View source for Ursinus College

{{Short description|Private college in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, US}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2025}}
{{Infobox university
 | name                   = Ursinus College
 | image                  = Ursinus College seal.png
 | image_size             = 170px
 | image_alt              = Ursinus College seal, featuring Zacharias Ursinus for whom the college was named
 | motto                  = ''Super firmum fundamentum Dei'' ([[Latin]])
 | mottoeng               = "On the firm foundation of God"
 | caption                = 
 | established            = {{start date and age|1869}}
 | type                   = [[Private college|Private]] [[Liberal arts colleges in the United States|liberal arts college]]
 | religious_affiliation  = Nonsectarian, historically [[German Reformed Church]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ursinus.edu/about/history/ |title=History}}</ref>
 | president              = Gundolf Graml (interim)
 | city                   = [[Collegeville, Pennsylvania|Collegeville]]
 | state                  = [[Pennsylvania]]
 | country                = United States
 | coor                   = {{Coord|40.1934|-75.4559|type:edu_region:US-PA|display=inline,title}}
 | accreditation          = [[Middle States Commission on Higher Education|MSCHE]]
 | academic_affiliations  = {{hlist|[[Annapolis Group]]|[[Consortium of Liberal Arts Colleges|CLAC]]|[[National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities|NAICU]]}}
 | campus                 = [[Suburban|Large suburb]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Ursinus&s=all&id=216524|title=IPEDS - Ursinus College}}</ref>
 | campus_size            = {{convert|170|acre}}<ref name="Our Campus">{{cite web|url=https://www.ursinus.edu/about/our-campus/|title=Our Campus|access-date=19 November 2019|archive-date=16 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216194356/https://www.ursinus.edu/about/our-campus/|url-status=live}}</ref>
 | faculty                = 397 full-time, 110 part-time<ref name="College Fact Sheet">{{cite web|url=https://www.ursinus.edu/offices/institutional-research/institution-information/college-fact-sheet/|title=College Fact Sheet|access-date=27 October 2025}}</ref>
 | undergrad              = 1,502 (Fall 2024)<ref name="College Fact Sheet"/>
 | sports_nickname        = Bears
 | colors                 = Red, gold, and black<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ursinus.edu/about/just-the-facts/|title=Just the Facts|publisher=Ursinus College|access-date=19 November 2019|archive-date=16 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216194358/https://www.ursinus.edu/about/just-the-facts/|url-status=live}}</ref><br>{{color box|#990000}} {{color box|#FFC600}} {{color box|#000000}}
 | sporting_affiliations  = [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] [[Division III (NCAA)|Division III]] - [[Centennial Conference|Centennial]]
 | endowment              = $146.8 million (2024)<ref name="College Fact Sheet"/>
 | website                = {{url|https://www.ursinus.edu/|ursinus.edu}}
 | logo                   = Ursinus college penn logo.png
 | logo_size              = 200
 | free_label1            = Other campuses
 | free1                  = 
 | free_label2            = Newspaper
 | free2                  = ''The Grizzly''
 | mascot                 = Grizzly Bear
}}

'''Ursinus College''' is a [[Private college|private]] [[Liberal arts colleges in the United States|liberal arts college]] in [[Collegeville, Pennsylvania]], United States.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|date=2019|title=Ursinus College|url=https://www.forbes.com/colleges/ursinus-college/|access-date=2021-07-20|website=Forbes|language=en}}</ref> It was founded in 1869 and occupies a {{convert|170|acre|km2|adj=on}}  campus.<ref name=":3" /> Ursinus College's forerunner was the Freeland Seminary founded in 1848.<ref name=":10">{{Cite book |url=https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1023&context=snell_docs |title=Ursinus College Founders Day Convocation Program |publisher=Eleanor Frost Snell Collection |date=October 30, 1977 |location=[[Collegeville, Pennsylvania]] |pages=4}}</ref> It enrolls about 1,500 undergraduate students.<ref name="College Fact Sheet"/>

==History==

===19th century===
In 1867, members of the [[Evangelical and Reformed Church#Reformed Church in the United States|German Reformed Church]] began plans to establish a Christian college. The founders hoped to establish an alternative to the seminary at [[Mercersburg, Pennsylvania]] (the present-day [[Lancaster Theological Seminary]]), a school they believed was increasingly heretical to [[Reformed Christianity|traditional Reformed faith]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last=Yost|first=Calvin|url=https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/yosthistory/1/|title=Ursinus College: A History of its First Hundred Years|journal=Yost History of Ursinus College, 1869-1969 |publisher=Ursinus College|year=1985|location=Collegeville, PA}} {{Self-published source|date=July 2021|reason=Author is alumnus and book is published by college|ABOUTSELF=y}}</ref>{{Rp|1–2}}

