Doane University is a private university in Crete, Nebraska. It has additional campuses in Lincoln and Omaha. Established in 1872, Doane is the oldest private university in the state of Nebraska.

Doane University
Former names
Doane College (1872–2016)
TypePrivate university
Established1872; 152 years ago (1872)
Religious affiliation
United Church of Christ
Endowment$111.6 million (2020)[1]
PresidentRoger Hughes[2][3]
Students1,879 (fall 2022)[4]
Undergraduates990 (fall 2022)[4]
Location,
U.S.
CampusRural
Colors   
Orange & Black[5]
NicknameTigers
Sporting affiliations
NAIAGPAC
Websitewww.doane.edu

History

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Doane College was founded on July 11, 1872, by Thomas Doane, chief civil engineer for the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad.[6] David Brainerd Perry was the first college president.[7] He served until his death in 1912;[8] at that time, there were twenty professors and instructors, six substantial brick buildings, and a cash endowment of $214,000. Total assets, according to the 1910 catalogue, were valued at "nearly $400,000."[9]

Funding at the beginning of the 20th century came from the Congregational Education Society in Boston and "many individual eastern givers, especially in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York". The chapel and music building were completed in 1907; central heating was available on most of campus beginning in 1907.[9]

Doane College was renamed Doane University in May 2016.[10]

In 2020 the director of the Perkins library came under fire for a "Parties of the Past" exhibit of historical photographs which included two photos of students wearing blackface in 1926. The photos and then the entire exhibit was taken down by administrators who placed the library director on leave to the objection of the faculty. Doane was then named one of the "Worst Colleges for Free Speech" by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. The university later reinstated the library director.[11]

The university has had over 70 Fulbright Scholars since the program began in 1946.[12]

Campuses

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Cassel Open Air Theatre

Doane's residential campus is in Crete, Nebraska. This campus is over 300 acres.[13] Doane's non-residential programs take place mainly on the Lincoln and Omaha campuses, and online.[13]

Academics

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Colleges and schools

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  • The College of Arts and Sciences offers over 25 undergraduate majors.[14]
  • The College of Business offers undergraduate majors in accounting, agribusiness, business administration, and economics. Two graduate degrees are also offered: Master of Arts in Leadership and a Master of Business Administration.[15]
  • The College of Education offers undergraduate degrees in Elementary Education, Special Education, Secondary Education, and Physical and Health Education.[16] Graduate programs include: Masters of Education in Curriculum & Instruction, Educational Leadership, and School Counseling; Master of Arts in Counseling; Education Specialist Degree; Doctorate of Education; and Initial Certification at the Advanced Level (also known as the Fast Track Program[17]).[18]
  • The School of Innovative Learning (SIL) offers undergraduate majors in health sciences and exercise science. It also houses the Masters Degree in Instructional Design and Technology.[19] SIL is also the home of Doane's Open Learning Academy, which offers online classes with transferable credits for non-degree seeking students.[20] DoaneX, a partnership with MOOC platform edX, is also housed under SIL.[21]

Accreditations

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Doane University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and approved by the Nebraska Coordinating Commission of Post-Secondary Education.[22] Several programs also hold specialized accreditations.

Student media

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Doane University is the home of the Doane Owl, the oldest student-run newspaper in the state of Nebraska.[25] Established in 1879 as a literary publication and news bulletin, The Owl evolved into a traditional newspaper covering Doane, Saline County, and Crete, Nebraska issues.

Regarding student broadcasting, Doane's college radio station is KDNE. Programming on KDNE includes live broadcasts of Tigers sporting events, news broadcasts, and student-run music specialty shows. A pillar of the station is “Cheska Musica”, a long running polka show serving the nearby culturally Czech community of Wilber, Nebraska.[26]

Athletics

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The Doane athletic teams are called the Tigers. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) since the 1969–70 academic year.

Doane competes in 23 intercollegiate varsity sports. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor), volleyball and wrestling; and co-ed sports include cheerleading, dance, and shotgun sports.

Football

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The first college football coach at Doane was F.P. Reed, who led the team to a 1–1 record. Other coaches in its football history include Al Papik, Tommie Frazier, Matt Franzen and current head coach Chris Bessler.

