Michael J. Birkner Gettysburg College

Annotation

Gettysburg College is the oldest Lutheran affiliated college in the United States. At its founding in 1832,a time of social ferment and advancing democracy,college leaders emphasized a liberal arts mission. Pennsylvania College, as it was known until 1919, numbers among its graduates many clergy, lawyers, and physicians, as well as politicians, social gospel advocates, scientists, business executives, and university presidents. Although the college has grown considerably since World War II, its mission has remained consistent: devotion to the pursuit of truth and active citizenship. Through historic photographs, Gettysburg College documents significant themes in the college,s history: an expanding campus, the emergence and influence of intercollegiate athletic teams and social fraternities, curricular change, and key national events that affected the college, none of the latter more important than the Battle of Gettysburg and two world wars. Always respected for its academic program, Gettysburg College has in the past generation diversified its faculty and student body, expanded its interdisciplinary programs, and gained in reputation as a leading national liberal arts college.