Grove City College
Encyclopedia
Grove City College is a Christian
liberal arts college
in Grove City
, Pennsylvania
, about 65 miles (104.6 km) north of Pittsburgh. According to the College Bulletin, its stated three-fold mission is to provide an excellent education at an affordable price in a thoroughly Christian environment. College president Richard Jewell
has said, "The two tenets that this school [finds most important] are faith and freedom."
The school emphasizes a humanities
core curriculum
, which endorses the Judeo-Christian
Western tradition and the free market
. While loosely associated with the Presbyterian Church (USA)
, the college is non-denominational and does not require students to sign a statement of faith
, though they are required to attend sixteen chapel
services per semester.
, the school was originally chartered as Pine Grove Normal Academy. It had twenty-six students in its first year. In 1884, the trustees of Pine Grove Normal Academy in Grove City amended the academy charter to change the name to Grove City College. By charter, the doors of the College were open to qualified students "without regard to religious test or belief." The founders of Grove City College, consciously avoiding narrow sectarianism, held a vision of Christian society transcending denomination, creeds, and confessions. Isaac Ketler was a devout Presbyterian who served as president until 1913. This was a span of 37 years altogether, and occurred during a very formative period for the school.
Grove City was heavily supported by Joseph Newton Pew
, founder of the Sun Oil Company. Pew was one of Ketler's grade-school teachers and a lifelong mentor and friend of the educator. Ketler and Pew would ultimately forge a remarkable relationship that would profoundly influence the purpose and character of Grove City College. Pew, like Ketler a devout Presbyterian and strong believer in the importance of good education, later accepted the presidency of the school's board of trustees. Pew and Ketler's influence continued with their sons, Weir C. Ketler (Grove City president from 1916 to 1956) and Joseph Howard Pew.
Joseph Howard Pew graduated from the college in 1900 and, like his father, became trustee-board president. J. Howard Pew
continued his father's legacy, richly contributing to the school's programs. A Presbyterian as devout as his father, and a conservative, J. Howard Pew insisted that the college operate only on what it received in tuition and fees. In the 1930s, J. Howard Pew, who became the president of Sun Oil Company, was one of the nation's most outspoken critics of the New Deal
, so it also was natural that Grove City College look unfavorably upon federal aid and involvement in education and that it would strive to remain the highly independent institution it is today. Joseph Howard Pew once said that his two major philanthropic causes were GCC and The Pew Charitable Trusts
. In October 2004, the college dedicated a statue to his memory outside of the college's Harbison Chapel.
case in 1984, Grove City College v. Bell. The ruling came seven years after the school's refusal to sign a Title IX
compliance form, which would have subjected the entire school to federal regulations, even future ones not yet issued. The court ruled 6–3 that acceptance by students of federal educational grants did fall under the regulatory requirements of Title IX, but limited the application to the school's financial aid department.
In 1988, new legislation subjected every department of any educational institution that received federal funding to Title IX requirements. In response, Grove City College withdrew from the Stafford loan
program entirely beginning with the 1988–89 academic year, and established its own loan program with PNC Bank.
Grove City is one of a handful of colleges (along with Hillsdale College
, which did likewise after the aforementioned 1984 case) that does not allow its students to accept federal financial aid of any kind, including grants, loans and scholarships.
has placed Grove City under censure for violations of tenure
and academic freedom
. In fact, Grove City has the distinction of having been on the AAUP's list of censured administrations longer than any other college that is currently censured. In its report, the AAUP Investigative Committee at Grove City concluded that "the absence of due process [in the dismissal of professors at Grove City] raises...doubts regarding the academic security of any persons who may hold appointment at Grove City College under existing administrative practice. These doubts are of an order of magnitude which obliges us to report them to the academic profession at large."
In 2005, Grove City founded its Center for Vision and Values
, further advancing its programs in the humanities
. The Center aims to educate the world about faith and freedom by giving its faculty members the opportunity to share their scholarship with a community beyond Pennsylvania
. The Center for Vision & Values won a 2010 Templeton Freedom Award for Excellence in Promoting Liberty, in the category of “Special Achievement by a University-based Center.” Instituted in the fall of 2003, and named after the late philanthropist and pioneering investor—Sir John Marks Templeton—the Templeton Freedom Awards were the result of a partnership between the John Templeton Foundation
and the Atlas Economic Research Foundation
, which administers the prize.
In recent years, the college has engaged in many new construction projects, including an expansion to its music and arts center in 2002, a new academic building in 2003, a new student union/bookstore in 2004, and new apartment-style housing in 2006. Grove City's Student Union building was honored with the International Masonry Institute's Golden Trowel Grand Prize for excellence in masonry design and construction in 2005. On February 9, 2011 Grove City College announced that it will break ground for construction of a science, engineering and mathematics building—-key components of Grove City Matters: A Campaign to Advance Grove City College, which at $90 million is the largest capital campaign in the college's history. The $37.2-million science
, engineering
and mathematics
building is designed to support new modes of teaching, particularly flexible laboratories and small-group interactions. It will help ensure that Grove City College continues to prepare students for future careers in an increasingly competitive work force, officials said. Even more construction projects, and renovations of existing buildings are planned for the next few years.
The college acquired an observatory
from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
in February 2008 that will be utilized for astronomy
classes as well as faculty and student research
. The observatory's telescope
will be operated more than 60 miles (96.6 km) away remotely from the college's main campus. The purchase of the property, three buildings and equipment inside will pave the way for the addition of an astronomy
minor on campus. Through this observatory
, the college's physics department plans to work with area public schools as well as other colleges and universities on educational and research projects and draw prospective students who are looking for strong physics
programs and astronomy
coursework.
, sciences and engineering
. The college is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the unit of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
that accredits degree-granting colleges and universities in the Middle States region of the United States. The college's electrical
and computer
and mechanical engineering
programs are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
, Inc. (ABET). The Council for Higher Education Accreditation
(CHEA) a United States organization of degree-granting colleges and universities, includes Grove City College among its list of accredited colleges recognized by U.S. accrediting organizations.
s or salutatorian
s. The average GPA of entering freshmen is 3.74 unweighted and 3.98 weighted. The average ACT
score of the 2011 incoming freshmen class was 28. The average SAT
score of the 2011 incoming freshman class was 1269. The average SAT scores were as follows: Math—644; Critical Reading—635; Writing—not reported.
Grove City was ranked as the nation's second most politically conservative college by US News and World Report. Human Events
Magazine ranks it as one of the cream of the crop in America's conservative colleges.
Among all colleges, the widely-followed US News and World Report college rankings place Grove City in the first tier of liberal arts colleges. The conservative think tank
Free Congress Foundation
, includes Grove City among its list of top colleges that provide excellent liberal arts
. For two consecutive years (2006 and 2007), The Young America's Foundation
placed Grove City in its Top 10 Conservative Colleges list. The schools on this list offer coursework and scholarship in conservative thought and emphasize principles including smaller government, strong national defense, free enterprise, and traditional values. Fiske Guide to Getting Into the Right College concurs and lists Grove City among its top 10 conservative colleges.. Consumers Digest
Magazine's Top 100 College Values ranks Grove City College, the top value in private liberal arts schools throughout the nation in May 2011. .
According to the Intercollegiate Studies Institute
's 2007 publication of Choosing the Right College, the 2007 US News and World Report college guide ranks Grove City the number one "best value" among northern comprehensive colleges—the fifth year running the school has earned that distinction. The school has a total cost (including tuition, room, and board) of $19,414 a year. Similarly, Barron's Educational Series
has called Grove City College a "Best Buy" and USA Today
ranks Grove City among the top 100 best value colleges in the nation for 2009. It has also been positively reviewed in the Intercollegiate Studies Institute
's guide Choosing the Right College: The Whole Truth about America's Top Schools. Princeton Review also ranks Grove City College as among the Top 20 in career/job placement services based on satisfaction of students who graduate from the school. It is considered one of the most home school friendly colleges in the Northeast. Grove City College is also considered one of the most selective Christian colleges in the nation. Barron's
Guide to the Most Competitive Colleges - 2004 also lists Grove City College as one of the 65 Most Competitive Colleges and Universities in the nation. College Data's Online College Advisor profile ranks Grove City as Most Difficult in terms of entrance requirement. Peterson's College Guide also ranks its entrance requirement as Most Difficult.
