Allegheny College is a historic and established private liberal arts college located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the town of Meadville. It is notable for its strong emphasis on the liberal arts.

History

Early history

Founded in April 1815 by the Reverend Timothy Alden, Allegheny is the 32nd oldest college in the USA and the oldest college in continuous existence under the same name west of the Appalachian Mountains. The college has been historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1833, as a result of the financial support the United Methodist Church provided to sustain the college through a difficult era. Allegheny College is non-sectarian and welcomes members of all faiths, maintaining a policy of non-discrimination. The town of Meadville was established in 1788 in the French Creek Valley, astride the route traversed by George Washington on his journey to Fort LeBoeuf a generation earlier. Perhaps as many as 100 colleges were established and failed before the American Civil War.

The name 'Allegheny' is of uncertain origin, possibly from the Delaware Indian word Eleuwi-guneu or Alleghany meaning endless mountains. Etymologists suggest other sources of the word Allegheny are best river, river of cave people, great warpath, and possibly Al-lick-e-wa-ny meaning 'he is leaving us andmay never return' (a possible reference to departing hunters orwarriors.)

The July 18,1815 publication of the Crawford County Messenger carries the first official mention of Allegheny College (then Alleghany College) in the form of an advertisement by founder Rev. Timothy Alden. The first class (with four members) entered the college one year later, on July 4,1816. Within six years, Alden succeeded in attracting sufficient funds to begin building a campus, having traveled throughout the eastern states seeking support for a planned library and classroom building. In the 1820s, The need of a building to house a library led to the construction of Bentley Hall, today a notable example of early American architecture. Designed by Alden himself, the structure still crowns the hill on which the campus is located. It is named in honor of Dr. William Bentley, who donated his private library to the College. In a letter of February 1824 to Allegheny's first president and founder, Timothy Alden, Thomas Jefferson wrote he hoped his University of Virginia could someday possess the richness of Allegheny's library. Following receipt of a charter from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1817, Alden continued to serve as President until 1831, when financial and enrollment problems forced his resignation. One legend suggests Allegheny student and then-future president William McKinley, in 1860, coaxed a cow up the stairs of Bentley Hall's bell tower as a student prank.

Allegheny was one of the first US colleges to admit women, which began in 1870. Women were initially charged an extra $6 to cover the extra costs incurred by the 'complexity of their nervous systems.' But the surcharge was soon dropped; and a woman was valedictorian of the Allegheny class of 1875. One source suggests that Ida Tarbell, the pioneering journalist who exposed the predatory practices of Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company, was the first woman to attend Allegheny.

In 1905, Allegheny built Alden Hall as a new and improved preparatory school. In 1928, president Dr. James Beebe caused controversy by suggesting Protestants use the rosary as an "aid to prayer", and the story generated headlines. Over the decades the college has grown in size and significance while still maintaining ties to the community.

Recent history

In 1971 the film Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me based on the Richard Farina novel was filmed on college grounds.

While the word "Allegheny" is a brand for the college, it's also the name of a county and a river and a mountain range, and the school has tried to prevent other entities from using this word. For example, Allegheny objected in 2006 when Penn State tried to rename one of its campuses "Allegheny". Allegheny president Richard Cook said 'Allegheny' was "our brand." It sued the Philadelphia's Allegheny Health and Research Foundation in 1997 to change its name.

Allegheny under president Richard J. Cook was reported to have had a "stronger endowment, optimal enrollment, record retention rates, innovative new programs and many physical campus improvements." These years were marked by tremendous growth in the endowment, marked by a $115 million dollar fund-raising drive bringing the endowment to $150 million. In February 2008, James H. Mullen Jr. was named the 21st president of Allegheny. He took office Aug. 1, 2008.

The college and the town cooperate in many ways. One study suggested the Allegheny College generates approximately $93 million annually into Meadville and the local economy. Since 2002, Allegheny hosts classical music festivals during the summer. Speaking of contributions, in July 2007, a 1,500 pound wrecking ball demolishing part of Allegheny's Pelletier library broke its chain, rumbled down the hill, pinballed "back and forth across the street," hit nine parked cars, wrecked curbs, and crashed into the trunk of an Allegheny student's car, pushing his car into two cars in front of him. Eight soccer balls in his car "likely lessened the impact of the wrecking ball," and possibly spared his life, according to a police officer on the scene. The student body voted to name the library's coffee shop "The Wrecking Ball" after the event.