Two years later, the college was granted a charter by the [[Pennsylvania General Assembly|Legislature of Pennsylvania]] to begin operations on the grounds of Todd's School (founded 1832) and the adjacent Freeland Seminary (founded 1848).<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|1}}<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|last=Minardi|first=Lisa|title=Trappe and Collegeville.|date=2017|publisher=Arcadia Publishing Inc|isbn=978-1-4396-5963-2|location=San Francisco|pages=170–196|chapter=7 Ursinus College|oclc=972293237}}</ref> [[John Henry Augustus Bomberger|John Bomberger]] served as the college's first president from 1869 until his death in 1890.<ref>{{Appletons'|wstitle=Bomberger, John Henry Augustus|year=1900|inline=1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite DAB|last=Mull|first=George Fulmer|title=Bomberger, John Henry Augustus|year=1929|pages=426-427|url=https://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.425628/page/425/mode/2up?q=bomberger}}</ref><ref name=":5" /> Bomberger proposed naming the college after [[Zacharias Ursinus]], a 16th-century German theologian and a figure in the [[Protestant Reformation]].<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":4" />{{Rp|9}}<ref name="College Fact Sheet"/><ref name=":8">{{cite web|title=Just the Facts|url=https://www.ursinus.edu/about/just-the-facts/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216194358/https://www.ursinus.edu/about/just-the-facts/|archive-date=16 December 2019|access-date=19 November 2019|publisher=Ursinus College}}</ref>

In 1870, instruction began at the college in September;<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|13}} on October 4, the Zwinglian Literary Society was founded.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|35–36}} For many years the annual opening meetings of "Zwing" and its rival society, Schaff, were the major events of the student year.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|35–36}}

Women were first admitted in 1881,<ref name=":5" /> as a direct consequence of the closing of the Pennsylvania Female College in 1880.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|32}} A separate literary society for women, The Olevian, was formed in 1885.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|36}}

The town of Freeland was officially incorporated as the Borough of Collegeville in 1896. The Reading Railroad had named it that in 1869 because of the Pennsylvania Female College and not, as many believe, because of Ursinus, which had just been founded.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|8}}

''The Ruby'', Ursinus' yearbook, was first published by the Class of 1897. The name was a tribute to Professor Samuel Vernon Ruby,<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|16}} who collapsed as he was entering Bomberger Hall in 1896 and died in its chapel, surrounded by students and teachers who had gathered there for morning prayers.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|70}}{{Primary source inline|date=June 2021}}

===20th Century===
[[Image:Ursinus College Berman Museum.jpg|thumb|Berman Museum of Art]]
At the start of the US's involvement in [[World War II]], Ursinus' male enrollment decreased from 535 to 350 students. During the war, Ursinus made a concerted effort to bring in military students from across the country, even acquiring a [[V-12 Navy College Training Program|Naval V-12 unit]].<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|149–150}} It also accepted 3 students between 1939 and 1940 who were exiled from Austria and Germany because of the war.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|149}}

In 1988, the [[F.W. Olin Foundation]] awarded a $5.37 million grant to Ursinus to construct a humanities building.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bieber|first=Scott|date=24 August 1988|title=URSINUS COLLEGE GETS $5.37 MILLION GRANT NEW BUILDING FOR HUMANITIES PLANNED|work=[[The Morning Call]]|url=https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1988-08-24-2650451-story.html|access-date=20 July 2021}}</ref>

The [[Philip and Muriel Berman]] Museum of Art opened on campus in 1989.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Schwartz|first=Carrie|date=22 October 1989|title=SHARING BECOMES HIGH ART AS NEW BERMAN MUSEUM OPENS AT URSINUS COLLEGE|work=[[The Morning Call]]|url=https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1989-10-22-2720231-story.html|access-date=20 July 2021|archive-date=20 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720045940/https://www.mcall.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Ursinus joined the [[Centennial Conference]] at its inception in 1993, a regional athletic conference, consisting of [[Swarthmore College]], [[Bryn Mawr College]], [[Haverford College]], [[Dickinson College]], [[Gettysburg College]], [[Johns Hopkins University]], [[Franklin & Marshall College]], and others.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

In 1995, the college appointed John Strassburger as its 12th president, the first president from outside the Ursinus alumni group. During Strassburger's tenure as president, Ursinus became affiliated with numerous prestigious groups such as the [[Annapolis Group]], the [[Thomas J. Watson Fellowship|Watson Foundation]], the Kemper Scholars group, and [[Project Pericles]].<ref name="History of Ursinus College">{{cite web |title=History |url=https://www.ursinus.edu/about/history/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304192052/https://www.ursinus.edu/about/history/ |archive-date=2016-03-04 |access-date=2016-01-27 |publisher=Ursinus College}}</ref>

