William Penn University

This article is about the private university in Iowa. For other educational establishments with a similar name, see William Penn School.

William Penn University

Former names	Penn College (1873–1933) William Penn College (1933–2000)
Type	Private university
Established	1873
Religious affiliation	Quakers[1]
President	John E.E. Ottosson
Students	1,372
Location	Oskaloosa, Iowa , U.S. 41.3090°N 92.6481°W / 41.3090; -92.6481
Campus	Rural
Colors	Navy Blue & Gold
Nickname	Statesmen
Sporting affiliations	NAIA – Heart of America Conference
Mascot	Statesmen
Website	www.wmpenn.edu
Penn College Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Spencer Memorial Chapel (1923)
Area	13.75 acres (5.56 ha)
Architect	A. T. Simmons Proudfoot, Bird and Rawson
Architectural style	Prairie School Colonial Revival
MPS	Quaker Testimony in Oskaloosa MPS
NRHP reference No.	96000391[2]
Added to NRHP	April 4, 1996

William Penn University is a private university in Oskaloosa, Iowa, United States. It was founded by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in 1873 as Penn College. In 1933, the name was changed to William Penn College, and finally to William Penn University in 2000.

History

Originally founded as Penn College, William Penn University opened on September 24, 1873.^[3] The college's name was changed to William Penn College in 1933. In 2000, the name was changed again from William Penn College to William Penn University.

In 1916, a fire destroyed the original campus and caused two deaths when a four-ton bell crashed through the main building. Penn College's business manager Robert Williams and freshman student Harry Oakley were killed after being struck by the bell.

In 1995, William Penn's "College for Working Adults" was founded, which enrolls non-traditional students in an evening program of accelerated study. In January 2000 the university returned to the NAIA Division II. William Penn University is currently accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.^[4]

In 2007, Musco Lighting, an Oskaloosa based lighting manufacturer, donated $12 million to the school for various projects—the biggest single gift in the school's history. The money was to be used for 200,000 square feet (19,000 m²) of new structures including student recreation, classrooms, laboratories, and a stand-alone Industrial Technology Center building called the Musco Technology Center (MTC), which is home for the expanding Digital Communication Program.^[5]

Historic district

Part of the campus has been set aside as a nationally recognized historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.^[2] At the time of its nomination, it contained ten resources, which included one contributing site, four contributing buildings, two contributing structures, two non-contributing buildings, and one non-contributing structure.^[6] The focus of the district is the Quadrangle, which is the main contributing site. Penn Hall (1917), Lewis Hall (1917), the Central Heating Plant (1917), and Spencer Memorial Chapel (1923) are the historic buildings. The historic structures are two Memorial Gates (c. 1918). Bloomington, Illinois architect A. T. Simmons designed the conceptual plan for the campus and the plans for individual buildings. He also designed the memorial gates; which were erected on May 20, 1918. The campus mainly features the use of Prairie School architecture.^[6]

Athletics

The William Penn athletic teams are called the Statesmen. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (The Heart) since the 2015–16 academic year. The Statesmen previously competed in the defunct Midwest Collegiate Conference (MCC) from 2001–02 to 2014–15 (when the conference dissolved); as well as in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC; now known as the American Rivers Conference since the 2018–19 academic year) of the NCAA Division III ranks from 1962–63 to 2000–01 (which they were a member on a previous stint from 1922–23 to 1953–54).

William Penn competes in 23 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, track & field, volleyball and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, track & field, volleyball and wrestling; and co-ed sports include cheer & dance and shotgun sports.

