History and Heritage
A Heritage Exceeding 160 Years
The year 2009 marks the 163rd anniversary of the founding of Taylor University in 1846. Forged in the fire of intense religious beliefs, Taylor University was destined to become one of the oldest evangelical Christian colleges in America. Conceptualized with the conviction that women as well as men should have an opportunity for higher education, Taylor University began as Fort Wayne Female College in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and then became Fort Wayne College.
Following the example of Oberlin College (which became the first coeducational college in America and the first to award college degrees to women in 1841), Fort Wayne College became coeducational in 1855. In 1890, the school merged with the Fort Wayne College of Medicine and changed its name to Taylor University in honor of Bishop William Taylor.
In 1893, because of the population boom in the central part of the state, Taylor University moved to Upland, Indiana. Nearly 100 years later in 1992, Taylor University re-established its presence in Fort Wayne by acquiring Summit Christian College. (Summit had started in 1895 with the sponsorship of the Missionary Church Association and the spiritual leadership of Joseph P. Ramseyer and Daniel Y. Schultz.) Taylor University operated both Indiana campuses of Taylor University Upland and Taylor University Fort Wayne from 1992 until the Fort Wayne campus closed in 2009.
Bishop William Taylor became a symbol of the values and ideals of the college. William Taylor was an energetic missionary evangelist possessed with unusual vitality of commitment and devotion. His voluminous writings including many books on preaching and missions and extensive worldwide missionary endeavors resulted in his being the first lay pastor to be named a Bishop of the Methodist Church.
With this heritage, Taylor University entered the twentieth century. Taylor University's historian, Dr. William Ringenberg, noted, "The intellectual revolution at the turn-of-the-century cracked the spiritual foundations of major universities" in America by challenging the role of the Christian worldview. "This, coupled with the dehumanizing of education" and the unrest caused by "the inability of secular education to guide students in their quest for meaning" helped to further shape, strengthen, and define Taylor's Christian educational mission. Since 1846 Taylor has been faithful to that mission.
The institution's administration, faculty, staff, and students stand committed to our heritage of Christian commitment and academic excellence.