The college has sponsored panels on controversial topics such as face transplants (2009). Allegheny professors have joined highly controversial initiatives; for example, Allegheny professor Michael Maniates, described as the "nation's leading authority on the politics of consumption," joined the board of a project about the controversial twenty-minute film The Story of Stuff by activist Annie Leonard, and generated headlines. Dr. Maniates said "We really need to think of ways of making it possible for people to think about working less and getting by on less." At present, environmental concerns are important at Allegheny, which in 2008 worked with Siemens to devise a "total energy use reduction plan" for the college.

Prospective Students

Admissions

A profile of entering freshmen is three quarters of students were in the top quarter of their high school class; SATs (critical reading and math) were 1130-1320; ACT scores (middle 50%) were 24-28. Forbes reported SATs ranged from 1110-1310. The application process is mostly done via Internet, with virtual tours and online applications. Before the Internet, Allegheny used to print 50,000 applications annually. The application deadline is February 15. The early admission deadline is November 15. Application fee is $35. The acceptance rate (fall 2008) was 61%. In 2004, the acceptance rate was 74% (of 3,279 applications, 2,439 were accepted.) It was described as "more selective".

Despite the economic downturn of 2008, Allegheny did not experience a decline in the "yield"—the percentage of accepted students who actually enroll—and economic woes left the college "relatively untouched", according to one report.

Allegheny accepts Advanced Placement or AP results but only awards credits for exam results of "4" or "5", and limits credits earned by AP examination scores to 20 (the equivalent of five AP exams).

Rankings

US News and World Report described Allegheny as "innovative" and "up and coming" Tier 1 school in the category Liberal Arts Colleges, and ranked it 85th among 266 liberal arts colleges in the United States, an improvement from a previous rank of 94. In 2009, Allegheny was listed as a "Tier 1" school, meaning it placed in the top 50% of all liberal arts schools and was ranked. US News and World Report has also described Allegheny as an "A+ School". In former years, Allegheny was sometimes described as a "second tier" liberal arts college according to the U.S. News rating. Allegheny was also listed as an "A+ Option for B Students" by US News.

Forbes ranked Allegheny 277th out of the best 600 four-year colleges and universities in the United States. The Forbes assessment uses different criteria to assess schools, including listing of alumni who make the "Who's Who in America", alumni salaries from Payscale.com, student evaluations from Ratemyprofessors.com, and four-year debt load for typical student borrowers, and weights results according to these and other factors. Allegheny did not make Forbes' list of the top 100 colleges listed as a "best buy". Forbes also has a ranking for a college's "connectedness"; in 2003, Allegheny ranked 208, with 336 computers, and a computer to student ratio of 1 to .17. The "most connected" school was Stevens Institute of Technology, with 1,800 computers, and a computer to student ratio of 1 to 1.04.

Allegheny has a first-time student retention rate of 87%, a four-year graduation rate of 64%, and a six-year graduation rate of 71%. This means about seven in ten entering freshmen (in 2001) were expected to graduate within six years.

Costs and Financial Aid

Tuition and fees for the 2009-2010 year were $33,560; room is $4,430; meals are $4,010; other fees are $320; the total cost is roughly $42,000. In 2006, a year at Allegheny costs $35,300, lessened by an average financial aid award of $21,575. Tuition and fees totaled about $28,300 in 2006. In 2007, student financial aid was detailed in a report. The percentages of students receiving a federal grant aid was 20% (average aid received was $4K) getting state and local aid was 42% (average aid= $4K), getting an institutional grant aid was 98% (average aid = $13K) and getting a loan was 70% (average loan = $7K).

Parents of incoming first-year students are advised by the college to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA; Allegheny's school code is 003230. Different scholarships are available as well as loan options. It is possible for parents to pay in ten equal installments.

