Beaver County occupies one small corner of Pennsylvania. Not a great metropolitan center, it has been fortunate to be the home of one very early college and three present institutions of higher learning. Students from the local school districts as well as those from out of the county and the state have profited from the academic programs of Beaver College, Geneva College, the Community College of Beaver County, and Pennsylvania State University, Beaver Campus.
Beaver College was founded in 1853 by the Methodist Episcopal Church and was first named the Beaver Female Seminary. It was located between Third and Fourth streets in Beaver."' The faculty of sixteen full-time teachers (by 1904) taught four-year courses in the classics, Latin, science, and modern languages. There were also non-degree courses.
The establishment of the college brought to Beaver strong cultural influences. The faculty was of the highest caliber, holding doctorates from the Universities of Frankfurt, Paris, and Harvard, and the Conservatory of Darmstadt. The college extended its courses in 1868 to include a musical department, and the school's name was changed to Beaver Seminary and Musical Institute. Courses in piano, pipe organ, and voice were offered. The final name change came in 1891, when the institution became Beaver Collge.
In 1895, the building was destroyed by fire and, reports Bausman, "the work of rebuilding was at once begun and on a larger and more modern plan."
However, by 1925, Beaver College lost its Methodist affiliation. Being unable to secure other financial support to sustain the college, it sold its interests in Beaver and moved to Glenside, near Jenkintown in western Pennsylvania.
Beaver School District took over the property, and it became the Beaver Senior High School. Later it became the junior high school, and presently an elementary school, when a new high school was built in the western part of the town."'
The history of Geneva College began in 1787, when Ohio was opened for settlement following the passage of the Northwest Territory Ordinance. People from the coastal states kept coming to settle there. The Reformed Presbyterian or Covenanter Church was active in establishing higher education in the area."' James Stewart Johnston, a store-keeper, in New Richland, Ohio, suggested to his brother, the Rev. Black Johnston, a preacher in Northwood, Ohio, that he build and organize a college there. Rev. Johnston began, immediately, with a class of seven, mostly boys, using his study as the classroom. The enrollments kept increasing, and they moved the school to the church and later to the schoolhouse.
In 1847, Rev. Johnston requested that the Presbytery allow him to build and organize a college. They gave him permission but provided no money or other assistance. He began at once to erect a two-story, five-room building. The school was opened April 20, 1848, and was named Geneva Hall. The enrollment of 42 increased slowly. In 1851, the girls left Geneva Hall to enroll at the Female Seminary which had been built at the east end of the town.
With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1860, most of the students left to participate in the war, creating a severe financial problem. The school was closed in the same year and did not reopen until 1864.
Following the end of the Civil War, the school was reopened. However, the fact that the school accepted freedmen and females caused a great deal of prejudice against the school and its students. Because of this, together with the need for more students and money, it was decided to move the college to a town nearer to the center of population. Various towns were considered, and it was finally decided to move to Beaver Falls in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. Geneva Hall was re-named Geneva College in 1872.
Beaver Falls was considered an excellent location since it was near the center of population, being less than thirty miles north of Pittsburgh. Beaver Falls was also, in itself, a very progressive town, accessible to three great railroads and to the Beaver and Ohio rivers.
In 1880, Geneva College moved to Beaver Falls, and classes were held in the Reformed Presbyterian Church of that city while the finishing touches were put on Old Main - the first building on the campus. The building and ten thousand acres of land had been donated by the Economites, who felt that it would be a great advantage to the many manufacturing towns of the Beaver Valley to have a college in their vicinity.
The faculty consisted of seven men, who taught all the classes of the classical and scientific areas. These courses included philosophy, logic, Hebrew, Greek, history, English literature, rhetoric, chemistry, botany, zoology, geology, math, calculus, and astronomy. Some of the courses later added were physical education, psychology, sociology, and German.
The first graduating class in 1881 consisted of six persons: Ellen M. Johnston, Marshall R. Boals, R. M. Downie, James A. Milligan, W. E. Paxton, and Joseph M. Wylie. Over 6,000 persons attended the commencement and the picnic that followed.
In 1917, prior to World War I, the army took over the college and the enrollment increased to 1,000.
The Science Hall had been destroyed by fire in 1896 and was rebuilt in 1912. On May 11, 1914, Old Main was unroofed by a tornado. The damage necessitated alterations. At the same time the residence hall for women was remodeled and improved.
The twentieth century marked some changes in the purposes of the school. Many of the students who wished to attend higher professional schools decided to take the first two years of their study at Geneva. They would then transfer to the more specialized schools to study medicine, education, and other professional courses. Since they could live at home and the tuition at Geneva was cheaper, they were able to save considerable money. Many of the teachers in Beaver County owed their education to the fact that they could work in the daytime and attend the college at night.
The establishment in the county of the Pennsylvania State University, Beaver Campus in 1965 and the Community College of Beaver County in 1966 affected the enrollment at Geneva. Despite this fact, the goal of the college has been to maintain cooperation with these institutions and the Beaver County Council of Higher Learning. It is the aim of the college to maintain strong relationships within the local community while continuing to expand outside the county as well. Geneva has been a historic leader among Christian colleges in providing programs with particular career emphasis."'
