Grove City College

Grove City College (GCC) is a private, conservative Christian liberal arts college in Grove City, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1876 as a normal school, the college emphasizes a humanities core curriculum and offers 60 majors and six pre-professional programs with undergraduate degrees in the liberal arts, sciences, business, education, engineering, and music. The college has always been formally non-denominational, but in its first few decades its students and faculty were dominated by members of the Presbyterian Church, to the extent that it was sometimes described as having a de facto Presbyterian affiliation; in more recent decades, it and the Presbyterian Church have moved apart.

Founding
Founded in 1876 by Isaac C. Ketler, 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." Isaac Ketler served as president until 1913.

Grove City was also supported by Joseph Newton Pew, founder of the Sun Oil Company. Pew and Ketler's sons, Weir C. Ketler and John Howard Pew, later went on to become Grove City president and president of the board of trustees, respectively. During the summer of 1925, J. Gresham Machen gave the lectures that formed the basis of his book, What Is Faith?

World War II
As World War II began, Grove City College was one of six schools selected by the United States Navy to participate in the highly unusual Electronics Training Program (ETP). Starting in March 1942, each month a new group of 100 Navy and Marine students arrived for three months of 14-hour days in concentrated electrical engineering study. ETP admission required passing the Eddy Test, one of the most selective qualifying exams given during the war years. Professor Russell P. Smith was the program's Director of Instruction. By the fall of 1943, there were only 81 civilian men in the student body; thus, the presence of 300 or so servicemen contributed greatly to sustaining the College. This training at Grove City continued until April 1945; library records show that 49 classes were graduating 3,759 persons.

Supreme Court case
Under President Charles S. MacKenzie, the college was the plaintiff-appellee in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case in 1984, Grove City College v. Bell. The ruling came seven years after the school refused to sign a Title IX compliance form, which would have subjected the entire school to federal regulations, even ones not yet issued. The court ruled 6–3 that acceptance by students of federal educational grants fell under the regulatory requirements of Title IX, but it 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 Pell Grant program entirely beginning with the 1988–1989 academic year, replacing such grants to students with its own program, the Student Freedom Fund. In October 1996, the college withdrew from the Stafford Loan program, providing entering students with replacements through a 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.



Recent history
From 1963 until 2016, the American Association of University Professors placed Grove City under censure for violations of tenure and academic freedom because of the dismissal of Professor of History and Political Science Larry Gara. By the end of this period, Grove City's administration was on the AAUP's list of censured administrations longer than any other college on the list. 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 an 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 2013 Grove City started working to remove itself from the censure list. Two years later, the school admitted that they would have handled Gara's case rather differently under their current procedures. This led the AAUP to lift its sanction on the school at its annual meeting in 2016. Gara received an apology from the school in October 2015.

In 2005, Grove City founded the conservative think-tank the Center for Vision and Values In April 2019, it was renamed the Institute for Faith & Freedom, saying that it "more clearly aligns it with the historic values of the College."

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 would 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 workforce", officials said. STEM Hall was opened in August 2013 and provides laboratory space for students studying biology, chemistry, physics, and computer science. In the summer of 2021, Grove City announced that the campus' Henry Buhl Library would be majorly renovated, with the addition of classroom space, updated study areas, and a cafe.

The college acquired an observatory from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in February 2008 that will be used for astronomy classes as well as faculty and student research. The observatory's telescope will be operated remotely, from the college's main campus – more than 60 mi away. 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.

Accreditation
Grove City offers 55 majors in the liberal arts, sciences, and engineering. The college is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The college's electrical and computer and mechanical engineering programs are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET). Most recently, the Bachelor of Science in Social Work program was approved as a candidate for accreditation through the specialized accreditation offered through the Council on Social Work Education. In 2019, Grove City announced a new partnership with Butler County Community College to provide a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.

Rankings
Grove City College was ranked 225 of 498 in 2023 Forbes list of Top Colleges, and 4 of 41 in their Region in 2024 U.S. News & World Report Rankings.

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, education, minimum wage, and other issues economic and conservative. Grove City College has international ties, founded in 1955, and on the International Society for Individual Liberty (ISIL) Freedom Network.

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 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, which claims to be "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.

Several members of the Ludwig von Mises Institute, a libertarian academic organization, are also faculty at Grove City.

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 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 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.

Academics
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. Grove City College also hosts the Austrian Student Scholars Conference. Annually done in February, a collection of students from around the United States present research papers on the history of economic thought or on current developments within the Austrian School of Thought. In addition to traditional business programs, Grove City also offers a degree in Entrepreneurship and a degree in Business Economics.

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 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 regarding 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. Student organizations must agree to a strong policy regarding alcohol use both on and off campus, and their violation resulting in the loss of their charter.

In 2012, The Princeton Review listed Grove City College as the 2nd most LGBT-unfriendly school in the United States. In 2013 Grove City was at #1 in the Princeton Review’s rankings of most LGBT-unfriendly schools in America. As of 2016, they were ranked 9th.

By refusing to accept federal funds and so-called Title IV financial aid (from the Higher Education Act of 1965), Grove City is not required to adhere to various federal guidelines that (i) prevent sex-based and many other forms of discrimination (e.g., Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972), (ii) regulate investigations into accusations of sexual abuse, (iii) require the collecting and sharing of information about crimes on campus (Clery Act), and (iv) set standards for disciplinary proceedings (Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act).

