The University

Correspondence Directory

Correspondence should be addressed to: Ohio Wesleyan University, 61 South Sandusky Street, Delaware, Ohio 43015. The University’s general telephone number is (740) 368-2000 and the University’s website is located at https://owu.edu. When dialing from off campus, use “368” (preceded with area code “740,” if required) and the extension for the offices and individuals listed below. A complete directory of University offices and employees is available online at https://owu.edu/directory.

Introduction

Ohio Wesleyan University is an independent, undergraduate liberal arts institution enrolling about 1,300 students, almost equally men and women, from 45 states and more than 25 countries. The multicultural enrollment total of approximately 30 percent includes both U.S. multicultural students and international students; the University is strongly committed to racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity. In 2017, the average OWU student ranked in the top 30% of his or her high school class.

Outstanding teaching is a hallmark of the University, which is best known for the quality and accessibility of its faculty. Ohio Wesleyan has 98 full-time faculty positions, of which nearly 40 percent are female. One hundred percent of full-time tenure-track faculty holds a Ph.D. or accepted equivalent, or is completing work toward the degree.

The University confers the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Bachelor of Science; and offers combined-degree (3-2) programs in engineering, interdisciplinary and applied science, medical technology, optometry, and physical therapy. Degrees are offered through 26 academic departments and several interdisciplinary programs. Distinctive features of the academic program include the Arneson Institute for Practical Politics and Public Affairs; The Woltemade Center for Economics, Business and Entrepreneurship and its Economics Management Fellows Program; the Sagan National Colloquium; a four-year Honors Program; a Student Symposium, the Summer Science Research Program and its associated Patricia Belt Conrades Summer Science Research Symposium; and extensive opportunities for independent research, internships, and off-campus study through The OWU Connection, the University’s signature experience. Especially noteworthy is the OWU Connection’s unique Theory-to-Practice Grant program, which allows students and faculty to compete for grants for extensive research projects, usually conducted outside the United States. These grants may be awarded to individual students or to small groups of students working with one or more faculty members. Other travel-learning opportunities, including unique faculty-led Travel-Learning Courses, are abundant.

Ohio Wesleyan is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, 230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500, Chicago, Illinois 60604-1411 (Phone: 312-263-0456, www.hlcommission.org). The University also is approved by the American Association of University Women and is a member of the Association of American Colleges and the University Senate of the United Methodist Church. Appropriate departments are approved or accredited by the American Chemical Society, the National Association of Schools of Music, the Ohio Department of Education (for licensure of elementary and secondary school teachers), and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). The University is a member of the Great Lakes Colleges Association, Inc., a nonprofit corporation of 13 leading independent institutions in Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.

Founded by Methodists in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan maintains an active affiliation with The United Methodist Church, but welcomes students of all religious faiths. The University Chaplain provides support for all denominations and coordinates an active program of social action and community service. Known early in its history as the “West Point of Missions” because of the number of graduates who served abroad as missionaries, Ohio Wesleyan later was recognized for the number of alumni who served as Peace Corps volunteers. Today, that same commitment to serving society manifests itself in the activities of Ohio Wesleyan students, an extraordinary percentage of whom participate in volunteering and philanthropic initiatives. 

For nearly 175 years, the quality of an Ohio Wesleyan education has been reflected in the University’s alumni. Charles Warren Fairbanks, Class of 1872, served as vice president of the United States under Teddy Roosevelt. Branch Rickey, Class of 1904, was named ESPN’s most influential sports figure of the 20th century for breaking the color barrier in professional baseball by signing Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers. Clergyman Norman Vincent Peale ‘20 inspired millions with his book The Power of Positive Thinking. Ohio Wesleyan boasts two Nobel Prize winners: the late Sherwood Rowland ‘48 won the prize in chemistry in 1995, and Woodrow Clark ‘67 shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore as a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Other notable alumni include:

