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Former names | Maine Literary and Theological Institution (1813–1821) Waterville College (1821–1867) Colby University (1867–1899) |
|---|---|
| Motto | Lux Mentis Scientia |
Motto in English | Knowledge [is] the Light of the Mind |
| Type | Privateliberal arts college |
| Established | February 27, 1813; 212 years ago (1813-02-27) |
| Accreditation | NECHE |
Academic affiliations | |
| Endowment | $1.16 billion (2024)[1] |
| President | David A. Greene |
Academic staff | 171 full-time and 48 part-time |
| Undergraduates | 2,262 |
| Location | , U.S. 44°33′51″N69°39′47″W / 44.56417°N 69.66306°W /44.56417; -69.66306 |
| Campus | Rural, 714 acres (289 ha) |
| Newspaper | The Colby Echo |
| Colors | Blue & gray |
| Nickname | Mules[2] |
Sporting affiliations | |
| Mascot | Morty the Mule |
| Website | colby |
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Colby College is aprivateliberal arts college inWaterville, Maine, United States. Founded in 1813 as theMaine Literary and Theological Institution, it was renamedWaterville College in 1821. The donations of Christian philanthropistGardner Colby saw the institution renamed again toColby University before settling on its current title, reflecting itsliberal arts college curriculum, in 1899. Approximately 2,000 students from more than 60 countries are enrolled annually. The college offers 54 major fields of study and 30 minors.
Located in central Maine, the 714-acre Neo-Georgian campus sits atop Mayflower Hill and overlooks downtown Waterville and theKennebec River Valley. Along with fellow Maine institutionsBates College andBowdoin College, Colby competes in theNew England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) and theColby-Bates-Bowdoin Consortium.
On February 27, 1813, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, led byBaptists, adopted a petition to establish the Maine Literary and Theological Institution.[3] It was moved toWaterville, Maine, and used 179 acres of land donated by citizens. In 1818, trustees assigned the institution toJeremiah Chaplin and classes began in a vacant Waterville home.[3] After Maine separated from Massachusetts in 1820, the firstMaine legislature affirmed the Massachusetts charter for the institution, but made significant changes. Students could no longer be denied admission based on religion, the institution was prohibited from applying a religious test when selecting board members, and the trustees now had the authority to grant degrees. The Maine Literary and Theological Institution was renamed Waterville College on February 5, 1821, and four years later, the theological department was discontinued.[4] In 1828 the trustees decided to turn the somewhat informal preparatory department of the college into a separate school named Waterville Academy (most recently called theCoburn Classical Institute).[5]
In 1833,Rufus Babcock became Colby's second president. That same year, students formed the nation's first college-based anti-slavery society.[6] In 1845, the college's first Greek Society was formed, a chapter ofDelta Kappa Epsilon, which was followed by chapters ofZeta Psi in 1850 andDelta Upsilon in 1852.[7]
During theCivil War, many young men were called away from school to join the fight; from Waterville College,Richard C. Shannon,Henry C. Merriam, andBenjamin Butler. Twenty-seven Waterville College students perished in the war, and more than 100 men from the town. In the years following the war, as was the case at many American colleges, Waterville College was left with few students remaining to pay the bills and a depleted endowment. The college was on the verge of closing.[3]
On August 9, 1865, prominent Baptist philanthropistGardner Colby attended Waterville College's commencement dinner, and unbeknownst to anyone in attendance except college presidentJames Tift Champlin, announced a matching $50,000 donation to the college; two years later the college was named after him.[8] Trustees of the college voted to construct a library and chapel to honor the Colby men who died in the war, called the Memorial Hall; it was dedicated at the commencement of 1869.[3] The college remained isolated from neighboringBates College, andBowdoin College due to its location in Waterville, coupled with socio-economic and political differences.[9] At the 1871 commencement, aMartin Milmore sculpture based on theLion of Lucerne was added as the centerpiece of the building.[10]
In the fall of 1871, Colby University was the first all-male college in New England to accept female students.[4] The nationalSigma Kappa sorority was founded at Colby in 1874 by the college's first five female students.[11] However the college resegregated them in 1890.[12] One of the buildings is named after the first woman to attend,Mary Caffrey Low, who was the valedictorian of the class of 1875.[13] In 1874, based on the success of its partnership with theCoburn Classical Institute, Colby created relationships withHebron Academy and Houlton Academy (most recently known asRicker College).[14] In 1893, the Higgins Classical Institute was also deeded to Colby – the last preparatory school that the university would acquire.[15] Students published the first issue ofThe Colby Echo in 1877. On January 25, 1899, Colby presidentNathaniel Butler Jr. '73, renamed the "university" Colby College.[8]
In 1920, Colby celebrated its centennial, marking not the date of the original charter (1813), but the date of its charter from the new State of Maine in 1820.