===21st Century===
Ursinus College was profiled in ''[[New York Times]]'' education editor Loren Pope's popular guidebook, ''[[Colleges That Change Lives]]'' in 2006''.''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pope |first=Loren |title=Colleges that change lives: 40 schools that will change the way you think about colleges |date=2006 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=0-14-303736-6 |edition=2nd revised |location=New York, N.Y. |oclc=65341249 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Ursinus Is Among the "Colleges that Change Lives"|url=https://www.ursinus.edu/about/rankings-and-recognition/ursinus-is-among-the-colleges-that-change-lives/|access-date=2021-07-20|website=www.ursinus.edu|language=en|archive-date=2021-07-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720045940/https://www.ursinus.edu/about/rankings-and-recognition/ursinus-is-among-the-colleges-that-change-lives/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2006, the college attempted to capitalize on J. D. Salinger's brief time there by establishing a "J. D. Salinger Scholarship" which would allow a freshman to study creative writing and live in Salinger's dormitory room for a year.<ref name=":6">{{Cite news |last=Winerip |first=Michael |date=2011-03-21 |title=J. D. Salinger Slept Here (Just Don't Tell Anyone) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/21/education/21winerip.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110324145629/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/21/education/21winerip.html |archive-date=24 March 2011 |access-date=2021-07-20 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> However, the reclusive author's representatives wrote to the college within a week to ask that his name be removed.<ref name=":6" /> The college conceded and named it simply the College Creative Writing Award<ref>{{Cite web|title=Creative Writing Award|url=https://www.ursinus.edu/offices/student-financial-services/grants-scholarships-loans/creative-writing-award/|access-date=2021-07-20|website=www.ursinus.edu|language=en}}</ref> though it is known colloquially as the "Not the J.D. Salinger Scholarship."<ref name=":6" />

In 2011, Ursinus was designated as a Top Ten ''Up and Coming College'' by ''[[U.S. News & World Report]].''

[[Bobby Fong]], former president of [[Butler University]], began his tenure as the 13th president of Ursinus on July 1, 2011.<ref>{{cite web|date=October 29, 2010|title=Bobby Fong To Become 13th President of Ursinus College|url=http://www.butler.edu/absolutenm/templates/?a=2207&z=22|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101105050127/http://www.butler.edu/absolutenm/templates/?a=2207&z=22|archive-date=November 5, 2010|access-date=February 13, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Jeff Gammage|date=February 3, 2012|title=Ursinus' Fong a rare Asian American college president|newspaper=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|url=http://articles.philly.com/2012-02-03/news/31021586_1_college-presidents-asian-american-higher-education|access-date=February 13, 2012|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304062145/http://articles.philly.com/2012-02-03/news/31021586_1_college-presidents-asian-american-higher-education|url-status=dead}}</ref> Fong died suddenly of natural causes at his home in Collegeville in 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20140909_Ursinus_President_Bobby_Fong__64__dies_of_natural_causes.html|title=Ursinus President Bobby Fong, 64, dies of natural causes|author=Susan Snyder|date=2014-09-10|newspaper=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|access-date=2016-01-27|archive-date=2015-12-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222143043/http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20140909_Ursinus_President_Bobby_Fong__64__dies_of_natural_causes.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Terry Winegar, the Dean and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, was appointed Interim President.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ursinus.edu/live/news/446-winegar-appointed-interim-president|title=Winegar Appointed Interim President|date=2014-10-27|access-date=2016-01-27|archive-date=2016-03-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310233321/https://www.ursinus.edu/live/news/446-winegar-appointed-interim-president|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Brock Blomberg]], Dean of the Robert Day School of Economics and Finance at Claremont McKenna College, was named 17th president of Ursinus in 2015.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/campus_inq/Ursinus-taps-political-scientist-as-next-president.html|title=Ursinus taps a political economist as next president|author=Susan Snyder|date=2015-04-30|newspaper=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|access-date=2016-01-27|archive-date=2015-12-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151221013257/http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/campus_inq/Ursinus-taps-political-scientist-as-next-president.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Blomberg announced that he planned to depart Ursinus in September 2021 for the [[California Institute of Integral Studies]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Rose|first=Kennedy|date=23 June 2021|title=Ursinus College President Brock Blomberg departing for California university|work=Philadelphia Business Journal|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2021/06/23/ursinus-college-president-brock-blomberg-leaving.html|access-date=20 July 2021}}</ref>

[[Robyn E. Hannigan|Robyn Hannigan]], former provost of [[Clarkson University]] and patented inventor in the field of medical technology,<ref>{{Cite web |last=vdc |title=Fast start for GeoMed Analytical {{!}} VDC |url=https://vdc.umb.edu/2009/06/10/listen-to-dr-robyn-hannigan-talk-about-her-start-up-company/ |access-date=2022-12-13 |language=en-US}}</ref> was named the 19th President of Ursinus College in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About President Hannigan |url=https://www.ursinus.edu/offices/presidents-office/about-president-hannigan/ |access-date=2022-12-13 |website=www.ursinus.edu |language=en}}</ref> Hannigan began her duties on July 1, 2022, and was abruptly removed from her position on October 23, 2025.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Snyder |first1=Susan |title=Ursinus College suddenly removes president, citing 'best interests of the college's long-term success' |url=https://www.inquirer.com/education/ursinus-college-president-removed-robyn-hannigan-20251023.html |access-date=23 October 2025 |newspaper=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|date=23 October 2025}}</ref> Ursinus College Provost Gundolf Graml was named Interim President following Hannigan's removal. <ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-23 |title=Ursinus College Names Interim President |url=https://www.ursinus.edu/live/news/9296-ursinus-college-names-interim-president |access-date=2025-10-27 |website=www.ursinus.edu |language=en}}</ref>

