Historical Roots

For 150 years, the Greenville University campus has been the scene of Christian higher education. In the mid-nineteenth century Stephen Morse moved from New Hampshire to Greenville, where he met and married Almira Blanchard. In 1855, he established a college for women, supported in part by his wife's inheritance and named in her honor. Almira College was affiliated with the Baptist church and educated young women under the leadership of John B. White, a classmate of Morse at Brown University. After 23 years, ownership passed to James Park Slade, who maintained the affiliation but changed the College to a co-educational institution.

In 1892, ministerial and lay leaders of the Central Illinois Conference of the Free Methodist Church purchased the property of Almira College, consisting of "Old Main" and several acres of land, to provide higher education for both men and women under distinctive Christian influences. The institution was reincorporated as an independent institution under the name of Greenville College Corporation and was authorized to confer the usual degrees.  In 2017, Greenville College became Greenville University.  The 125th Convocation held on September 20, 2017 celebrates the beginning of a new era as a university while still maintaining a rich heritage as a Christian liberal arts institution.

The University and the Free Methodist Church share a commitment to a Wesleyan theological tradition and have maintained the rich legacy of mutual support in a voluntary relationship since reincorporating in 1893. Wilson T. Hogue, a New York pastor and scholar, was called to be the College's first president. During his administration, he not only taught and directed the College, but also earned his Ph.D. degree. Only twelve individuals have served the University as president during its more than 120-year history.

Since the first graduate in 1898, Greenville University has granted degrees to more than 16,000 students. The quality of our graduates is made clear in their accomplishments. An unusually high proportion have gone on to earn doctorates. Alumni serve with distinction in major professions in government, business, the church, Christian missions, and as faculty of major universities and colleges.

Greenville University is a part of the friendly, Midwestern town of Greenville, Illinois, located near the junction of U.S. Interstate Highway 70 and Illinois Highway 127, about 50 miles east of St. Louis. The town is an attractive residential community of approximately 7,500 people. The eight-acre central academic campus is within two blocks of Greenville's town square and shopping area. Three lakes are located within a few miles of the campus, including Carlyle Lake, the largest recreational lake in Illinois. Though rural, the town enjoys the urban advantages of metropolitan St. Louis with its concerts, sports events, cultural attractions, and large international airport.