Albion College
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Albion College is a small, private liberal arts college located in Albion, Michigan. Related to the United Methodist Church, it was founded in 1835 and was the first private college in Michigan to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. It has a student population of about 1600.
The school's sports teams are called the Britons and the school colors are purple and gold. They participate in NCAA's Division III and the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA).
Albion College is a member of the Great Lakes College Association and the Michigan Campus Compact, an organization dedicated to encouraging student volunteerism.
Albion Time refers to the fact that classes begin at 10 minutes past the hour. This has lead to the common practice of beginning events 10 minutes later than the scheduled time.
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History
The origin of Albion College lies not in the city of Albion, but about 10 miles southeast of the present location of the college. On March 23, 1835, Methodist Episcopal settlers in Spring Arbor Township obtained a charter for the Spring Arbor Seminary from the Michigan Territorial Legislature. Foundations for a building were begun in 1837 at a location about 3 miles southwest of the current village of Spring Arbor but were soon abandoned due to the economic turmoil caused by the Panic of 1837. No classes were ever held at the Spring Arbor location. The trustees applied to move the seminary to Albion in 1838, and the legislature approved the move in 1839.
With 60 acres (243,000 m²) of land donated by Albion pioneer, Jesse Crowell, the cornerstone was laid for the first building in 1841. In 1843, now named the Wesleyan Seminary, classes were first held in the local Methodist Church. In 1844, classes began in the newly constructed Central Building, which was rebuilt as the present Robinson Hall in 1907.
The Albion Female Collegiate Institute was founded in 1850 by the Wesleyan Seminary Corporation. The two schools merged in 1857 under the name The Wesleyan Seminary and Female College at Albion.
On February 25, 1861, both schools were completely merged under the name Albion College when the school was fully authorized by the State legislature to confer a full four-year college degree upon both men and women.
Notable alumni
- Prentiss Marsh Brown, 1911, U.S. Senator from Michigan
- David L. Camp, 1975, U.S. Representative from Michigan
- John S. Ludington, 1951, Chairman Emeritus, Dow Corning Corporation
- Robert M. Teeter, 1961, Republican pollster
Sources
- Albion College History (http://www.albion.edu/ac_news/history.asp)
- AlbionVision.com (http://www.albionvision.com/college.htm)
- Historical Albion Michigan (http://www.albionmich.com/history/histor_notebook/941009.shtml)
- Michigan Historical Markers (http://www.michmarkers.com/Frameset.htm) entries for Albion College (S0212) and Spring Arbor Seminary (L1910)
- History of Spring Arbor Township (http://www.springarbor.org/history/)
External links
- Albion College (http://www.albion.edu/)