• Robert E. Lee ‘39, playwright, Inherit the Wind
• Jean Carper ‘53, best-selling author and columnist
• Melvin Van Peebles ‘53, multiple Tony-nominated writer, actor, and filmmaker
• David H. Smith, M.D. ‘53, inventor of the Haemophilus influenzae type b (HiB) vaccine
• Phillip Meek ‘59, Senior VP and President, publishing group, Capital Cities/ABC (retired)
• George Conrades ‘61, Chairman, Akamai Technologies (retired)
• Paul Schimmel, Ph.D., ‘62, Ernst & Jean Hahn Professor of Molecular Biology, Schimmel-Yang Laboratory, Scripps Research Institute
• William Batchelder ‘64, Speaker of the House, Ohio House of Representatives (retired)
• Edward D. Miller, M.D., ‘64, CEO and Dean of the Medical Faculty, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (retired)
• Richard North Patterson ‘68, multiple best-selling author
• JoAnn Verburg ‘72, internationally known photographer
• Greg Moore ‘76, Editor, The Denver Post (retired)
• Susan Headden ‘77, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
• Tom Jolly ‘77, Associate Masthead Editor, The New York Times
• Bob DiBiasio ‘77, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, the Cleveland Indians
• Byron Pitts ‘82, “Nightline” Co-Anchor, Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist.

And many more leaders in medicine, business, education, athletics, industry, government, law, arts, and nonprofit organizations.

An exciting sense of energy at Ohio Wesleyan is based largely on The OWU Connection, which helps students think big (understand issues from multiple academic disciplines), go global (gain international perspective), and get real (translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience). The OWU Connection includes a growing number of Travel-Learning Courses that give students an up-close look at issues they have discussed in class, and an expanded Theory-to-Practice Grant program in which students design their own research, internship, service, and cultural immersion grant requests and then carry out their projects in locations throughout the world.

The OWU Connection has been bolstered by Connect Today, Create Tomorrow, the most successful fundraising campaign in the history of the University. The seven-year, comprehensive campaign raised nearly $238 million, surpassing the original goal of $200 million. The campaign supports scholarships and financial aid, experiential learning through The OWU Connection, faculty development and recruitment, and OWU’s Annual Giving programs. 

The campaign also provided significant upgrades to the physical campus including the renovation of Edwards Gymnasium into the state-of-the-art Simpson Querrey Fitness Center and Jannuzi Dance Studio. Branch Rickey Arena was also renovated and Merrick Hall was completely refurbished to become the home of The OWU Connection. There was also an extensive residential renewal on campus including  three new donor-funded Small Living Unit (SLU) complexes—The Dittrick House, The Jim and Eilleen Dicke House, and The Sloan House—as well as the new Gillespie Honors House. The Butler A. Jones House of Black Culture was reconstructed and the first-year residence hall, Smith Hall, was completely renovated. Finally, Bradford Milligan Hall was completed in 2021, offering Ohio Wesleyan’s first apartment-style building for a community living/learning space. By the end of the campaign, two-thirds of OWU’s students are living in residences built or renovated within the last 10 years. 

The JAYwalk, which is the thoroughfare between the academic and residential sides of campus, has been lengthened and upgraded, most recently with a fountain, open lawn, and garden that brings the feel of a European plaza to the middle of campus and with additional green and garden space.

Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the latest edition of the book Colleges That Change Lives, which states: “As you might expect, the campus buzzes with excitement. Everyone is dreaming big, and the college has the structure to support those dreams.” Ohio Wesleyan ranks No. 68 among all U.S. colleges (public and private) for the percentage of STEM graduates who go on to earn doctoral degrees in STEM fields. In addition, OWU ranks No. 46 in the United States for women who go on to earn doctorates and No. 21 for women who earn doctorates in the life sciences or biological sciences. The University is included in U.S News & World Report’s 2022 listings of the “Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” and “Best Value Schools.” It also is recognized among the nation’s best colleges by Money Magazine, The Princeton Review, and The Fiske Guide to Colleges.

