Delaware Valley University
 | |
| Established | 1896 |
|---|---|
| Endowment | $14.6 million[1] |
| President | Joseph S. Brosnan |
| Undergraduates | 2000 |
| Postgraduates | 300 |
| Location | , , |
| Colors | Green, Gold |
| Nickname | Aggies |
| Mascot | Caesar (Live Ram) |
| Website | www.delval.edu |
Delaware Valley College is a small private college located in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. First established in 1896, the college was at one point known as the National Farm School. While still retaining its farm heritage by offering majors such as dairy science and crop science, Delaware Valley College has since grown to offer degrees in majors such as business administration and chemistry.
History
The college was originally founded in 1896 by Rabbi Dr. Joseph Krauskopf to educate young Jewish men into becoming scientific and practical agriculturists. The school is extremely unknown [citation needed] and of the many Philadelphia area schools it is not attended by many from the Philadelphia city limits and suburbs as the more prestigious schools are usually chosen by those hailing from the Philadelphia region. The National Farm School, as it was then called, initially occupied 100 acres (0.4 km2), with only a small classroom building for instruction. After WWII, the college expanded and began offering bachelor degrees in 1948, also becoming known as the National Agricultural College. Then, in 1960, the institution changed its name to Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture to reflect its incorporation of new programs such as Food Industry (1951), Biology and Chemistry (1958), and Business Administration (1965). In 1969 the college became co-educational, admitting its first female students. In 1989 the college’s trustees approved an abbreviated name, finally deeming the institution Delaware Valley College. In 1998 the college offered its first Master of Science Degree in Educational Leadership. In 2001, DelVal added a Master of Business Administration, (MBA).
Campus
The school currently occupies 571 acres (2.3 km2), and is divided by the rail line passing through it into the east "urban" side and the west "rural" side. Located on the urban side are most of the classrooms, including two fully equipped animal teaching labs, several biology and chemistry labs, and a newly built luxury dormitory. The rural side, also known as Farm 3, is dedicated to the practical work of agriculture. Farm 3 contains extensive equine facilities on campus which include the breeding facility and the training facility, a dairy barn, a swine barn, beef cattle herd, and an apiary, among other animal facilities. There also are a variety of crop fields including peach, apple, and corn. The entire campus is also the Henry Schmieder Arboretum. DelVal, as it is widely known, also owns approximately 120 acres (0.5 km2) in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania; a farm at the intersection of Routes 202 and 63.
Enrollment
The school currently enrolls about 1600 full-time undergraduates and more than 300 part-time students in the college's evening college, weekend college, and graduate programs. Approximately 1000 of these students live in residence halls on campus.
Misc
The College publishes Horizons, a magazine for alumni and friends of the College family.
The Executive Committee of the Alumni Association meets three times a year to develop and discuss alumni programs. Each year the annual business meeting is held during Homecoming Weekend.
Delaware Valley College has a variety of sports teams, including football, basketball (women's and men's), soccer, cheerleading, etc.
Delaware Valley College offers equestrians the opportunity to compete on collegiate riding teams. The school is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA), where members can compete in both Hunt Seat and Western shows. In addition, dressage riders can compete in Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA) shows. The school is also home to a vaulting team.
Points of interest
- Henry Schmieder Arboretum
- Farm Market - located on Lower State Road
- M. Night Shyamalan's Signs was filmed on the college's campus. Stars Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Cherry Jones, Abigail Breslin, and Rory Culkin along with producer Frank Marshall and Sam Mercer spent six months in the summer and fall of 2001 shooting the film.
External links
References
- ^ As of June 30, 2009. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2009 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2008 to FY 2009" (PDF). 2009 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. National Association of College and University Business Officers. Retrieved February 5, 2010.