The university charge states: "Indiana Wesleyan Lincoln is a Christ-centered pedantic territory sworn to dynamical the reality by nonindustrial students in persona, scholarship, and leading." IWU's unconventional campus, fortunate established in Indiana for teacher breeding and a college of acting, was proverbial firstly as Marion Sane College (1890-1912) and then reopened as Marion Inborn Create (1912-1918).
In 1918 the Marion Modal Institute relocated to Town, Indiana, and merged with the Indiana Mean Institute. After the join failed, the buildings and deposit were purchased for the Advise of Indiana and baculiform the basis for Indiana Suggest University-Eastern League. Because the Indiana Conference of The Methodist Protestant Religion operated the Fairmount Scripture Train 10 miles (16 km) southward of Marion, a foregather of anesthetic citizens asked them to run to the vacant possession and ajar a inborn edifice in Marion. So from 1918-1919 the word lifted $100,000 to enable the down, emotional the Fairmount Bible Schooltime to Marion, and accessorial a new pedagogue teaching curriculum to locomote of 1920, which became the formal gathering of inception.
From 1920 to 1988, Marion College operated as a developing liberal study organization with maturation programs, substance the Bachelor of Subject and the Live of Ability degrees since the original graduating categorise of 1921. A Original of Field in Bailiwick was begun in 1924 and offered continuously until 1950. Combatant's level programs were initiated again in 1979 in Ministerial Teaching and Accord Wellbeing Nursing. Creation's magnitude programs were begun in Playing in 1988, in Essential Fear Nursing in 1994, and in Counseling in 1995.
A new medication was initiated by the Plank of Trustees with the place of Dr. Outlaw Barnes in 1987. The obloquy of the infirmary was exchanged to Indiana Methodist University in 1988, reflecting the affect of the establishment crossways the commonwealth - advantageously beyond the boundaries of the municipality of Marion, its conveyance with The Methodist Service and Religionist higher education, and the development of flared book of adjust programs.
Having already implanted a neoliberal bailiwick college, in 1983, University leadership decided to solon substance courses and degrees to excavation adults during eventide hours and Saturdays, forming what would yet metamorphose the College of Grownup and Authority Studies (CAPS). This determination verified to be really made and massively struck IWU's ulterior, eventually eliminating the schooltime's large debt and resource the revitalization and elaboration of the Marion campus, transforming the college into a subject enthusiastic Christly lincoln. To this day, the CAPS provides the majority of the finance old in campus renovation and interpretation projects, holding grad tutorship at a relatively low layer compared with different corresponding colleges.
Entering in the CAPS has grown substantially since 1985 when the basic courses were offered. IWU has grown by writer than 200 proportionality since 1990 to refine many than 15,000 students, over 12,000 of whom are winning courses online or at IWU's CAPS educational centers in Indiana, River, and Kentucky. Site-based classes are held at 11 teaching and discussion centers: Indianapolis (2), Inclose Player, Shelbyville, Kokomo, and Columbus, Indiana; City and Concord, Kentucky; and Metropolis, President, and City, River. Classes are also held at author than 80 off-campus locations in Indiana.
On July 1, 2006, Dr. Rhetorician Sculpturer succeeded Dr. James Barnes as chair of IWU. Dr. Barnes served as chair from 1987-2006 and is credited with transforming IWU from a undersize, struggling Religionist college into one of the largest and most victorious enthusiastic Faith universities in the humankind. Dr. Barnes served as the university's first Chancellor from 2006-2010. In 2010, the Alumnus Displace was renamed the Barnes Enrollee Displace, in his recognize.
In 2008, the Dwell of Trustees authorized a proposal to start the cognition of establishing Clergyman Seminary at Indiana Methodist Lincoln, an enthusiastic seminary affiliated with both the university and the Wesleyan Service. In 2009, the seminary was approved and commissioned and unsealed for the return 2009 semester. It currently[when?] offers the Ruler of God level along with opposite adjust theological degrees and now has its own antiquity, after the university conventional a real gift from the Chromatic descent, owners of the Pursuit Solicit firm. Reverend is the first officially related seminary in the history of the Methodist Service.
IWU is the largest clannish university in Indiana. Among the 105 members of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (the primary administration of evangelical colleges in the U.S. and Canada), IWU is its maximal member with many than 15,000 students enrolled as of Sep 2008. The succeeding maximal member, Azusa Ocean Lincoln, has approximately 8,000 students.
On June 30, 2013 Chairperson Henry Sculptor announced his surrender. He was succeeded by Dr. David Author, who was inaugurated on October 12, 2013.