In two consecutive nationwide studies made by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute
(ISI) in cooperation with researchers from the University of Connecticut
's Department of Public Policy to determine the extent of civic literacy in higher education, Grove City College students ranked among the top 5 nationally in terms of knowledge of U.S. history, government, economy and international relations. The study was based on the results of a multiple-choice test given to 14,000 randomly chosen freshmen and seniors on 50 college and university campuses. In two consecutive years of ISI's study, Grove City was ranked number 4 in 2006 and number 2 in 2007, above most Ivy league universities. The school's college debating team is ranked number 1 by the National Parliamentary Debate Association
, the biggest intercollegiate debate league in the United States.
College Prowler
, the largest publisher of college content in the United States, gave Grove City College an "A+" rating for the safety and security of the campus, according to its latest released rankings. Only 12 schools in the USA received the highest rating. The high grade "means that students generally feel safe, campus police are visible, blue-light phones and escort services are readily available, and safety precautions are not overly necessary," according to the College Prowler guide. The rating is a result of the recommendation of the guide’s student author, direct student feedback and other factors such as the presence and size of a police force and security staff, services provided, the area and campus crime reports, security of dormitories and the prevalence of campus theft.
, minimum wage
, and anything economic and conservative. Grove City College has international
ties, founded in 1955, and on the International Society for Individual Liberty (ISIL) Freedom Network.
Among them are the Shenango Institute for Public Policy, a Western Pennsylvania based non-partisan research and educational institute whose mission is to formulate and promote public policies at the local-government level based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom and responsibility, and a respect for traditional values.
The National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise an organization that seeks to provide effective community and faith-based organizations with training and technical assistance, links them to sources of support, and evaluates their experience for public policy in order to address the problems of youth violence, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, homelessness, joblessness, poor education and deteriorating neighborhoods, publicizes events held at Grove City College.
The Lone Mountain Coalition part of the Property and Environment Research Center America's oldest and largest institute dedicated to original research that brings market principles to resolving environmental problems, has ties to Grove City through Michael Coulter, Vice-President of the Shenango Institute for Public Policy, and associate professor of political science at Grove City College.
The college also has ties to the Mises Institute, a libertarian academic organization engaged in research and scholarship in the fields of economics, philosophy and political economy. Several members of the Ludwig von Mises Institute
faculty are also faculty at Grove City. Jeffery Herbener is a senior fellow at the Ludwig von Mises Institute and professor of economics at Grove City College. Shawn Ritenour is an associate professor of economics at Grove City College and an adjunct professor at the Mises Institute in Auburn, Ala.
Grove City also has ties to Michigan
through Lawrence W. (Larry) Reed, president of Michigan’s Mackinac Center for Public Policy
. Reed received his B.A. in Economics from Grove City in 1975. Reed is also past president of the State Policy Network. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a nonpartisan research and educational institution devoted to improving the quality of life for all Michigan citizens. The Center assists policy makers, business people, the media and the public by providing objective analysis of Michigan
issues and by promoting sound solutions to state and local policy questions from a free market
perspective.
The Academic Advisory Committee of the John Locke Foundation
, a free market think tank in North Carolina, which supports the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, a nonprofit institute dedicated to improving higher education in North Carolina and the nation, includes Dr. Walter E. Williams
, the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics, George Mason University
, holder of a Doctor of Humane Letters from Grove City College and John Moore, Former President of Grove City College, who led the College through its withdrawal from federal student loan programs, which completed the College’s break from federal ties.
News about the e-newsletter published by The Center for Vision and Values
consistently gets notice outside the college. For example, the Traditional Values Coalition
website links to the center's e-mail publications.
Many of the Grove City faculty are active in publishing, including in op-eds in newspapers, that promote conservative ideas. In addition, the college prominently posts links to its faculty's op-eds and articles, showing that it wants to spread its influence.
, and Biblical Revelation
. Requirements for majors differ, but typically a student is also required to gain mastery in a foreign language and reach some mathematical proficiency. Many Grove City students take one to three general requirements classes in their freshman, sophomore, and sometimes junior years, along with classes for their respective major.
Many students choose Grove City explicitly for its Christian
environment and traditional Humanities
curriculum. A three-year required Humanities
sequence focuses on the origin, development and implications of civilization’s seminal ideas and worldviews. The courses cover content that includes religion
, philosophy
, history
and philosophy of science
, literature
, art
and music
. Because of its strong adherence to freedom and minimal government interference, Grove City College is considered to be one of America's foremost colleges that teach the ideas of the Austrian School of Economics. The post-1938 personal papers of Ludwig Von Mises
, are housed in the archive of Grove City College. In addition to traditional business programs, Grove City also offers a degree in Entrepreneurship.
Each Grove City College full-time student is given a Hewlett Packard Tablet PC and printer upon arrival, which is theirs to use and keep upon graduating a full time student .
Grove City College adopts a strong policy in regard to alcohol
use on campus, with first time offenders receiving a one week suspension from all activities. Legal age students are permitted to consume alcohol off campus, provided that they do not appear inebriated upon their return. Current student organizations must agree to a strong policy regarding alcohol use both on and off campus, their violation resulting in the loss of their charter.
Along with alcohol use, the student handbook forbids any sexual conduct that violates historic Christian standards. The school's official stance on homosexuality has subtly changed over the years, from condemning homosexuality to focusing on same-sex activity, and currently only explicitly mentioning premarital sex (heterosexual or homosexual). Off-campus housing was disallowed in the 1980s, an early indicator of the school's change in organizational culture.
services are offered Tuesday mornings, Thursday mornings, and Sunday evenings ("vespers
"). Students must attend a minimum of sixteen (16) chapel services each semester. Most chapel services are held in Harbison Chapel, but some take place in Crawford Hall. Occasionally, students are offered chapel credits for attending lectures which usually take place in Sticht lecture hall on Monday nights. Failure to attend the required number of chapel services results in a graduating student's diploma being withheld until the offending student has completed a corresponding number of single-page book reports.
live on campus, in pre-selected upperclassman halls. Strict regulations apply to students joining a Greek organization. Grove City's fraternities and sororities are not affiliated with any national groups. Over the years, many sororities and one fraternity, Chi Delta Epsilon, have permanently died out. The most recent sorority to become defunct was the short-lived Delta Chi Omega, which was founded in 1980 and lasted approximately one decade. Some fraternities have died out (meaning all their active members graduated or left the college) and been reinstituted via block classes.
Both fraternities and sororities are overseen by governing bodies. The fraternities each send delegates to weekly meetings of the Interfraternity Council. The sororities' counterpart organization, the Pan-Hellenic Council, also meets each week. In the spring, the two councils hold joint meetings to plan the annual Greek Games. The Greek Games, a multi-day event which involved such activities as water balloon tossing and egg dropping, have declined in notoriety at Grove City College along with the size of Greek organizations; until the 1990s they were well-known on campus, with the majority of the student body either participating or spectating.
Male students who do not join fraternities can obtain block housing privileges through one of nine organizations known as housing groups. Grove City College housing groups are collections of similarly-interested students which enjoy block housing, yet are not fraternal or Greek in nature. Such groups were founded in the 1970s and given permission to use Greek letters by the extant fraternities on campus and the Grove City College administration. The first of these organizations was Alpha Sigma in 1974. Greek organizations have taken issue with the purported failure of housing groups to abide according to the original founding stipulations, which include having a common purpose and limiting membership to those living in groups' respective dorm halls. Housing groups, unlike fraternities and sororities, do not fill out a Community Living Privilege (CLP) at the end of the year. A CLP proves community activities within the organization, activities for the whole campus, activities benefiting the community, and a philanthropy. Housing groups have no obligations to improve campus life, like Greek organizations. There are no female housing groups at the college.
of NCAA
Division III. On the varsity level, Grove City College has basketball
, cross country
, golf
, soccer, cheerleading
, swimming
, tennis
, and track
teams for both men and women. Baseball
and football
are varsity sports available to men only, while softball
, and water polo
are varsity sports offered to women only.