==Academics==
Students choose from 60 courses of study.<ref name=":3" /> Popular majors at the college are biology, English, psychology, international relations, business and economics, and health and exercise physiology.<ref name=":8" />

===Common Intellectual Experience===
The Common Intellectual Experience (CIE) is Ursinus' unique seminar course required of all first-year students and is a requisite for the bachelor's degree.<ref name=":3" /> It was established in 1999.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=CIE at 20|url=https://www.ursinus.edu/live/news/4133-cie-at-20|access-date=2021-07-20|website=www.ursinus.edu|date=6 November 2019 |language=en|archive-date=2021-02-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226035528/https://www.ursinus.edu/live/news/4133-cie-at-20|url-status=live}}</ref> It is composed of two semester-long seminar courses that help students to figure out their degree path and their path after college.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ursinus.edu/academics/first-year-experience/common-intellectual-experience/|title=Common Intellectual Experience|publisher=Ursinus College|access-date=2017-12-01|archive-date=2017-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201232753/https://www.ursinus.edu/academics/first-year-experience/common-intellectual-experience/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=What is CIE?|url=https://www.ursinus.edu/academics/common-intellectual-experience/what-is-cie/|access-date=2021-07-20|website=www.ursinus.edu|language=en|archive-date=2021-02-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226214133/https://www.ursinus.edu/academics/common-intellectual-experience/what-is-cie/|url-status=live}}</ref> Students read from a range of philosophers and academic thinkers, and discuss them with their classmates.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" />

In September 2012, Ursinus and [[Columbia University]] were awarded a joint grant from the [[Mellon Foundation]] to work together on the core of their seminar courses &ndash; Ursinus College's CIE, and Columbia University's [[Core Curriculum (Columbia College)|Core Curriculum]]. The $300,000 grant allowed Ursinus faculty with prior experience teaching CIE classes to work with, and mentor, post-doctoral students at Columbia, created post-doctoral fellowship program at Ursinus, and also supported campus visits and guest lectures from Columbia faculty who have expertise in the subject matter of CIE.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mellon Grant Supports Ursinus-Columbia U. Partnership|url=http://news.ursinus.edu/2012/academics/mellon-grant-supports-ursinus-columbia-u-partnership/|publisher=Ursinus College|access-date=January 23, 2013|archive-date=January 27, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127005541/http://news.ursinus.edu/2012/academics/mellon-grant-supports-ursinus-columbia-u-partnership/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Student life==
The school's 1,500 students come from 35 states and 12 countries.<ref name=":8" /> 22% are students of color and 2% are international students.<ref name="College Fact Sheet"/> The school ranges from a 11:1 to a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio.<ref name=":8" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=College Navigator - Ursinus College|url=https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=ursinus+college&s=all&id=216524|access-date=2021-07-20|website=nces.ed.gov|archive-date=2020-08-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806083114/https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Ursinus+College&s=all&id=216524|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Greek life===
The Ursinus College Greek community consists 12 societies – 5 sororities, 4 fraternities, and 3 gender-inclusive societies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ursinus.edu/offices/student-organizations/greek-organizations/|title=Greek Organizations|publisher=Ursinus College|access-date=2016-01-27|archive-date=2016-03-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310233059/https://www.ursinus.edu/offices/student-organizations/greek-organizations/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Ursinus College Inter-Greek Council serves as the elected governing body of all social Greek organizations.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Inter-Greek Council (IGC)|url=https://www.ursinus.edu/live/news/287-inter-greek-council-igc|access-date=2021-07-20|website=www.ursinus.edu|language=en|archive-date=2020-10-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030015829/https://www.ursinus.edu/live/news/287-inter-greek-council-igc|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Clubs and organizations===
The Leadership Development and Student Activities Office provides the student body with leadership opportunities through its more than 100 student clubs and organizations. Ursinus College clubs and organizations include student government, community service, academic honor societies, political clubs and intramural sports.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ursinus.edu/student-life/clubs-and-organizations/|title=Clubs and Organizations|publisher=Ursinus College|access-date=2016-01-27|archive-date=2016-03-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310233010/https://www.ursinus.edu/student-life/clubs-and-organizations/|url-status=live}}</ref> Their student-run newspaper is called, The Grizzly – the name taken from the Latin root of Zacharias Ursinus' surname (''ursus'' translating as 'bear').  Ursinus also publishes The Lantern, one of the oldest, continuously produced student literary journals.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ursinus.edu/offices/student-organizations/publications-and-media/|title=Publications and Media|publisher=Ursinus College|access-date=2016-01-27|archive-date=2016-03-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310231931/https://www.ursinus.edu/offices/student-organizations/publications-and-media/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Athletics==
[[File:Ursinus bears wmark.png|thumb|Ursinus Bears wordmark]]
As of 2019, 40% of Ursinus students competed on one of its athletic teams.<ref name=":3" /> Ursinus is a member of the [[Centennial Conference]], founded in 1993, and which now contains eleven private colleges in the mid-Atlantic region, including [[Bryn Mawr College|Bryn Mawr]], [[McDaniel College|McDaniel]], [[Johns Hopkins University|Johns Hopkins]], [[Dickinson College|Dickinson]], [[Haverford College|Haverford]], [[Franklin and Marshall]], [[Swarthmore College|Swarthmore]], [[Gettysburg College|Gettysburg]], [[Muhlenberg College|Muhlenberg]], and [[Washington College|Washington]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Centennial Conference|url=https://www.centennial.org/information/About|url-status=live|access-date=2021-07-20|archive-date=2019-04-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429104107/http://centennial.org/information/About}}</ref>