1905 Nebraska State College Football Champions. After defeating Bellevue College, the 1905 Doane College football team became the Nebraska State Football Champions. Considered a formidable team, in no small part due to their combined weight, the Doane team lost their subsequent game with University of Nebraska Cornhuskers, 43–5. The largest player on the Doane team was 220 pound, left guard, Claude LeRoy Farrow of Aurora, Nebraska.

From 1965 to 1969, the football team was unbeaten in 38 consecutive games.[27] The streak ended with a loss to Concordia College in the first game of 1970.[28]

Doane's football team has participated in three bowl games, winning two and tying one. The first was the 1950 Bean Bowl where they defeated Colorado State College by a score of 14–6. Doane then had back-to-back appearances in the Mineral Water Bowl in 1967 and 1968.[29] They have qualified for the NAIA National Playoffs six times, most recently in 2016, and were semifinalist in 1972 and 1997.

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  2. ^ "Dr. Roger Hughes Named 13th President of Doane University". Doane University (Press release). By Office of Strategic Marketing and Communication. May 7, 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  3. ^ Whitford, Emma (July 23, 2021). "Doane University's next president is a former football coach". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  4. ^ a b "College Navigator - Doane University".
  5. ^ Doane University Visual Identity System. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c "Doane University: Greatness on the Great Plains - Doane University - Acalog ACMS". catalog.doane.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  7. ^ "History of the Library :: Doane University Library".
  8. ^ Ziegler, Don (2007). Doane: A College on a Hill and Beyond. p. 95.
  9. ^ a b "Historical Sketch". Doane College Catalogue. Crete, Nebraska. May 1910. p. 7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  10. ^ Dunker, Chris (12 November 2015). "Doane to change name from 'College' to 'University'". JournalStar.com. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  11. ^ Dunker, Chris (29 January 2020). "Doane lands on list of 'Worst Colleges for Free Speech'". JournalStar.com. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  12. ^ "Fulbrights and Prestigious Fellowships | Doane University". web.doane.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  13. ^ a b "Our Campuses | Doane University". www.doane.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  14. ^ "Arts and Sciences Programs | Doane University". www.doane.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  15. ^ "College of Business | Doane University". www.doane.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  16. ^ "College of Education - Undergraduate Programs | Doane University". www.doane.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  17. ^ "Initial Certification at the Advanced Level | Doane University". www.doane.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  18. ^ "College of Education - Graduate Programs | Doane University". www.doane.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  19. ^ "School of Innovative Learning | Doane University". www.doane.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  20. ^ "Find a Course - Open Learning Academy | Doane University". web.doane.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  21. ^ "Doane University". edX. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  22. ^ "Accreditation | Doane University". web.doane.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  23. ^ "Master of Arts in Counseling (MAC) program granted accreditation | Doane University". www.doane.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  24. ^ "Engineering - Doane University - Acalog ACMS". catalog.doane.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  25. ^ Wegley, Andrew (17 November 2021). "Once in peril, student newspaper at Doane University gets funding lifeline". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  26. ^ "KDNE Radio | Doane University". web.doane.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  27. ^ https://vault.si.com/vault/1969/10/13/a-small-school-but-you-can-learn-to-hate-it [bare URL]
  28. ^ "A win for the ages: Ending the nation's longest unbeaten streak".
  29. ^ DeLassus, David. "Doane Bowl History". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  30. ^ Mabry, John (May 22, 2012). "A 'Junkyard Dog' Fighting for the Underdog". Lincoln Journal Star. Lincoln, Nebraska. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  31. ^ Doane College (1884). Catalogue of Doane College. Lincoln, NE: Journal Company. p. 12 – via Google Books.
  32. ^ Graves, William S. (1940). "Death Notice, Joseph Dugald Leitch". Seventy-first Annual Report of the Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy. Newburgh, NY: Moore Printing Company. p. 185 – via West Point Digital Library.
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40°37′25″N 96°56′55″W / 40.623578°N 96.948724°W / 40.623578; -96.948724