Grove City also offers a number of club sports to men and women including but not limited to lacrosse
, rugby
, ultimate, and volleyball
for men and field hockey
, and rugby
for women. These teams have be very successful, most notably the men's club volleyball team, which has finished in the top 10 in the country each of the last two years, and the men's lacrosse team, which finished in the top 10 in the country last year. Both men's volleyball and lacrosse were invited to compete at their respective national championship tournaments.
Intramural sports for men are as follows: basketball, bowling
, dodgeball, football, soccer, softball, table tennis
, tennis, ultimate
, and volleyball. Women have badminton
, basketball, bowling, flag football
, indoor soccer
, kickball
, racquetball
, ultimate, and volleyball.
Grove City has several teams with remarkable PAC Championship records. Grove City's women's tennis team has won 25 consecutive PAC championships from 1987 up to the present and the men's tennis team has won 21 consecutive PAC championships from 1991 through the present. In addition, the women's cross country team has won 22 consecutive PAC championships (1989-present).
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
liberal arts college
Liberal arts college
A liberal arts college is one with a primary emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences.Students in the liberal arts generally major in a particular discipline while receiving exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, including sciences as well as the traditional...
in Grove City
Grove City, Pennsylvania
Grove City is a borough in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, approximately north of Pittsburgh. It is the home of Grove City College, a private conservative Christian liberal arts college; General Electric; Instron; USIS; George G. Howe Co.; and a number of small businesses. It is also the home to...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, about 65 miles (104.6 km) north of Pittsburgh. According to the College Bulletin, its stated three-fold mission is to provide an excellent education at an affordable price in a thoroughly Christian environment. College president Richard Jewell
Richard G. Jewell
Richard G. Jewell is the eighth president of Grove City College, a Christian liberal arts college in Grove City, Pennsylvania. The 1967 Grove City graduate assumed the presidency in fall of 2003 after a successful career in law and business...
has said, "The two tenets that this school [finds most important] are faith and freedom."
The school emphasizes a humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
core curriculum
Core Curriculum
The Core Curriculum was originally developed as the main curriculum used by Columbia University's Columbia College. It began in 1919 with "Contemporary Civilization," about the origins of western civilization. It became the framework for many similar educational models throughout the United States...
, which endorses the Judeo-Christian
Judeo-Christian
Judeo-Christian is a term used in the United States since the 1940s to refer to standards of ethics said to be held in common by Judaism and Christianity, for example the Ten Commandments...
Western tradition and the free market
Free market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
. While loosely associated with the Presbyterian Church (USA)
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...
, the college is non-denominational and does not require students to sign a statement of faith
Statement of faith
A statement of faith is a statement of the core beliefs of a religious group.A typical statement of faith is said to be a non-comprehensive summary of the core beliefs of a particular faith within a tradition . Even religious organizations without affiliation will use a statement of faith for...
, though they are required to attend sixteen chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
services per semester.
Origins
Founded in 1876 by Isaac C. KetlerIsaac C. Ketler
Isaac C. Ketler was the co-founder and first president of Grove City College, a Presbyterian college in Grove City, Pennsylvania, USA....
, the school was originally chartered as Pine Grove Normal Academy. It had twenty-six students in its first year. In 1884, the trustees of Pine Grove Normal Academy in Grove City amended the academy charter to change the name to Grove City College. By charter, the doors of the College were open to qualified students "without regard to religious test or belief." The founders of Grove City College, consciously avoiding narrow sectarianism, held a vision of Christian society transcending denomination, creeds, and confessions. Isaac Ketler was a devout Presbyterian who served as president until 1913. This was a span of 37 years altogether, and occurred during a very formative period for the school.
Grove City was heavily supported by Joseph Newton Pew
Joseph Newton Pew
Joseph Newton Pew was the founder of Sun Oil Company and a prominent philanthropist.Joseph N. Pew was born in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, to John Pew and Nancy Glenn. He worked on the family's farm as a child. Pew attended public schools in Mercer and graduated from Edinboro Normal School...
, founder of the Sun Oil Company. Pew was one of Ketler's grade-school teachers and a lifelong mentor and friend of the educator. Ketler and Pew would ultimately forge a remarkable relationship that would profoundly influence the purpose and character of Grove City College. Pew, like Ketler a devout Presbyterian and strong believer in the importance of good education, later accepted the presidency of the school's board of trustees. Pew and Ketler's influence continued with their sons, Weir C. Ketler (Grove City president from 1916 to 1956) and Joseph Howard Pew.
Joseph Howard Pew graduated from the college in 1900 and, like his father, became trustee-board president. J. Howard Pew
J. Howard Pew
J. Howard Pew was an American philanthropist and co-founder of Sunoco .Joseph Howard Pew was born in Bradford, Pennsylvania in 1882 and raised as a devout Presbyterian. In 1886 Pew’s father, Joseph Newton Pew, Sr. started an oil business in Pennsylvania, expanding to Texas when oil was discovered...
continued his father's legacy, richly contributing to the school's programs. A Presbyterian as devout as his father, and a conservative, J. Howard Pew insisted that the college operate only on what it received in tuition and fees. In the 1930s, J. Howard Pew, who became the president of Sun Oil Company, was one of the nation's most outspoken critics of the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
, so it also was natural that Grove City College look unfavorably upon federal aid and involvement in education and that it would strive to remain the highly independent institution it is today. Joseph Howard Pew once said that his two major philanthropic causes were GCC and The Pew Charitable Trusts
The Pew Charitable Trusts
The Pew Charitable Trusts is an independent non-profit, non-governmental organization , founded in 1948. With over US$5 billion in assets, its current mission is to serve the public interest by "improving public policy, informing the public, and stimulating civic life."-History:The Trusts, a single...
. In October 2004, the college dedicated a statue to his memory outside of the college's Harbison Chapel.
Supreme Court case
Under President Dr. Charles S. MacKenzie, the college was the plaintiff-appellee in the landmark U.S. Supreme CourtSupreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
case in 1984, Grove City College v. Bell. The ruling came seven years after the school's refusal to sign a Title IX
Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a United States law, enacted on June 23, 1972, that amended Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2002 it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, in honor of its principal author Congresswoman Mink, but is most...
compliance form, which would have subjected the entire school to federal regulations, even future ones not yet issued. The court ruled 6–3 that acceptance by students of federal educational grants did fall under the regulatory requirements of Title IX, but limited the application to the school's financial aid department.
In 1988, new legislation subjected every department of any educational institution that received federal funding to Title IX requirements. In response, Grove City College withdrew from the Stafford loan
Stafford loan
A Stafford Loan is a student loan offered to eligible students enrolled in accredited American institutions of higher education to help finance their education...
program entirely beginning with the 1988–89 academic year, and established its own loan program with PNC Bank.
Grove City is one of a handful of colleges (along with Hillsdale College
Hillsdale College
Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, United States, is a co-educational liberal arts college known for being the first American college to prohibit in its charter all discrimination based on race, religion, or sex; its refusal of government funding; and its monthly publication, Imprimis...
, which did likewise after the aforementioned 1984 case) that does not allow its students to accept federal financial aid of any kind, including grants, loans and scholarships.
Recent history
Since 1963, the American Association of University ProfessorsAmerican Association of University Professors
The American Association of University Professors is an organization of professors and other academics in the United States. AAUP membership is about 47,000, with over 500 local campus chapters and 39 state organizations...
has placed Grove City under censure for violations of tenure
Tenure
Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause.-19th century:...
and academic freedom
Academic freedom
Academic freedom is the belief that the freedom of inquiry by students and faculty members is essential to the mission of the academy, and that scholars should have freedom to teach or communicate ideas or facts without being targeted for repression, job loss, or imprisonment.Academic freedom is a...