[[File:Columbia v ursinus football game 1923.jpg|thumb|Ursinus v Columbia, 1923 football game]]
In the immediate years following its founding, there were no organized athletics at Ursinus College. Baseball matches held against neighboring towns, hiking along the [[Perkiomen Creek]] and in the nearby area that is now [[Valley Forge National Historical Park]], and skating, bathing and boating in the Perkiomen were popular pastimes for students. In fact, students used to be able to rent canoes and fishing rods from the same location where they can now{{When|date=July 2021}} rent bikes. Students then organized a tennis club in 1888, and [[college baseball|intercollegiate baseball]] began with play against [[Swarthmore College]], [[Haverford College]], and [[Muhlenberg College]] between 1886 and 1890.<ref name=":5" /> The college's first [[college football|football]] team was also fielded in 1890 but did not play against another team until 1893 in which they lost 62–0 against Pennsylvania Military College.<ref name=":5" />

The college was well known for many years for its Patterson Field endzone, in which a large sycamore tree grew undisturbed from the 1920s.<ref name=":5" /> [[Ripley's Believe it or Not]] featured the famous tree for being the only one on an active field of athletic play. A new sycamore, growing since 1984 from a seedling taken from the old tree, stood nearby until a turf field project required its removal in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ursinus.edu/about/touchdown-tree/|title=Touchdown Tree|publisher=Ursinus College|access-date=2016-01-27|archive-date=2016-03-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310232718/https://www.ursinus.edu/about/touchdown-tree/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1974, the [[NCAA Award of Valor]] was presented to the 1973 basketball team. Every member of the team had entered a burning building, with their combined efforts leading to the rescue of 14 persons.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2202&dat=19731228&id=R4IlAAAAIBAJ&pg=3921,199942&hl=en|title=Will Receive Valor Award for Athletes|date=1973-12-28|newspaper=The Gettysburg Times|access-date=2016-01-27|archive-date=2021-07-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720045919/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2202&dat=19731228&id=R4IlAAAAIBAJ&pg=3921%2C199942&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 2003–2004 season, senior shooting guard Dennis Stanton led all [[College basketball|NCAA Men's Basketball]] scorers, averaging 32.6 points per game.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2014/D3.pdf|title=Division III Men's Basketball Records|publisher=NCAA|access-date=2016-01-27|archive-date=2016-03-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304203935/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2014/D3.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Ursinus women's field hockey team has historically been very successful. During the tenure of Eleanor Frost Snell as coach of women's athletics from 1931, the "Snell's Belles" had many winning seasons.<ref name=":5" /> More recently they were the [[NCAA Women's Field Hockey Championship#Division III|2006 National Champion]] for [[Division III (NCAA)|NCAA Division III]]. The team earned spots in the national championship game three times before, between 1975 and 1977, as a [[Division I (NCAA)|Division I]] program, and the [[USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame|United States Field Hockey Hall of Fame]]'s permanent home is at the college.