In June 1929,Franklin W. Johnson was appointed president of the college. That same year saw the public release of the Maine Higher Education Survey Report, which gave Colby's campus a less than desirable review. Criticisms included a cramped location on just 28 acres located between theKennebec River and theMaine Central Railroad Company tracks through Waterville, an aging physical plant, proximity to the unpleasant odors of a pulp mill, and the soot of the railroad. Using the report as justification, President Johnson presented a proposal to the Trustees on June 14, 1929, to move the college to a more adequate location .[3] The campaign to raise funds for the move was immediately complicated by theWall Street crash of 1929 and theGreat Depression, and competing offers for the college's contemplated location emerged.[16] Most notably, William H. Gannett offered a site inAugusta, a financially attractive option for the college, but a troublesome prospect for the town of Waterville. Ultimately, a joint effort between Waterville citizens and the college raised more than $100,000 to purchase 600 acres (2.4 km2) near the outskirts of the city on Mayflower Hill, and the deed was presented to the college on April 12, 1931.[17]
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In 1937, according to master plans drawn up byJens Fredrick Larson, construction broke ground on Lorimer Chapel, the first building on the new Mayflower Hill campus. In 1956, the Maine State Highway Commission diverted the proposed path ofInterstate 95 to swing clear of the new campus to the west,[18] and in 1961,Parade magazine called the 24-mile section of I-95 from Augusta to Waterville "America's finest example of a 'driver's road' for scenery, speed, and safety."[19] The college began competing athletically with Bowdoin and Bates in the 1940s, and officially joined the two colleges in theColby-Bates-Bowdoin Consortium in 1965, after the University of Maine increased enrollment and moved to another athletic conference. The consortium became an athletic rivalry and academic exchange program.
William D. Adams was the President of Colby from 2000 to 2014. Major accomplishments included conducting the largest capital campaign in the history of Maine, which raised $376 million;[20] a new strategic plan for the college; accepting a major gift for theColby College Museum of Art – the Lunder Collection of American Art – and the construction of a new wing for the museum to house it in 2013;[21] expansion onto the "Colby Green" with the construction of the Diamond Building in 2007 and the Davis Science Building in 2014. In 2014, a documentary was created depicting a wide range of student experiences, including academic climate, social gatherings, athletics, and graduate outlooks, calledColby Life.[22] On July 1, 2014,David Greene took office as the new president of the college.[23]
Students choose from courses in 54 major fields and have flexibility in designing independent study programs, electing special majors, and participating in internships and study-abroad programs. Colby emphasizes project-based learning.[24] Colby's most popular majors, by 2021 graduates, were econometrics and quantitative economics (62); political science and government (62); computer science (34); psychology (32); environmental science (30); biology and biological sciences (29); and neuroscience (29).[25] Volunteer programs and service learning take many students into the surrounding community. Colby employs 216 instructional faculty members, approximately 90% of whom hold a doctorate or other terminal degree.
