Carroll University

Private college in Waukesha, Wisconsin, US

Not to be confused with Carroll College.

Carroll University

Former name

| Carroll College (1846–2008)
Motto| Christo et Litteris

Motto in English

| For Christ and Learning
Type| Private university
Established| January 31, 1846; 179 years ago (1846-01-31)

Religious affiliation

| Presbyterian Church (USA)
Endowment| $73.6 million (2020)[1]
President| Cindy Gnadinger
Provost| Mark Blegen

Academic staff

| 136 full-time, 269 part-time

Administrative staff

| 96
Students| 3,283 (fall 2022)[2]
Undergraduates| 2,771 (fall 2022)
Postgraduates| 512 (fall 2022)
Location|

Waukesha

Wisconsin

United States

43°0′13″N 88°13′40″W﻿ / ﻿43.00361°N 88.22778°W﻿ / 43.00361; -88.22778
Campus| 137 acres (55 ha)
Colors|
Orange, white, and blue
Nickname| Pioneers

Sporting affiliations

| NCAA Division III – CCIW
Mascot| Pio Pete
Website| carrollu.edu

Carroll University is a private university in Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States. It was established in 1846 as Wisconsin's first four-year institution of higher learning. The university is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA).

## History

[edit]

Prior to its establishment, what is now Carroll University was Prairieville Academy which was founded in 1841. Its charter—named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence—was passed into law by the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature on January 31, 1846.[3] During the 1860s, the American Civil War and financial difficulty caused Carroll to temporarily suspend operations.

The board of trustees voted unanimously to change the institution's name from Carroll College to Carroll University effective July 1, 2008.

### Presidents

[edit]

* John Adams Savage: 1850–1863
* Rensellaer B. Hammond: 1863–1864
* Walter L. Rankin: 1866–1871*, 1893–1903
* Wilbur Oscar Carrier: 1903–1917
* Herbert Pierpoint Houghton: 1918–1920
* William Arthur Ganfield: 1921–1939
* Gerrit T. Vander Lugt: 1940–1946
* Nelson Vance Russell: 1946–1951
* Robert D. Steele: 1952–1967
* John T. Middaugh: 1967–1970
* Robert V. Cramer: 1971–1988
* Dan C. West: 1988–1992
* Frank S. Falcone: 1993–2006
* Douglas N. Hastad: 2006–2017
* Cindy Gnadinger: 2017-

* Between July 31, 1871, and June 22, 1893, no college work was carried on. While the charter retained the college privileges, teaching was on the academy level. College work was resumed and the office of the presidency was filled again in 1893.

## Campus

[edit]

The campus is home to a variety of nineteenth and early 20th century historical buildings, including Sneeden House (a 1922 colonial home now used as a guesthouse and conference center) and MacAllister Hall (a renovated, 19th-century mansion that now houses offices for the CFO, English, modern language, computational and physical sciences, chemistry, and the Division of Arts and Sciences).[4]

## Academics

[edit]

Rankin Hall

Michael and Mary Jaharis Science Laboratories

Carroll University offers more than 95 areas of study at the undergraduate level, with master's degrees and certificates in selected subjects, as well as one clinical doctorate program in physical therapy. Its most popular undergraduate majors, based on number, out of 580 graduates in 2022, were:[5]

* Exercise Science and Kinesiology (105)
* Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse (100)
* Psychology (37)
* Biology/Biological Sciences (36)
* Business Administration and Management (33)
* Elementary Education and Teaching (31)

Carroll University ranked 31st in Regional Universities Midwest in U.S. News & World Report 2022 America's Best Colleges.[6] In 2018, Forbes ranked Carroll 594th among 650 colleges in the United States.[7] In 2018, Money Magazine ranked Carroll 613th among 727 colleges in the United States.

## Traditions

[edit]

Since the 1960s, bagpipes have been a part of Carroll's opening convocation and commencement ceremony. Freshmen are escorted to their first assembly by a lone bagpiper, and upon graduation are led to commencement by a band of bagpipers.[8]

## Athletics

[edit]

Carroll Pioneers wordmark Schneider Stadium, home to Carroll football, soccer, and lacrosse teams

Carroll athletic teams are the Pioneers. The university is a member of the Division III level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) since the 2016–17 academic year; which they were a member on a previous stint from 1955–56 to 1992–93.

Carroll competes in 23 intercollegiate varsity sports. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis and track & field (indoor and outdoor); while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball.