Ursinus' women's lacrosse team were the 1986, 1989, and 1990 [[NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship|NCAA Division III Women's lacrosse champions]] and the 1985, 1987, and 1991 runners-up.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

In November 2019, Ursinus College canceled their Women’s and Men’s swim teams after finding that team members violated the college’s anti-hazing policy and student code of conduct. As an additional consequence, Ursinus College placed Men’s and Women’s Swim Team Head Coach Mark Feinberg on probation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ursinus College cancels swimming team's season after hazing investigation |url=https://6abc.com/ursinus-college-hazing-swimming-season-canceled/5717043/ |access-date=2022-12-13 |website=6abc Philadelphia |date=25 November 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

In 2020, the NCAA Division III Committee on Infractions found that a former Ursinus College Vice President and Dean of Enrollment Management improperly awarded financial aid to prospective students based on their participation in athletics and input from coaches.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ncaa.org/news/2020/1/28/ursinus-improperly-awarded-financial-aid.aspx | title=Ursinus improperly awarded financial aid | date=28 January 2020 }}</ref> The committee found that approximately $335,300 in financial aid packages was improperly awarded to student-athletes over 17 sports. As a disciplinary measure, the committee publicly reprimanded Ursinus College and placed them on probation while also requiring them to attend the 2020 and 2021 NCAA Regional Rules Seminars. Additionally, Ursinus College self-imposed numerous penalties upon themselves.

==Campus and facilities==
[[Image:Curtis Hall Ursinus College.jpg|thumb|Curtis Hall, where [[J.D. Salinger]] lived during his time at Ursinus]]The {{convert|170|acre|km2|adj=on}} campus is {{convert|25|mi|km}} northwest of [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], and is also within three hours’ driving distance of [[New York City]], [[Baltimore]], [[Maryland]], and [[Washington, D.C.]]

[[SEPTA]] bus #93 has six stops (three southeastward, three northwestward) on Ursinus’ Campus. The route extends southeast to Norristown and northwest to Pottstown.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SEPTA {{!}} Real-time |url=https://realtime.septa.org/schedule/timetable/93 |access-date=2022-12-13 |website=realtime.septa.org}}</ref>

The nearest [[SEPTA Regional Rail|SEPTA regional rail]] line is the [[Manayunk/Norristown Line]], which extends southeastward to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The closest station on the Manayunk/Norristown line to Ursinus College is the [[Norristown Transportation Center]], located 8 miles (13km) from Ursinus College.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Manayunk Norristown Line {{!}} SEPTA |url=https://www5.septa.org/travel/routes/rail-manayunk-norristown/ |access-date=2022-12-13 |website=Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority |language=en-US}}</ref>

Notable facilities at Ursinus include:<ref name="Our Campus" />

=== Bomberger Memorial Hall ===
Bomberger Memorial Hall was opened in 1892 and renovated in 2006.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Our Campus|url=https://www.ursinus.edu/about/our-campus/|access-date=2021-07-20|website=www.ursinus.edu|language=en|archive-date=2021-06-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628150925/https://www.ursinus.edu/about/our-campus/|url-status=live}}</ref> Bomberger Hall is named for John  Bomberger, the first President of Ursinus College.<ref name=":5" /> Bomberger Auditorium is home to the Heefner Memorial Organ, a three-manual 62-rank organ dedicated in 1986. It was a gift from Mrs. Lydia V. Heefner in memory of her husband, Russell E. Heefner.<ref>{{Cite news|date=30 October 1986|title=Ursinus College to Dedicate Organ From Bedminster Donor|work=[[The Morning Call]]|issn=0884-5557|id={{ProQuest|392177262}}}}</ref>

=== The Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art ===
The museum was dedicated in 1989, located in the original Alumni Memorial Library, built in 1921, expanded in 2010.<ref name="UCCampus">{{cite web|title=The Campus Setting|url=http://www.ursinus.edu/netcommunity/page.aspx?pid=448|url-status=dead|access-date=February 13, 2012|publisher=Ursinus College|archive-date=April 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405180130/http://www.ursinus.edu/netcommunity/page.aspx?pid=448}}</ref> The museum program is fully accredited by the [[American Alliance of Museums]] and houses over 4,000 paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, decorative, and cultural objects representing a broad array of art historical genres.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://collegenews.org/campus-news/2008/ground-broken-for-new-pfeiffer-wing-at-ursinus-berman-museum.html|title=Ground Broken for New 'Pfeiffer' Wing at Ursinus' Berman Museum|publisher=CollegeNews.org|date=November 5, 2008|access-date=February 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129020628/http://collegenews.org/campus-news/2008/ground-broken-for-new-pfeiffer-wing-at-ursinus-berman-museum.html|archive-date=2014-11-29|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://museumpublicity.com/2010/09/25/berman-museum-of-art-opens-new-wing-and-celebrates-20-year-anniversary|title=Berman Museum of Art Opens New Wing and Celebrates 20-year Anniversary|date=September 25, 2010|publisher=MuseumPublicity.com|access-date=February 13, 2012|archive-date=September 16, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110916181052/http://museumpublicity.com/2010/09/25/berman-museum-of-art-opens-new-wing-and-celebrates-20-year-anniversary/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Alumni Memorial Library was dedicated to the 271 Ursinus students and alumni who served in WWII including 8 who died in action.<ref name=":5" /> It was built upon a former boarding house.<ref name=":5" />

