Westminster College (Pennsylvania)

History

Westminster was formed as a result of a meeting on January 21, 1852, between the Ohio and Shenango Presbyteries.

Campus

Westminster is located in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, a town of approximately 2,100 residents located 50 mi north of Pittsburgh and 80 mi south of Erie and Cleveland on a 300 acre campus. The S. R. Thompson House was built by college professor S. R. Thompson in 1884 and is now a dormitory.

Academics

Westminster College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. In the 2025 U.S. News & World Report college rankings, Westminster College was ranked 108th (tied) of 211 national liberal arts colleges. Westminster College has been named one of the nation's top 100 liberal arts colleges by The Washington Monthly in its 2025 College Guide and Rankings.

Student organizations

The college has a Student Government Association that exists primarily for governing and providing entertainment for the student body. There are four fraternities and five sororities at Westminster College, and approximately half of the student body is involved in Greek life.

Student publications include The Holcad, a weekly student newspaper; Argo, the university's student-run yearbook; and Scrawl, an annual literary magazine. The Holcad was started in 1884. Westminster's radio station, WWNW Titan Radio serves Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. The station streams online and features a hot adult contemporary format. Programming includes live local sports for Wilmington Area High School and various Westminster Titans teams. Titan Radio is a broadcast member of the Pennsylvania Associated Press and the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters. Westminster's television station is the Westminster Cable Network, which covers local news and sports.

Athletics

thumb|150px|Westminster athletics monogram The Westminster Titans compete in NCAA Division III athletics. Before moving to the NCAA, Westminster competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) for many years. For a brief period, Westminster was a member of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). The Titans currently are a member of the Presidents' Athletic Conference.

The first official football game by the Westminster Titans was in December 1891, which they lost to Geneva, 42–0. The next year was the first official season, during which Westminster played four games and went 3–1. The Titans won the NAIA Division II Football National Championship six times, during 1970, 1976, 1977, 1988, 1989, and 1994. While competing in NAIA Division II, Westminster had 11 undefeated seasons.

Westminster men's basketball team lost in the national NAIA title game twice (1960 and 1962) under coach Charles "Buzz" Ridl. Ridl was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame (1969), the Western Pennsylvania Coaches Hall of Fame (1980), and the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (1992).

Notable alumni

• Eric Burns – author, media critic, broadcast journalist
• David S. Cercone – U.S. federal judge
• Amy Marie Charles – professor of English literature at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
• Thomas C. Cochran – congressman, R-PA, 70th–74th Congresses (1927–1935)
• Thomas DiLorenzo – Austrian School economist and author, Professor at Loyola University in Baltimore
• JD Eicher – singer, songwriter, and producer
• Jennifer Elvgren – writer
• William N. Johnston – president of Wesley College (Delaware) 2002–2015
• Joe Jordano – college baseball coach at Pittsburgh
• Tim Kaiser – producer of Seinfeld and Will & Grace and 2 Broke Girls
• James Kennedy – Congressman, R-OH (1903–1911)
• Gerald LaValle – Pennsylvania State Senator (1971 M.Ed.)
• Mark Longietti – Pennsylvania State Representative (2006–present)
• Amber Mariano née Brkich – reality television personality (winner of Survivor: All-Stars), married to Rob Mariano
• Andrew McKelvey – chairman and CEO of Monster.com (December 1996 – October 2006)
• Joe Micchia – 2013 College Football Hall of Fame inductee
• Daniel Migliore – theologian and author; professor emeritus, Princeton Theological Seminary
• Samuel Henry Miller – congressman, R-PA, 47th, 48th, and 64th Congresses (1881–1885, 1915–1917)
• Gladys Milligan – painter
• David W. Orr – chair and professor of environmental studies at Oberlin College in Ohio and influential figure in educational reform
• Deborah Platt Majoras – chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (August 2004 – 2008)
• Greg Nicotero - special make-up effects creator, television producer, and director
• M. Richard Rose (1955–2021) – former President of Alfred University and the Rochester Institute of Technology
• Jerry Schmitt – football head coach at Duquesne University, former player and coach at Westminster
• Norman Shepherd – theologian and pastor
• R. C. Sproul – theologian and founder of Ligonier Ministries

Notable faculty

• Wes Craven – English
• James Ashbrook Perkins – English and public relations

References

References

1. (February 12, 2025). "U.S. and Canadian 2024 NCSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2024 Endowment Market Value, Change in Market Value from FY23 to FY24, and FY24 Endowment Market Values Per Full-time Equivalent Student". National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO).
2. "Westminster College (PA) - Profile, Rankings, and Data". US News and World Report.
3. "Prospective Students \ Westminster College".
4. Christina Schmidlapp. (September 1984). "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania". CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System.
5. "Westminster College (PA) Rankings".
6. "Westminster College recognized among nation's best liberal arts colleges \ Westminster College".
7. "Overview | Student Government Association | Welcome".
8. Dick, Denise. (September 14, 2015). "Great Greek life at Westminster".
9. (August 15, 2019). "About Us".
10. "Titan Radio one of the best in the country".
11. "Alumni News". Westminster College.
12. (March 9, 2012). "Pitt Baseball Coach Jordano Is Embracing Some New Challenges". TribLive.com.
13. "Gerald J. LaValle (D)". Pennsylvania Senate.
14. "Orr, David." American Environmental Leaders: From Colonial Times to the Present. Amenia: Grey House Publishing, 2008. Credo Reference. Web. September 24, 2012