Statement of Aims

Since its founding, Ohio Wesleyan has maintained its connection with the Methodist (now United Methodist) Church, offering a quality of scholarship, leadership, and service that has enriched both Church and society. Its charter provides that “the University is forever to be conducted on the most liberal principles, accessible to all religious denominations, and designed for the benefit of our citizens in general.” In the spirit of this heritage, the University defines itself as a community of teachers and students devoted to the free pursuit of truth. Ohio Wesleyan attempts to develop in its students qualities of intellect and character that will be useful no matter what they choose to do in later life. The transmission, extension, and discovery of knowledge are central to the liberal arts tradition. While encouraging professional scholarship and feeling justifiably proud of its faculty and graduates who enjoy national or international reputations in their fields, the University has as its preeminent purpose to be a quality institution for teaching and learning. Because effective teaching is of the highest importance, members of the faculty regularly are reviewed and evaluated for excellence in teaching.

Ohio Wesleyan judges itself successful when it has accomplished three objectives in its work with students:

The first is to impart knowledge. Included here is knowledge about our cultural past; a liberal education communicates what great minds have thought, great artists have created, and great leaders have done. Also included is new knowledge; a liberal education communicates what is being acquired on the frontiers of contemporary inquiry and current advances of the human spirit. The objective of imparting knowledge begins with the conviction that it is intrinsically worthwhile to possess the knowledge and insight transmitted through the humanities, arts, and sciences.

A second major objective is to develop and enhance certain important capabilities of students. As they progress through the curriculum of the University, students secure the foundational skills of reading, writing, and quantitative analysis. They build on these skills the capacity to think critically and logically, to employ the methods of the different fields of inquiry, and to understand the symbolic languages used to codify and communicate knowledge in today’s society. They may develop aesthetic sensibilities or creative talents in several fields. Many students learn to integrate theory with practice by preparing for careers within various disciplines and through pre-professional and professional programs.

The third objective is to place education in the context of values. A liberal education seeks to develop in students understanding of themselves, appreciation of others, and willingness to meet the responsibilities of citizenship in a free society. It recognizes that trained sensitivity to private and public value issues, grounded in a sound grasp of various cultural heritages, is important for maturation and for living a good life. It accords high honor to intellectual honesty. Consistent with our Methodist tradition, Ohio Wesleyan encourages concern for all religious and ethical issues and stimulates its students to examine their own views in light of these issues.

To the extent that Ohio Wesleyan educates liberally, it fulfills its ultimate purpose of equipping students with knowledge, competence, and character for leadership, service, and continued learning in a complex and increasingly global society.

Intellectual Freedom and Responsibility

A Joint Statement by the Trustees and Faculty Members of Ohio Wesleyan University

The Charter of Ohio Wesleyan University, granted in 1842, provides that “the University is forever to be conducted on the most liberal principles, accessible to all religious denominations, and designed for the benefit of our citizens in general.” The spirit of this statement has persisted through the years, so that today Ohio Wesleyan continues to live and thrive in an environment of intellectual freedom. It is, therefore, fully committed to a more recent declaration of the General Conference of the Methodist Church (1952):

“Our role is not to suppress ideas, but to open channels of communication, so that [men and women] can come to know the thoughts of their neighbors, and so that the best thoughts of all (men and women) can come to be the possessions of all humanity.”

In pursuit of this tradition, the administration has maintained for students and faculty alike a climate of freedom in learning and inquiry. As a specific guarantee of this climate of intellectual freedom, the faculty and the Board of Trustees have adopted the 1940 statement of the American Association of University Professors relative to academic freedom. It states: “The teacher is entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing (his/her) subject, but should be careful not to introduce…controversial matter which has no relation to (the) subject.” The only limitation that can appropriately be placed upon the teacher’s academic activities are those required by the accepted standards of (his or her) professions, such as sustained inquiry, propriety of statement, integrity of character, and objectivity of exposition.