Men's basketball

The men's basketball teams have had significant success, finishing as the runner-up in the 2013 NAIA Division II men's basketball tournament. In 2014 William Penn set a record for points scored in the NAIA National Basketball Tournament.^[7]

Notable people

• Joseph Benavidez, professional mixed martial artist^[8][9]
• Casey Fien, professional baseball player^[10]
• John M. Haines, tenth Governor of Idaho from 1913 to 1915^[11]
• Damon Harrison, professional football player^[12][13]
• Barb Kniff McCulla, member of the Iowa House of Representatives
• Jerry Kutzler, professional baseball player^[14]
• Clarence E. Pickett, 20th-century American Quaker^[15]
• Lilly Peckham Pickett,^[16] 20th-century American Quaker, graduated in 1908^[17]
• Bruce Polen, college football player and coach^[18]
• Kevin Ritz, professional baseball player^[19]
• Andy Stokes, professional football player
• Rob Taylor, Iowa House of Representatives^[20]
• Ed Thomas, football coach^[21]
• Antonio Pérez, educator
• D. Elton Trueblood, 20th-century American Quaker^[22]
• Abel Trujillo, four-time NAIA All-American wrestler; professional mixed martial artist^[23]
• Kamaru Usman, professional mixed martial artist, former UFC Welterweight Champion^[24]
• Thomas E. Watson, United States Marine Corps Lieutenant General, commander of the 2nd Marine Division during the Battle of Saipan in World War II
• Mary Chawner Woody, president, North Carolina Woman's Christian Temperance Union
• Wilbur Young, professional football player
• Miriam Were, Nobel Peace Prize nominee

References

1. Quaker Colleges, Universities and Study Centers
2. "National Register Information System – (#96000391)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
3. Watson, S. Arthur (1971). William Penn College: A Product and A Producer. Oskaloosa, IA: William Penn College.
4. [1] Archived May 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
5. Schaffer, Michael. "William Penn recipient of $12 million - Oskaloosa Herald - November 16, 2007". Oskaloosa Herald. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
6. William C. Page. "Penn College Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
7. "kiwaradio.com/sports/dordt-mens-season-ends-in-double-ot-at-national-tournament/". KIWA Radio. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
8. "2002-2003 Wrestling Roster". Retrieved January 1, 2014.
9. "Joseph Benavidez UFC Bio". Retrieved January 1, 2014.
10. "Casey Fien has been a find for the Twins - Blogs - Minnesota Twins News & Rumors Forum". twinsdaily.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013.
11. "Idaho Governor John Michiner Haines". National Governors Association. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
12. Slater, Darryl (September 3, 2013). "Jets nose tackle Damon Harrison took circuitous path to possible starting role in NFL". The Star-Ledger.
13. Cimini, Rich (September 24, 2013). "New York Jets' Damon Harrison, from water boy to starting nose tackle". ESPN.
14. "Jerry Kutzler Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
15. McK Miller, Lawrence (1999). Witness for Humanity: A Biography of Clarence E. Pickett. Pendle Hill Pubns.
16. "MRS. CLARENCE PICKETT". The New York Times. September 24, 1973. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
17. Miller, Lawrence McK. (1999). Witness for Humanity. Wallingford, Pennsylvania: Pendle Hill Publications. p. 28. ISBN 0-87574-934-8.
18. DeArmond, Mike (December 6, 1972). "Polen Unnoticed in Suburban Days". The Kansas City Times. p. 34. Retrieved October 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
19. "Kevin Ritz Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
20. Gifford, Jody (November 7, 2012). "Rob Taylor Wins Iowa House District 44 - Government - Waukee, IA Patch". Waukee.patch.com. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
21. "2,500 give final salute to coach Ed Thomas". Des Moines Register. February 10, 2010. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
22. "Dr. D. Elton Trueblood, Quaker Scholar, Author". New York Times. December 25, 1994. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
23. "Abel Trujillo UFC Bio". Retrieved January 1, 2014.
24. Gray, Timothy (July 10, 2020). "Recalling Kamaru Usman's time with the UNK wrestling team ahead of his main event at UFC Fight Island". Lincoln Journal-Star. Lincoln, Nebraska. Retrieved August 21, 2022.

External links

• Official website
• Official athletics website