Waynesburg University is a private, Christian, liberal arts college. It offers graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations and enrolls over 2,100 students, including about 1,300 undergraduates. The university emphasizes leadership and service in its students.
Waynesburg University and the town it is located in are named for the Revolutionary War hero, General “Mad” Anthony Wayne. The College was created by combining the assets of Greene Academy in Carmichaels, Pennsylvania, and Madison College at Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Greene Academy, closely tied to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, was founded in 1849 by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church to bring higher education to those of limited means, especially those called to Christian Ministry. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania chartered Waynesburg College on March 25, 1850.
Waynesburg University is a Christian, Liberal Arts college related to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Waynesburg, PA. It provides opportunities, through scholarship in the liberal arts and professional development programs, for lives of leadership and service. The Judeo-Christian principles on which the College was founded continue to guide the institution. Waynesburg University seeks to instill respect for this heritage and to provide an academic foundation for lifelong learning and compassionate contributions to others. Directed by its Christian values, the university pledges to provide the means and the inspiration by which students can pursue lives of purpose. The Paul R. Stewart Museum at Waynesburg College collections include local Native-American prehistoric artifacts, fine examples of the Greensboro-New Geneva pottery, early American glass, and an excellent mineral and rock collection. Established by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1849, Waynesburg University currently maintains a relationship with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Although the university and the church are institutions with their own sovereign purposes, Waynesburg University values its Christian identity as a Presbyterian-related college. Specifically affiliated with the Synod of the Trinity, Waynesburg University seeks to enhance its partnership with the Synod, Presbyteries, and individual churches. Waynesburg University strives to provide a quality liberal arts education directed by historical Judeo-Christian perspectives and values. At the same time, Waynesburg University provides an education that is sensitive to the changing issues and problems confronting today’s societies based on a Biblical, Christian, and Reformed worldview. Waynesburg University seeks to nurture in its students a commitment to their calling as students, family members, citizens, and church members. Recognizing the diversity of theological traditions within historic Christianity, particularly the Presbyterian Church, the Waynesburg University community provides free discussion and exchange of ideas to enhance the nurture of its members in faith and obedience. Effort is also made to provide services and an environment conducive to development and maturity as people who are created in the image of God.
Programs are provided to develop individuals spiritually, socially, emotionally, intellectually, physically, and as citizens. Academic group Bible studies and opportunities for campus-wide programs are offered. Service projects for student organizations and individual volunteers reflect a Christian concern for those in need. Worship experiences are also provided for the entire campus community, which reflect various ecclesiastical traditions and experiences. The university also makes available programs on its campus to various local churches to enhance the people and programs of those congregations. At the heart of Waynesburg University are its faculty and staff. Special care is taken to create a community of people who embody the values and perspectives of the Judeo-Christian tradition in their teaching, personal lives, and student relationships. Although not required to be members of any particular denomination, faculty and staff are expected to support the university's mission and its expression in particular goals and objectives. Although committed to its mission, Waynesburg University affirms the admission of students regardless of religious commitment or membership. Students who enter Waynesburg University should be aware of the central mission and goals of the university and choose to enroll in full knowledge of the type of institution it is and hopes to be.
Graduating women
In 1857, Waynesburg University (then Waynesburg College) made history by becoming one of the first colleges in Pennsylvania to confer degrees upon women. A marker is located at the University commemorating this auspicious occasion in their history.
Another First
The first televised college football game occurred during the “experimental” era of television’s broadcasting history, when a game between Fordham University and Waynesburg College was broadcast on September 30, 1939, from W2XBS on Randall’s Island. So how did it come to pass that NBC televised the Waynesburg-Fordham game? If you were a sports producer selecting which college game would be one of the first to televise, it was a sure bet to do a Fordham game because the school was one of the nation’s football powerhouses then.
If you were an NBC engineer doing a site survey, Fordham and N.Y.U. Games were high on the list because they were the only games the mobile units could pick up and re-broadcast from the Empire State transmitter. Who saw the game on television that day?
The W2XBS broadcast signal had about a 50-mile radius. The fans in Waynesburg couldn’t see the Waynesburg- Fordham game because, according to an article in the Waynesburg College student newspaper The Yellow Jacket, “...the science of television has not been perfected to the point where the broadcast can carry any great distance.” Waynesburg is about 50 miles south of Pittsburgh, PA. So, who saw the game? Estimates say there were about 1,000 sets in the New York metropolitan area that September. While most television receivers were in homes, they were also in hotels, taverns, schools, churches, and stores.
Notable moments
Michael “Mo” Scarry, former defensive line coach for the Miami Dolphins, was one of the Waynesburg players. According to Scarry, about half of the players tripped over the wires along the field that day. Waynesburg’s Bobby Brooks entered the TV sports history book by running for 63 yards and scoring the first televised touchdown of the game. Of course, there was no instant replay then to see how a 153-pound back got through the Fordham line.
Museums or Landmarks