Ohio Wesleyan has recognized that its faculty and students are citizens of local, state, and national communities, as well as members of an academic community. The 1940 statement of the American Association of University Professors emphasizes the freedom and responsibility of teachers as citizens in the following words: “When (the teacher) speaks or writes as a citizen (he/she) should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but (his/her) special position in the community imposes special obligations. As a (person) of learning and an educational officer (he/she) should remember that the public may judge (his/her) profession and institution by (his/her) utterances. Hence (he/she) should at all times be accurate, should exercise appropriate restraint, should show respect for the opinions of others, and should make every effort to indicate that (he/she) is not an institutional (spokesperson).” Within these appropriate limits, faculty members should be free to think and act as citizens of the whole community.

Equivalent importance is placed upon academic freedom and responsibility for students at Ohio Wesleyan, as expressed by the faculty and Board of Trustees in their adoption of the following 1965 statement by the American Association of University Professors:

“Free inquiry and free expression are essential attributes of the community of scholars. As members of the community, students should be encouraged to develop the capacity for critical judgment and to engage in a sustained and independent search for truth. The freedom to learn depends upon appropriate opportunities and conditions in the classroom, on the campus, and in the larger community. The responsibility to secure and to respect general conditions conducive to the freedom to learn is shared by all members of the academic community. Students should endeavor to exercise their freedom with maturity and responsibility.”

Statement on Student Rights

In 1970, the Ohio Wesleyan faculty adopted the Joint Statement on Rights and Freedoms of Students, which endorses a concept of community responsibility where students, along with faculty and administrators, are encouraged to play a more determining role in the formulation of institutional policy.

Notice of Non-Discrimination

Ohio Wesleyan University does not discriminate against any person in employment or educational opportunities because of race, color, religion, age, ethnicity, national origin, national ancestry, sex, pregnancy, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, military service or veteran status, mental or physical disability, or genetic information.

Any person concerned about discrimination on the basis of sex, gender, gender identity or expression, and sexual orientation or has questions about the application of Title IX at Ohio Wesleyan University should contact the University’s Title IX Coordinator or Deputies.

The Student Engagement and Success Office has been designated to handle inquiries regarding other discrimination concerns or complaints.  Please contact the Student Engagement and Success Office if you have questions or concerns:

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND SUCCESS
deansoffice@owu.edu
HWCC Room 209
(740) 368-3135

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at OWU

An essential function of a university is to help all persons both realize their potential and provide the support mechanisms needed to better achieve their potential. To this end, Ohio Wesleyan University affirms its support of equal opportunity for and nondiscrimination against all qualified persons regardless of race, color, gender identity, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientation, age, religion, military status, citizenship status and/or genetic information. Furthermore, Ohio Wesleyan University asserts that diversity will be pursued to provide access to employment, benefits, programs, education, and facilities to qualified individuals. Read OWU’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy Statement.

A Summary of the Plan

Ohio Wesleyan University believes that minimum or least-effort actions and procedures are ineffective in assuring diversity, equal employment, support, and retention. Simple abstention from overt discrimination or the rewriting of the job descriptions and criteria for employment will not fulfill our commitment to anti-racism and anti-oppression. Biases that elevate one sex over another or one race over another are not valid reasons for exclusionary practices and support unjust criteria for employment.

Ohio Wesleyan University fully accepts its responsibilities and pledges to provide equal opportunity in all of its relationships with employees and in all facets of its operations. Ohio Wesleyan affirms that its policies and practices are designed to ensure women and those who have been historically excluded have equal access to opportunity for education, employment, and advancement in responsibilities and in remuneration.

Vigorous efforts to attain the goals set forth in this document requires the full cooperation of every employee, department and division in the University. To ensure thoughtful representation, all publications and news releases issued by the University shall be prepared with diversity, equity and justice in mind.

