William Jewell College

William Jewell

The college is named after Dr. William Jewell, who in 1849 donated $10,000 to start a school. Jewell, who was from Columbia, Missouri, had wanted the school built in Boonville, Missouri. However, Liberty resident Alexander William Doniphan argued that donated undeveloped land in Liberty would be more valuable than the proposed developed land in Boonville, and Liberty was eventually chosen. Judge James Turner Vance Thompson donated the hilltop land on which the campus sits. In the American Civil War during the Battle of Liberty, the main building on campus, Jewell Hall, was used as a hospital, infirmary, and stables for the United States Army. Union troops were buried on the campus. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[3] The Mt. Memorial Cemetery, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012, is located on the campus grounds.[4]

Gano Chapel on Jewell's Quad

In 1926, the John Gano chapel was built, based on a donation from Gano's great-granddaughter Elizabeth Price, who lived in Kansas City. Price gave the money for the chapel with provisions that the chapel be named for Gano and that it hang a painting of Gano baptizing George Washington in the Potomac River during the American Revolutionary War. The college says the painting is one of the school's most popular tourist destinations and takes no stance on whether the baptism of Washington (who was Episcopalian) actually took place. The story is rejected by many historians who question whether Gano was even stationed with Washington and note there is nothing in his Gano's personal correspondence about the event. The baptism by "Elder (Reverend) John Gano" is documented in the Washington Family Bible, located at Mount Vernon. This has been discovered by Reverend Bloyd, Bel Air, MD, Baptist Church, who started the Bible entry has even identified where on the Potomac River, where the baptism took place. More Rev. John Gano historical relics are also housed at the First Baptist Church, in NY City, which was founded by Rev. John Gano, where the Baptist church service is still conducted the same way it was done when Rev. John Gano started the church in the 1700s.[5][6]

Other Gano artifacts in the chapel include a painting depicting Gano leading the troops in a prayer of Thanksgiving in 1783 at the conclusion of the Revolutionary war and a sword that Washington was said to have given Gano (which in turn had been given to Washington by Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette).

The Harriman-Jewell Series, a performing arts series, was founded in 1965 by Department of English Professors Dean Dunham and Richard Harriman. Harriman was especially instrumental in bringing Luciano Pavarotti to campus, where the tenor made his international solo recital debut as part of the Series in 1973. Today, the Series continues to bring world-class music, dance and theatre events to Kansas City. The 2014–2015 season marked the Series' 50th anniversary.

Jewell students receive free tickets to Harriman-Jewell Series events, further shaping their liberal arts experience. Events are primarily held in downtown Kansas City at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and the Folly Theater.[7]

In August 2013, William Jewell College opened Pryor Learning Commons, a 26,000 square-foot intellectual center where students gather, learn, and create 24 hours a day. The three-story hub of campus allows for students to work as mature, independent learners, immersing and engaging in their educational experience.

Equipped with innovation studios, recording and editing suites, a 3D printer, 80" touchscreens, configurable white board tables, AirMedia, live Twitter wall, coffee shop, and more, the fully donor-funded $15 million Pryor Learning Commons lends itself to the learning styles of today's students.[8]

In May of 2019 the college was named in a lawsuit filed by a former student who was raped in Browning Hall in 2017 by another student, a member of the college’s football team. The Clay County prosecutor did not pursue the matter with criminal charges.[9] The victim alleges that after the reporting of the incident she continued to be harassed by the perpetrator and members of the football team. While the college does not deny that the rape occurred, [10] the college’s response in June of 2019 denied any responsibility and petitioned the court to dismiss the lawsuit.[11]

William Jewell has enjoyed a number of accolades, including:

• U.S. News & World Report ranked William Jewell No. 155 among the country's top tier of national liberal arts colleges for best academic value in its 2015 edition of “America’s Best Colleges.”[17]
• Jewell was named by The Princeton Review as one of "The Best 379 Colleges" in its 2015 edition. Only about 15 percent of four-year colleges in the U.S. appear in the student survey-based rankings.[18]
• Forbes Magazine listed Jewell among "America’s Best Colleges" in its 2014 report. Jewell was ranked in the number 375 slot overall out of 650 public and private undergraduate institutions nationwide.[19]
• The college was named to Washington Monthly's "Colleges that Contribute to the Public Good" ranking in 2014. Jewell claimed the No. 89 spot. In the category of community service participation, Jewell placed No. 21 nationally. Jewell additionally claimed the No. 38 spot for service-oriented staff, courses and financial aid.[20]

• Baseball
• Basketball – Men & Women
• Cross country – Men & Women
• Football
• Golf – Men & Women
• Soccer – Men and Women
• Softball
• Spirit Team – Co-ed
• Swimming – Co-ed
• Tennis – Men & Women
• Track and field – Men & Women
• Volleyball – Women

• ΚΑ Kappa Alpha Order Alpha Delta Chapter
• ΛΧΑ Lambda Chi Alpha Epsilon-Nu Chapter
• ΦΓΔ Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) Zeta Phi Chapter

• ΑΔΠ Alpha Delta Pi Gamma Nu Chapter (inactive)
• ΑΓΔ Alpha Gamma Delta Epsilon Epsilon Chapter
• ΔΖ Delta Zeta Zeta Rho Chapter
• ΖΤΑ Zeta Tau Alpha Delta Chi Chapter