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| Motto | The Moment of Discovery |
|---|---|
| Type | Private college |
| Established | February 6, 1855; 170 years ago (February 6, 1855) |
Religious affiliation | Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) |
| Endowment | $16.2 million |
| President | Jamel Wright |
| Students | 559 (fall 2023)[1] |
| Location | , U.S. 40°42′50″N89°16′3″W / 40.71389°N 89.26750°W /40.71389; -89.26750 |
| Campus | Rural, 112 acres (45 ha) |
| Colors | Maroon and gold |
| Nickname | Red Devils |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division III –SLIAC |
| Website | www |
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Eureka College is aprivate college inEureka, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1855, it is related by covenant to theChristian Church (Disciples of Christ).[2] The college enrolled approximately 559 students in 2023.
Eureka College was founded by abolitionists and was the third college in the United States to admit men and women on an equal basis. In 1856, future U.S. presidentAbraham Lincoln spoke on campus.Ronald Reagan, the 40th U.S. president, graduated from Eureka College in 1932 and maintained a close connection with the college throughout his life; it is home to the Ronald Reagan Museum and Peace Garden.
The college was founded in 1848 by a group ofabolitionists who had leftKentucky because of their opposition to slavery and was originally named the Walnut Grove Academy.[3][4] It was chartered in 1855.[5] When the school was founded, it was the first school in Illinois (and only the third in the United States) to educate women on an equal basis with men. In 1856,Abraham Lincoln spoke on campus, making Eureka one of only three colleges where Lincoln spoke.[6][7]Abingdon College merged with Eureka in 1885.[8]
In 2010, Eureka College was designated as anational historic district by theNational Park Service.[9]
On March 27, 2009, the former leader of the Soviet Union,Mikhail Gorbachev, visited the section of the Berlin Wall on display in the Reagan Peace Garden on campus. Eureka gave President Gorbachev anhonorary degree during a convocation in which students asked the former Soviet leader questions.[10] The college grantedNancy Reagan an honorary degree in 2009 at a private ceremony in theRonald Reagan Presidential Library inSimi Valley, California.[11]
As part of the Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration in 2011, formerSpeaker of the U.S. House of RepresentativesNewt Gingrich delivered thecommencement address at Eureka.[12] The same year saw the opening of the Mark R. Shenkman Reagan Research Center and College Archives; the center is collecting and maintaining every book and doctoral dissertation written about Ronald Reagan.[13]
James A. Baker III was named Honorary Reagan Fellow in 2012,[14] and this honor was bestowed onJustice Sandra Day O'Connor the next year.[15]George P. Shultz, former U.S. Secretary of State, received was made an Honorary Reagan Fellow at a ceremony in San Francisco in 2014.[16]
Eureka College Administration and Chapel | |
 Administration Building | |
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| Location | 300 College Ave. Eureka, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°42′50″N89°16′09″W / 40.7139°N 89.2691°W /40.7139; -89.2691 |
| Area | 2.8 acres (1.1 ha) |
| Built | 1858 |
| Architectural style | Italianate, Georgian, Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 80001426[17] |
| Added to NRHP | May 31, 1980 |
The Eureka College campus is 112 acres (0.45 km2).[2] Burrus Dickinson Hall, the college's administration building, is on theNational Register of Historic Places, as is the college chapel.[18][19]
TheRonald Reagan Museum and Peace Gardens, located within the Donald B. Cerf Center, contains a collection of objects and memorabilia largely donated by Reagan. The items are from his times as a student, actor, athlete,Governor of California andPresident of the United States. Admission is free.[20]
The Reagan Athletic Complex was dedicated in 1970 by brothers and alumniNeil Reagan and Ronald Reagan, and named in their honor. At Eureka's commencement exercises in 1982, President Reagan announced the START treaty proposal in the Reagan Gym.[21] In 2015, The Bonati Fitness Center and Reagan Center Pool underwent renovation.[22]
About 48% of the students at Eureka are women, while about 52% are men. 0.5% of the students areNative American, 0.35% areAsian, 8.5% areAfrican-American, and 82% are white. 1.2% of the students are international, but 93.5% of the students are from the state ofIllinois. The first-time, full-time bachelor's seeking student retention rate is 62% and the graduation rate cohort as percent of total entering students is 70%. The student-to-faculty ratio is 13 to 1.
As of 2019, 23% of male students are in social fraternities, while 26% of female students are in social sororities. Overall 24% of the student body are involved in Greek life. In February 2020, the college's chapter ofDelta Sigma Phi was disciplined due to unknown allegations.[23]
The Eureka athletic teams are the Red Devils. The college is a member of theDivision III level of theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA),[24] primarily competing in theSt. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) since the 2006–07 academic year. The Red Devils previously competed in the defunctNorthern Illinois-Iowa Conference from about 1996–97 to 2005–06; and in theChicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) of theNational Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) until after the 1995–96 school year. Eureka was also a member of theIllinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) from 1910–11 to 1941–42.
Eureka competes in 14 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, volleyball and wrestling.
The men's basketball team, coached by Dave Darnell, won the1994 NAIA Division II national championship.
On September 1, 2012, Eureka College quarterback Sam Durley set an NCAA record with 736 passing yards in Eureka's 62–55 victory overKnox College.[25]
Among Eureka College's alumni are forty-two college and university presidents, sevengovernors and members ofU.S. Congress, and the 40thpresident of the United States,Ronald Reagan, who graduated with the class of 1932.[26] Eureka College is the smallest college or university in American history to graduate a future U.S. president with a bachelor's degree.
Reagan's relationship with his alma mater began in 1928 when he entered as a freshman fromDixon, Illinois, at age 17. Following his graduation on June 10, 1932, with a joint major ineconomics andsociology,[27] Reagan returned for visits on twelve recorded occasions. He served on the board of trustees for three terms, stayed connected to his fraternityTau Kappa Epsilon, communicated with his football coach and mentor Ralph "Mac" McKinzie, and helped support fund-raising drives including with his own financial commitments to the college. Reagan gave three commencement addresses at Eureka College in 1952, 1957, 1982, and 1992.[28] He dedicated the Melick Library building in 1967 and the Reagan Physical Education Center in 1970. When he died in 2004, Eureka College was one of three officially designated recipients of memorial gifts by his family. In 1982, President Reagan told the Eureka College audience, "Everything that has been good in my life began here."[29]
Eureka College established the Ronald W. Reagan Leadership Program in 1982 to provide scholarships and four-year full-tuition scholarships to designated Reagan Fellows.[30]
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