Photo: Carthage College. Retrieved from: unknown source.
Carthage College is a private liberal arts school located on the beautiful Lake Michigan, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Although it’s affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Carthage encourages and welcomes students of all nationalities and faiths to apply. The school currently enrolls over 2,500 students and offers more than 50 majors and minors. Located only half an hour from Milwaukee and an hour from Chicago, students can take advantage of numerous internships, opportunities, and entertainment that a big cities offer.
Throughout their four years on campus, administrators hope that students at Carthage College are constantly, “Seeking truth, building strength, inspiring service—together.” By seeking truth, they mean honor God in embracing people of all different cultures, to seek a life of knowledge, experience, and understanding, and to have relationships based on integrity and honor. By building strength, students challenge not only themselves but the community to be the best person they can be and to strive for educational excellence. By inspiring others, students will inspire themselves and promote a life of leadership and service.
History
Carthage College was founded in 1847 by German Lutherans. The original location was Hillsboro, Illinois and was named The Literary and Theological Institute of the Lutheran Church of the Far West. The college moved to Springfield, Illinois in 1852 and became Illinois State University, but closed in 1869 due to financial situations. The college again reopened a year later in Carthage, Illinois. Unfortunately enrollment numbers dwindled, and instead of closing the campus, opened a new one in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The two campuses ran until 1964, when the campus in Illinois was sold to Robert Morris College. The site of the campus in Kenosha on Lake Michigan is where the college stands today.
Campus Life
If being on the shore of Lake Michigan where students can canoe, kayak, and sunbathe isn’t enough, the Carthage campus is also packed full of activities for when students are not in class. Tree-lovers can walk through the 80-acre arboretum located on campus, or students can take advantage of the state-of-the-art library, or the N.E. Tarble Athletic and Recreation Center which includes a swimming pool, indoor rock wall and a track. In addition, students can participate in one of the 100 organizations on campus, or take part in the Greek system with over 15 sororities and fraternities to choose from.
If athletics interests students more, they can try out for one of the 24 NCAA Division III sports such as swimming, volleyball and football. Carthage Athletics have had numerous successful years; the men’s baseball team has won 16 NCAA berths, including 9 straight from 1992-2000.
Baseball coach, Augie Schmidt IV had led the baseball team on what some say is the most successful program on campus. For his efforts he has won the American Baseball Coaches Association/Diamond Sports NCAA Division III Central Regional “Coach of the Year” nine times, the ABCA/Louisville Slugger Conference Award seven times, and the CCIW “Baseball Coach of the Year” ten times.
Financial Aid
99 percent of students receive financial aid whether it’s merit or athletic-based scholarships, grants, or loans. The average package that students receive covers almost two thirds of the price of tuition and room and board. With over $20 million dollars given away each year, Carthage makes higher education affordable to students from all different classes.
