The College
History and Heritage
Moravian is an independent liberal arts college founded by and affiliated with the Moravian Church in America, a branch of a historic Protestant denomination dating from 1457 and emphasizing progressive liberal education from its beginning.
In 1732, settlers from Germany and Moravia (now a province of the Czech Republic) began coming to the New World. On Christmas Eve 1741, they founded the community of Bethlehem in Pennsylvania. Their concern for education led to the founding in 1742 of two schools, one for boys and one for girls. By 1759, the boys' school developed into Nazareth Hall Academy, which became instrumental in the founding of Moravian Theological Seminary in 1807. In 1858, the Seminary was reorganized as Moravian College and Theological Seminary and in 1863 was chartered as a men's college. The girls' school became known as Bethlehem Female Seminary in 1749 and was opened to students from outside the Moravian community in 1785, when it became a boarding school. In 1863, it was chartered as Moravian Seminary for Young Ladies and reorganized in 1913 as Moravian Seminary and College for Women.
In 1954, after nearly 200 years of parallel development, Moravian College and Theological Seminary and Moravian Seminary and College for Women merged to form a modern undergraduate coeducational institution, Moravian College. Moravian Theological Seminary, a graduate professional school of theology, remains a part of the corporate institution, offering a separate academic program but sharing the campus and its facilities with the undergraduate college.
With this rich heritage of education, Moravian today is recognized as America's sixth oldest college, after Harvard University (1636), the College of William and Mary (1693), St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland (1696), Yale University (1701), and the University of Pennsylvania (1740).
The early Moravians gave to the world a pioneer educator, John Amos Comenius, whose achievements and international recognition have caused him to be known as the "father of modern education." The statue of Comenius on the College campus, given to the College by Charles University of Prague in 1960 and rededicated by President Vaclav Havel of Czechoslovakia in 1991, is a symbol of Moravian's unique and diverse educational heritage.
One of the few American educational institutions in their third century of service, Moravian has a strong sense of identity and purpose firmly rooted in a long and rich tradition. That tradition is maintained today.
Accreditation and Compliance Statements
Moravian College is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and approved for professional preparation by the American Chemical Society, the Department of Education of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the National Association of Schools of Music. Department of Nursing at Moravian College is a Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing-approved degree program accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Moravian Theological Seminary is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada.
Middle States Commission on Higher Education3624 Market Street, 2nd Floor West, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Telephone: (267) 284–5000
website: http://www.msche.org/
E-mail: info@msche.org Spanish: españolinfo@msche.org
Pennsylvania Department of Education
333 Market Street
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333
Main Information Number: 717-783-6788
TTY Number: 717-783-8445
http://www.pde.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/
pennsylvania_department_of_education/7237
Committee on Professional Training
American Chemical Society
1155 Sixteenth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 872-4589
FAX: (202) 872-6066
www.acs.org
National Association of Schools of Music
11250 Roger Bacon Drive, Suite 21
Reston, VA 20190
Phone: (703) 437-0700
FAX: (703) 437-6312
e-mail: info@arts-accredit.org
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
One Dupont Circle, NW Suite 530
Washington DC 20036
Phone: (202) 462-6930
Fax: (202) 785-8320
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/ccne-accreditation
Notice
Moravian’s academic catalog contains the most accurate information available at the time of publication. Because the catalog is now published in an online format, it is updated regularly throughout the year, as appropriate. Moravian College reserves the right to change without notice statements in this catalog concerning, but not limited to, curricula, fees, rules, policies, scholarships and tuitions.
Emergency Procedures
Moravian College has adopted an Emergency Preparedness Plan that provides contingency procedures for Moravian College administrators, staff, faculty and students in the event of a campus emergency. For more information, please see the Campus Safety website. The College also has implemented an Emergency Notification System that allows the College to send immediate, time-sensitive voice and text notifications to students, faculty and staff in the event of a campus emergency. Students, faculty and staff can update their emergency contact information via the College's AMOS web portal.
Federal Compliance Statements
Program Integrity Statement
Beginning July 1, 2011, the U.S. Department of Education regulations to improve the integrity of programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA), as amended (the “Program Integrity Rule”), take effect. The Program Integrity Rule requires, among other things, that each college or university authorized to offer postsecondary education in one or more States ensure access to a complaint process that will permit student consumers to address the following:
- Alleged violations of State consumer protection laws that include but are not limited to fraud and false advertising;
- Alleged violations of State laws or rules relating to the licensure of postsecondary institutions; and
- Complaints relating to the quality of education or other State or accreditation requirements.
Moravian College, as an institution authorized to provide postsecondary education in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is committed to full compliance with the Program Integrity Rule, and provides the following confirmation to all current and/or prospective students:
Campus Crime. Moravian College abides by the Student Right-to-Know, the Campus Security Act of 1990 and the Higher Education Act Reauthorization of 2008. The College makes information concerning campus crime statistics available in printed form and electronically to the campus community each year. This information is also available to prospective students upon request.
