ASBURY COLLEGE
Wilmore, Kentucky
The College
Founded in 1890, Asbury College is a Christian, multidenominational, coeducational institution founded in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. The College's mission is to provide a high-quality, Christ-centered, residential liberal arts education that equips men and women, through a commitment to academic excellence and spiritual vitality, for a lifetime of learning, leadership, and service to their professions, society, and family and the church.
A distinguishing mark of Asbury's Christian community is that the members are committed to a set of basic principles that are considered essential to maintain the spirit and health of the community. At Asbury College, the basic tenet of the community is found in Jesus's two great commandments in Matthew 22:3740: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind ... And ... you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Thus, members of the Asbury community seek to love God and practice self-sacrificial love in relationship to others. Such disciplined community living is inherent preparation for servant-leaders who give their lives to fulfill a cause greater than themselves.
Citing the Christian and academic reputation of the College as their primary reason for selecting Asbury, 258 new freshman were enrolled in fall 2003. The current undergraduate enrollment is 1,218 students from forty-seven states and eleven other countries. Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Florida are the five states that are represented most. Asbury offers forty-seven majors and programs of study within the liberal arts curriculum and confers the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in education. The most popular majors are in the departments of communication arts, education, Christian ministries and missions, psychology, and business and economics.
In addition to the undergraduate degrees offered, Asbury College awards several Master of Arts degrees in education, including alternative certification programs.
Organizations and clubs are an important part of student life at Asbury College. Positions on the Collegian (student newspaper) and the Asburian (yearbook) are open to all students. Students can become involved in the Ministerial Association, Christian Service Association, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Community Involvement, Art, Speech, English, Foreign Student, French, and Spanish Clubs. Students may also participate in the Women's Vocal Ensemble, Men's Glee Club, Jazz Ensemble, Concert Choir, and Concert Band. Student honor societies include Alpha Psi Omega (drama), Phi Alpha Theta (history), Phi Sigma Tau (philosophy), Sigma Zeta (science and mathematics), Sigma Tau Delta (English), and Sigma Delta Pi (Spanish). Among the professional organizations that students may join are the American Guild of Organists, the Music Educators National Conference, the Kentucky Intercollegiate Press Association, the Student National Education Association, and the Student Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation.
Asbury recognizes the value of athletics and maintains a program of intramural and intercollegiate sports. Intercollegiate sports for men are basketball, cross-country, soccer, swimming, and tennis. For women, basketball, cross-country, soccer, swimming, tennis, and volleyball are offered. Intramural activities include basketball, flag football, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, volleyball, and walleyball. The College also sponsors a Christian witness gymnastics team that tours each spring semester.
Eighty-five percent of Asbury students reside in College residence halls. Duplexes for married students are available. Counseling and health services are available to all students. Asbury maintains a well-equipped clinic with a competent, experienced staff consisting of registered nurses and a physician.
Location
Wilmore, a safe community of approximately 5,000, is located in the heart of the famous Bluegrass region, 15 miles southwest of Lexington, Kentucky, the second-largest city in the commonwealth. Surrounding Wilmore are reminders of the state's pioneer history, including Fort Harrod, Boonesborough, and Shakertown, a restored religious community dating from the 1800s. Near Lexington is the Kentucky Horse Park. Camping, rock-climbing, boating, and fishing are available at nearby Red River Gorge and Natural Bridge, and Mammoth Cave National Park is less than 2 hours from Wilmore.
Lexington has theaters, an opera house, a symphony orchestra, and Rupp Arena, where programs ranging from performances by well-known musicians to basketball games are presented.
Majors and Degrees
Asbury College confers the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Science in education. Undergraduate majors are available in accounting, applied communication, art, bible and theology (preministry or preseminary), biblical languages, biochemistry, biology, business management, chemistry, Christian ministries, classical languages, computational science, elementary education, engineering (with the University of Kentucky), English, exercise science, financial mathematics, French, Greek, health science, history, journalism, Latin, mathematics, media communication, middle school education, missions, music, P12 education (art, French, health and physical education, Latin, music, and Spanish), philosophy, physical science, psychology, recreation, secondary education (biological science, chemistry, English, mathematics, and social studies,), social work, sociology, Spanish, sport management, and youth ministries.
Academic Programs
Asbury College operates on a sixteen-week semester system with two 4-week summer sessions. To qualify for graduation, students must complete a minimum of 124 semester hours with an overall grade point average of at least 2.0 and 2.5 in teacher education programs.
