Adrian College evolved
from a theological institute founded by the Wesleyan
Methodist at Leoni, Michigan, in 1845. In 1855, this
institute united with the Leoni Seminary, a Methodist
Protestant institution, to establish Michigan Union
College. Local circumstances made it advisable to
relocate or close the school in 1859.
In that same year,
Dr. Asa Mahan, pastor of the Plymouth Congregational
Church in Adrian, was encouraged by citizens of the
town to establish a college in the community. Mahan
was a veteran educator, having served as the first
president of Oberlin College, and previously as an
officer of Lane Theological Seminary in Cincinnati,
Ohio.
Dr. Mahan and his
colleagues invited the officials and supporters of
the closing Michigan Union College to join in establishing
the new college in Adrian. The invitation was accepted,
and the library holdings and a number of the students
and faculty members of the former Michigan Union College
joined the enterprise at Adrian. On March 28, 1859,
Adrian College was chartered by the Michigan legislature
as a degree-granting institution with Dr. Mahan as
its first president.
In 1868, the trustees
transferred sole ownership and control of the College
to the Methodist Protestant denomination. The Methodist
Protestant affiliation continued until 1940; in that
year, as a result of the unification of the Methodist
Protestant Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church,
Adrian became affiliated with the Methodist Church.
In 1968, as a result
of the unification of the Methodist Church and the
Evangelical United Brethren Church, Adrian became
affiliated with The United Methodist Church both monetarily
and through the sharing of resources.
Since its beginning,
Adrian College has been committed to educating females
as well as males and to serve students from all ethnic
backgrounds.