Allegheny uses inducements such as scholarships and discounts to attract students. Many "merit aid" discounts are offered regardless of ability to pay. Scott Friedhoff, vice president of enrollment, said "merit aid probably helped attract students when first offered a couple of decades ago" but that competitive pressures on colleges have turned it into a kind of "arms race" to attract quality students. In a 2006 report, Allegheny offered 75% of students merit award (counting those with need and those without) but reduced the number of its $15,000-a-year scholarships to $12,500-a-year stipdends. Allegheny has been reducing its merit aid discounts from 33% of all students (in 2003) to 15% of students (in 2006). According to Allegheny statistics, two thirds (67%) of students receive some form of need-based aid. Extensive merit aid is available up to $60,000 for four years of study. 68% of students receive need-based aid.

There was concern in October 2008 that a credit crunch would make it harder for students to get private loans, but Allegheny joined the Federal Direct Loan Program allowing students to get funds directly from the U.S. government, and one report suggested the impact of the credit crunch was minimal.

A report in 2006 suggested that 78% of Allegheny graduates would carry debt averaging at $24,825. An enhanced GI bill called the "Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act" provides generous benefits to veterans with 36 months in the military since September 11, 2001.

Academics

Honor Code

Allegheny has an honor code which states "I hereby recognize and pledge to fulfill my responsibilities, as defined in the Honor Code, and to maintain the integrity of both myself and the College community as a whole." Incoming students make this pledge aloud as a group during the matriculation ceremony. This policy means exams do not need to be proctored although there is a requirement that exams not be taken behind a locked door. It is a student code voted on by students every three years which prohibits academic dishonesty, plagiarism, and requires students to notify an honor committee if there is evidence of another student being dishonest.

Programs of Study

Allegheny offers liberal arts degrees and not business or education majors. Students can choose to get a Bachelor of Arts degree or a Bachelor of Science degree.

• Humanities are Art, Communication Arts, Dance and Movement Studies, English, Modern and Classical Languages (includes Chinese, French, German, Latin, and Spanish), Music, Philosophy and Religious Studies.

• Natural Sciences are Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Environmental Science, Geology, Mathematics, Neuroscience, Physics.

• Social Sciences are Economics, Environmental Studies, History, International Studies, Political Science, Psychology.

Minor courses of study are offered in the above disciplines, and also include: American Studies, Arts and the Environment, Asian Studies, Black Studies, Classical Studies, Dance and Movement Studies, French Studies, German Studies, Lesbian and Gay Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Media Studies, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Science, Health and Society, Russia and Eastern Europe, and Values, Ethics and Social Action. Allegheny also offers opportunities for students to design their own majors and minors. Students may also choose to double-major or double-minor if they have sufficient credits.

Allegheny is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).

About 30% of the school's 2,100 students graduate in one of the "STEM" disciplines—science, technology, engineering, and math. Allegheny does not have any Reserve Officer Training Programs or ROTC, for Air Force, Army or Navy. The student to faculty ratio was 13 to 1. There were approximately 162 active faculty members (not counting adjunct faculty or faculty emeriti) in 2008.

In 2001, Allegheny formed a Center for Political Participation which offers courses and extracurricular activities to encourage civic participation.

Calendar Year

The school year runs from the last week of August to mid-May with four breaks: a mini fall-break in October, Thanksgiving, a month-long winter break from mid-December to mid-January, and a week-long spring break. The 2009-2010 school year listed the following dates: August 27, 2009 was the first day of classes; fall break October 10th-13th; Thanksgiving break November 25th-29th; winter break December 17th through January 16th (2010); spring break March 20th-28th; and last day of classes May 4th, with exams May 7th-11th, and commencement May 16th.

Requirements for degrees

Allegheny insists students choose a minor as well as a major and encourages "unusual combinations" of majors and minors. A student's major can be in the humanities, social sciences or natural sciences, but that student's minor must be in a different division than his or her major. A reporter explained: "a student enrolled in a humanities major such as English, art, or religious studies, would still take 20 to 24 credits -- five to six courses -- of science-related study if they decided to pick their minor within the natural sciences division ... Even if they don't, they still are required to pick two courses from within the natural science areas. One of those science courses must be a lab class." There is no math requirement. The interdisciplinary approach is reflected in how graduates have fared with their careers. For example, Kathleen Harrill earned degrees in music and psychology at Allegheny, and used them to become a music therapist to help autistic children; her 300-page thesis on music and healing won recognition. Another graduate studied both English and bioethics at Allegheny, and became a lawyer at Bayer corporation helping to work on ethics and compliance issues. One student who wanted to become a special education teacher found a new love of documentary filmmaking after majoring in communication arts; her senior film "Finding Matty's Voice" won the Best Documentary and Grand Jury prizes at the Ivy Film Festival at Brown University in 2008. There is some debate at Allegheny about requiring scientific-related coursework and whether there should be an emphasis on "scientific literacy."

