The story
Founding and early years
Elizabethtown College was founded in 1899 by members of the Church of the Brethren in response to an initiative by Jacob G. Francis. Francis advocated for Elizabethtown because of the proximity to the railways. First classes for the new college were held on November 13, 1900, in the Heisey Building in downtown Elizabethtown. During its first two decades, the college operated as an academy, offering a limited curriculum centering on four-year teaching degrees and high school type classes.
1920–1950
In 1921, the Pennsylvania Department of Public Instruction accredited the college, and authorized its first baccalaureate degrees in arts and sciences. Later, in 1928, the college was approved by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for pre-law education. In 1948, Elizabethtown College became accredited by the Middle States Association.
Presidents
The college's presidents were referred to as principals prior to 1902.
Isaac Newton Harvey "I.N.H." Beahm, 1900–1901 & 1904–1909
George Ness Falkenstein, 1901–1902
Daniel Conrad Reber, 1902–1904 & 1909–1918
Henry Kulp Ober, 1918–1921 & 1924–1928
Jacob Gibble Meyer, 1921–1924
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Ralph Weist Schlosser, 1928–1929 & 1930–1941
Harry Hess Nye, 1929–1930
Charles Abba "A.C." Baugher, 1941–1961
Roy Edwin McAuley, 1961–1966
Morley Josiah Mays, 1966–1977
Mark Chester Ebersole, 1977–1985
Gerhard Ernest Spiegler, 1985–1996
Theodore E. Long, 1996–2011
Carl Strikwerda, 2011–2019
Cecilia McCormick, 2019–2021
Elizabeth “Betty” Rider, 2022–present
From Wikipedia’s article on Elizabethtown College, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5