page_title: Lycoming College
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Lycoming College / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Photograph of Long Hall at Lycoming College
context_page_description: Lycoming College is a private liberal arts college in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1812, Lycoming College is one of the 50 oldest colleges in the United States. Lycoming College is affiliated with the United Methodist Church but operates as an independent institution.
context_section_description: The origins of Lycoming College date back to 1812 and the founding of the "Williamsport Academy for the Education of Youth in the English and other Languages, in the Useful Arts, Science and Literature". At the time, Williamsport's population was approximately 350 persons. Attendance was by subscription, although a state grant ensured that a number of poor children would be taught free of charge. The institution also has educated both genders from its inception.
  By 1847, Williamsport had a public school system in place. Rev. Benjamin H. Crever, a Methodist preacher based in Milton, heard the Academy was for sale. Upon his recommendation, the Baltimore Conference purchased the school which opened in the fall of 1848 as the Williamsport Dickinson Seminary, a preparatory school for Dickinson College, another Methodist school.
  Rev. Crever is considered to be the founder of Lycoming College as he was the one to transition the high school into its collegiate beginnings. After turning the Williamsport Academy into an institution of higher learning, Crever moved on to serve as a chaplain in the Civil War and founded a total of four schools. Only Lycoming College remains as his educational legacy.
  By 1921, the seminary had gained a reputation for excellence, when Dr. John W. Long took office as its ninth president. Under Long, the institution added junior college courses and, in 1929, became the first accredited junior college in Pennsylvania.
  In 1947, the institution, again under Dr. Long, became a four-year college of the liberal arts and sciences. In 1948, it officially changed its name to Lycoming College, taking the name from that of the local county. The name "Lycoming" comes from the Native American word lacomic meaning "great stream." In 1949, the college conferred its first baccalaureate degrees.
  Dr. James E. Douthat became the 14th president in 1989. Under his leadership, the college's enrollment grew by 27 percent, and its endowment and other funds under management increased from 17 million to more than 185 million. Since his arrival, the campus has been involved in strategic planning process to continually evaluate student needs and adapt the colleges programs to those needs. Under his leadership, the college saw the establishment and implementation of a new faculty governance structure, a major capital campaign to build the endowment, improved facilities, and the adoption of a revised curriculum for the college that responds to changing skill set needs.
  Dr. Kent C. Trachte became Lycoming's 15th president in 2013.
caption: Long Hall in 2010
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