Allegheny students must complete a minimum of 36 semester credit hours of coursework in their major with an average grade of 2.0. Satisfactory completion of a minor requires completion of 20 credits of coursework with a minimum grade average of 2.0.

Allegheny freshmen and sophomores are required to take seminar courses called "FS" which encourage reading, listening, thinking, writing, speaking, and research skills. Sophomores typically meet with faculty advisers eight times a year.

Allegheny seniors are required to complete a senior project in their major. Some senior projects can be quite ambitious; in 2007, one senior project involved comprehensive instructions for installing solar panels on the roof of a campus building. In addition, students must take at least two courses (8 semester credit hours) in a discipline other than their major or minor. Total credits for graduation are 131 semester credit hours, and no more than 64 credit hours can be from any one department. Almost all courses carry four semester hours of credit. Students must have a 2.0 grade average to graduate.

Study abroad

Allegheny offers direct enrollment programs at Lancaster University, England; James Cook University, Australia; University of Natal, South Africa; Capital Normal University, China; and Karls-Eberhard University, Germany. It offers language and area studies programs in Seville, Spain; Angers, France; Karls-Eberhard University, Germany; and Queretaro, Mexico. It offers internship programs in London, England; Paris, France; and Washington D.C. Programs geared to specific majors are also available, including environmental studies at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, Israel; and the Center for Sustainable Development, Costa Rica; marine biology at the Duke University Marine Lab in North Carolina; and political science at American University. Allegheny faculty members have led domestic summer-study tours to New York, Yellowstone, Austria, Costa Rica, and South Africa. Individually arranged study abroad has taken students to Argentina, Canada (Nova Scotia), China, Cuba, Greece, Italy, Mexico, and Scotland.

Cooperative and Reciprocal programs

Allegheny has medical school cooperative programs available with three institutions: Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Drexel University and Jefferson Medical College. Allegheny offers pre-professional programs in law and health. It has an arrangement with Drexel University College of Medicine to admit two Allegheny students who meet specific criteria (grades, MCAT scores). It has an arrangement with the William E. Simon School of Business Administration at the University of Rochester to have preferred admission to selected students by the end of their junior year. Allegheny offers cooperative 3-2 liberal arts/professional programs in engineering with Case Western Reserve University, Columbia University, Duke University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Washington University.

Faculty

Four faculty won Fulbright awards in March 2001. Faculty sometimes focus on the local area; for example, economics professor Stephen Onyeiwu conducted a study of manufacturing in the northwestern Pennsylvania region. Ninety percent of faculty have terminal degrees in their respective fields. Books by faculty include Congressional Women and Comedy from Shakespeare to Sheridan. A literary prize was won by Allegheny writing instructor Kirk Nesset for his collection "Paradise Road" in 2007. Faculty actively publish on a wide range of subjects from the biology of woodpeckers, to structural features of ribosomal RNA, to freshwater invertebrates.

Student Life

Students

Students generally live on campus in residence halls. The total residence hall capacity is 1587. All students except seniors are required to live on campus. The ratio of students is 44% men, 56% women. The demographic breakdown of students (2007 statistics) were white non-Hispanic 2,005; black non-Hispanic 35; Hispanic 28; Asian & Pacific Islander 62; American Indian or Alaskan native 8; non-resident alien 27. Allegheny students come from 33 states and 25 other countries. Allegheny had a "diversity index" of .15 on a scale of .99=extremely diverse to .01=not diverse.

Students participate in volunteer activities; in 2001, its 1850 students contributed more than 30,000 hours of volunteer service to the community. Some Allegheny students volunteered to help restore businesses in hurricane-ravished New Orleans. 34% of Allegheny women belong to a sorority. Residence halls and classrooms are closed during summers. An Allegheny Student Government has an active role in formulating college policy, curriculum choices, personal conduct, promoting cultural programs, and making decisions about the school's calendar.