More than two-thirds of Colby's students spend time studying off-campus before they graduate. The college recognizes credits earned at over 200 off-campus programs in more than 60 countries.[26] Additionally, studies at four programs locations are recognized for inclusion in students calculated grade-point averages: the International Center for French Studies at theUniversity of Burgundy inDijon, France; the St. Petersburg Classical Gymnasium inSaint Petersburg, Russia; theUniversity of Salamanca inSalamanca, Spain;[27] and theBigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences inEast Boothbay,Maine.[28]
Colby also participates in engineering dual-degree programs with theColumbia School of Engineering and Applied Science atColumbia University,[29] and theThayer School of Engineering atDartmouth College.[30] The programs vary in length and requirements. The Dartmouth College program, which is on a 2–1–1–1 schedule, is the more popular one.
| 2016[31] | 2017[32] | 2018[33] | 2019[34] | 2020[35] | 2021[36] | 2022[37] | 2023[38] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applicants | 9,833 | 11,190 | 12,313 | 13,584 | 13,922 | 15,857 | 16,891 | 17,800 |
| Admits | 1,838 | 1,768 | 1,602 | 1,295 | 1,307 | 1,279 | 1,258 | 1,142 |
| Admit rate | 18.7% | 15.8% | 13% | 9.5% | 9.4% | 8.1% | 7.4% | 6.4% |
| Median SAT | 1370 | 1420 | 1490 | 1500 | N/A | 1520 | 1500 | 1510 |
| Median ACT | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | N/A | 34 | 34 | 34 |
For the class of 2027, Colby College admitted 6% of applicants, accepting 1,142 out of nearly 17,800 applicants.[39] This represents a 12.3 percentage point decrease from the acceptance rate for the class of 2020, which was 18.7%, due in part to the college's decision to waive certain admissions requirements, such as thesupplemental essay,[40] and by increasing financial aid commitments.[41]
| Academic rankings | |
|---|---|
| Liberal arts | |
| U.S. News & World Report[42] | 25 |
| Washington Monthly[43] | 24 |
| National | |
| Forbes[44] | 89 |
The 2025 annual ranking ofU.S. News & World Report rates it the 25th best liberal arts college, 6th for "Best Value," tied at 7th for "Most Innovative" and tied at 17th for "Best Undergraduate Teaching" among liberal arts colleges.[45]Washington Monthly ranked the college 24th in 2024 among 194 liberal arts colleges in the U.S. based on its contribution to the public good, as measured by social mobility, research, and promoting public service.[46]Forbes in 2019 rated Colby 75th overall in its America's Top Colleges ranking of 650 military academies, national universities, and liberal arts colleges, and 32nd among liberal arts colleges.[47]Kiplinger's Personal Finance places Colby at 46th in its 2019 ranking of 149 best value liberal arts colleges in the United States.[48] Colby College isaccredited by theNew England Commission of Higher Education.[49]
In 2016,Niche gave the college an "A+" for academics, administration, food, campus quality and diversity, a "B" for campus housing, health & safety, and athletics, and a "C+" for local city, and off-campus housing.[50] In Niche's official rankings, the college placed 16th for liberal arts and 46th overall.[51] Colby was ranked 29th in the country byParchment.[52] Colby was also named one of "25 New Ivies" byNewsweek,[53] named to the list of the top ten environmental programs by the 2010 Fiske Guide,[54] and ranked 13th by the 2011Sierra Club rankings of "America's coolest schools."[55]
Colby's 714-acre campus is situated on Mayflower Hill overlookingWaterville, Maine, located along theKennebec River Valley in Central Maine. Most of Colby's buildings are designed in theGeorgian Revival style. The Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement organizes Colby's engagement in the local community.[56] The center also organizes Colby's civic engagement programs. The college earned a top-25 listing on thePeace Corps' "ranking of colleges that produce the most volunteers."[57]
Colby is a residential college and almost all students live on campus.[58]
In February 2022, the college announced the acquisition ofAllen and Benner islands, adjacent private islands four miles southwest ofPort Clyde in theGulf of Maine, from the Up East Foundation and the Wyeth Foundation for American Art.[59]
Colby's three libraries—Miller Library, the Bixler Art and Music Library, and the Olin Science Library—have a collection of more than 900,000 books, journals, microfilms, music scores, sound recordings, videos/DVDs, and manuscripts.[60][61] In 2022 the Olin Science Library was repurposed into offices for President Greene's Artificial Intelligence and Entrepreneurship initiatives as well study spaces.
