Principia College

Although Principia College was born out of The Principia, founded by Mary Kimball Morgan in 1897, the name Principia was not adopted until the year 1898.[4] As Morgan's school grew, the founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, approved The Principia's reference as a Christian Science school.[4] Emerging from the Principia Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools founded between 1898 and 1906, Principia College was established with a purpose of "serving the Cause of Christian Science through appropriate channels open to it as an educational institution."[5][6] The college, however, has no official affiliation with the Christian Science Church and Christian Science is not taught as a subject, but its principles form the basis of community life at Principia.[7] The first Upper School class graduated in 1906 and it is from this class that a junior college was established, whose first alumni graduated in 1917. Principia College has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1923.[8]

Principia's campus sits on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River

Following this time period, architect Bernard Maybeck was commissioned to design a new college campus in Elsah, Illinois and by 1931 ground was broken on what would become Maybeck's largest commission.[9][10]

In 1934, Principia College graduated its first class as a full four-year institution and in 1935 the college was officially moved to its present-day location in Elsah. On April 19, 1993, about 300 acres (120 ha) of the campus was designated a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior. The year 1998 marked centennial celebrations by the school. The Principia College campus was once considered as the site for the United States Air Force Academy though ultimately the Air Force chose a location in Colorado Springs, Colorado, instead.

Principia College offers twenty-seven majors in the liberal arts and sciences. The college does not currently offer a graduate program. The most popular majors include mass communication, biology, sociology, anthropology, studio and fine art, and business administration.[11][12]

Principia offers various Study Abroad & Field Programs, International Student Programs, Conferences, and International Student Experiences.[13][14]

In their 2019 rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Principia #83 (up from #139 in 2014) among all National Liberal Arts Colleges, and #5 in the category of "Best Value Schools". As of 2019, Principia College's annual tuition costs were $29,470, with additional costs of $11,610 for room and board (99% of freshmen lived on campus in 2018-19). In 2017, the school had an acceptance rate above 90%.[15]

Principia College has a diverse student composition and amount of organizations given its size. 20% of its students are international and represent thirty countries on six of the world's seven continents.[19] The college has forty student clubs and organizations, among these the Euphrates and Leadership institutes.[19][20] The Public Affairs Conference at the college is one of oldest student-led conferences in America and has been held annually since 1939.[21] The Principia College Speaker Series is a group of past, present, and future events that has featured United States President Barack Obama, American statesmen and retired four-star general Colin Powell, former United States president George H.W. Bush, former United States president Jimmy Carter, American author and poet Maya Angelou, David McCullough, Elie Wiesel, American actor and director Robert Duvall, Val Kilmer, Coretta Scott King, and Margaret Thatcher among others.[22] In addition to the Public Affairs Conference Principia College holds an International Perspectives Conference with a focus on global issues such as human rights in Africa.[23]

Notable Principia College alumni include:

• Robert Bruegmann — architectural historian [26]
• Chandler Burr — author [27]
• Ian Ethan Case — guitarist[28]
• Candy Crowley (attended) — CNN political correspondent [29]
• Robert Duvall (B.A. 1953) — actor: Academy Award for Best Actor winner (1983, Tender Mercies)
• Haru M. Reischauer — author of Samurai and Silk.
• Emily Fridlund — author of History of Wolves
• Ketti Frings — author, writer: Pulitzer Prize for Drama winner (1958, Look Homeward, Angel)
• Aaron Goldsmith — MLB color commentator for the Seattle Mariners. Also commentator for Fox Sports 1 for college basketball.
• Larry Groce — host of public radio's Mountain Stage
• Peter Horton (attended) — actor and movie director[30]
• Mindy Jostyn (attended) — singer / songwriter[31]
• Donald L. Koch (B.A. 1968) - Chief Economist Barnett Banks of Florida, Chief Economist Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
• Egil Krogh — part of U.S. President Richard Nixon's adm nistration who was convicted as part of the Watergate scandal.
• Arend Lijphart — political scientist
• David K. Lovegren — film producer
• Miye Matsukata — jewelry designer
• Jodie Maurer (B.A. 2011) - Artist
• Terry Melcher — record producer and son of Doris Day
• Ngozi Mwanamwambwa 1st woman to compete for Zambia at an Olympics[32]
• Sara Nelson (union leader) (B.A. 1995) — union leader
• Brad Newsham (B.A. 1972) — writer
• Vaughn Obern, filmmaker, Department Chairman, Cinema-Television, Los Angeles City College[33]
• John H. Rousselot (B.A. 1949) — United States Congressman from California (1961–1962, 1969–1982)[34]
• David Rowland — industrial designer who created the 40/4 stacking chair.[35]
• Christopher Shays (B.A. 1968) — United States Congressman from Connecticut (1987–2009)[36]
• Jonathan Gibbs – Academy Award-winning digital animator
• Ron Charles (B.A. 1984) – Washington Post Book Critic
• Lindsay Garritson - Concert Pianist and Violinist[28]

• Principia College Historic District
• Principia Astronomical Observatory

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Principia College.

• Official website
• Official athletics website
• Audio Recordings of the College's Radio Station in the 1970s
• Illinois Great Places - Principia College Campus
• Society of Architectural Historians SAH ARCHIPEDIA entry on Principia College Campus