Waynesburg University and the town in which it is located are named for the Revolutionary War hero, General “Mad” Anthony Wayne. The University was created by combining the assets of Greene Academy in Carmichaels, Pennsylvania, and Madison College in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.
Greene Academy, closely tied to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, was founded in 1810 to bring higher education to those of limited means, and especially those called to Christian ministry.
During the same period, Madison College was established in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, by the Methodist Church. However, by 1838, when three Cumberland Presbyterian ministers, John Morgan, A.M. Bryan, and Milton Bird, arrived in Uniontown, Madison College had ceased to function. The three clergy secured control of the College and, in its reconstituted form, Madison operated until 1846.
In April 1849, the Pennsylvania Presbytery, meeting in Greenfield, Washington County, established a committee to found a new college. The committee, comprised of The Reverend J.H.D. Henderson, General Jesse Lazar, and Samuel Moredock, Esq., chose Waynesburg as the site of the new college. The Reverend Joshua Loughran of Greene Academy was named Waynesburg’s first president. The first classes were held in September, 1849, in the old Hayes Building at the corner of High and Washington Streets.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania chartered Waynesburg College on March 25, 1850. In autumn of the same year, the college building now known as Hanna Hall was begun; it was completed a year later. A Female Seminary connected with the college was also established in 1850, and its first classes were held in the Baptist Church.
The single most important distinguishing feature of Waynesburg University is the connection between high-quality academics and volunteer service. Service-learning involves every Waynesburg student through partnerships with more than 50 local service partner agencies and an ever-expanding network of international opportunities. The University is proud to be numbered among only 22 “Bonner Schools” in the country. With the support and encouragement of the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation, Waynesburg offers significant scholarship aid to students willing to undertake a major commitment to volunteer service while in college.
Waynesburg students deliver more than 50,000 service learning and community/civic engagement hours yearly and travel to sites in other states and countries throughout the summer and during breaks. This, combined with the values-based liberal arts curriculum of the University, has prompted the Corporation for National and Community Service to name Waynesburg to its President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The Center for Service Leadership will link the University’s Service-learning program to the region and multiply the already considerable impact of Waynesburg’s volunteerism.
International exchanges with China, Russia, South Korea, Kazakhstan, the Ukraine, and other Newly Independent States have brought the world to Waynesburg, and taken Waynesburg to the world. Combined with Chancellor Timothy R. Thyreen’s active leadership in global associations of colleges and educators, the A.J. and Rita Morris Center for International Studies will focus the University’s global vision.
The Campus Master Plan has led to:
- The Eberly Library becoming a 21st century, fully automated resource,
- The Paul R. Stewart Museum’s development as a repository of regional history,
- The transformation of the central campus by landscaped walkways and commons,
- Historic Hanna Hall’s reconfiguration as the Piatt Center for Business Education,
- The construction of the Goodwin Performing Arts Center, a 250 seat auditorium, design shop, and teaching facility,
- The erection of the Stover Campus Center, which opened in September of 1998 as the center of campus life, international studies, and Service Learning,
- The reconstruction of the third and fourth floors of Buhl Hall as television and radio production facilities,
- The redesigns of portions of Benedum Hall as fine arts studies, including an art gallery, and music practice rooms,
- New stands at Wiley Stadium in the 1999 Football season,
- Numerous new residence halls, including a six-story facility on Franklin Street, opened in 2008,
- The addition of the Center for Research and Economic Development, which connects the intellectual and physical assets of Waynesburg University and the cultural and environmental resources of the surrounding region to support initiatives contributing to the long-term sustainable economic future of the area,
- Expansions to Benedum Dining Hall as well as Eberly Library with the North and South Wings,
- The addition of the Fitness Center in 2009,
- The Roberts Chapel
The University takes pride in these physical manifestations of its mission, and looks back with deep respect on its founding principles and past accomplishments. And yet, after more than 160 years, there is a sense on campus and among alumni that the real history of Waynesburg University lies elsewhere.
The true history of the University is told in the life stories of its graduates who continue to carry with them that passion for making a positive difference that is the soul and the genius of Waynesburg University. The history of Waynesburg University lies in the future leadership exercised by its graduates. This history will be realized in the classrooms, schools, hospitals, offices, factories, courtrooms, churches, and families that will be touched and enlivened by the watchwords: Faith, Learning, Serving.