Information about students is generally kept private in keeping with the 1974 "Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act" which prohibits colleges from releasing information about their students without student permission. Accordingly, parents can not learn about their son's or daughter's grades unless a waiver is signed permitting release of such information. The privacy policy can sometimes lead to problems, particularly when students have mental health problems but the school is prevented legally from contacting parents. In 2002, one Allegheny student committed suicide, and his parents sued the school; a jury in 2006 found that the school was not liable or negligent. This case helped focus national attention on the competing issues of student privacy and parental rights.

Campus security has 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night escort service, lighted pathways and sidewalks, controlled residence hall access, and 24-hour emergency telephones. Health service is offered. Despite proximity to the snowbelt, snow rarely shuts down the town of Meadville or the college.

Official college policy is to discourage underage (less than 21 years) drinking, although there have been incidents of violations at off-campus parties. Incoming students are required to take an online course about the dangers of alcohol abuse. The school punishes transgressions with disciplinary action.

Allegheny has fraternities Delta Tau Delta, Phi Delta Theta, Phi Kappa Psi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and Theta Chi; and sororities Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Delta Pi, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Delta Delta Delta.

Media

Students run a campus radio station WARC-FM and a publication called "The Allegheny Review" of undergraduate literature. The college hosts outside speakers. Allegheny has numerous student groups and organizations such as an astronomy club, a College Choir, an Outing Club, and a Peace Coalition. There are over 100 clubs and organizations offered at Allegheny. The Allegheny newspaper is called The Campus. It is distributed weekly at locations all over the college. It covers campus news, features, opinion and a wrap-up of the college sports. The Campus is entirely student-run, with an editorial board of students in charge of making all executive decisions for the publication. The Allegheny alternative magazine is called Overkill. It is tri-semester student publication distributed in unconventional locations around campus, such as in vending machines, fireplaces, and chandeliers. It features student editorials, poetry, non-fiction and fiction pieces, art, and photography with a highly distinctive design and attitude.

Allegheny has welcomed a variety of entertainers and guest speakers over the last several years including John Updike, Dave Matthews, Dick Cheney, Bill Clinton, W.D. Snodgrass, Adam Sandler, George Carlin, The Vienna Choir Boys, Rusted Root, Ben Folds, The Roots, Stephen Lynch, The Fray, Jimmy Fallon, and comedian Wayne Brady. There have been "live" art shows in which invited artists, over an eight-hour period, created 10-by-10-foot "drawings" on gallery walls while spectators watched.

Sports

Allegheny belongs to the North Coast Athletic Conference and has NCAA Division III teams. Men's sports are baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, and track & field. Women's sports are basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. Sports facilities include the Wise Center and the Robertson Complex. Seventy five percent of students play intramural sports.

Traditions

One tradition is that a female student is not a "real co-ed" until she's been kissed on the thirteenth plank of the Rustic bridge over the stream. There is competition among residence halls during Orientation Week to steal the thirteenth plank and display it; maintenance keeps a supply of replacement planks on hand.

Career Placement

Allegheny has a career services department. Sometimes counselors advise graduates not to pursue graduate school, depending on the situation; one director noted that "college graduates can expect to switch jobs 10 to 14 times in their lifetime" and can expect "five to seven career shifts" and graduate school may not be necessary.

Still, over 80% of Allegheny graduates are expected to enroll in a graduate program within five years after leaving Allegheny. About 92% of graduates seeking employment are hired within eight months of graduation. In 2008, the school estimates there are approximately 22,000 living alumni.

Administration

Location and Transportation

Allegheny is located in northwestern Pennsylvania north of Pittsburgh, east of Cleveland, and south of Erie, in the town of Meadville, Pennsylvania. The school's main address is 520 North Main Street, Meadville, PA 16335. The phone number is (814) 332-3100. Allegheny is located near interstate highway 79; in addition, there is bus service to nearby cities such as Cleveland, Erie, and Pittsburgh.

Facilities

The campus has 36 principal buildings on a 77 acre central campus, a outdoor recreational complex, and a nature preserve and protected forest.

• The Pelletier library (in 2008) had 922,540 volumes (491,284 microform titles). Another estimate was that the library had 420,000 bound volumes, 227,000 microform titles, 1,000 periodicals, and 261,000 U.S. government and Pennsylvania state documents. The library has noteworthy Americana and Ida Tarbell collections. A computer lab, audiovisual center, and music listening system are there too. It is named after past president Lawrence L. Pelletier who served from 1955 to 1980.