. In fact, Grove City has the distinction of having been on the AAUP's list of censured administrations longer than any other college that is currently censured. In its report, the AAUP Investigative Committee at Grove City concluded that "the absence of due process [in the dismissal of professors at Grove City] raises...doubts regarding the academic security of any persons who may hold appointment at Grove City College under existing administrative practice. These doubts are of an order of magnitude which obliges us to report them to the academic profession at large."
In 2005, Grove City founded its Center for Vision and Values
Center for Vision and Values
The Center for Vision and Values is a conservative think tank established at Grove City College in April 2005 to provide their faculty members with the opportunity to share the fruits of their research and scholarship with the public....
, further advancing its programs in the humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
. The Center aims to educate the world about faith and freedom by giving its faculty members the opportunity to share their scholarship with a community beyond Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. The Center for Vision & Values won a 2010 Templeton Freedom Award for Excellence in Promoting Liberty, in the category of “Special Achievement by a University-based Center.” Instituted in the fall of 2003, and named after the late philanthropist and pioneering investor—Sir John Marks Templeton—the Templeton Freedom Awards were the result of a partnership between the John Templeton Foundation
John Templeton Foundation
"The John Templeton Foundation is a philanthropic organizationthat funds inter-disciplinary research about human purpose and ultimate reality. It is usually referred to simply as the Templeton Foundation...
and the Atlas Economic Research Foundation
Atlas Economic Research Foundation
The Atlas Economic Research Foundation, also known as the Atlas Network, is a non-profit organization based in the United States which organizes and convenes workshops, offers training, runs prize programs, and provides advisory services in order to continue growing and strengthening an informal...
, which administers the prize.
In recent years, the college has engaged in many new construction projects, including an expansion to its music and arts center in 2002, a new academic building in 2003, a new student union/bookstore in 2004, and new apartment-style housing in 2006. Grove City's Student Union building was honored with the International Masonry Institute's Golden Trowel Grand Prize for excellence in masonry design and construction in 2005. On February 9, 2011 Grove City College announced that it will break ground for construction of a science, engineering and mathematics building—-key components of Grove City Matters: A Campaign to Advance Grove City College, which at $90 million is the largest capital campaign in the college's history. The $37.2-million science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
building is designed to support new modes of teaching, particularly flexible laboratories and small-group interactions. It will help ensure that Grove City College continues to prepare students for future careers in an increasingly competitive work force, officials said. Even more construction projects, and renovations of existing buildings are planned for the next few years.
The college acquired an observatory
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
Edinboro University is a public liberal arts university located in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, USA and one of 14 schools associated with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The town is named after Edinburgh, Scotland. It is also not to be confused with the University of Edinburgh...
in February 2008 that will be utilized for astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
classes as well as faculty and student research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
. The observatory's telescope
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
will be operated more than 60 miles (96.6 km) away remotely from the college's main campus. The purchase of the property, three buildings and equipment inside will pave the way for the addition of an astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
minor on campus. Through this observatory
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
, the college's physics department plans to work with area public schools as well as other colleges and universities on educational and research projects and draw prospective students who are looking for strong physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
programs and astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
coursework.
Accreditation
Grove City offers 55 majors in the liberal artsLiberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
, sciences and engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
. The college is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the unit of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association dedicated to educational excellence and improvement through peer evaluation and accreditation...
that accredits degree-granting colleges and universities in the Middle States region of the United States. The college's electrical
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
and computer
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
and mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
programs are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
ABET, Inc., formerly the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, is a non-profit organization that accredits post-secondary education programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology...
, Inc. (ABET). The Council for Higher Education Accreditation
Council for Higher Education Accreditation
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation is a United States organization of degree-granting colleges and universities. It identifies its purpose as providing national advocacy for self-regulation of academic quality through accreditation in order to certify the quality of higher education...
(CHEA) a United States organization of degree-granting colleges and universities, includes Grove City College among its list of accredited colleges recognized by U.S. accrediting organizations.
Rankings
Grove City has an acceptance rate around 74%. About 14% of its most recent freshman class are either high school valedictorianValedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
s or salutatorian
Salutatorian
Salutatorian is an academic title given, in the United States and Canada, to the second highest graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is traditionally based on grade point average and number of credits taken, but...
s. The average GPA of entering freshmen is 3.74 unweighted and 3.98 weighted. The average ACT
ACT (examination)
The ACT is a standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, Inc. It was first administered in November 1959 by Everett Franklin Lindquist as a competitor to the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test, now the SAT Reasoning Test...
score of the 2011 incoming freshmen class was 28. The average SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
score of the 2011 incoming freshman class was 1269. The average SAT scores were as follows: Math—644; Critical Reading—635; Writing—not reported.
Grove City was ranked as the nation's second most politically conservative college by US News and World Report. Human Events
Human Events
Human Events is a weekly American conservative magazine. It takes its name from the first sentence of the United States Declaration of Independence...
Magazine ranks it as one of the cream of the crop in America's conservative colleges.
Among all colleges, the widely-followed US News and World Report college rankings place Grove City in the first tier of liberal arts colleges. The conservative think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
Free Congress Foundation
Free Congress Foundation
The Free Congress Foundation , is a conservative think tank founded by Paul Weyrich. It was based near Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C...
, includes Grove City among its list of top colleges that provide excellent liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
. For two consecutive years (2006 and 2007), The Young America's Foundation
Young America's Foundation
Young America's Foundation is a conservative youth organization, founded in 1969, with a focus on sharing conservative ideas with students through conferences, campus lectures, seminars, posters, and activism initiatives.-History:...
placed Grove City in its Top 10 Conservative Colleges list. The schools on this list offer coursework and scholarship in conservative thought and emphasize principles including smaller government, strong national defense, free enterprise, and traditional values. Fiske Guide to Getting Into the Right College concurs and lists Grove City among its top 10 conservative colleges.. Consumers Digest
Consumers Digest
Founded in 1960 and published by Consumers Digest Communications, LLC, Consumers Digest is an American magazine. The magazine is a horizontal-based consumer products review periodical. Commentary and editorial features are published as well. This includes items of consumer interest, new products,...
Magazine's Top 100 College Values ranks Grove City College, the top value in private liberal arts schools throughout the nation in May 2011. .
According to the Intercollegiate Studies Institute
Intercollegiate Studies Institute
The Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Inc., or ', is a non-profit educational organization founded in 1953 as the Intercollegiate Society of Individualists...
's 2007 publication of Choosing the Right College, the 2007 US News and World Report college guide ranks Grove City the number one "best value" among northern comprehensive colleges—the fifth year running the school has earned that distinction. The school has a total cost (including tuition, room, and board) of $19,414 a year. Similarly, Barron's Educational Series
Barron's Educational Series
Barron's Educational Series, Inc. is an American test preparation company, founded in 1941 as a publisher of materials to help students to prepare for college entrance examinations, and that offers online college entrance exam preparation classes...
has called Grove City College a "Best Buy" and USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
ranks Grove City among the top 100 best value colleges in the nation for 2009. It has also been positively reviewed in the Intercollegiate Studies Institute
Intercollegiate Studies Institute
The Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Inc., or ', is a non-profit educational organization founded in 1953 as the Intercollegiate Society of Individualists...
's guide Choosing the Right College: The Whole Truth about America's Top Schools. Princeton Review also ranks Grove City College as among the Top 20 in career/job placement services based on satisfaction of students who graduate from the school. It is considered one of the most home school friendly colleges in the Northeast. Grove City College is also considered one of the most selective Christian colleges in the nation. Barron's
Barron's Educational Series
Barron's Educational Series, Inc. is an American test preparation company, founded in 1941 as a publisher of materials to help students to prepare for college entrance examinations, and that offers online college entrance exam preparation classes...
Guide to the Most Competitive Colleges - 2004 also lists Grove City College as one of the 65 Most Competitive Colleges and Universities in the nation. College Data's Online College Advisor profile ranks Grove City as Most Difficult in terms of entrance requirement. Peterson's College Guide also ranks its entrance requirement as Most Difficult.