The plan for implementing the diversity policy is available at several locations on the Ohio Wesleyan campus, including the Human Resource Department, Provost’s, and Dean of Students offices.

Traditions

Ohio Wesleyan has been acquiring traditions since 1844, when the College of Liberal Arts opened its doors with an enrollment of 29 male students taught by three professors. The college was housed in Elliott Hall, formerly the Mansion House Hotel, which had been constructed in the early 1830s when the current East Campus was a popular health resort. The resort was known for the “health-giving although odoriferous waters” of its famed Sulphur Spring, a favorite spot of future generations of students. It was at the spring that Rutherford B. Hayes, Delaware native and 19th president of the United States, wooed and won Lucy Webb, one of Ohio Wesleyan’s first female students and the person for whom Hayes Hall is named.

In 1853, the Ohio Wesleyan Female College, an independent institution, was established in Delaware and four years later moved into the new Monnett Hall. In 1877, the Female College and University merged, and during the 1977-78 academic year, Ohio Wesleyan celebrated 100 years of coeducation.

For many years, Monnett Hall was the center of women’s life on campus. Monnett Weekend, later called Monnett/Kids and Sibs Weekend, took its name from the Hall and the activities that occurred there. Scheduled to coincide with the nationwide celebration of Mother’s Day in May, the weekend was strictly a women’s affair for many years. All events were scheduled on the Monnett campus, and men were banned from the area while women students danced around the Maypole. During those years, men apparently developed their own tradition by arriving on the Monnett campus early in the morning and concealing themselves in trees to watch the festivities. In later years, the weekend became a time for both men and women students to entertain their parents and share their campus experiences with them. A popular current tradition is Day on the JAY, a once-a-semester gathering of the entire Ohio Wesleyan community for food, fun, and fellowship, held at midday on the JAYwalk.

During Homecoming and Family Weekend celebrations, students, parents, and alumni are on campus for athletics, open houses, theatre productions, and other events.

Most underclass students have already left campus for the summer when Commencement and Reunion Weekend occur. Commencement is now held on the Saturday before Mother’s Day in early May following the end of spring semester classes. It is preceded by a Final Lap and by a Baccalaureate celebration planned by members of the senior class. The traditional Commencement ceremony takes place on the south terrace of Merrick Hall. In case of rain, Commencement is held in Branch Rickey Arena. At the conclusion of Commencement, the bell in the tower of University Hall rings to mark the close of another academic year and the University president rings the hand bell that was rung at Ohio Wesleyan’s first commencement ceremony.

The traditions associated with Commencement are based in Ohio Wesleyan’s history, although modifications and changes have occurred over the years. At one time, Commencement lasted at least a week, and oral final examinations were held in public, with examiners representing alumni and Trustees. The culmination of the week was the Commencement exercise, which lasted eight or nine hours. Each senior was required to give an oration, and the day had to be divided into morning and afternoon sessions to accommodate all the speakers. Over the years, the custom was modified until today only the president of the University, a guest speaker, and the president of the senior class address the Commencement audience.

The weekend after Commencement is for alumni, and approximately 1,000 of them return to campus each year for class reunions and other traditional activities. Classes holding their 25th (Silver Key) and 50th (Golden Key) reunions are specially honored at this time.

Another tradition involving alumni is that of honoring the oldest living alumna and alumnus in the earliest graduating class. The alumnus is presented with the Godman Cane, which originally belonged to the University’s first graduate, William D. Godman, Class of 1846. The senior alumna receives the Monnett Silver Teapot, presented by the National Association of Monnett Clubs.

As generations of students come and go, changing traditions have reflected in the past, and continue to reflect in the present, a changing world. But traditions, whether the annual President’s Ball in December or the celebration of Community Day, can give current members of the Ohio Wesleyan community a sense of historical perspective as they shape the University for today as well as the future.