The college's Museum of Art was founded in 1959 with the building of the Mayflower Hill Campus. Admission is free to the museum, which serves both as a teaching resource for Colby College and as an active cultural institution for the residents of Maine and visitors to the state. It is notable for an entire wing dedicated to works by American painterAlex Katz, a particularly strong collection of American art, and its major outdoor sculptures byRichard Serra andSol LeWitt. The museum is part of the Bixler Art and Music Center, a building named in honor of PresidentJ. Seelye Bixler (1942–1960) in recognition of his visionary support for the arts at Colby.[62] The most recent addition to the museum was the Alfond-Lunder wing, opened in 2013 to display the recently donated Lunder Collection of American Art.[63] The gallery space in the museum now exceeds 38,000 square feet, surpassing thePortland Museum of Art and making it the largest artmuseum in Maine.[64]
In the fall of 2009, Colby launchedGreen Colby to highlight Colby's environmental policies, including itscarbon footprint, conservation, student-led initiatives.[65][66] The school has signed a number of official agreements to reduce its environmental impact, including the Maine Governor's Carbon Challenge and theAmerican College and University President's Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). As of April 2013, Colby became the fourth institution of higher education to achievecampus carbon neutrality.[67][68][69][70]
All of the school's electricity comes from renewable sources,[71] including hydro andbiomass, with 10 percent of campus electricity provided by an on-campus cogeneration turbine.[68][specify] The college has stated that all new buildings will comply with a minimumLEED silver standard, and renovated buildings will also include green features.[68] The dining halls make an effort to purchase local and organic foods, and the elimination of trays has saved 79,000 gallons of water and 50 tons offood waste annually.[68][specify] Colby also has a composting program which processes more than 100 tons of food and yard waste annually.[68] On the College Sustainability Report Card 2009 Colby earned a B; Colby's grade was brought down by its lack of endowment transparency and shareholder engagement.[72]
Colby's 2,000 students, evenly divided between men and women, come from every state and more than 60 countries. Colby students are listed as 67.2% white, 10.2% unknown race,[73] 24% of its students being ALANA (Asian, Latino, African American, etc.) and 7% being international.[74]
Colby's was one of the five original schools to partner with theShelby Davis Scholarship program for graduates from theUnited World Colleges, dramatically increasing the international student population.[75] Colby also participates in thePosse Foundation for multicultural scholars.
The college hosts myriad student-run organizations. The Student Government Association (SGA) advises and interacts with the college administration on issues ranging from policies and procedures to class presidents and dorm heads; it is also responsible for allocating funding to other student-run organizations.[76]
The Colby Mules compete inNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)Division III, theNew England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), and theColby-Bates-Bowdoin Consortium.[77] The three schools compete vigorously in athletics, most notably in football and theChase Regatta.[9][78]There are 16 varsity teams for women, 15 for men, and one co-ed team. The official school colors are blue and gray. Approximately one-third of the student population participates in one or more of 32 intercollegiate varsity sports. Colby also offers club sports and an intramural sports program called I-Play. As of 2013, five graduates have qualified for theOlympic Games.[79] Colby holds nine national titles in the NESCAC.[80]
TheHarold Alfond Athletic Center is the center of athletic life at Colby, and home to theColby Mules. It contains the Wadsworth Gymnasium, with a capacity of 2,600 people, the Alfond Rink with 1,750 seats, the Colby swimming pool, The Dunaway Squash Courts, the Boulos Family Fitness Center, and a field house with a four-lane, 220-yard track, and athletic offices.[81]
In 1984, following an investigation of campus life commissioned by the Board of Trustees, a decision was made to withdraw recognition from Colby's Greek system as it was seen to be "exclusionary by nature."[82]
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Alumni, now numbering more than 25,000, are represented in all 50 states and 75 foreign countries.[83] Alumni remain engaged with the college through alumni programs, affinity groups, and a directory and related services online, all offered by the Office of Alumni Relations.
