McDaniel College
|
|
Template:Infobox American Universities
McDaniel College is a private college of the liberal arts and sciences in Westminster, near Baltimore, Maryland, USA with a branch college in Budapest, Hungary
| Contents |
Number of students
As of 2004 there are 1,600 students from 23 states and 19 countries; 45 percent are men, 55 percent are women. The average class size is fewer than 20 students.
History
The college was founded in 1867 as Western Maryland College, which derived from the Western Maryland Railroad that contributed a substantial amount to its founding. It had a voluntary fraternal affiliation with the United Methodist Church from 1868 until 1974. The ties with the United Methodist Church were cut over a court case in which Western Maryland and other religiously affiliated schools in Maryland were being challenged over state funding received by the colleges because of their religious ties. The other schools retained their affiliations and won the case.
The college's first building went up in 1867, with an inaugaral class of 37 men and women. Western Maryland was the first coeducational institution south of the Mason-Dixon Line, and among the first in the nation. The school's original charter read that the school would exist: "For the benefit of students without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national or ethnic origin ... without requiring or enforcing any sectarian, racial or civil test, and without discrimination on the basis of sex, national or ethnic origin, nor shall any prejudice be made in the choice of any officer, teacher, or other employee in the said college on account of these factors."
McDaniel College Budapest (formerly known as Western Maryland College Budapest) was established in collaboration with College International Budapest in 1994.
On January 11, 2002, the trustees announced their unanimous decision to change the name of the college. On July 1, 2002, WMC officially became McDaniel College. The new name honors William Roberts McDaniel, honoring his 65-year association with the school. The process did not include input from students, alumni, or community leaders about whether a name change was desired. A number of alumni have subsequently expressed displeasure with the decision to change names.
Presidents
- Reverend J. T. Ward (1867-1886)
- Dr. Thomas Hamilton Lewis (1886-1920)
- Dr. Albert Norman Ward (1920-1935)
- Bishop Fred G. Holloway (1935-1947)
- Dr. Lowell S. Ensor (1947-1972)
- Dr. Ralph C. John (1972-1984)
- Dr. Robert H. Chambers (1984-2000)
- Dr. Joan Develin Coley (2000-present)
External links
- Official homepage of the college (http://www.mcdaniel.edu)
- Official homepage of the Budapest branch (http://www.mcdaniel.hu)
- School profile by the Baltimore Sun (http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/visitor/college/bal-hl-mcdaniel,0,4638597.story?coll=bal-college-features)