Juniata College (/ˌdʒuːniˈætə/)[4] is a private liberal arts college in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1876 as a co-educational normal school, it was the first college started by members of the Church of the Brethren. It was originally founded as a center for vocational learning for those who could not afford formal education. As of 2015, Juniata College has about 1,600 students from 42 states and territories and 45 countries.[5]
Former names | Huntingdon Normal School (1876–1877) Brethren Normal School (1877–1896) |
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Motto | Veritas Liberat (Latin) |
Motto in English | Truth Sets Free |
Type | Private liberal arts college |
Established | April 17, 1876 |
Affiliation | Church of the Brethren[1] |
Endowment | $114.8 million (2020)[2] |
President | James Troha |
Administrative staff | 403 |
Undergraduates | 1,573[3] |
Location | , , United States |
Campus | Rural, 800 acres (3.2 km2) |
Colors | Old Gold and Yale Blue |
Mascot | Eagles |
Website | www |
Huntingdon Normal School, a normal school, was established by a young Huntingdon physician, Dr. Andrew B. Brumbaugh, and his two cousins, Henry and John Brumbaugh. Henry provided a second-story room over his local print shop for classes, while John lodged and fed the college's first teacher, Jacob M. Zuck. Andrew was to "provide students and furniture".[6][7] Juniata's first classes were held on April 17, 1876, with Zuck teaching Rebecca Cornelius, Maggie D. Miller, and Gaius M. Brumbaugh, the only son of Andrew Brumbaugh.
In 1877, the school changed its name to Brethren Normal School. At this time Zuck also discussed adding a "Scientific Course" and issuing "Certificates of Graduation". In 1879, classes moved into Founder's Hall, the school's first permanent building on the present-day campus then only known as "The Building". On May 11 of same year, Jacob Zuck died from pneumonia at age 32, which he probably caught from sleeping in the then unfinished Founders Hall without a heater. James Quinter was then chosen to lead the school as the school's first president.[7]
In 1894, due to a ruling at the Brethren Church's Annual Meeting against using the term "Brethren" in naming a school, the college was renamed Juniata College for the nearby Juniata River, one of the principal tributaries of the Susquehanna River. The name Juniata College was made the school's legal name in 1896.[7]
In 1895, Dr. Martin Grove Brumbaugh, an 1881 graduate from Brethren Normal (Huntingdon Normal), took over the active presidency of Juniata College until 1910.
During and after his tenure, Brumbaugh remained intimately connected to the college and reacquired the college's presidency in 1924, after having served as governor of Pennsylvania from 1915 to 1919 and as commissioner of education to Puerto Rico in 1900.[8] M. G. Brumbaugh died unexpectedly in 1930 while on vacation in Pinehurst, North Carolina, and was succeeded in his presidency by a former pupil at Juniata, Dr. Charles Calvert Ellis.
The main campus area is 110 acres (0.45 km2), and the college manages a 315-acre (1.27 km2) Baker-Henry Nature Preserve. Two new buildings since 2000 include the von Liebig Center for Science and the Suzanne von Liebig Theatre. Founders Hall, the first building on campus, has also been renovated recently. Construction was finished in the summer of 2009 and uses underground geothermal energy to heat and cool the building. This building is recognized as a LEED Gold building.
Other off-campus sites include the Baker Peace Chapel, designed by Maya Lin, and the cliffs, which have views of the Juniata River. The college also owns the Raystown Field Station, a 365-acre (1.48 km2) reserve on Raystown Lake, which includes a LEED Gold building and two lodges for semester-long residential programs, often focused on environmental topics.[10]
Juniata is a Division III collegiate sports institution. It is a charter member of the Landmark Conference, where it competes in all sports except football and volleyball. The athletic teams are known as the Juniata Eagles.
The Juniata College football program is a member of the Landmark Conference. The Goal Post Trophy goes to the winner of the annual football game with rival Susquehanna University. It is a section of the goal post that was torn down after the 1952 Juniata-Susquehanna game. The visiting Indians (now Eagles) upset the Crusaders in Selinsgrove, and Juniata fans tore down the goal post after the game.[11]
Juniata College is known for both its men's and women's volleyball program. The men's volleyball team competes in the Continental Volleyball Conference; it previously competed in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association, where it won several titles, even while under Division I and Division III sanctions. In 2023, the Juniata women's volleyball team won the NCAA D-III national championship. The Eagles completed a perfect season, going 35-0, earning the No. 2 seed in the D-III tournament and sweeping No. 4 Hope in straight sets, 25-22, 25-20, 25-21.
Notable alumni include:
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