Eastern University (United States)

Christian university in St. Davids, Pennsylvania, US

Eastern University

Former names

| Eastern College
(1972–2001)
Eastern Baptist College
(1952–1972)
Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary
(1925–1952)
Motto| Faith, Reason and Justice
Type| Private university
Established| 1925; 100 years ago (1925)
Accreditation| MSCHE

Religious affiliation

| ABCUSA
President| Ronald A. Matthews
Students| 4,429[1]
Location|

St. Davids, Pennsylvania

U.S.

Campus| Suburban, 114 acres
Colors| Maroon and white

Sporting affiliations

| NCAA Division III – MAC Commonwealth Conference
Mascot| Eagle
Website| eastern.edu

Eastern University (EU) is a private Christian university in the St. Davids, Pennsylvania area, with additional locations in Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The university offers undergraduate, graduate, and seminary programs. Eastern University is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA and has an interdenominational student body, faculty and administration.

## History

[edit]

The university has its origins in the foundation of Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1925 in Philadelphia by six Conservative Baptist pastors from the American Baptist Publication Society. [2] In 1932, a collegiate department was founded.[3] The school became a separate institution in 1952 and moved to its present St. Davids location, taking the name Eastern Baptist College.[4] In 1972, it was renamed Eastern College.[5] In 2001, the Pennsylvania Department of Education granted the institution university status and it was renamed Eastern University. In 2004, the institution's Board voted to acquire its previous parent institution and Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary became a subsidiary of Eastern University. The following year, the seminary changed its name to Palmer Theological Seminary in honor of its longest serving president, Gordon Palmer (1936–48).[6]

## Campus

[edit]

The main campus is on 114 acres just west of Philadelphia.[citation needed] It is specifically in Radnor Township.[7] It has a St. Davids postal address,[8] but is outside of (though adjacent to) the St. Davids census-designated place.[9]

It was originally a private estate, named Walmarthon, which was owned by leather tanning businessman Charles S. Walton. The size of the campus has expanded through purchases of surrounding buildings and land. The original buildings on campus were designed by locally renowned architect David Knickerbacker Boyd, in the Mediterranean style. [10][11]

Warner Memorial Library is housed in the Harold Howard Center. The Mazie Hall African American History Room contains books and memorabilia from a local educator. The Edison Room houses several drawings and artifacts which belonged to Thomas Edison.

The Bradstreet Observatory consists of twin 14.5-foot diameter domes that house 16” diameter Meade LX200 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes. This addition to Eastern’s facilities created opportunities for astronomical work and research done on campus.

In addition to the main campus in St. Davids, Eastern has additional sites in Pennsylvania: Center City, Philadelphia; City Avenue, Philadelphia; and Harrisburg.[12]

## Academics

[edit]

Eastern University offers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees in more than 100 areas of study. The university also offers undergraduate, graduate and noncredit certificates. Academic programs at the institution are housed in seven schools:

* College of Arts and Humanities
* College of Business and Leadership
* College of Education
* College of Health and Sciences
* Palmer Theological Seminary
* Templeton Honors College
* Esperanza College

## Accreditation

[edit]

Eastern University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.[5] Several programs are also accredited:

* Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
* Association of Theological Schools in the U.S. and Canada
* Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
* Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education
* Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
* Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) for the Baccalaureate Major in Social Work
* Master’s in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC)
* Association for Behavior Analysis International (Verified Course Sequence for Board Certified Behavior Analysts)
* American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB)

## Student media

[edit]

The Waltonian is Eastern University’s student-run newspaper. It is published monthly, and covers university, national, and international news. [13]

Inklings is Eastern University's student-run literary magazine. It is published annually and features poetry, short stories, and photography. [14]

Eastern is the magazine of Eastern University. It serves as a connection between the campus community of students, faculty, staff and administration and its alumni, trustees, friends, donors, parents and neighbors.

