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Ripon College is a private liberal arts college in Ripon, Wisconsin. As of fall 2018, the college enrolled around 800 students, the majority of whom lived on campus. Students came from 14 nations and 33 states, 53% were female, and nearly 70% of students were Wisconsin residents.
Ripon College was founded in 1851, although its first class of students did not enroll until 1853. It was first known as Brockway College, named for William S. Brockway, who gave the most, $25, in a fundraising effort.
Ripon's first class, four women, graduated in June 1867. The college was founded with ties to local churches, but early in its history the institution became secular. In 1868 formal ties with Presbyterian and Congregational churches were cut, but Ripon would retain some ties to its religious past. During the nineteenth century students were required to attend two church services each Sunday. The first six presidents of Ripon College had clerical backgrounds, as did the previous president, David Joyce. Today the school offers classes in world religions, but there are no required religious courses, and students are not required to attend religious services. The college recognized social and academic Greek letter societies in 1924. The Ripon chapter of Phi Beta Kappa was started by Clark Kuebler, who served as president from 1944 to 1955.
The National Forensic League was founded at the college in 1925. Since that time communication has been important at the college, which today organizes its endeavors as part of a Communication Consortium that provides real-world experience to students, such as managing the campus newspaper, mentoring people within the broader community about communication, and participating in forensics.