In two consecutive nationwide studies made by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute
Intercollegiate Studies Institute
The Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Inc., or ', is a non-profit educational organization founded in 1953 as the Intercollegiate Society of Individualists...
(ISI) in cooperation with researchers from the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
's Department of Public Policy to determine the extent of civic literacy in higher education, Grove City College students ranked among the top 5 nationally in terms of knowledge of U.S. history, government, economy and international relations. The study was based on the results of a multiple-choice test given to 14,000 randomly chosen freshmen and seniors on 50 college and university campuses. In two consecutive years of ISI's study, Grove City was ranked number 4 in 2006 and number 2 in 2007, above most Ivy league universities. The school's college debating team is ranked number 1 by the National Parliamentary Debate Association
National Parliamentary Debate Association
The National Parliamentary Debate Association is one of the two national intercollegiate parliamentary debate organizations in the United States. The other is the American Parliamentary Debate Association. The NPDA is a relatively young organization, but it is now the largest college debate...
, the biggest intercollegiate debate league in the United States.
College Prowler
College Prowler
College Prowler is an American publishing company for guidebooks on top colleges and universities in the United States.The company creates guidebooks written by current college students, for prospective college students, giving an insider's view...
, the largest publisher of college content in the United States, gave Grove City College an "A+" rating for the safety and security of the campus, according to its latest released rankings. Only 12 schools in the USA received the highest rating. The high grade "means that students generally feel safe, campus police are visible, blue-light phones and escort services are readily available, and safety precautions are not overly necessary," according to the College Prowler guide. The rating is a result of the recommendation of the guide’s student author, direct student feedback and other factors such as the presence and size of a police force and security staff, services provided, the area and campus crime reports, security of dormitories and the prevalence of campus theft.
Connections to think tanks
Although it is a small liberal arts college, Grove City's faculty and administrators significantly influence and impact the ideas of various think tanks around the USA especially on issues involving the environment, educationEducation
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, minimum wage
Minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
, and anything economic and conservative. Grove City College has international
International
----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
ties, founded in 1955, and on the International Society for Individual Liberty (ISIL) Freedom Network.
Among them are the Shenango Institute for Public Policy, a Western Pennsylvania based non-partisan research and educational institute whose mission is to formulate and promote public policies at the local-government level based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom and responsibility, and a respect for traditional values.
The National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise an organization that seeks to provide effective community and faith-based organizations with training and technical assistance, links them to sources of support, and evaluates their experience for public policy in order to address the problems of youth violence, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, homelessness, joblessness, poor education and deteriorating neighborhoods, publicizes events held at Grove City College.
The Lone Mountain Coalition part of the Property and Environment Research Center America's oldest and largest institute dedicated to original research that brings market principles to resolving environmental problems, has ties to Grove City through Michael Coulter, Vice-President of the Shenango Institute for Public Policy, and associate professor of political science at Grove City College.
The college also has ties to the Mises Institute, a libertarian academic organization engaged in research and scholarship in the fields of economics, philosophy and political economy. Several members of the Ludwig von Mises Institute
Ludwig von Mises Institute
The Ludwig von Mises Institute , based in Auburn, Alabama, is a libertarian academic organization engaged in research and scholarship in the fields of economics, philosophy and political economy. Its scholarship is inspired by the work of Austrian School economist Ludwig von Mises...
faculty are also faculty at Grove City. Jeffery Herbener is a senior fellow at the Ludwig von Mises Institute and professor of economics at Grove City College. Shawn Ritenour is an associate professor of economics at Grove City College and an adjunct professor at the Mises Institute in Auburn, Ala.
Grove City also has ties to Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
through Lawrence W. (Larry) Reed, president of Michigan’s Mackinac Center for Public Policy
Mackinac Center for Public Policy
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a free market think tank headquartered in Midland, Michigan. It is the USA’s largest state-based free market think tank...
. Reed received his B.A. in Economics from Grove City in 1975. Reed is also past president of the State Policy Network. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a nonpartisan research and educational institution devoted to improving the quality of life for all Michigan citizens. The Center assists policy makers, business people, the media and the public by providing objective analysis of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
issues and by promoting sound solutions to state and local policy questions from a free market
Free market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
perspective.
The Academic Advisory Committee of the John Locke Foundation
John Locke Foundation
The John Locke Foundation is a free market think tank in North Carolina started in 1990. Its mission statement says the "John Locke Foundation employs research, journalism, and outreach programs to transform government through competition, innovation, personal freedom, and personal responsibility...
, a free market think tank in North Carolina, which supports the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, a nonprofit institute dedicated to improving higher education in North Carolina and the nation, includes Dr. Walter E. Williams
Walter E. Williams
Walter E. Williams, is an American economist, commentator, and academic. He is the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics at George Mason University, as well as a syndicated columnist and author known for his libertarian views.- Early life and education :Williams family during childhood...
, the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics, George Mason University
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
, holder of a Doctor of Humane Letters from Grove City College and John Moore, Former President of Grove City College, who led the College through its withdrawal from federal student loan programs, which completed the College’s break from federal ties.
News about the e-newsletter published by The Center for Vision and Values
Center for Vision and Values
The Center for Vision and Values is a conservative think tank established at Grove City College in April 2005 to provide their faculty members with the opportunity to share the fruits of their research and scholarship with the public....
consistently gets notice outside the college. For example, the Traditional Values Coalition
Traditional Values Coalition
The Traditional Values Coalition is a conservative Christian organization that represents, by its estimate, over 43,000 Christian churches throughout the United States of America...
website links to the center's e-mail publications.
Many of the Grove City faculty are active in publishing, including in op-eds in newspapers, that promote conservative ideas. In addition, the college prominently posts links to its faculty's op-eds and articles, showing that it wants to spread its influence.
Academics
Students are required to take general requirements courses, with science, mathematics/reasoning, and several other courses. The base of the general requirements are centered around a humanities core, with courses on Western Civilization, Art, LiteratureLiterature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, and Biblical Revelation
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. Requirements for majors differ, but typically a student is also required to gain mastery in a foreign language and reach some mathematical proficiency. Many Grove City students take one to three general requirements classes in their freshman, sophomore, and sometimes junior years, along with classes for their respective major.
Many students choose Grove City explicitly for its Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
environment and traditional Humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
curriculum. A three-year required Humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
sequence focuses on the origin, development and implications of civilization’s seminal ideas and worldviews. The courses cover content that includes religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and philosophy of science
Philosophy of science
The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...
, literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
and music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
. Because of its strong adherence to freedom and minimal government interference, Grove City College is considered to be one of America's foremost colleges that teach the ideas of the Austrian School of Economics. The post-1938 personal papers of Ludwig Von Mises
Ludwig von Mises
Ludwig Heinrich Edler von Mises was an Austrian economist, philosopher, and classical liberal who had a significant influence on the modern Libertarian movement and the "Austrian School" of economic thought.-Biography:-Early life:...
, are housed in the archive of Grove City College. In addition to traditional business programs, Grove City also offers a degree in Entrepreneurship.
Each Grove City College full-time student is given a Hewlett Packard Tablet PC and printer upon arrival, which is theirs to use and keep upon graduating a full time student .
Policies and environment
When it opened, Grove City College was one of the first institutions of higher learning in the United States to admit both male and female students. The school currently maintains a one-to-one ratio of men to women, ensuring that the student body is approximately 50% men and 50% women.Grove City College adopts a strong policy in regard to alcohol
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
use on campus, with first time offenders receiving a one week suspension from all activities. Legal age students are permitted to consume alcohol off campus, provided that they do not appear inebriated upon their return. Current student organizations must agree to a strong policy regarding alcohol use both on and off campus, their violation resulting in the loss of their charter.
Along with alcohol use, the student handbook forbids any sexual conduct that violates historic Christian standards. The school's official stance on homosexuality has subtly changed over the years, from condemning homosexuality to focusing on same-sex activity, and currently only explicitly mentioning premarital sex (heterosexual or homosexual). Off-campus housing was disallowed in the 1980s, an early indicator of the school's change in organizational culture.
