There is a difference between knowing who you are and understanding how you can impact the world. At William Penn, we believe that. It is why we are founded on the mission of providing an opportunity to anyone inspired and motivated enough to want it. This is why our heritage of open arms and open minds created a haven of diversity long before it became trendy.
William Penn University provides an educational experience with a focus on leadership, technology, and the Quaker principles of simplicity, peace-making, integrity, community, and equality.
These goals identify how the principles listed in the Mission Statement will be pursued and how the University will provide an educational opportunity for its students, through the University’s Academic Programs and Co-Curricular Departments.
At William Penn University, our mission is not merely a set of goals we hope to achieve. It is who we are at our very core.
It is the belief that every individual has value and deserves access to quality education. That it is our differences that do make us stronger. Our Quaker principles are the pillars of authentic leadership in today’s world.
Every one of us brings something unique to the world. We embrace the fact that everyone learns differently. Our faculty are uniquely adept at pushing boundaries and exploring new ways of teaching.
Our programs broaden as much as they inform. Challenge as much as they inspire. Innovate as much as they connect on a human level. For you to realize the potential that lies within, that is what it takes.
Our world needs leaders. Leaders with vision and creativity, and compassion. Who believes our Quaker values can help shape a better world in a digital age. Leaders who can bridge disciplines, communicate effectively, think critically, and inspire those around them to not just be their best selves, but to want to be their best selves. This is why the Penn Leadership Core—designed to streamline the quality of required courses outside of your major—is so critical to the success of our graduates.
Staying true to William Penn’s founding mission of empowering anyone who wants an education, we offer an innovative distance learning program designed for those wanting to pursue an education focus without coming to campus. We offer an Associate of Arts in Leadership Studies (with an education focus), a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, and a variety of endorsements to previously licensed educators, delivered in a way that works around the daily responsibilities.
At William Penn, there is no “typical” student. We do not fit into anyone’s mold. We set our expectations. Life here is characterized by a community that honors individuality and team spirit. Because we know that is how personal success is defined, and how each of us achieves it is different for everyone.
The William Penn campus is alive with student activities all year long, offering a seemingly endless range of opportunities to engage with fellow students, discover new interests, and make friends. Students from small towns and big cities from across the globe and the country choose William Penn University. For more than 140 years, they have come, representing all social and economic backgrounds, and all levels of academic achievement. They know it is here that their individuality can thrive, and their opportunities will be boundless.
All it takes is one bold move. Applying for admission to William Penn will be the first step on a journey that will change your life forever. Your application process will be guided by experienced and supportive admissions professionals who will be there for you every step of the way.
An investment in a William Penn education is an investment in you. Your strengths. Your goals. Your character. We offer generous financial aid and scholarship packages as a way to offset the cost of attendance. Your investment will empower you to be true to who you are and achieve the highest levels of success—however, you define it.
Our financial aid packages help students from across the globe represent all walks of life and overcome financial barriers they may be facing. We award scholarships for athletics, academic merit and achievement, the fine arts, and involvement in various activities. Participating in work-study will help you gain valuable professional skills and discover different areas of interest.
Education has long been viewed as the key to a better life—an education, when used wisely, can open doors that would remain hidden to our view otherwise. American Author Brandi L. Bates explains her experience this way, “Wrote my way out of the hood…thought my way out of poverty! Do not tell me that knowledge is not power. Education changes everything.”
As education evolved over the decades, to remain true to its mission, William Penn needed to look at new delivery systems to continue to make education accessible to all. It was evident that many people who would benefit from education could not stop working to attend school during the day. This introspection led to the origins of what is now OLE—our Online and Evening program in 1996. This platform, in addition to our synchronous online teacher education degree, as well as the design of our Bachelors of Nursing completion strategy, were formed to make a degree more accessible to all.
Our traditional campus continues to welcome students from all walks of life and all areas of the world. Our current student body of almost 1,000 is comprised of students from 42 states and 20 other countries. This experience prepares students for future opportunities in a way that is hard to replicate. Helen Keller said, “The highest result of education is tolerance.” Learning with, working with, and becoming friends with people who do not look, think, or believe prepares us for success. Malcolm Forbes puts it this way: “Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open mind.” That is what William Penn has undertaken since 1873.
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