Financial Information. The College's annual financial report is available for review by prospective students, alumni and the public upon request at the Treasurer’s Office. It can also be found online at www.moravian.edu under the Community and Visitors section, in the Resources – Financial Reporting and Information for Bond Holders.
Nondiscrimination Statement. Moravian College is a welcoming community that embraces and values the diversity of all members of the campus community. We acknowledge the uniqueness of all individuals, and we seek to cultivate an environment that respects, affirms, and defends the dignity of each member of the community. Moravian College complies with all federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination in recruitment, admission, and employment of students, faculty, and staff. Inquiries concerning this policy may be directed to Mr. Mark Reed, vice president for finance and administration, Moravian College, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18018 (610 861-1360).
Retention. For the past five years, the fall-to-fall retention rate from first-year to second-year students has averaged 81%. The six-year degree completion rate for the last five graduating classes has ranged from71% to 76% with an average of 75%.
Students with Disabilities. Moravian College is committed to complying with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 by providing access to campus facilities and reasonable accommodations in programs, services and classroom activities. Students with disabilities who require accommodation should contact the Office of Learning Services/Academic Support Services to initiate services.
Complaint Process
Moravian College seeks to resolve all student concerns in a timely and effective manner. To that end, this complaint process serves as an ongoing means for students to discuss concerns or register formal complaints that pertain to alleged violations of State consumer protection laws that include but are not limited to fraud and false advertising; alleged violations of State laws or rules relating to the licensure of postsecondary institutions; and complaints relating to the quality of education or other State or accreditation requirements.
Moravian College takes student complaints very seriously and works with students to resolve formal complaints in a timely manner. If you have concerns related to academic programs, accreditation, academic advising, or academic records, please contact the Office of the Provost at (610) 861-1348 or academicaffairs@moravian.edu. If you have concerns related to student and campus life, or residence life, please contact the Office of Student Affairs at (610) 861-1503 or studentaffairs@moravian.edu. If you have concerns related to admissions eligibility or financial aid, please contact the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid at (610) 861-1320 or admissions@moravian.edu. For concerns regarding programs, policies, or procedures at Moravian Theological Seminary, please contact (610) 861-1516 or seminary@moravian.edu. If you have concerns related to programs, policies, and procedures offered in the Comenius Center for Continuing, Professional, and Graduate Studies, please contact (610) 861-1400. If you are not certain where to direct your concern, contact the Office of the Provost, and someone there will redirect you appropriately.
It is expected that students will fully utilize any/all of the College’s administrative procedures to address concerns and/or complaints in as timely a manner as possible. On occasion, however, a student may believe that these administrative procedures have not adequately addressed concerns identified under the Program Integrity Rule. In those select cases, the following independent procedures are provided:
- The Division of Higher and Career Education of the Pennsylvania Department of Education is prepared to receive and review complaints against any college, university, or seminary certified to operate in Pennsylvania, if the complainant has already followed the institution’s published grievance policy in an attempt to resolve the dispute, and did not receive a satisfactory resolution. For a full description of the requirements to file such a complaint, please see http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/
higher_education/8711/complaint_procedure/1004474. - A variety of other State agencies, State Boards, and national accrediting bodies which are involved in the evaluation and approval of institutional programs, or in the granting of professional certification or licensure, may also be contacted. Those agencies are listed above, under “Accreditations.”
If you are currently enrolled, or anticipate enrollment, in an educational program that requires State agency or board authorization and/or licensure and do not see it listed here, please contact the Office of the Provost at: (610) 861-1348.
Affiliations
The College is a member of the American Council on Education, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Universities, and the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania.
Moravian College is one of the six institutions that constitute the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges (LVAIC). The other members of the consortium are Cedar Crest College, DeSales University, Lafayette College, Lehigh University, and Muhlenberg College. Under the leadership of a board of directors and an executive director, LVAIC's mission is to broaden educational opportunities for students, offer professional development for faculty and staff, achieve greater economy and efficiency of operation, establish a structure for regional planning, and provide a vehicle for relating to the community. Collaboration permits smaller colleges and universities to retain the many advantages that flow from humanly scaled institutions while providing many services and opportunities often associated with larger but less personal schools. LVAIC administers a cross-registration policy that makes it possible for students, faculty, and staff to take courses at other member institutions at no additional tuition charge. It coordinates a women's studies program and a continuing studies program in the humanities. LVAIC promotes reciprocity in student admission to many campus events and programs, sponsors a consortial professors program that enables faculty to teach at other member schools, and offers summer foreign study in language and culture at five locations. The consortium operates an interlibrary loan service and shared administrative services and purchasing initiatives. More than 35 groups and committees with representatives from the member institutions meet with LVAIC staff on a regular basis to share in consortial planning and programming.