Adrian College

Adrian College is a private liberal arts college in Adrian, Michigan. The college offers bachelor's degrees in 40 academic majors and programs. The 100 acre (0.40 km2) campus contains newly constructed facilities along with historic buildings. Adrian College is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission . The fall 2013-14 enrollment was 1,649 students.

The college has its origin as a theological institute founded by Wesleyan Methodists at Leoni, Michigan, in 1845. This institution merged with Leoni Seminary, another Methodist school, in 1855 to form Michigan Union College. In 1859, that institution closed and its assets were transferred to Adrian to establish Adrian College. The college was chartered by the Michigan Legislature on March 28, 1859, under the first president of the college, abolitionist Asa Mahan. In the early stages of the American Civil War the college volunteered itself as a base for the formation of Michigan regiments for the Union side. The current Valade Hall building sits on the site of the former base camp for these soldiers.

The original campus was built in the mid-19th century. It would be almost a century later that President John Dawson began a major construction phase of the campus, including most of the residence halls, academic buildings, a student union and the administration building. More recently, current President Jeff Docking has introduced many plans to revitalize Adrian College and its campus, including construction of new buildings, renovation of old ones, and programs related to athletics. Many of these initiatives are grouped under his "Renaissance I and II Projects" and include the new facilities such as: Arrington Ice Arena, a Multi-Sport Performance (Football) Stadium, Ritchie Marketplace (Dining Hall) Expansion, Athletic Training Laboratory & Human Performance Lab, College View North Apartments, Indoor Baseball & Softball Practice Facility, Terrace at Caine Student Center, and a new Grounds and Maintenance Facility. The college has also undertaken extensive renovation projects which include: the renovation of Rush Hall into a state-of-the-art million dollar multimedia facility, Robinson Planetarium renovations, Peelle 207 Lecture Hall, Spencer Hall Center for Music, Downs Hall (the oldest and most historic building on campus) and the current renovation and upgrade of Jones Hall (Business) and Peelle Hall (Science).