Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective

Alma College

Private college in Alma, Michigan, US From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Remove ads
For other uses, see Alma College (disambiguation).

Alma College is a private Presbyterian liberal arts college in Alma, Michigan. It enrolls approximately 1,200 students and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.[3] Alma College is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and offers bachelor's degrees in multiple disciplines as well as four master's degree programs.[4] Its athletics teams, nicknamed the Scots, are part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) – Division III and the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA).

Quick Facts Type, Established ...
Remove ads

History

Summarize
Perspective

The college was founded by Michigan Presbyterians in 1886. It received funding from lumber magnate Ammi W. Wright, for whom Wright Hall on campus and Wright Avenue in the city of Alma are named.

A marker designating the college as a Michigan Historic Site was erected by the Michigan History Division, Department of State.[5] The inscription reads:

On October 26, 1886, the Presbyterian Synod of Michigan accepted an offer by Ammi W. Wright of Alma of thirty acres of land, containing two buildings, and a gift of $50,000 from Alexander Folsom of Bay City, for the purpose of establishing Alma College. The Synod had resolved: "We will, with God's help, establish and endow a college within our bounds." A charter was granted by the state of Michigan, April 15, 1887. Classes began September 12, 1887. In the first year there were 95 students and nine faculty members. Here the Presbyterian Church has fostered the pursuit of learning to the glory of God and to the dignity of men.

The college's 14th president, Joseph L. Odenwald, assumed office in June 2025. [6]

Scottish heritage

In 1931, the college hosted a contest to replace their current mascot at the time, the Fighting Presbyterians, and "the Scots"—a nod to the Presbyterian Church's roots in Scotland—was chosen. Since that time, Alma College has embraced its Scottish traditions.[7] While still maintaining a close relationship with the Presbyterian Church, Alma College accepts and welcomes students of all religious backgrounds.

Remove ads

Academics

Summarize
Perspective
Quick Facts Admissions statistics, Admit rate ...

Alma College offers more than 45 undergraduate academic programs, and three graduate programs, leading to Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Music, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Science, and Master of Arts. In addition to the academic majors, numerous concentrations, academic institutes, and special programs are offered, including the Presidential Honors Program and the Center for College and Community Engagement. Its most popular majors, in terms of 2023 graduates, were:[9]

  • Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (52)
  • Health Professions and Related Programs (32)
  • Education (30)
  • Biological, Neuroscience, and Biomedical Sciences (23)
  • Psychology (23)

Along with its on-campus options, Alma College offers a number of domestic off-campus and internship programs, in cities including Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington DC. Alma offers international study programs in countries including Argentina, Australia, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Peru, Scotland and Spain.[10]

Alma has a 4-4-1 academic calendar, with 14-week terms in the fall and winter, and a four-week term in May. Students typically use the latter term, known on-campus as Spring Term, for travel, classes, research and internships.[11]

Graduate degrees

Alma College in 2021 launched the first graduate program in its then-134-year history with the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing degree,[12] led by author and educator Sophfronia Scott.[13]

In 2022, the college launched a Master of Science in Communication and Information Technology degree.[14] In 2023, the college launched a Master of Arts in Special Education with Learning Disabilities Endorsement program.[15]

Remove ads

Campus

Summarize
Perspective
Thumb
Thomas Andison Chapel

Alma College is located in a small-town setting, the city of Alma having slightly fewer than 10,000 residents. Its primary academic buildings, built with a red brick motif, are centered around a large square, McIntyre Mall. West of this mall is picturesque Thomas Andison Chapel.[16]

The majority of buildings are located on North Campus, that is, the area north of Superior Street. These include the major dormitory residences, as well as the academic and student life buildings. South Campus is home to suite-style residences ("New Dorms," so named because they were built later in the 1960s than residences in North Campus) as well as the new environmentally friendly apartment-style Wright Hall, inaugurated in 2005 and the second residence of its name, the former being demolished in 1976. South Campus is also home to "Fraternity Row" (Center Street) and "Sorority Row" (Superior Street) as well as several other themed houses. More than half of the buildings on Alma's campus were built under the long tenure (1956–1980) of Robert D. Swanson, after whom the main academic building is named.

The Dow Science Center,[17] renovated in 2018, features the Rollin M. Gerstacker Science and Technology Suite, as well as the Dow Digital Science Center (DDSC). These spaces offer academic student study space, large screen monitors for showing remote projects in real time, dedicated computer work stations, a large conference room designed for distance room and a seminar room. The DDSC sponsors summer camps for elementary, middle and high school students in the area.

The college in 2019 dedicated the Wright Leppien Opera House Block,[18] a historic structure in downtown Alma which had been gutted by a fire almost a decade earlier. "The Opera House," as it is locally known, was historically considered to be the main local venue for numerous theatrical productions, concerts and public lectures. Today, it is used for student housing and special events.

The college in 2023 opened the Greg Hatcher Learning Commons, a $14-million renovation of its preexisting library into a new facility, which serves as both a library and a student union.[19]

In addition to the main campus, the college also owns a 180-acre (0.73 km2) ecological research area containing woodlands, a willow marsh, a sphagnum bog, and a glacial kettle lake, with a full research facility and a bird observatory, located in Vestaburg, about 15 miles (24 km) west of Alma.

Remove ads

Athletics

Summarize
Perspective
See also: Alma Scots men's basketball
Thumb
Alma Scots logo

Alma athletics teams are nicknamed the Scots. Generally, more than half (52.4%) of Alma's students participate in sports. In December 2021, the college announced the addition of women's wrestling [20] bringing the total number of sports offered up to 12 men's NCAA and 12 women's NCAA, plus co-ed esports and women's bowling, competitive cheer, dance, and STUNT.

The mascot of Alma College is Scotty. He wears a traditional highland Kilt, sporran, and sash woven in the Alma College tartan pattern.

Prior to 1934, the Alma mascot was the Fighting Presbyterians. This became the subject of debate in 1931 due to a series of stories by The Almanian, a student-run newspaper, expressing discontent over the limitation on cheers to "Go Presbyterians" or "Go Campbellites," the latter in support of the football coach, Royal Campbell.[21]

Honors

Thumb
Alma Scots football game against Baldwin Wallace
  • In 1992, Alma's women's basketball team earned the NCAA Division III championship.[citation needed]
  • In 2006, Alma College quarterback Josh Brehm was named the recipient of the Gagliardi Trophy, the highest individual honor in NCAA Division III football.[22]
  • In 2022, Alma's dance team won its seventh National Dance Alliance (NDA) Division 3 championship.[23]
  • In 2023, Alma's football team reached the third round of the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time in its history.[24]
  • In 2024, Alma's competitive cheer team won a fourth-consecutive National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) Division 3 championship.[25]
Remove ads

Greek life

Several social Greek letter organizations are active on the Alma College campus.

Notable alumni

Thumb
Gary Peters
Remove ads

References

External links

Loading related searches...

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.

Remove ads
Remove ads