• There's a planetarium and observatory.

• Allegheny has a campus-wide computer network including Intel-based PCs, free Internet access, email accounts.

• The Allegheny College Center for Experiential Learning or ACCEL coordinates non-credit career internships, off-campus study programs, service-learning, pre-professional advising, and leadership development.

• A Counseling Center offers guidance for students in adjusting to student life.

• Winslow Health Center is staffed by a registered nurse and offers routine diagnosis and treatment; "when necessary, students are referred to specialists in Meadville" -- it's located in Shultz Hall and is open from 8am to 4pm weekdays.

• The main dining facility is in Brooks Hall, and students can also dine at McKinley in the student center. There have been efforts by students to encourage a relationship between the food services and local farmers. Allegheny won a $79,545 grant in May 2009 to buy equipment to help with composting food waste, including a shredder mill, screening plant, conveyor, skid-steer loader and leaf collection system.

• A newly built Vukovich communications arts building featuring a garden roof for energy efficiency and beauty was completed in 2008 at a cost of $23 million. Robert Vukovich (1965) and Laura Vukovich made a substantial donation of $22 million in February 2001, part of which was used to construct the building. Allegheny has its own cable TV channels and a state-of-the-art television studio.

• Center for Political Participation. In 2007 there was controversy when Allegheny professors started the Soapbox Alliance to oppose politicians of any political party from using colleges as a backdrop for their rallies. Allegheny enacted a policy in 2006 "requiring any political candidate or a surrogate such as a spouse, son or daughter, to provide an equal number of tickets to supporters and students." The initiative grew out of discontent over a speaking engagement at Allegheny in 2004 by then Vice president Dick Cheney which only allowed GOP-supporters to attend.

• Henderson Campus Center was recently renovated and includes a food court-style eatery, McKinley's, a bookstore, a game room, Grounds for Change—the student-run coffeehouse, a post office, and offices of various student organizations.

• Also included in the Henderson Campus Center are the Bowman, Penelac & Megahan Art Galleries. Allegheny has auctioned art at times to raise money to renovate other projects, such as the college's Doane School of Art.

• Sports facilities include a $13 million sports fitness center which opened in 1997.

• A Women's Center was established in 2003 to be a resource for research on gender issues and women's history.

• The college established the Center for Economic and Environmental Development in 1997.

• The Learning Commons, located in the Pelletier Library, has a staff to help students with research and study skills as well as disability services. Peer consultants help with writing, public speaking, and technology projects. Tutors are available in biology, chemistry, economics, languages, math, physics, psychology and statistics. The Learning Commons also helps with new student orientation and advising.

Finances

In 2009, Allegheny's endowment was estimated to be $157 million In fiscal year 2007, Allegheny had revenues from tuition and fees of $33,149,074, government grants and contracts of $1,091,068, private gifts grants and contracts of $8,925,845 and an investment return of $31,748,504, and other core revenues of $1,040,120.Expenses included instruction $19,442,708, research $966,394, academic support $6,040,548, student service $2,029,686, and institution support $9,766,374.

Administration and Staff

There are approximately 150 administration and staff personnel in 2008. The president (as of August 2009) is James H. Mullen Jr. The staff breakdown is as follows: 157 full-time employees doing instruction, research, and public service; 43 executive, administrative, and managerial personnel; 103 other professionals (support/service); 9 technical and paraprofessionals; 68 clerical and secretarial employees; 12 skilled craftspersons; and 27 service & maintenance staff. In addition, part-time staff included 36 instructors, 23 other professionals, 10 secretaries, and 4 service and maintenance staff. Of the 157 full-time faculty, 87 have tenure, and 41 are on a tenure track. The average salaries of professors (in 2007) was $83K, associate professors was $63K, assistant professors was $51K, instructors was $38K. Allegheny is a member of the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium, or HEDS, in which member institutions share information relating to improvement of higher education.

