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Brief History
Juniata is an independent, co-educational college of liberal arts and sciences, founded in 1876 by members of the Church of the Brethren to prepare individuals “for the useful occupations of life.”
Juniata’s first classes were held on April 17, 1876 in a cramped, second-story room over a local printing shop. Two women and one man were in attendance. Unlike the common model at the time, Juniata was co-educational from the beginning. In 1879, classes were moved to Founders Hall (completely restored in 2009) on the present Juniata campus in Huntingdon. The town is a county seat of 10,000 and lies in the scenic Central Pennsylvania mountains, mid-way between Interstate 80 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
The Juniata community now has available 43 buildings on over 800 acres, including the 316-acre Baker-Henry Nature Preserve. In addition, The Raystown Field Station, located on Raystown Lake encompassing a complete watershed, consists of 365 acres for exclusive College use and a full 29,000 acres for additional research and study. The Field Station is leased from the Army Corps of Engineers and provides one of the most distinctive opportunities in environmental science in the nation.
As of May 31, 2011, Juniata’s total financial assets were $170.9 million. For the 2012-2013 fiscal year, the total operating budget of the College is $41.2 million.
Primarily residential (85% of degree seeking students live on campus), Juniata maintains an enrollment of approximately 1,500 students. Sixty-two percent are from Pennsylvania. Last year’s student body represented 36 states and territories, and 43 foreign countries.
