 | |
| Motto | Via Veritas Vita (Latin) |
|---|---|
Motto in English | The Way and the Truth and the Life |
| Type | Private |
| Active | 1882–1974 |
Religious affiliation | Presbyterian Church |
| Location | , |
| Colors | Red and White |
| Nickname | Fighting Presbies |
Sporting affiliations | NAIA –HAAC (until 1974) |
| Mascot | Fighting Presbies |
TheCollege of Emporia was a private college inEmporia, Kansas, from 1882 to 1974, and was associated with thePresbyterian church.[1]
When founded, it was one of two higher education institutions in the city of Emporia; the other at that time was the "Kansas State Normal School" established for teacher training and was later renamed Kansas State Teachers College (KSTC) and reorganized in the mid-to-late 1970s as a state liberal arts college, at which time the name was changed toEmporia State University. Since Emporia had two colleges before 1900, the city was sometimes called the "Athens ofKansas."
The College of Emporia was founded in 1882. In March 1909, the "Lewis Academy", a Presbyterian school inWichita, consolidated with the College of Emporia.
ColonelJohn Byers Anderson ofManhattan, Kansas, donated his personal library to the college in 1888, and he served as president of the board of trustees of the college. Twelve years later, aCarnegie grant provided the funds for the college to build the Anderson Memorial Library, in memory of John B. Anderson, whom Carnegie had known when younger and who later served on the board of trustees of the College of Emporia.[2] The library was placed on theNational Register of Historic Places on June 25, 1987.[3][4]
The Registrar's office atEmporia State University is the official custodian of the transcripts for the former College of Emporia.[5]
The college campus was purchased byThe Way International for $694,000[6] and was operated as The Way College of Emporia from 1975 until 1989.
The College of Emporia (CoE) athletic teams were called the Fighting Presbies. The college was a member of theNational Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in theHeart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) from 1971–1972 to 1973–1974. The Fighting Presbies previously competed in theKansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) from 1933–1934 to 1970–1971, which they were a member on a previous stint from 1902–1903 to 1922–1923; as well as in theCentral Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIC) from 1923–1924 to 1932–1933.
Football was established in the late 1890s and existed until the college closed its doors in 1974. The team known as the red and white "Fighting Presbies" had a proud tradition—over 70 years of football the college won 14 conference football championships, including an undefeated, untied, and unscored on season in 1928.
In 1955, alumnusLem Harkey was drafted in the sixth round by thePittsburgh Steelers.[8] The college's most famous player and honored coach wasHomer Woodson Hargiss.
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