Presidents of Geneva College from the beginning to the present are as follows: Rev. John Black Johnson, 1848-1850; Rev. William Finney George, 1850-1851; Rev. James Renwick Wilson Sloan, 1851-1853; Rev. John Calvin Knox Milligan, 1853-1858; Rev. John Calvin Smith, 1858-1864; Rev. David Strang (interim); Rev. Nathan Robinson Johnston, 1864- ?; Rev. John L. McCarthy (temporarily in charge), 1866-1867; Mr. Samuel John Crowe, 1867-187 1; Rev. William Milroy (temporarily in charge), 1871-1871; Rev. Henry Hosick George, 1871-1890; Rev. William Pollock Johnston, 1890-1907; Rev. William Henry George, 1907-1916; Rev. Renwick Harper Martin, 1916-1920; Rev. Archibald Anderson Johnston, 1920-1923; Rev. McLeod Pearce, 1923-1949; Dr. Charles Marston Lee, 1949-1956; Dr. Edwin C. Clarke 1956-1980; Dr. Donald Felker, 1980-1984; and Dr. William Joseph McFarland, 1984; Jack White, 1991-
The Community College of Beaver County was established in 1966, and classes began in the Freedom Bank Building in 1967. For the first four years of its existence the college was located there. The faculty and students were disturbed by the noises of the highway traffic, trains, river-boats and barges, and by the normal noises of a busy community.
In an effort to provide a more serene and quiet campus, it was decided to erect the college in a woodland in Center Township. By 1971 the move was made to the new campus. The week of June 6, 1971, was devoted to the dedication of the new campus."'
Five buildings were constructed. They included the Student Center, the Applied Arts, the Administrative, the Technology, and the Science Buildings. In 1972 the "Golden Dome," a gymnasium-auditorium, was built.
The college is supported by the school districts of the county. College alumni also contribute to the funding of the institution.
CCBC offers 32 majors in which students can earn associate degrees in art and in applied science, diplomas, and certificates. New programs added for the fall of 1986 were Automated and Manufacturing Technology, Correctional Security, and Tele-Communications. In the fall of 1987 Avionics and revamped Secretarial programs were added. Enrollment at the college in the 1986-1987 term totaled 2,511, which included 1, 164 full-time and 1,347 part-time students. Gwen Farmer of the State Department of Education, who evaluated the college on April 15, 1987, gave it an excellent rating."'
The presidents who have served the college are Dr. H. B. Moore, 1966-1968; Dr. John B. Hirt, 1968-1971; Dr. Richard T. Adams, 1971-1981; Dr. Terry L. Dicianna, 1981-1984; and Dr. William K. Bauer, 1985- .
Dr. Bauer has said he will continue working to fulfill the goal of the Community College of Beaver County. He says, "I look forward to the next years. We're looking to increase enrollment and maintain efforts to stay on the cutting edge of technology in our programs."
In 1964, a group of community leaders, which included the Beaver County Commissioners, James E. Ross, Eli G. Corak, and Arthur W. Pettibon, were discussing how to make the old hospital and grounds in Center Township more profitable for the county. They decided it would be a good idea to bring an institution of higher learning to Beaver County."'
The Commissioners invited Dr. Eric Walker, then president of Pennsylvania State University, and Kenneth Halderman, vice-president for the Commonwealth campuses, to inspect the area with the idea of locating a campus in the county. The Commissioners were persuasive and committed the county to providing 48 acres of land, renovating the old hospital for the university's use, and donating $600,000 toward construction of an engineering and residence facility. Pennsylvania State University officials willingly accepted the offer.
These monies enabled the university to obtain matching funds from the federal government for further building purposes. By 1968 the campus was comprised of the newly converted administrative building, a general classroom building, a library, an engineering, and a science building. To meet expansion needs, several buildings were later added; namely, a residence hall, dining room, gymnasium, student union, and laboratory.
In the fall of 1965, the Beaver Campus opened to students. In April 1965, with 97 students enrolled, Dr. Joseph Giusti was chosen to direct operations at the Beaver Campus. Associate degrees were offered.
The building program continued through 1976 with the construction of two new facilities, an additional classroom building and a community cultural center. 129
The student body increased from the original 97 students to more than 1,000 full-time students and about 900 part-time students. Faculty members increased from the original six to more than fifty. The campus has been enlarged to 94 acres.
Control of the campus was placed in the hands of an advisory board, its members drawn from civic, industrial, commercial, governmental, and professional leaders in the county. 130
Because a close bond has developed between the Beaver Campus and the Beaver County community, the entire area is increasingly enriched by an array of campus-related sports and cultural programs, from history to music, art, and drama. Campus library facilities are open to the public. Beaver Campus is a member of the Beaver County Council of Higher Learning Consortium, along with Geneva College and the Community College of Beaver County.
Dr. David B. Otto has served as director of the Pennsylvania State University Beaver Campus since 1980, succeeding Dr. Joseph P. Giusti, the first director.
In twenty years the grounds of an abandoned
hospital have been transformed from a liability into a busy university
complex that is an asset to the entire Beaver Valley.