Chapel
ChapelChapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
services are offered Tuesday mornings, Thursday mornings, and Sunday evenings ("vespers
Vespers
Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Western Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours...
"). Students must attend a minimum of sixteen (16) chapel services each semester. Most chapel services are held in Harbison Chapel, but some take place in Crawford Hall. Occasionally, students are offered chapel credits for attending lectures which usually take place in Sticht lecture hall on Monday nights. Failure to attend the required number of chapel services results in a graduating student's diploma being withheld until the offending student has completed a corresponding number of single-page book reports.
Groups and organizations
GCC hosts approximately 150 Student Organizations and Activities. Among them are:- Orientation Board (OB) – welcomes the incoming students beginning on move-in day and throughout the year. The group also plans and holds numerous events the first week freshmen arrive on campus.
- Student Government Association – acts as the primary communication link between the students and the administration. Members are elected by the student body.
- Touring Choir – rehearses and performs a varying repertoire of choral music at locations throughout Western Pennsylvania and on its annual tour during Easter break.
- Glee Club – an all male choir founded in 2008 that performs music on and off campus ranging from contemporary a capella music to hymns and worship music concluding the year with an annual concert in the spring semester.
- Stonebridge – brings Christian artists to campus and facilitates concerts.
- Project Okello – the group's purpose is to be an instrument of hope, healing and Christ’s love to the people of Uganda through prayer and action..
Publications and media
- The Bridge – yearbook published in the fall.
- The Collegian – newspaper published weekly.
- The Echo – arts journal published in the spring and features student poetry, prose, fiction, photography and artwork.
- The Entrepreneur – promotes free market economics through student and faculty articles.
- The Journal of Law and Public Policy
- The Quad – magazine published quarterly and contains the written works of students, faculty, and alumni. Features creative nonfiction, book reviews, essays, fiction, and some poetry.
WSAJ radio
Assigned its call letters in April 1920, the Grove City College radio station, WSAJ-AM, was one of the first radio stations in the country. The call-letters were predated by experimental stations at the college dating back to 1914. In 1968, WSAJ-FM was put on the air and currently broadcasts at 91.1 FM, functioning as a learning tool for all students, but especially those in the communication and engineering majors. The 100-watt AM station, operating from a longwire antenna on 1340 kHz, was one of the few remaining stations in the U.S. to share time. It surrendered its broadcast license in 2006. The 1,600-watt FM signal covers a 30-mile radius in Western Pennsylvania. The station broadcasts fine arts programming, college football and basketball games. It also airs community events and high school sports. Students host weekly music shows during the evening hours when school is in session.Fraternities, sororities, and housing groups
Fraternities and sororitiesFraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
live on campus, in pre-selected upperclassman halls. Strict regulations apply to students joining a Greek organization. Grove City's fraternities and sororities are not affiliated with any national groups. Over the years, many sororities and one fraternity, Chi Delta Epsilon, have permanently died out. The most recent sorority to become defunct was the short-lived Delta Chi Omega, which was founded in 1980 and lasted approximately one decade. Some fraternities have died out (meaning all their active members graduated or left the college) and been reinstituted via block classes.
Both fraternities and sororities are overseen by governing bodies. The fraternities each send delegates to weekly meetings of the Interfraternity Council. The sororities' counterpart organization, the Pan-Hellenic Council, also meets each week. In the spring, the two councils hold joint meetings to plan the annual Greek Games. The Greek Games, a multi-day event which involved such activities as water balloon tossing and egg dropping, have declined in notoriety at Grove City College along with the size of Greek organizations; until the 1990s they were well-known on campus, with the majority of the student body either participating or spectating.
Male students who do not join fraternities can obtain block housing privileges through one of nine organizations known as housing groups. Grove City College housing groups are collections of similarly-interested students which enjoy block housing, yet are not fraternal or Greek in nature. Such groups were founded in the 1970s and given permission to use Greek letters by the extant fraternities on campus and the Grove City College administration. The first of these organizations was Alpha Sigma in 1974. Greek organizations have taken issue with the purported failure of housing groups to abide according to the original founding stipulations, which include having a common purpose and limiting membership to those living in groups' respective dorm halls. Housing groups, unlike fraternities and sororities, do not fill out a Community Living Privilege (CLP) at the end of the year. A CLP proves community activities within the organization, activities for the whole campus, activities benefiting the community, and a philanthropy. Housing groups have no obligations to improve campus life, like Greek organizations. There are no female housing groups at the college.
Fraternities
- AdelphikosAdelphikosThe Adelphikos Fraternity , formed in 1913, is a Grove City College fraternity that originally consisted of 10 members. The Adelphikos were the second fraternity on campus, and the first to use Greek letters...
(Adels) - Beta Sigma (Betas)
- Delta Iota Kappa (Dekes)
- Epsilon Pi (Pis)
- Omicron Xi (Okies)
- Pan Sophic (Pans)
- Kappa Alpha Phi (Kaps)
- Sigma Alpha Sigma (Sigs)
- Phi Tau Alpha (Phi Taus)
- Nu Lambda Phi (Nu Lambs)
Sororities
- Alpha Beta Tau (ABTs)
- Gamma Chi (Gamma Chis)
- Gamma Sigma Phi (Gamma Sigs)
- Phi Sigma Chi (Phi Sigs)
- Sigma Delta PhiSigma Delta PhiSigma Delta Phi , one of eight sororities at Grove City College, was a secret organization until 1920 when a charter was obtained while Weir C. Ketler was President of the College. The sorority originally consisted of 10 members. These women chose the symbols that would come to represent the...
(D' Phis) - Sigma Theta Chi (Sig Thets)
- Theta Alpha Pi (TAs)
- Zeta Zeta Zeta (Zetas)
Housing groups
- Alpha Epsilon Chi (AEX)
- Alpha Sigma (Alpha Sigs)
- Alpha Omega (AOs)
- Delta Rho Sigma (Buffaloes)
- Nu Delta Epsilon (Nu Dels)
- Phi Omega Sigma (Possums)
- Rho Rho Rho (Rhos)
- Sigma Phi Omicron (Crons)
- Zeta Xi Omega (Zenoids)
Athletics
Known as the Wolverines, Grove City College competes in the Presidents' Athletic ConferencePresidents' Athletic Conference
The Presidents' Athletic Conference is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member teams are private, liberal arts institutions of higher learning located in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Kentucky....
of NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division III. On the varsity level, Grove City College has basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, soccer, cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, and track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
teams for both men and women. Baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
are varsity sports available to men only, while softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, and water polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
are varsity sports offered to women only.
Grove City also offers a number of club sports to men and women including but not limited to lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, ultimate, and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
for men and field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, and rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
for women. These teams have be very successful, most notably the men's club volleyball team, which has finished in the top 10 in the country each of the last two years, and the men's lacrosse team, which finished in the top 10 in the country last year. Both men's volleyball and lacrosse were invited to compete at their respective national championship tournaments.
Intramural sports for men are as follows: basketball, bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
, dodgeball, football, soccer, softball, table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
, tennis, ultimate
Ultimate (sport)
Ultimate is a sport played with a 175 gram flying disc. The object of the game is to score points by passing the disc to a player in the opposing end zone, similar to an end zone in American football or rugby...
, and volleyball. Women have badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
, basketball, bowling, flag football
Flag football
Flag football is a version of Canadian football or American football that is popular worldwide. The basic rules of the game are similar to those of the mainstream game , but instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier to end...
, indoor soccer
Indoor soccer
Indoor soccer or arena soccer, or six-a-side football in the United Kingdom, is a game derived from association football adapted for play in an indoor arena such as a turf-covered hockey arena or skating rink. The most important difference in play is that the indoor field is surrounded by a wall...
, kickball
Kickball
Kickball is a playground game and competitive league game, similar to baseball, invented in the United States in the first half of the 20th Century. Kickball may also be known as kick baseball, base soccer, soccer-base, or soccer-baseball...