Religious facilities
Grove City College has always been officially non-denominational, but in its first decades had a de facto affiliation with the Presbyterian Church; today, it is no longer tied to a particular Christian denomination. The Department of Biblical & Religious Studies is composed of confessionally Reformed professors from various denominational backgrounds. Students are required to attend a certain number of chapel services per semester. That was also the case during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Harbison Chapel has been a longstanding campus facility for Christian services. In 2012, Rathburn Hall was built to function as an office space for chapel staff, meeting space for religious groups, and a lounge area for visiting speakers.

Groups and organizations
GCC hosts approximately 150 Student Organizations and Activities.

Publications and media
The Grove City College Journal of Law & Public Policy was founded in 2009 and features writing about political theory, jurisprudence, and Austrian economics. Grove City College is one of five undergraduate institutions to publish a law journal.

Other periodicals are The Bridge (the college yearbook), The Collegian (the campus newspaper), Cogitare (associated with ISI, and The Quad (a literary magazine).

WSAJ radio
The 1,600-watt FM signal covers a 30 mi 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 shows during the evening hours when school is in session.

Fraternities, sororities, and housing groups
Members of fraternities and sororities live on campus in pre-selected upperclassman halls. Grove City's fraternities and sororities are local and are not affiliated with any of the national Greek umbrella organizations.

Athletics
Grove City has been fielding athletics teams for over a century. In 1906, they were one of the 39 charter members of the IAAUS, the forerunner of the NCAA.

Grove City College, known athletically as the Wolverines, competes in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) of NCAA Division III. On the varsity level, Grove City College has football, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, cheerleading, swimming, tennis, and track teams for both men and women. Lacrosse, baseball, rugby union 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 several club sports to men and women including but not limited to ultimate, volleyball for men and field hockey, lacrosse, and rugby for women. These teams have been 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, the men's lacrosse team, which finished in the top 10 in the country in 2015, and both the men's and women's rugby teams which have been ranked in the top 10 in the country by the National Small College Rugby Organization. Men's volleyball will be elevated to full varsity status in 2024–25.

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.

In 2018, the school's assistant sports information director was charged with nearly 100 counts for crimes ranging from privacy violations to possession of child pornography after it was discovered he had been secretly recording students who were showering in the college's locker room.



Notable alumni

 * David M. Bailey – guitarist, singer-songwriter
 * Jc Beall – analytic philosopher, logician, and analytic theologian, author; holder of the O'Neill Family Chair of Philosophy, Notre Dame
 * Peter Boettke – professor of economics at George Mason University and editor of the Review of Austrian Economics
 * Edward D. Breen – corporate CEO
 * Alejandro Chafuen – author, president and former CEO of Atlas Network
 * Larry Critchfield – former NFL player
 * Arthur Schwab – U.S. federal district court judge and GCC adjunct professor
 * Jim Van Eerden – entrepreneur, brand strategist, media producer, and co-founder of Helixx Partners, LLC
 * George Clark Southworth – engineer and physicist who helped discover waveguides, recipient of the IEEE Medal of Honor (1963)
 * R.J. Bowers – NFL football player, NCAA all-time rushing leader until October 2007
 * Scott Bullock – senior attorney and founding member of Institute For Justice
 * Bill Deasy – singer-songwriter, author of the novel Ransom Seaborn (winner of the 2006 Needle Award for best novel) and former lead singer of the popular Pittsburgh-area band 'The Gathering Field'
 * Burdette "Bob" Glenn – professional baseball player and highway engineer
 * Scott Hahn – author, Roman Catholic theologian and apologist; professor of theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville
 * Matt Kibbe – former president and CEO of FreedomWorks
 * Mose Lantz – former NFL player
 * Brian Leftow – theistic and analytic philosopher; holder of the Nolloth Chair in the Philosophy of Religion, Oriel College, Oxford University; author of Time and Eternity (1991)
 * Paul McNulty – former U.S. Deputy Attorney General and president of Grove City College
 * Gary Peters – former MLB player who played for the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox, earned Chicago White Sox All-Century Team honors
 * Joseph Howard Pew – founder and former president of Sun Oil Company
 * David J. Porter – judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
 * Nicholas Ranjan, District Judge, United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
 * Lawrence Reed, president of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE)
 * Sean Rowe - 28th Presiding Bishop (elect) of The Episcopal Church
 * Tiffany Seitz – Miss Pennsylvania 2020
 * Spike Shannon – former professional baseball player who played with the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates
 * Frank Smith – MLB player, nicknamed "Piano Mover"
 * Frank Soday – chemist influential in the development of alternative uses for synthetic fiber
 * Greg Urbas – Hall of Fame wrestling coach
 * Harold Willis Dodds – 15th president of Princeton University
 * Howard Edward Winklevoss, Jr. – American actuary, academic, and entrepreneur

Notable professors

 * G.K. Beale – Reformed theologian and author
 * T. David Gordon – theologian of the New Testament and media ecologist
 * Guillermo Gonzalez – astrophysicist, proponent of Intelligent Design
 * Joshua F. Drake (former) – musicologist and hymnist
 * Richard G. Jewell – former president of Grove City College and former Pittsburgh director of Navigant Consulting Inc.
 * Paul Kengor – author, executive director of Grove City College's Center for Vision and Values
 * Paul McNulty – president of Grove City College and former Deputy Attorney General of the United States
 * Hans Sennholz – economist, a proponent of the Austrian school of economics, student of Ludwig von Mises
 * Warren Throckmorton – professor of psychology
 * Carl Trueman – Reformed theologian and historian
 * Walter E. Williams – author, professor and former Chairman of Economics at George Mason University
 * Angelo Codevilla – political scientist, author, and member of the Select Committee on Intelligence of the United States Senate
 * James C. Conwell – mechanical engineer, president of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

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)
 * Richard G. Jewell J.D. (2004–2014)
 * Paul McNulty (2014–present)