Delaware Valley University

Delaware Valley University
Former names
 National Farm School (1896–1948)
National Agricultural College (1948–1960)
Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture (1960–1989)
Delaware Valley College (1989–2015)
Type Private
Established 1896
Endowment $30 million
President Maria Gallo
Undergraduates 1,700 full-time
Postgraduates 250
Location Doylestown, Pennsylvania, United States
Colors Green      Gold     
Nickname Aggies
Mascot Ram
Website www.delval.edu

Delaware Valley University (DelVal) is a private university in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1896, it enrolls approximately 1,800 students on its suburban, 570-acre campus.[1] DelVal offers more than 25 undergraduate majors, six master's programs, a doctoral program, and a variety of adult education courses.

History

Delaware Valley University opened in 1896 as the National Farm School and offered a three-year curriculum teaching "science with practice" [2] on the school's own farm in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Its founder and first president, Joseph Krauskopf, was an activist Reform rabbi who, inspired by discussions with Leo Tolstoy, hoped to train Jewish immigrants to the United States as farmers. In its early years the school's main private funder was the Federation of Jewish Charities of Philadelphia, but the institution also received funding from the state of Pennsylvania and was open to men from all ethnic and religious backgrounds. It first admitted women in 1969.[3][4]

The school opened with only two teachers and eight students, but by 1904 enrollment had grown to 45. Following the Second World War, the school became a four-year college and added additional academic programs, changing its name to Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture (1960). It added its first graduate programs in 1998.[3][4]

In 2011, the college dedicated a 398-acre Gemmill Campus in Jamison, Pennsylvania, after a gift from the Gemmill family of land and money in order to further the college's strategic plan.

In December 2014, the college was granted university status. A few months later, its name changed to Delaware Valley University on April 8, 2015.[5]

Enrollment

The school currently enrolls about 1,700 full-time undergraduates and more than 300 part-time students in the college's evening college, weekend college, and graduate programs.[6]

Academics

The university is organized into four schools and colleges: School of Agriculture and Environmental Science, School of Life and Physical Science, School of Business and Humanities, and School of Graduate and Professional Studies.

DelVal, as it is commonly called, had a for-credit employment program that required students to work 500 hours in an area of their major; however, this program is now evolving into a more comprehensive experiential learning program, called E360. The program is part of the college’s legacy of linking theoretical learning with practical training. Each department at the college is incorporating E360 into its curriculum.[7]

Many graduates of Delaware Valley University take positions with the pharmaceutical and food industries, work in government or business, go on to become veterinarians or start their own companies.[8]

Undergraduate

Delaware Valley University offers 26 bachelor's degrees and two associate degrees in three schools: the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, the School of Business and Humanities, and School of Life and Physical Sciences. Delaware Valley University has five other non-major programs and pre-professional programs.[9]

DelVal also offers an Honors Program that gives students the opportunity to have smaller classes, individualized their program, study more closely with faculty, and study abroad.[10]

Graduate

The School of Graduate and Professional Studies offers six master's degrees – counseling psychology, policy studies, educational leadership, special education, teaching and learning, and an MBA – as well as a doctoral degree in educational leadership.[11][12]

Continuing and Professional Studies

The Office of Continuing and Professional Studies offers several for credit degrees and certificates along with noncredit options.[13]

Campus life

Roth Center for Sustainable Agriculture

For the 2014–15 academic year, DelVal launched a program that allows students to have small pets in one of the residence halls. Students, working with faculty and staff, created the pet-friendly program. In its second year, the program will expand to other residence halls.[14]

Athletics

DelVal fields 22 men’s and women’s teams in Division III of the NCAA.[15] DelVal is affiliated with the MAC Freedom of the Middle Atlantic Conferences.[16]

Men's Sports:[17] Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Lacrosse, Soccer, Tennis, Track & Field (Indoor & Outdoor), and Wrestling.

Women's Sports:[17] Basketball, Cheerleading, Cross Country, Field Hockey, Golf, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, Track & Field (Indoor & Outdoor), and Volleyball.

DelVal has a year-round program of intramural sports including flag football, basketball and softball, one-day tournaments, a 100-miles run club, horseshoes and dodge ball.

The school is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA), where members can compete in both Hunt Seat and Western shows. In addition, dressage riders can compete in Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA) shows. The school is also home to a vaulting team.

Accolades

  • On October 22, 2013, U.S. News & World Report listed Delaware Valley College as one of the top ten colleges in the nation for student internship participation.[18]
  • U.S. News & World Report ranked Delaware Valley College #19 in its 2015 edition of Best Colleges in Regional Colleges (North).[19]
  • The Princeton Review listed Delaware Valley College as one of their top 226 schools in the North East.[20]
  • The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs lists Delaware Valley as one of their Yellow Ribbon Program schools.[21]
  • Named to "10 Colleges with the Highest Rate of Student Internships," U.S. News, 2013.[22]

Points of interest

Notable alumni

Parts of the university's campus were used in the filming of the 2002 film Signs (film).[24]

References

  1. ↑ "US News Rankings". U.S. News & World Report.
  2. ↑ WFMZ News. "WFMZ News".
  3. 1 2 "History". Delaware Valley College. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  4. 1 2 Jewish Encyclopedia. 1906. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  5. ↑ "Delaware Valley College Granted University Status". 5 December 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  6. ↑ "US News Rankings". U.S. News & World Report.
  7. ↑ "YouTube".
  8. ↑ "LinkedIn".
  9. ↑ "UNDERGRADUATE ACADEMICS". delval.edu. Delaware Valley College. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  10. ↑ "HONORS PROGRAM". delval.edu. Delaware Valley College. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  11. ↑ "Bucks Local News".
  12. ↑ "GRADUATE ACADEMICS". Delaware Valley College. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  13. ↑ "CONTINUING AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES". delval.edu. Delaware Valley College. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  14. ↑ "Philly.com".
  15. ↑ "ATHLETICS". delval.edu. Delaware Valley College. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  16. ↑ "DELAWARE VALLEY". gomacsports.com. Middle Atlantic Conference.
  17. 1 2 "The Official Athletics Website of Delaware Valley University". Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  18. ↑ "10 Colleges With the Highest Rate of Student Internships". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  19. ↑ "US News Rankings".
  20. ↑ "Best Northeastern 226 Schools". The Princeton Review. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  21. ↑ "PA State Yellow Ribbon Program Information 2014 - 2015". benefits.va.gov. United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  22. ↑ "Top 10 American Colleges with the Best Student Internship Rate". University Herald. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  23. ↑ "WR Rasheed Bailey" (PDF). philadelphiaeagles.com. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  24. ↑ "Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Film Office". www.visitbuckscounty.com. Retrieved 23 September 2017.

Coordinates: 40°17′49″N 75°09′25″W / 40.297°N 75.157°W / 40.297; -75.157

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