, racquetball
Racquetball
For other sports often called "paddleball", see Paddleball .Racquetball is a racquet sport played with a hollow rubber ball in an indoor or outdoor court...
, ultimate, and volleyball.
Grove City has several teams with remarkable PAC Championship records. Grove City's women's tennis team has won 25 consecutive PAC championships from 1987 up to the present and the men's tennis team has won 21 consecutive PAC championships from 1991 through the present. In addition, the women's cross country team has won 22 consecutive PAC championships (1989-present).
The Quad
Lying in the center of Grove City College Campus is the quadrangle, or "quad." Students have historically been prohibited by the administration from walking on the grass in this area. In recent years, restrictions have laxed, and the quad has been the subject of controversy among students and faculty. In the fall of 2005, the student government association voted to open the Upper Quad to "light athletic activities" and the administration established new policies for quad use. The Lower Quad remained off-limits - only used for such events as baccalaureate, commencement, and homecoming - until the fall of 2009, when it was also opened for use.Greek Village
Each fall during Homecoming Weekend, the fraternities and sororities set up tents in which to meet, greet, and sometimes eat with their returning alumni. These tents make up Grove City College's Greek Village. The Greek Village has typically been set up on Lower Campus, near the football field, but in 2005 the tents were set up on Upper Campus, on the Quad. While most of the tents belong to fraternities and sororities, some other organizations also have been known to share a space in the Village."Creeking"
The ritual of "creeking" takes place for two reasons: most primarily when a male Grove City student becomes engaged, and also when a fraternity man has been elected as the sweetheart of a sorority. The creeking is carried out by a group of men, typically the subject's friends, who subdue the man to be creeked and carrying him from his dorm building down to Wolf Creek in the center of campus while chanting, "Wolf Creek." Upon reaching the creek the friends toss the subject in, with some groups pausing for a speech by a senior member of the group. If the bride-to-be does not reach her fiancé with a towel when he is coming out of the creek, then he is allowed to throw her in as well.Welcome Week
Welcome Week (also known as "OB Week") is a series of events between the Thursday when new students arrive and the end of the first week of classes. Several events notable in campus culture occur during this week, including dances, a bonfire, student-led worship services, and a comedic stage production. The events are managed by the college's Orientation Board, and play a large role in introducing new students with Grove City's campus culture.Notable alumni
- Hon. James G. Arner, current President Judge of Pennsylvania Courts of Common PleasPennsylvania Courts of Common PleasThe Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas are the trial courts of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania .The Courts of Common Pleas are the trial courts of general jurisdiction in the state....
, Clarion County, PennsylvaniaClarion County, PennsylvaniaAs of the census of 2000, there were 41,765 people, 16,052 households, and 10,738 families residing in the county. The population density was 69 people per square mile . There were 19,426 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile... - David M. BaileyDavid M. BaileyDavid M. Bailey was an American singer/songwriter. He released 20 total albums between 1997 and 2010, primarily playing Contemporary Christian Music.-Biography:...
– guitaristGuitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, singer-songwriterSinger-songwriterSinger-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the... - R.J. BowersR.J. BowersRaymond Keith "R.J." Bowers was a professional American football player in the National Football League. He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He played halfback and fullback for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns from 2001-2003. He ended his college career with 7,353 rushing yards,...
– NFL football player, College Football's all-time rushing leader until October 2007. - Edward D. Breen – board member; CEO of TycoTyco InternationalTyco International Ltd. is a highly diversified global manufacturing company incorporated in Switzerland, with United States operational headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey...
- Scott BullockScott BullockScott G. Bullock is a senior attorney at the Institute for Justice a public interest law firm in Arlington, Virginia founded in 1991 by Chip Mellor and Clint Bolick. He was lead counsel for Susette Kelo in the landmark case, Kelo v...
– senior attorney and founding member of Institute For JusticeInstitute for JusticeThe Institute for Justice is a 501 non-profit libertarian public interest law firm in the United States. Its mission is to provide pro bono legal advice and representation, litigating strategically to pursue its goal of a rule of law under which individuals can control their destinies as free and... - Alejandro A. Chafuen – founding board member of the Acton Institute, former CEO and current president of the Atlas Economic Research FoundationAtlas Economic Research FoundationThe Atlas Economic Research Foundation, also known as the Atlas Network, is a non-profit organization based in the United States which organizes and convenes workshops, offers training, runs prize programs, and provides advisory services in order to continue growing and strengthening an informal...
, president and founder of the Hispanic American Center for Economic ResearchHispanic American Center for Economic ResearchThe Hispanic American Center for Economic Research is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. with a tax exemption status under section 501 of the tax laws of the United States...
(HACER) - Robert D. Childs – director, Information Resources Management College, National Defense UniversityNational Defense UniversityThe National Defense University is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level training, education, and the development of national security strategy. It is chartered by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with Navy Vice Admiral...
- Robert W. Covert – Noted University of Virginia Professor of Multicultural Education
- Bill DeasyBill DeasyBill Deasy is a singer-songwriter, recording artist and author born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In the late 1980s Deasy's musical start blossomed at open stages in and around Pittsburgh. Within a few years Deasy and his band, Shiloh, outscored Rusted Root to win the 1991 Graffiti Rock...
– singer-songwriter, author of the novel 'Ransom Seaborn' (Winner of the 2006 Needle Award for best novel). Former lead singer of the popular Pittsburgh-area band 'The Gathering FieldThe Gathering FieldThe Gathering Field were an American rock quartet from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who recorded five albums from 1994 until 2001 before going on an "infinite hiatus" in 2002.-Formation:...
' - C. Fred Fetterolf – former president of ALCOAAlcoaAlcoa Inc. is the world's third largest producer of aluminum, behind Rio Tinto Alcan and Rusal. From its operational headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alcoa conducts operations in 31 countries...
- Scott HahnScott HahnScott Hahn is a contemporary author, theologian, and Catholic apologist. His works include Rome Sweet Home and The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth. He currently teaches at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, a Catholic university in the United States.-Education:Hahn received his...
– author, Roman Catholic theologian and apologistChristian apologeticsChristian apologetics is a field of Christian theology that aims to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defend the faith against objections, and expose the perceived flaws of other world views...
. Professor of TheologyTheologyTheology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at the Franciscan University of SteubenvilleFranciscan University of SteubenvilleFranciscan University of Steubenville is a Catholic institution located in Steubenville, Ohio, west of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school was founded in 1946 by the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular. In 1974, Fr... - Matt KibbeMatt KibbeMatthew B. 'Matt' Kibbe is President and CEO of FreedomWorks, a position he has held since 2004. He originally joined the organization as a policy analyst in 1986. He previously worked as Chief of Staff to U.S...
– president and CEO of FreedomWorksFreedomWorksFreedomWorks is a conservative non-profit organization based in Washington D.C., United States. FreedomWorks trains volunteers, assists in campaigns, and encourages them to mobilize, interacting with both fellow citizens and their political representatives.... - R. Heath Larry – former president of National Association of ManufacturersNational Association of ManufacturersThe National Association of Manufacturers is an advocacy group headquartered in Washington, D.C. with 10 additional offices across the country...
- Michael P. Lazarus – managing partner and co-founder of Weston PresidioWeston PresidioWeston Presidio is a private equity firm focused on growth capital investments in late-stage companies across a range of industries with a specific focus on the consumer products, business services, industrial, media, publishing, healthcare and technology sectors.The firm, which is based in Boston,...
, a private equityPrivate equityPrivate equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
and venture capitalVenture capitalVenture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
firm in San Francisco, and a former director and founding chairman of JetBlue AirwaysJetBlue AirwaysJetBlue Airways Corporation is an American low-cost airline. The company is headquartered in the Forest Hills neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. Its main base is John F. Kennedy International Airport, also in Queens.... - Brian LeftowBrian LeftowBrian Leftow is the Nolloth Professor of the Philosophy of the Christian Religion at Oriel College, Oxford, succeeding Richard Swinburne, who retired in 2002. Leftow's research interests include metaphysics, medieval philosophy, and philosophical theology. He is a graduate of Grove City College,...
