Baldwin Wallace University (BW) is a private university in Berea, Ohio. Established in 1845 as Baldwin Institute by Methodist businessman John Baldwin, it merged with nearby German Wallace College in 1913 to become Baldwin-Wallace College.
BW has two campus sites: Berea, which serves as the main campus, and BW at Corporate College East in Warrensville Heights. In Fall 2022, BW enrolled 2,592 full-time undergraduate students, and 527 graduate students.
Baldwin Wallace's athletic teams compete as members of NCAA Division III athletics in the Ohio Athletic Conference.
History
Both the university and the town of Berea were founded by Methodist settlers from Connecticut. These settlers moved west after their homes were burned by the British in the Revolutionary War. The region in Northern Ohio became known as the Western Reserve (a part of which was designated the Firelands, as the state of Connecticut gave land grants to these fire victims). Among early settlers of this area was John Baldwin. Baldwin enjoyed early success in the sandstone quarry industry. He eventually founded Baldwin Institute in 1845. Baldwin Institute became Baldwin University in 1856. Baldwin's sense of equality led to the school accepting any student regardless of race or gender. Moreover, Baldwin University's courses were not segregated. The surge of German workers in Baldwin's sandstone quarries led to the establishment of a German department at the institute.
The Reverend Jacob Rothweiler, a professor at Baldwin University, named his project after James Wallace, and German Wallace College was founded in 1855. Students at both institutions were free to enroll in courses at Baldwin or German Wallace. Baldwin and Wallace were the primary benefactors to the two Berea colleges. After their deaths, and the decline of the quarry industry in Ohio, Baldwin University came close to financial ruin. Options were thin, and the United Methodist Church considered merging the schools with Ohio Wesleyan University in 1874, to form the University of Cleveland. The University of Cleveland concept was abandoned. Baldwin University and German Wallace College merged in 1913 to form Baldwin–Wallace College.
During World War II, Baldwin Wallace was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission.
The college's present day campus can be much accredited to the leadership of Alfred Bryan Bonds; through much of the mid-20th century, Baldwin Wallace grew to be a large suburban institution. Bonds oversaw the construction of fifteen buildings on campus during his 26-year tenure. Neal Malicky's tenure as college president stabilized the college's finances and endowment, finally placing Baldwin Wallace in financial security after years of financial struggle. Following Malicky's presidency, Mark Collier served as president for seven years, overseeing a campus master plan that has led to many major renovations on campus. In recent years the college has expanded and renovated residence halls and academic buildings. In addition, the college has purchased existing buildings in the Berea community for academic and student residential use.
In the fall of 2011, a task force was developed by BW President Dick Durst. On February 11, 2012, it was announced that Baldwin–Wallace College would become Baldwin Wallace University after approval by the BW Board of Trustees. The name would become effective on July 1 of 2012, with complete implementation by the end of 2012. In addition to the new university designation, seal, and logo, "B-W" would drop the hyphen in its name.
During the 2008 Presidential campaign, BW hosted eventual President Barack Obama and 2008 Presidential candidate John McCain. In 2012 BW hosted vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan along with Condoleezza Rice. The last sitting president prior to Obama to visit BW was Ronald Reagan during George H. W. Bush's 1988 Presidential run. The 2016 Presidential campaign resulted in visits from Bernie Sanders and BW hosting Ohio Governor John Kasich's Ohio Presidential Primary election night party.
In 2019, BW trustees voted to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church after 174 years.