### Football

[edit]

See also: List of Carroll Pioneers head football coaches

The college football program at Carroll began in the late 1890s. Past head coaches include Glenn Thistlethwaite, Vince DiFrancesca, and Matty Bell. The current coach is Mike Budziszewski, who replaced Mark Krzykowski after the 2019 season.[9]

## Student newspaper

[edit]

The New Perspective (TNP) is a student newspaper at Carroll University. The paper is published every other Tuesday during the academic year, except during holidays, semester breaks, and exam periods. Its circulation is 1,500. The New Perspective is free and distributed throughout the campus and city. The paper was founded in 1874 as the Carroll Echo.[10] In 1968, the name of the paper was changed to The Perspective. In 1976, Gary Stevens, the faculty advisor for the newspaper, suggested the editor-in-chief position be replaced with an editorial staff. The Student Senate approved the idea. With this change came another name change, to The New Perspective.

## Notable alumni

[edit]

Main article: List of Carroll University alumni

* Steven Burd, former chairman and president of Safeway[11]
* Howard Fuller, civil rights activist[12]
* Donald Goerke, inventor of Spaghetti-Os[13]

## Notable faculty

[edit]

* Cardon V. Burnham, composer
* Edward Daniels, abolitionist & U.S. Civil War cavalry officer
* Jeffrey Douma, current Yale University music professor and choir director
* Edward Payson Evans, historian & linguist
* Tamara Grigsby, Wisconsin State Representative
* Ray Wendland, petrochemist
* Viola S. Wendt, poet

## References

[edit]

1. ^ As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
2. ^ "Carroll University". Retrieved August 9, 2023.
3. ^ "Carroll College". Wisconsin Historical Society. 2017-08-08. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
4. ^ "MacAllister: A History of Haunts"
5. ^ "Carroll University". nces.ed.gov/college navigator. U.S. Dept of Education. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
6. ^ "Regional University Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on 2015-03-11. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
7. ^ "America's Top Colleges Ranking 2015: Carroll University". Forbes, July 29, 2015.
8. ^ [1][dead link]
9. ^ "Football Coaches". Carroll University Athletics. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
10. ^ Fowler, Dorothy Ganfield (Dec 1945). "Wisconsin's Carroll College". The Wisconsin Magazine of History. 29 (2): 137–156\. JSTOR 4631744.
11. ^ Somerville, Heather (2013-01-02). "Safeway CEO Steve Burd to retire". The Mercury News. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
12. ^ "Howard Fuller". Education Research Alliance for New Orleans. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
13. ^ Fox, Margalit (2010-01-14). "Donald Goerke, Creator of SpaghettiOs, Dies at 83". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-05-31.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carroll University.

* Official website
* Athletics website

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Colleges and universities in Wisconsin

Private
institutions|

* Alverno
* Beloit
* Carroll
* Carthage
* Concordia
* Edgewood
* Lakeland
* Lawrence
* Maranatha
* Marian
* Marquette
* Medical College of Wisconsin
* Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
* Milwaukee School of Engineering
* Mount Mary
* Ripon
* St. Norbert
* Viterbo
* Wisconsin Lutheran
* Wisconsin School of Professional Psychology

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|

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Tribal institutions|

* College of Menominee Nation
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Defunct|

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College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

Full members|

* Augustana (IL) Vikings
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* Carthage Firebirds
* Elmhurst Bluejays
* Illinois Wesleyan Titans
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* North Central (IL) Cardinals
* North Park Vikings
* Wheaton Thunder

Bowling affiliates|

* Aurora Spartans
* Lakeland Muskies
* Marian Sabres

Football affiliate|

* Washington University Bears (leaving in 2026)

Lacrosse affiliates|

* Chicago Maroons (women only)
* Dubuque Spartans (men and women)

Men's volleyball affiliate|

* Loras Duhawks

Wrestling affiliates|

* Aurora Spartans (men and women)
* Concordia Falcons (men only)
* Lakeland Muskies (men and women)
* MSOE Raiders (men only)

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Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities

Milwaukee
area|

* Alverno
* Concordia University Wisconsin
* Marquette
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* Mount Mary
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Wisconsin
area|

* Beloit
* Carroll
* Carthage
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* Lawrence
* Marian (WI)
* Ripon (WI)
* St. Norbert
* Viterbo

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Colleges and universities in the Milwaukee metropolitan area

Four-year colleges|

* Alverno
* Carthage
* Carroll
* Concordia
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* Medical College of Wisconsin
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* MSOE
* Mount Mary
* UWM
* UW–Parkside
* Wis. Lutheran

Two-year colleges|

* Gateway Tech
* MATC
* UWM–Washington Co.
* UWM–Waukesha
* Waukesha Tech

Authority control databases |

* ISNI

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