– eminent theistic and analytic philosopher. Holder of the Nolloth Chair in the Philosophy of ReligionPhilosophy of religionPhilosophy of religion is a branch of philosophy concerned with questions regarding religion, including the nature and existence of God, the examination of religious experience, analysis of religious language and texts, and the relationship of religion and science...
, Oriel CollegeOriel CollegeOriel College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford...
, Oxford University. Author of Time and Eternity (1991) and over fifty papers in philosophy of religionPhilosophy of religionPhilosophy of religion is a branch of philosophy concerned with questions regarding religion, including the nature and existence of God, the examination of religious experience, analysis of religious language and texts, and the relationship of religion and science...
, metaphysicsMetaphysicsMetaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
, and the history of medieval philosophyMedieval philosophyMedieval philosophy is the philosophy in the era now known as medieval or the Middle Ages, the period roughly extending from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century AD to the Renaissance in the sixteenth century...
. - Bruce McClymonds – president and CEO, West Virginia University HospitalsWest Virginia University HospitalsWest Virginia University Hospitals is a not-for-profit corporation operating the teaching hospitals of West Virginia University.The hospitals include Ruby Memorial Hospital, WVU Children’s Hospital, the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center, the Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center and Chestnut Ridge Center...
. Who's Who in West Virginia Business 2007 winner. - Paul McNultyPaul McNultyPaul J. McNulty is the former Deputy Attorney General of the United States, having previously served as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. He held the position until July 26, 2007....
– former U.S. Deputy Attorney GeneralAttorney GeneralIn most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person... - Joseph Howard Pew – founder and former president of Sun Oil Company
- Lawrence ReedLawrence ReedLawrence W. Reed is president of the Foundation for Economic Education , headquartered in Irvington-on-Hudson, New York, a position he has held since September 1, 2008. Before joining FEE, Reed served as president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a Midland, Michigan based free-market...
– Former president of the Mackinac Center for Public PolicyMackinac Center for Public PolicyThe Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a free market think tank headquartered in Midland, Michigan. It is the USA’s largest state-based free market think tank... - Sean W. RoweSean W. RoweSean W. Rowe is the eighth Episcopal Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania.-Education and early career:Rowe graduated from Grove City College and Virginia Theological Seminary. He was, at age 24, the youngest Episcopal priest in the United States at the time of his...
- Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern PA - Spike ShannonSpike ShannonWilliam Porter "Spike" Shannon was a professional baseball player. He was an outfielder over parts of five seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was the National League leader in runs scored in 1907 with New York...
– former professional baseball player who played with the St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
, New York GiantsNew York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
. The National LeagueNational LeagueThe National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
leader in runs scored in 1907 with the New York Giants (now the San Francisco GiantsSan Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
) - R. C. Sproul, Jr.R. C. Sproul, Jr.Robert Craig Sproul, better known as R.C. Sproul, Jr., is a Calvinist Christian minister and theologian and is the son of Robert Charles Sproul, a noted Reformed theologian and founder of Ligonier Ministries....
– Calvinist Christian minister and theologian - J. Paul Sticht – former president of R. J. Reynolds
- Douglas Voiers – 2005 World Congress of Microdentistry Clinician of the Year. Creator of the The One Visit / One Hour CERECCERECCEREC is a dental restoration product that allows a dental practitioner to produce an indirect ceramic dental restoration using a variety of computer assisted technologies, including 3D photography and CAD/CAM...
Crown technique. - Harold Willis Dodds – 15th president of Princeton UniversityPrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
- Thomas C. Woodward – Pennsylvania state president and Philadelphia market president for Bank of AmericaBank of AmericaBank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
. - Howard WinklevossHoward WinklevossHoward E. Winklevoss is an actuary. He is an academician and entrepreneur who has a practice in benefits management.Winklevoss is a former professor of actuarial science at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a graduate of Grove City College. He has written more than 20 books,...
Father of CameronCameron WinklevossCameron Howard Winklevoss is an American rower and entrepreneur. He competed in the men's pair rowing event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with his identical twin brother and rowing partner Tyler Winklevoss. Cameron and his brother are known for co-founding HarvardConnection along with Harvard...
and Tyler WinklevossTyler WinklevossTyler Howard Winklevoss is an American rower and entrepreneur. He competed in the men's pair rowing event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with his identical twin brother and rowing partner Cameron Winklevoss...
Notable professors
- Peter BoettkePeter BoettkePeter J. Boettke is an American economist of the Austrian School.-Early life and education:Boettke was born in Rahway, New Jersey to Fred and Elinor Boettke and remained there until he moved to Pennsylvania to attend Thiel College in Greenville and later Grove City College. He became interested in...
– professor of economics at George Mason UniversityGeorge Mason UniversityGeorge Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
and editor of the Review of Austrian Economics - Paul BonicelliPaul BonicelliPaul J. Bonicelli, PhD., was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 25, 2007, as Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United States Agency for International Development....
– former Deputy Director of the USAID and provost of Houston Baptist UniversityHouston Baptist UniversityHouston Baptist University is a private Baptist institution founded in 1960. It is located in Greater Sharpstown in Houston, Texas near the Southwest Freeway.- History :... - Guillermo GonzalezGuillermo Gonzalez (astronomer)Guillermo Gonzalez is an astrophysicist, proponent of intelligent design, and a professor at Grove City College, a Christian school, in Grove City, Pennsylvania...
– astrophysicist and notable proponent of Intelligent DesignIntelligent designIntelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for... - Joshua F. Drake – musicologist and hymnist
- Richard G. JewellRichard G. JewellRichard G. Jewell is the eighth president of Grove City College, a Christian liberal arts college in Grove City, Pennsylvania. The 1967 Grove City graduate assumed the presidency in fall of 2003 after a successful career in law and business...
– current president of Grove City College and former Pittsburgh director of Navigant Consulting Inc. - Jeffrey M. Herbener – a professor of economics at Grove City College and a senior fellow at the Ludwig von Mises Institute
- T. David Gordon – a professor of theologyTheologyTheology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, GreekGreek languageGreek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, and media ecology at Grove City College and author - Paul KengorPaul KengorPaul Kengor is a professor of political sciences at Grove City College and the executive director of the College's Center for Vision and Values....
– executive director of Grove City College's Center for Vision and ValuesCenter for Vision and ValuesThe Center for Vision and Values is a conservative think tank established at Grove City College in April 2005 to provide their faculty members with the opportunity to share the fruits of their research and scholarship with the public.... - Hans SennholzHans SennholzHans F. Sennholz was an economist of the Austrian school of economics who studied under Ludwig von Mises. After serving in the Luftwaffe in World War II, he took degrees at the universities of Marburg and Köln. He then moved to the United States to study for a Ph.D. at New York University...
– notable economist, proponent of the Austrian school of economics, student of Ludwig von MisesLudwig von MisesLudwig Heinrich Edler von Mises was an Austrian economist, philosopher, and classical liberal who had a significant influence on the modern Libertarian movement and the "Austrian School" of economic thought.-Biography:-Early life:... - Warren ThrockmortonWarren ThrockmortonE. Warren Throckmorton is an associate professor of Psychology at Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania. He is a former advocate of sexual orientation change efforts and the creator of the documentary I Do Exist, about people who say they have changed their sexual orientation.Throckmorton...
– professor of psychology often cited by advocates of conversion therapy - Walter E. WilliamsWalter E. WilliamsWalter E. Williams, is an American economist, commentator, and academic. He is the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics at George Mason University, as well as a syndicated columnist and author known for his libertarian views.- Early life and education :Williams family during childhood...
– professor and former Chairman of Economics at George Mason UniversityGeorge Mason UniversityGeorge Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
and author
Past Presidents
- Isaac Conrad Ketler (1876–1913)
- Alexander T. Ormond (1913–1915)
- Weir Carlyle Ketler (1916–1956)
- John Stanley Harker (1956–1971)
- Charles Sherrard Mackenzie (1971–1991)
- Jerry H. Combee (1991–1995)
- John H. Moore (1996–2003)