Founded in 1920, Indiana Wesleyan University is a Christian liberal arts, coeducational university related to The Wesleyan Church. The original campus was well known in Indiana for teacher education when operated by Marion Normal College (1890-1912) and Marion Normal Institute (1912-1918). Beginning in 1906, The Wesleyan Methodist Church operated Fairmount Bible School at Fairmount, Indiana, and in 1920 this became the Religion Department of Marion College. The institution was known as Marion College from 1920-1988, at which time the name was changed to Indiana Wesleyan University. Today the university is one of the fastest growing Christian universities in the country.
Indiana Wesleyan University has three colleges: College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), College of Graduate Studies (CGS), and College of Adult and Professional Studies (CAPS). The IWU Catalog offers a comprehensive overview of all three colleges, while the IWU Bulletin presents detailed CGS and CAPS content.
The "home" Marion campus has long been known for preparing students for service and leadership roles in teacher education, health care, social work, business, industry, government, Christian ministries, and other areas. The educational activity of the university reaches beyond the 325-acre campus through association with other organizations and institutions, especially in the greater Marion area (population 80,000). The Marion Community School System, Marion General Hospital, the Marion Veterans Administration Hospital, and other health, educational, social, and religious organizations, and the American Studies Program in Washington, D.C., are important links in the students' career preparation for service and leadership. For specialized educational experience in the May and summer terms, students have opportunities to study and travel to various places such as Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, England, Europe, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Israel.
For over 20 years, Indiana Wesleyan University has offered graduate studies programs. The graduate studies in Nursing and Ministry have prepared hundreds of professionals to succed int heir chosen professions. Indiana Wesleyan University's graduate studies in Counseling is one the nation's few programs that prepares counselors to integrate their Christian faith and values with integrity in their practice of counseling. The latest offering through CGS is IWU's first doctoral program---the Ed.D with a major in Organizational Leadership. This program is designed for working adults who have the intellectual capacity for advanced study, who thrive on the challenge of self-directed learning, who desire to master the discipline of organizational leadership, and who purpose to contribute to Indiana Wesleyan University's mission to raise up Servant Leaders as World Changers. The Indiana Wesleyan University College of Graduate Studies provides a home for innovative, relevant, and responsive programs in a more traditional graduate studies format.
Since 1985, Indiana Wesleyan University has met the educational needs of the working adult and, consequently, has earned a reputation as a national leader in adult education. IWU currently offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business, education, and nursing at more than 90 locations throughout Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. Classes meet evenings and Saturdays. Many of the courses offered onsite are also offered through online, which has grown rapidly to a current enrollment of more than 4,000. The combined onsite and online enrollment now exceeds 10,000 full-time CAPS students.
In addition to its instructional programs, Indiana Wesleyan University offers off-campus services for all of its extended class sites. Students may access special extended university library services by telephone, fax, or e-mail and will receive assistance with research or bibliographic questions. It is the goal of Indiana Wesleyan University not merely to provide classes but to provide an "extended university" designed to meet the needs of both students and employers.