Central College history

North Central College was founded in 1861, during the Civil War.

Complete one of the following: HIST 130 United States to 1877 (3) HIST 131 United States Since 1877 (3) HIST 132 Issues in American History (3) (topic varies)

Central was a Baptist institution until 1916, when it was transferred to the control of the Reformed Church in America.

Following this plan, the Central College for Women at Lexington, Scarritt-Morrisville College at Morrisville, and Marvin College at Fredericktown were closed in 1924-25, and Central College acquired their assets.

In 1939, with the merger of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church South, and the Methodist Protestant Church, Central College was designated as the one undergraduate educational institution in Missouri for what later became the United Methodist Church.

Stedman Hall in 1964, not long after it opened.

International study programs were introduced in 1965, strengthening an institutional emphasis on cross-cultural study.

In 1966 the citizens of Central Illinois voted to create the district that became Illinois Central College, a public comprehensive community college.

Doctor Kenneth L. Edwards became the first college president, and 56 full-time faculty members welcomed 2,486 students representing the 10-county district in the fall of 1967.

In 1994, Central Methodist College, in cooperation with East Central College in Union, Missouri, began baccalaureate degree completion programs at ECC so that citizens of that region could earn a bachelor's degree.

In 1996 the College began offering the Master of Education degree on all three campuses.

College services were expanded in downtown Peoria to better meet student needs with the addition of the Health and Public Services Building, renamed the Thomas Building in 2001.

In 2002, ICC offered its first classes at the Peoria Campus (formerly the North Campus), located on North University in Peoria.

Iowa's first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating, silver, by the United States Green Building Council in 2003 for the renovation of the Vermeer Science Center.

In May 2004, the Board of Trustees voted to change the name of the institution to Central Methodist University.

In 2009, ICC Pekin welcomed its first students.

Received platinum LEED rating in 2010 for the Roe Center.

In 2011, the CougarPlex was completed, resulting in a major expansion to the gym and fitness center.

Douwstra Auditorium was renovated in phases, beginning in 2017.

Niche.com named Pella one of the Best Places to Live in Iowa, one of the Safest Places to Live in Iowa and one of the Best Places for Millennials in Iowa in 2018.

Niche.com named Pella one of the Best Places to Raise a Family in Iowa and one of the Best Places to Live in Iowa in 2021.