DePauw University

Indiana Asbury University was founded in 1837 in Greencastle, Indiana, and was named after Francis Asbury , the first American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church . The people of Greencastle raised $25,000 to entice the Methodists to establish the college in Greencastle, which was little more than a village at the time. It was originally established as an all-men's school but began admitting women in 1867. [ 9 ] East College seen in the 1879 Atlas. In 1884 Indiana Asbury University changed its name to DePauw University in honor of Washington C. DePauw , who made a sequence of substantial donations throughout the 1870s, which culminated in his largest single donation that established the School of Music during 1884. [ 10 ] Before his death in 1887, DePauw donated over $600,000 to Indiana Asbury, equal to around $17 million in 2021. In 2002, the school received the largest-ever gift to a liberal arts college, $128 million by the Holton family. Subsequently, in 2024, DePauw received a $200 million gift that combined a $150 million anonymous donation with an additional $50 million in matching funds from other donors. [ 11 ] Sigma Delta Chi, known today as the Society of Professional Journalists , was founded at the college in 1909 by a group of student journalists, including Eugene C. Pulliam . The world's first Greek-letter sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta , was also founded at DePauw in 1870. DePauw is home to the two longest continually running fraternity chapters in the world: the Delta chapter of Beta Theta Pi and the Lambda chapter of Phi Gamma Delta . [ 12 ] During World War II , DePauw University was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission. [ 13 ] As of July 2020, Lori White , previously vice chancellor for student affairs at Washington University in St. Louis , is the 21st president of DePauw University.

[ 14 ] White is the first woman and African American to serve as President of DePauw University. [ 15 ]

Quick facts Location, Area ... East College of DePauw University U.S. National Register of Historic Places Tower of East College Location 300 Simpson St., Greencastle, Indiana Area 4 acres (1.6 ha) Built 1869 ( 1869 ) NRHP reference number "}]]}">No. 75000047 [ 16 ] Added to NRHP September 25, 1975 Close DePauw University is located approximately 45 mi (72 km) west of Indianapolis . Its campus consists of 36 major buildings spread out over a 695-acre (281 ha) campus that includes a 520-acre (210 ha) nature park, and there are 11 residence halls , 4 theme houses, and 31 college-owned houses and apartments spread throughout the campus. The oldest building on campus, East College , was built in 1877 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . DePauw also owns McKim Observatory . Centrally located, the cornerstone for the building was laid on October 20, 1871. The building hosted commencement exercises in June 1874, and in September 1875 all college classes were moved to the building, according to the book, DePauw Through the Years . But work on East College continued until 1882 when the building's basement was completed. [ 17 ] East College was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. DePauw has two libraries: Roy O. West Library (main library) and the Music Library (located in the Green Center for Performing Arts). Library holdings include approximately 350,000 books; 22,000 videos; 1,000 print periodical titles; access to over 20,000 electronic titles; 450,000 government documents; newspapers; and online databases .

DePauw's liberal arts education gives students a chance to gain general knowledge beyond their direct area of study by taking classes outside their degrees and engaging in Winter Term classes and trips. Its most popular majors, by 2021 graduates, were econometrics and quantitative economics (83), speech communication and rhetoric (63), computer science (35), biochemistry (31), and psychology (27). [ 18 ] DePauw University's schedule is divided into a 4–1–4-1 calendar: besides the 15-week Autumn and Spring Semesters, there is also a 4-week Winter Term as well as a May Term. Students take one course during these terms, which are either used as a period for students to explore a subject of interest on campus or participate in off-campus domestic or international internship programs, service trips, or international trips and field studies. One survey of DePauw students found that over 80% of DePauw graduates studied abroad. [ 19 ] DePauw University has a student-faculty ratio of 10:1 and an average class size of 17 students. [ 20 ] Admissions DePauw's admissions are considered "more selective" by U.S. News & World Report . As of 2023, the average newly enrolled student had a 3.97 GPA , an SAT score between 1160 and 1420, and an ACT score between 24 and 31. Besides standardized test scores, the university considers an applicant's GPA very important, high school class rank when available, and letters of recommendation important. [ 21 ] [ 22 ]