuing "Certificates of Graduation". In 1879, classes moved into Founder's Hall, the school's first permanent building on the present-day campus then only known as "The Building". On May 11 of same year, Jacob Zuck died from pneumonia at age 32 when he insisted on sleeping in the then unfinished Founders Hall without a heater. James Quinter was then chosen to lead the school as the school's first president.[6]

In 1894, due to a ruling at the Brethren Church's Annual Meeting against using the term "Brethren" in naming a school, the college was renamed Juniata College for the nearby Juniata River, one of the principal tributaries of the Susquehanna River. The name Juniata College was made the school's legal name in 1896.[6]

In 1895, Dr. Martin Grove Brumbaugh, an 1881 graduate from Brethren Normal (Huntingdon Normal), took over the active presidency of Juniata College until 1910.

20th century[edit]

During and after his tenure, Brumbaugh remained intimately connected to the college and reacquired the college's presidency in 1924, after having served as governor of Pennsylvania from 1915 to 1919 and as commissioner of education to Puerto Rico in 1900.[7] M. G. Brumbaugh died unexpectedly in 1930 while on vacation in Pinehurst, North Carolina, and was succeeded in his presidency by a former pupil at Juniata, Dr. Charles Calvert Ellis.

Presidents[edit]

  • James Quinter (1879–1888)
  • H.B. Brumbaugh (1888–1893)
  • M.G. Brumbaugh (1893–1910)
  • I. Harvey Brumbaugh (1910–1924)
  • M. G. Brumbaugh (1924–1930)
  • C.C. Ellis (1930–1943)
  • Calvert N. Ellis (1943–1968)
  • John N. Stauffer (1968–1975)
  • Frederick M. Binder (1975–1986)
  • Robert W. Neff (1986–1998)
  • Thomas R. Kepple, Jr. (1998–2013)
  • Jim Troha (2013–present)[8]
  • Lauren Bowen, Acting President (2024)

Campus[edit]

Founders Hall, the first building on campus
Nathan Hall

The main campus area is 110 acres (0.45 km2), and the college manages a 315-acre (1.27 km2) Baker-Henry Nature Preserve. Two new buildings since 2000 include the von Liebig Center for Science and the Suzanne von Liebig Theatre. Founders Hall, the first building on campus, has also been renovated recently. Construction was finished in the summer of 2009 and uses underground geothermal energy to heat and cool the building. This building is recognized as a LEED Gold building.

Other off-campus sites include the Baker Peace Chapel, designed by Maya Lin, and the cliffs, which have views of the Juniata River. The college also owns the Raystown Field Station, a 365-acre (1.48 km2) reserve on Raystown Lake, which includes an LEED Gold building and two lodges for semester-long residential programs, often focused on environmental topics.[9]

Athletics[edit]

Memorial Gymnasium inside the Kennedy Sports and Recreation Center

Juniata is a Division III collegiate sports institution. It is a charter member of the Landmark Conference, where it competes in all sports except football and volleyball. The athletic teams are known as the Juniata Eagles.

Football[edit]

The Juniata College football program is a member of the Centennial Conference. The Goal Post Trophy goes to the winner of the annual football game with rival Susquehanna University. It is a section of the goal post that was torn down after the 1952 Juniata-Susquehanna game. The visiting Indians (now Eagles) upset the Crusaders in Selinsgrove, and Juniata fans tore down the goal post after the game.[10]

Volleyball[edit]

Juniata College is known for its both its men's and women's volleyball program. The men's volleyball team competes in the Continental Volleyball Conference; it previously competed in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association, where it won several titles, even while under Division I and Division III sanctions. In 2023, the Juniata women's volleyball team won the NCAA D-III national championship. The Eagles completed a perfect season, going 35-0, earning the No. 2 seed in the D-III tournament and sweeping No. 4 Hope in straight sets, 25-22, 25-20, 25-21.

Notable people[edit]

Notable alumni[edit]

Notable alumni include:

Notable faculty and coaches[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Colleges | Church of the Brethren". Brethren.org. Retrieved 2013-11-22.
  2. ^ As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  3. ^ "Juniata College - Just The Facts - About Our Students". Juniata.edu. Retrieved 2013-11-22.
  4. ^ "Juniata College Online Catalog". Juniata College. 2015. Archived from the original on March 23, 2015. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  5. ^ "History". Juniata College. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  6. ^ a b c Kaylor, Earl C. (1977). Truth Sets Free: A Centennial History of Juniata College, 1876-1976. South Brunswick: A.S. Barnes and Co., Inc. ISBN 0-498-02101-7.
  7. ^ Sigel, Nancy (2000). Juniata College: Uncommon Visions of Juniata's Past. Great Britain: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-0240-5. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  8. ^ "Juniata College Past Presidents". Juniata College. 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ "Juniata College- Raystown Field Station- Grove Farm". Juniata.edu. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2013-11-22.
  10. ^ "GO SU! - Susquehanna". Gosusqu.com. Retrieved 2013-11-22.
  11. ^ "Juniata Magazine".
  12. ^ Bachman, Denise; Karen Mansfield (November 20, 2011). "Childhood friends wonder if they really knew Jerry Sandusky". Observer–Reporter. Archived from the original on November 24, 2011. Retrieved November 22, 2011.

External links[edit]

40°29′58″N 78°0′59″W / 40.49944°N 78.01639°W / 40.49944; -78.01639