=== Eger Gateway ===
An iron and stone gateway was erected in 1925 and named for George P. Eger, father of alumnus Sherman A. Eger.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Eger Gateway|date=16 January 2015 |url=https://www.historictrappe.org/eger-gateway/|access-date=2021-07-20|language=en-US|archive-date=2018-06-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180607063117/http://www.historictrappe.org/eger-gateway/|url-status=live}}</ref> The gate reads "Ursinus College" and there is a lantern atop it.<ref name=":5" /> Tablets inset into the gate's stone columns tell the history of Ursinus College.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5" />

=== Brodbeck-Wilkinson-Curtis Hall ===
[[Image:Pfahler Hall of Science Ursinus College.jpg|thumb|Pfahler Hall of Science]]
Brodbeck and Curtis Halls opened in 1927.<ref name=":5" /> Wilkinson Hall, named for Joseph C. Wilkinson, opened in 1966 connecting Brodbeck and Curtis.<ref name=":5" />

=== Pfahler Hall & the Walter W. Marstellar Memorial Observatory ===
Pfahler Hall opened in 1932, renovated and expanded in 1998.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":1" /> Named in honor of [[George E. Pfahler]].<ref name=":1" /> Within this building Professor [[John Mauchly]] worked on the [[ENIAC]], the world's first computer.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":1" /> Alumnus and Nobel Laureate [[Gerald Edelman]] also attended classes here.<ref name=":1" />

The hall is built on grounds where the first women's dormitory, Olevian Hall, stood from 1865 until 1931.<ref name=":5" />

In the 1950s, alumnus Walter W. Marsteller used military surplus materials and aircraft scrap to build an observatory atop the building.<ref name=":5" /> However, it was dismantled in the late 1990s.<ref name=":5" />

The labs are equipped with a 300-MHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, Fourier-transform spectrometers, an isothermal calorimeter, gas chromatography/mass spectrometers, a voltammetric analyzer, UV visible absorbance spectrometers, high performance liquid chromatographs, an atomic absorption spectrometer, a capillary electrophoresis apparatus, a Mössbauer spectrometer, and a fluorescence spectrometer.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

=== Beardwood-Paisley-Stauffer Hall ===
Beardwood-Paisley-Stauffer Hall was opened in 1957 and jointly named in honor of Hannah Beardwood and her husband Matthew, a former chemistry professor, Harry Paisley, former president of the Ursinus board of directors, and Rev. George A. Stauffer.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

=== Thomas Hall ===
Opened in 1970 and renovated in 1991, Thomas Hall it is the home of the Biology and Psychology departments and the following endowed laboratories: Levi Jay Hammond Laboratory of Comparative Anatomy, the W. Wayne Babcock Laboratory of General Biology, the Anna Heinly Schellhammer Laboratory, and the Parlee Laboratory.<ref name="UCCampus" /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.philly.com/1992-06-07/news/26030531_1_president-richard-p-richter-berman-museum-ursinus-college|title=Ursinus College Sets Fund-raising Goal Of $39 Million By 1994 It Will Be The College's Largest Effort. The Endowment, Library, Renovation Projects And Student Life Would Gain.|newspaper=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|date=June 7, 1992|access-date=February 13, 2012|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235332/http://articles.philly.com/1992-06-07/news/26030531_1_president-richard-p-richter-berman-museum-ursinus-college|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Myrin Library ===
Myrin Library was opened in 1971 and was renovated in 1988 and again in 2004–2005.<ref name=":5" /> The old Freeland-Stine-Derr dormitory complex was demolished in 1968 to make way for the library.<ref name=":5" /> Myrin houses more than 420,000 volumes, 202,000 microforms, 32,000 audio-visual materials, 3,800 e-books, and offers on-site and remote access to approximately 25,900 print, microform and electronic periodical titles. The library is also one of only three U.S. Government depositories in [[Montgomery County, Pennsylvania]] and, as such, receives print and electronic federal documents for the collection.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.mcall.com/1986/07/17/ursinus-college-gets-largest-grant-ever/|title=Ursinus College Gets Largest Grant Ever|newspaper=Allentown Morning Call|date=July 17, 1986|access-date=February 13, 2012|archive-date=November 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129135150/http://articles.mcall.com/1986-07-17/news/2542185_1_ursinus-college-grant-renovations|url-status=live}}</ref>  Myrin Library is home to the Pennsylvania Folklife Society Collection (an extensive [[Pennsylvania German]] archive), the Linda Grace Hoyer Papers, the Grundy Collection on South African history, and the college's archives, the Ursinusiana Collection.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