## Athletics

[edit]

Eastern Eagles wordmark

The school's sports teams are called the Eagles and are Division III members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).[15] Eastern University joined the Middle Atlantic Conferences (commonly referred to as the MAC) in 2008.[16]

Sports include men's and women's soccer, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's volleyball, men's and women's lacrosse, men's baseball, women's field hockey, women's flag football, men's football, women's softball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's golf, and cross country.[17] Eastern began fielding a football team in 2022 as an NCAA Division III independent and began playing in the MAC in 2023.[18] Women's flag football was added in the 2024–25 school year,[19] competing in the Division III Atlantic East Conference.[20]

In 2002, senior Andrea Collesidis broke an NCAA scoring record for women's lacrosse.[21][22][23][24]

## Notable people

[edit]

### Alumni

[edit]

* Morgan Hikaru Aiken, professional basketball player
* Imani Barbarin, writer and disability rights activist
* Tony Campolo, sociologist and pastor
* Shane Claiborne, author, prominent figure in New Monasticism movement, founder of The Simple Way[25]
* Carolivia Herron, scholar of African-American Judaica
* Willie J. Hill Jr., bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church
* Doug Mastriano, politician and retired military officer
* Jamie Moffett, film director, producer, and social activist
* Richard Muenz, actor and singer
* Marvin Rees, mayor of Bristol, England
* Brandon 'Scoop B' Robinson, sports writer, radio host, television personality most notably with CBS Sports Radio[26]
* Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative[27]
* Regina Young, member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

### Faculty

[edit]

* Phillip Cary, philosophy professor, philosopher, Augustine scholar, and author (retired) [28]
* Peter Enns, history of religions professor, scholar, author
* Wilson Goode, professor emeritus and former mayor of Philadelphia
* Christopher Hall, emeritus professor, Episcopalian theologian
* Ron Sider, professor, activist, author, and founder/president emeritus of Evangelicals for Social Action[29]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Univstats, Eastern Student Population, univstats.com, USA, retrieved February 17, 2023
2. ^ William H. Brackney, Congregation and Campus: Baptists in Higher Education, Mercer University Press, USA, 2008, p. 295
3. ^ Randall Herbert Balmer, Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism: Revised and expanded edition, Baylor University Press, USA, 2004, p. 223
4. ^ Praeger, American Universities and Colleges, 19th Edition [2 Volumes]: Nineteenth Edition, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 1121
5. ^ a b "Eastern University". Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
6. ^ "Palmer Theological Seminary - About - Doctrinal Statement - Chrisitan Community". palmerseminary.edu. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
7. ^ "2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Radnor township, PA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. p. 1 (PDF p. 2/3). Retrieved April 10, 2024. "Eastern Univ"
8. ^ "Home". Eastern University. Retrieved May 10, 2024. "1300 Eagle Road St. Davids, PA 19087-3696"
9. ^ "2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: St. Davids CDP, PA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
10. ^ "A Short History of Eastern University | Eastern University".
11. ^ "'Walmarthon'".
12. ^ "Campus and Sites - Eastern University". eastern.edu. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
13. ^ "The Waltonian". The Waltonian.
14. ^ "Inklings Literary Magazine". Inklings Literary Magazine.
15. ^ "NCAA Directory - Directory - Member Listing". web3.ncaa.org. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
16. ^ "Middle Atlantic Conference". gomacsports.com. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
17. ^ "Eastern University Eagles - Eastern University". goeasterneagles.com. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
18. ^ "Eastern to add football". d3football.com. Presto Sports. September 15, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
19. ^ "Ruller to Lead Flag Football" (Press release). Eastern Eagles. June 20, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
20. ^ "Atlantic East Conference Makes History with Launch of First-Ever NCAA Women's Flag Football Season" (Press release). Atlantic East Conference. February 26, 2025. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
21. ^ "Eastern hoops player breaks NCAA all-time lax goals mark". April 18, 2002. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
22. ^ "2002 Women's Lacrosse Archives". CSAC. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
23. ^ "NCAA Lacrosse: Women's Division III Records" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
24. ^ O'Loughlin, Kathy. "Main Line History: Test your knowledge of Main Line colleges, Part II". Retrieved September 20, 2017.[permanent dead link]
25. ^ "People of the simple way". Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
26. ^ Rzeppa, Brian (May 25, 2016). "Former Nets Radio Prodigy Brandon Robinson Catches on at CBS Sports". Nothin' But Nets. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
27. ^ "Who We Are". Archived from the original on July 16, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
28. ^ https://templeton.eastern.edu/news/dr-cary-retiring
29. ^ "Ron Sider". Archived from the original on August 13, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2016.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Boehlke, Frederick (2003). Faith, Reason And Justice: The First 50 Years of Eastern University. Exton, Pennsylvania: Apple Press. ISBN 978-0-9674912-3-3.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eastern University (United States).

* Official website
* Athletics website

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