Presidents of Allegheny College

1. Timothy Alden, D.D. 1815-1831

2. Martin Ruter, D.D. 1833-1837

3. Homer J. Clark, D.D. 1837-1847

4. John Barker, D.D. 1847-1860

5. George Loomis, D.D. 1860-1875

6. Lucius H. Bugbee, D.D. 1875-1882

7. David H. Wheeler, D.D., LL.D. 1883-1888

8. Wilbur G. Williams, D.D. 1888-1889

9. David H. Wheeler, D.D., LL.D. 1889-1893

10. William H. Crawford, D.D., LL.D. 1893-1920

11. Fred W. Hixson, D.D., LL.D. 1920-1924

12. James Albert Beebe, D.D., LL.D. 1926-1930

13. William Pearson Tolley, D.D., Ph.D., LL.D 1931-1942

14. John Richie Schultz, Ph.D., LL.D. 1942-1947

15. Louis T. Benezet, Ph.D. 1948-1955

16. Lawrence Lee Pelletier, Ph.D., LL.D. 1955-1980

17. David Baily Harned, Ph.D. 1980-1985

18. Raymond P. Shafer, J.D., LL.D. 1985-1986

19. Daniel F. Sullivan, Ph.D. 1986-1996

20. Richard J. Cook, Ph.D. 1996-2008

21. James H. Mullen, Jr., Ed.D. 2008-Present

Notable alumni

• William B. Allison - U.S. Senator from Iowa
• Glenn Beckert - former Major League Baseball second baseman for the Chicago Cubs.
• Ben Burtt - Academy Award winning sound designer; (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and WALL-E)
• Tony Cardinali, VP of Arthus Murray International.
• Raymond Lysowski - World War II bombardier and Silver Life Master contract bridge player.
• Robert J. Corbett, U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania
• Aylett R. Cotton, U.S. Representative from Iowa
• George M. Davison - Inventor & CEO of Davison, holds four patents
• Clarence Darrow - noted American lawyer
• Valentino Achak Deng - Lost Boy of Darfur, and subject of the book What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng by Dave Eggers.
• Rich Dohr music director and pianist for The Eagles and Don Henley.
• Robert Dowling - surgeon who performed the first fully implantable artificial heart implementation in a human patient.
• Budd Dwyer - former Pennsylvania State Treasurer.
• Orville Nelson Hartshorn - founder of Mount Union College.
• Daniel Brodhead Heiner - US Congressman from Pennsylvania
• Michelle Henry (1991) - District Attorney of Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
• Timothy Hoffman cardiovascular surgeon.
• Gene Hong - Writer of ABC's The Goode Family, Actor and Producer
• Specs Howard - founder of Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts
• Susan Lanna - Carnegie librarian, graduated 1994
• Lloyd Lowndes, Jr. - 43rd Governor of Maryland, 1896 - 1900, member of House of Representatives for Maryland's 6th congressional district, 1873 - 1875
• Benjamin F. Martin (1854) member of House of Representatives for West Virginia's 2nd congressional district, 1877 - 1881
• Russ McKelvy - former Major League Baseball player.
• William McKinley - 25th President of the United States.
• Richard Murphy (1971) - Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer.
• Michelle Pawk - actress, 2003 Tony Award Winner for Best Featured Actress in a Play (Hollywood Arms). Attended Allegheny for two years(1980-1982).
• Trent Reznor (1983) - musician, sole full-time member of Nine Inch Nails.
• Barbara Robinson - author, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever' (1972) and The Best School Year Ever (1994)
• Michael Ryan - youngest Cleveland municipal court magistrate.
• Raymond P. Shafer (1938) - former Governor of Pennsylvania, (1967-1971).
• Josh Sharpless (2003) - relief pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates
• Richard Saunders (D. Phil.) - Senior Investigator, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
• Paul Siple (1932) - an Antarctic explorer and the originator of the wind chill factor.
• Alex Steffen (1990) - Award-winning environmental journalist
• Ida M. Tarbell (1880) - author, journalist, and muckraker. Published famous exposé on the Standard Oil Company.
• Jeff Verszyla - chief weather forecaster, KDKA TV
• Erastus Wentworth (1850) - Methodist Episcopal minister.
• Bradley Roland Will - 1970-2006 U.S. anarchist and journalist.
• Rob Wonderling - Member, Pennsylvania State Senate since 2003.
• Mike Veon - Member, Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

External links

• Official website
• Interactive tour
• Campus map

References

1. [1]