Colby alumni include GovernorsLot M. Morrill (ex-1869),Harris M. Plaisted (1881–1883),Nelson Dingley, Jr. (1874–1876),Llewellyn Powers (1901–1908),Benjamin Butler (1883–1884),Marcellus Stearns (1874–1877), andGeorge A. Ramsdell (1897–1899).
Other notable alumni include: Harvard Professor, President Emeritus of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine, and White House ConsultantGregory Ciottone (1987), formerBarclays Chief Executive OfficerRobert Diamond (1973), U.S. Senator from Florida (1969–1974)Edward Gurney (1935), abolitionistElijah P. Lovejoy (1826), Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and U.S. State Department SpokesmanSean McCormack (1986), mathematician and founding member of theInstitute for Advanced StudyMarston Morse (1914), President and CEO of theFederal Reserve Bank of BostonEric S. Rosengren (1979), formerWhite House Chief of StaffPete Rouse (1968), authorDoris Kearns Goodwin (1964), pathologist and authorStephen Sternberg (1941), and academic and author of theSpenser detective novelsRobert B. Parker (1954), Pulitzer-Prize winning authorGregory White Smith (1973), political analystAmy Walter (1991), Political Director ofABC News, former house editor for theCook Political Report, Editor in Chief ofThe Hotline, andNFL General ManagerEric DeCosta of theBaltimore Ravens (1993).
The Administration is made up of the president, officers, a board of trustees with faculty and student representation, and a board of overseers.[84] Since the founding of the college in 1813, 20 presidents have served, with Colby alumni having served as four Presidents of the college:Albion Woodbury Small, class of 1876, President from 1889 to 1892;Nathaniel Butler Jr., class of 1873, President from 1896 to 1901;Arthur J. Roberts, class of 1890, President from 1908 to 1927; andFranklin W. Johnson, class of 1891, President from 1929 to 1942.David Greene currently serves in the role since 2014.[85]
"Lux Mentis Scientia," meaning "knowledge is the light of the mind," is the college's motto. The college was originally authorized to have a seal by its founding charter, granted by theMassachusetts General Court in 1813. Presently, the seal figures prominently on college diplomas as well as other official communications and merchandise.
The history of the seal tracks both the history of the school, which began under the nameMaine Literary and Theological Institution, andsigillography generally. The earliest known seal came while the school was calledColby University. It featured asun in splendour with eight straight rays above the school's Latin motto. Surrounding the center are the words "Sigillum Universitatis Colbianae," meaning "the seal of Colby College," and two crossedolive branch with five leaves each. In 1899 the "university" was renamedColby College, and a new seal was created with minor artistic changes to reflect the school's new name.[citation needed]
In 1936, PresidentFranklin W. Johnson commissionedWilliam Addison Dwiggins to design a seal to replace the one then existing, specifying only that it used the same motto as the first and retain the sun as the central theme. The cost of the design was $50.[86] The face on the sun was removed and the lettering and its positioning was changed.
In 2002, the college contracted with design firm Corey McPherson Nash for updates to its entire visual identity system, including the seal.[87] The current seal is set inPerpetua typeface around asunburst. The seal is registered with theUnited States Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark under registration number 2773337.[88] A special seal was developed for the college's bicentennial celebration in 2013.[89][90]
Colby'salma mater is "Hail, Colby, Hail." The lyrics to the song were written by Karl R. Kennison of the class of 1906. It is sung to the tune of "O Canada." In 1979, the second line was changed from "thy sons from far and near" to "thy people far and near."[91]
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