The liberal arts core requirements are as follows: Christian theology, 3 credits; communication, 3 credits; computer science/mathematics, 3 credits; English composition, 3 credits; English literature, 6 credits; foreign language, 12 credits; laboratory science, 6 credits; music and art appreciation, 3 credits; New Testament, 3 credits; Old Testament, 3 credits; philosophy, 3 credits; physical education, 3 credits; psychology/sociology/anthropology, 3 credits; and Western civilization, 6 credits.
Students may be granted college credit for satisfactory performance on AP tests in certain subjects. Advanced standing in foreign language is also available to qualifying students. Further detailed information is available from the College.
Off-Campus Programs
Qualified students may participate in the American Studies Program in Washington, D.C.; the Holy Land Studies Program in Israel; the Wesleyan Urban Coalition Program in Chicago; Martha's Vineyard; Los Angeles Film School; and other bestsemester.com programs, as well as in the Latin American Studies Program.
Academic Facilities
College facilities that are available to students include a computer center and several well-equipped chemistry, biology, physics, computer, and language laboratories. The College also has a radio station and an outstanding TV studio with a 24-hour cable station. The Kinlaw Library, completed in 2001, is a 72,000-square-foot facility that houses the College's 168,000-volume collection, as well as the Kirkland Learning Resources Center. Computer, media, and curriculum labs are included in the building. More than 800 dataports are available throughout the facility.
Costs
For 200405, annual expenses were $17,660 for tuition, $148 for fees, and $4498 for room and board.
Financial Aid
More than 90 percent of the College's students receive some type of financial assistance. The various aid programs include academic scholarships, Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority Grants, Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Stafford Student Loans, state loans, United Methodist Student Loans, institutional grants and loans, institutional employment, and Federal Work-Study Program awards. Asbury offers honor scholarships, including a few full tuition grants. Merit Finalists receive 70 percent tuition scholarships.
To apply for aid, students should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Priority consideration is given to those who file before March1. Financial need is defined as the difference between the amount a family can pay and the total expenses for the academic year. If there is a deficit, the student is considered to have financial need. The awards are made on the basis of financial need. Notification of awards begins early in April. For more information, students may contact the financial aid office at 859-858-3511 Ext. 2195 or 800-888-1818 Ext. 2195 (toll-free).
Faculty
Asbury has a full-time faculty of about 90 members. The part-time faculty usually numbers 70 members. Each student has a faculty adviser, who is personally interested in each student and willing to assist advisees in any way possible. Most faculty members are approachable and many open their homes to students, leading Bible studies or homework sessions. Asbury's faculty-student ratio is 1:11. Approximately 82 percent of the full-time faculty members hold earned terminal degrees in their fields.
Student Government
The objectives of the student government organization are to act as a unifying force, bringing the institution as a whole into vital contact with cMurrent issues in college life; to help students find opportunities in college life in a mature Christian spirit, through recommendation and administration; and to promote an atmosphere for intellectual, spiritual, and cultural development. Regulations for student life are explained in the student handbook. The use of tobacco, alcoholic beverages, and illegal drugs is strictly prohibited.
Admission Requirements
The Asbury College faculty strongly recommends that applicants should have completed the following requirements in grades 9 through 12: 4 years of English, including 1 year of composition; 3 or 4 years of mathematics (algebra, geometry, advanced algebra, and other advanced math); 2 years of social studies, of which 1 year should be history; 2 or 3 years of laboratory science; and 2 years of the same foreign language. Applicants should have a grade point average of at least 2.5. Students should take the ACT examination or the SAT I and have a minimum ACT composite score of 22 or a combined SAT I score of 1030. Freshmen entering Asbury have had an average ACT composite score of 24, an SAT I combined score of 1146, and a high school grade point average of3.56. Transfer students must have maintained an average of 2.5 or better at the college or university last attended.
Application and Information
Students may apply for freshman admission during the spring of their junior year or during their senior year in high school. Notification of admission decisions is given within 24 hours after the following have been received: the application and $30 application fee, transcripts, a pastor's recommendation, a high school counselor's recommendation (for high school students only), and a personal recommendation. Enrollment is cut off at resident capacity. Admission decisions are made and financial assistance is awarded by Asbury College without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, or handicap.
Further information may be obtained by contacting:
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