Coe College is a private liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was founded in 1851 and is historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The college is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities.

History

Coe College was founded in 1851 by Rev. Williston Jones as the School for the Prophets. While canvassing churches in the East to raise money for students to attend Eastern seminaries, Jones met a farmer named Daniel Coe, who donated $1,500 and encouraged Jones to open a college in Cedar Rapids. Coe's gift came with the stipulation that the college should offer education to both men and women, and when the Cedar Rapids campus opened in 1853 as the Cedar Rapids Collegiate Institute, it was a co-educational institution. In 1875, the college was reestablished as Coe College Institute and in 1881, after a private donation from T. M. Sinclair, founder of the Sinclair Meat Packing Company, was finally founded as Coe College. Coe was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in 1907. In 1910, Presbyterian clergyman John Abner Marquis became president and initiated a period of growth that lasted for several years; Marquis was a sought-after speaker and served as Moderator in the Presbyterian Church, its highest office.

Academics

Coe College awards the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Music (B.M.), and Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.). Coe offers more than 60 areas of study and provides the option for students to create their own major under the guidance of faculty members. Its three most popular majors, based on 2021 graduates, were Business Administration and Management (36), Psychology (35), and Biology/Biological Sciences (27).

Athletics

Coe College has 21 men's and women's athletic teams and is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and wrestling; women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. Coe also supports five Co-Ed athletic teams. They include Archery, Cheer, Dance, Clay Target and Esports. Their athletic team name is the Kohawks, a stylized bird; the college mascot is known as Charlie Kohawk.

Stewart Memorial Library

Stewart Memorial Library contains more than 202,000 books and other materials. The library also features gallery spaces showing work by Iowa artists Marvin Cone, Conger Metcalf, and Grant Wood.

Student life

In 1972, a study found that Coe students had traditional values which were often in harmony with those of their parents. Coe has an active Greek social community with four fraternities and five sororities.

Writing center

Coe's Writing Center (CWC) is the largest undergraduate student-run writing center in the nation, with over 60 undergraduates on staff. It opened in 1986. The CWC now conducts over 2,000 student conferences a year. The CWC produces and distributes several small campus publications.

Notable alumni