The story
Heidelberg University was founded by the German Reformed Church as "Heidelberg College" in 1850 in Ohio. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ, the successor to that denomination. In the mid-nineteenth century, there were a significant number of German immigrants in Ohio. The German Reformed Church had seventy-four churches in the state when members decided to establish the college. The college had five students enrolled in the first classes. By the end of the year, 149 students were enrolled.
On the morning of October 25, 2008, the Heidelberg College Board of Trustees unanimously agreed to transition to "Heidelberg University". The name change went into effect at the beginning of the 2009–2010 academic year.
From Wikipedia’s article on Heidelberg University (Ohio), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5