=== Olin Hall ===
Opened in 1990 and named for the F.W. Olin Foundation, Olin Hall contains a 320-seat lecture hall, a 63-seat tiered classroom, a 42-seat tiered classroom, a Writing Center, eight traditional classrooms and four seminar rooms.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.mcall.com/1989/06/04/ursinus-college-ceremony-starts-57-million-project/|title=Ursinus College Ceremony Starts $5.7 Million Project|newspaper=Allentown Morning Call|date=June 4, 1989|author=Jill Wendling|access-date=February 13, 2012|archive-date=November 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129135153/http://articles.mcall.com/1989-06-04/news/2687297_1_ursinus-college-liberal-arts-olin-foundation|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Floy Lewis Bakes Center ===
The Floy Lewis Bakes Center was dedicated in 2001 upon the expansion and renovation of Helfferich Hall, 1972. The Field House encompasses the D. L. Helfferich Hall of Health and Physical Education and the William Elliott Pool. The field house pavilion opened in 2001, while the other buildings were dedicated in 1972 in honor, respectively, of the ninth president of Ursinus College and William Elliott. Helfferich Hall now includes completely renovated locker and training rooms, and a two-story, glass-enclosed area for fitness and recreation. The physical education complex serves both men and women with three full-size basketball courts; locker rooms and team rooms; wrestling room; weight room; dance studio; classrooms; a regulation collegiate-sized swimming pool; squash and handball courts, and a gymnastics space.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

=== Kaleidoscope Performing Arts Center ===
The center opened in April 2005 with a performance by jazz musician [[Wynton Marsalis]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://collegenews.org/campus-news/2005/ursinus-college-opens-new-performing-arts-center.html|title=Ursinus College Opens New Performing Arts Center|publisher=CollegeNews.org|access-date=February 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129020631/http://collegenews.org/campus-news/2005/ursinus-college-opens-new-performing-arts-center.html|archive-date=2014-11-29|url-status=dead}}</ref> Within it is the Lenfest Theater, a 350-seat state-of-the-art proscenium arch theater.<ref name=":1" /> There is also a black box "experimental" studio theater,<ref name=":1" /> a box office and concession booth, a rehearsal studio, a scenic workshop, as well as teaching support space and a gallery and work space for art students.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ursinus.edu/offices/events-office/event-spaces/kaleidoscope-performing-arts-center/|title=Kaleidoscope Performing Arts Center|publisher=Ursinus College|access-date=2016-01-27|archive-date=2016-03-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310233328/https://www.ursinus.edu/offices/events-office/event-spaces/kaleidoscope-performing-arts-center/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Innovation and Discovery Center (IDC) ===
The $29 million center opened in October 2018.<ref name=":3" /> It houses the Parlee Center for Science and the Common Good and the U-Imagine Center for Integrative and Entrepreneurial Studies.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pottsmerc.com/news/ursinus-dedicates-new-million-science-center/article_8ee82d80-dbb0-11e8-a07d-e3600f454b3f.html|title=Ursinus dedicates new $29 million science center|date=30 October 2018|newspaper=[[The Mercury (Pennsylvania)|The Mercury]]|access-date=5 April 2019|archive-date=14 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414112412/https://www.pottsmerc.com/news/ursinus-dedicates-new-million-science-center/article_8ee82d80-dbb0-11e8-a07d-e3600f454b3f.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":3" />

=== Other buildings ===

* Wismer Center, opened in 1964, named for Ralph Fry Wismer, class of 1905{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
* Reimert Hall, opened in 1966, named for William D. Reimert, class of 1924{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
* Corson Hall, dedicated in 1970{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
* Ritter Center, opened in 1980{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
* Richter-North Residence Hall, opened in 2002, named for former college President Richard P. Richter{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
* New Residence Hall, opened in 2007

=== Gallery ===
<gallery class="center">
Image:Olin Plaza Ursinus College.jpg| Olin Plaza 
Image:Bomberger Hall Ursinus College.jpg| Bomberger Hall
Image:Thomas Hall Ursinus College.jpg| Thomas Hall
Image:Chadwick Sculptures Ursinus College.jpg| Chadwick sculptures
Image:Reimert Hall.JPG|Reimert Hall
Image:Hobson Hall Ursinus College.jpg| Hobson Hall
Image:Ursinus kaleidoscope.jpg| Kaleidoscope Performing Arts Center
</gallery>

==Notable people==
{{Main|List of Ursinus College people}}
Notable people associated with Ursinus College include:
* [[John R. Brooke]], [[Union Army|Union]] general of [[American Civil War]] and [[Spanish–American War]]
* [[Gerald Edelman]], [[Nobel Prize]] laureate, alumnus from class of 1950<ref name="Nobel Prize">{{cite web|title=The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1972|url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1972/index.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312091643/http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1972/index.html|archive-date=12 March 2007|access-date=2007-09-27|website=The Nobel Prize}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2005 |title=Gerald M. Edelman – Biographical |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1972/edelman/biographical/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928124730/https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1972/edelman/biographical// |archive-date=2020-09-28 |access-date=2021-07-20 |website=The Nobel Prize |language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[Dan Mullen]], head coach for the [[UNLV Rebels football]]
* [[J. D. Salinger]] (attended one semester; did not graduate), writer

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{ccat}}
* {{oweb}}
* [https://ursinusathletics.com/ Athletics website]

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