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.

History

Doane College was founded on July 11, 1872, by Thomas Doane, chief civil engineer for the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad. David Brainerd Perry was the first college president. He served until his death in 1912; 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." 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. Doane College was renamed Doane University in May 2016. 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. The university has had over 70 Fulbright Scholars since the program began in 1946.

Campuses

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

Academics

Colleges and schools

Accreditations

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

Student media

Doane University is the home of the Doane Owl, the oldest student-run newspaper in the state of Nebraska. 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.

Athletics

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

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. The streak ended with a loss to Concordia College in the first game of 1970. 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. They have qualified for the NAIA National Playoffs six times, most recently in 2016, and were semifinalist in 1972 and 1997.

Notable alumni