Alma College Alma College is a private , liberal arts college located in Alma , Michigan , United States . The enrollment is approximately 1 , 400 students , and the college is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools . The college ' s 13th President , Dr . Jeff Abernathy , assumed leadership on June 15 , 2010 . Alma College offers four degrees ( Bachelor of Arts , Bachelor of Science , Bachelor of Music , and Bachelor of Fine Arts ) in 28 majors . Academic programs that typically produce the most graduates are business administration , biology , psychology , exercise and health science , and education . Students are encouraged to participate in service learning and study abroad opportunities designed to enhance classroom learning . The College ' s stated mission is " to prepare graduates who think critically , serve generously , lead purposefully and live responsibly as stewards of the world they bequeath to future generations . " Alma College was one of 81 schools in the United States selected in 2005 as a " College with a Conscience : 81 Great Schools with Outstanding Community Involvement " by The Princeton Review and Campus Compact . Other publications that have recognized Alma College include the 2013 Fiske Guide to Colleges , the 2012 - 13 Colleges of Distinction , and The Princeton Review ' s 2012 - 13 " Best in the Midwest . " History . The College was founded by Michigan Presbyterians in 1886 , and received funding from lumber magnate Ammi Wright , for whom Wright Hall on campus and Wright Avenue in the city of Alma are named . Prior to 1934 , the Alma mascot was the Fighting Presbyterians , which became the subject of debate in 1931 due to a series of stories by the " The Almanian " , a student - run newspaper , expressing discontentment over the limitation on cheers to “ Go Presbyterians ” or “ Go Campbellites , ” the latter in support of then current football coach , Royal Campbell . While still maintaining a close relationship with the Presbyterian Church , Alma College offers an environment that welcomes students of all religious backgrounds . Rankings . In January 1997 , then - president of Alma College , Alan Stone , asked 480 colleges to boycott the " U . S . News and World Report Rankings " due to the peer assessment survey which counts for 25 % of a college ' s ranking . According to the " Chronicle of Higher Education , " in 1996 , Alma College surveyed 158 colleges about the rankings . The result of the survey indicated that " 84 percent of the respondents admitted that they were unfamiliar with some of the institutions they had been asked to rank . Almost 44 per cent indicated that they ' tended to leave responses for unfamiliar schools blank . ' " Stone stated , " this makes me wonder just how many votes are being considered for each school ' s academic - reputation ranking . " , After a June 2007 meeting of the Annapolis Group , Alma college joined others who would be boycotting the rankings . According to a June 22 , 2007 article for " The Morning Sun " : Academics . Alma utilizes a 4 - 4 - 1 academic calendar with 14 - week terms in the fall and winter and a four - week term in May . The intensive Spring Term in May provides an opportunity for innovative course patterns , travel classes , research and internships during an ideal season . Alma ' s small size affords its students a variety of opportunities not commonly available at larger universities . For example , Alma is one of the few colleges of its size to offer a real cadaver laboratory for pre - med students , giving them an advantage in the medical school application process . Many students are able to write a senior thesis , or create a senior project in the arts , working one - on - one with recognized scholars in their fields to create original research . These efforts are underwritten with several grants available to students for undergraduate research , such as the Currie Summer Scholar program , offering $ 2500 each summer to one returning junior or senior student each in the humanities , social sciences , and natural sciences to pursue a topic in - depth . The College has a Nationally Competitive Scholarship Committee , designed to help juniors and seniors apply for funding opportunities for graduate and professional school . This has produced winners of the Fulbright , Gates - Cambridge , Truman , and Udall Scholarships , as well as finalists for the Marshall and Rhodes Scholarships . Since 2003 , 43 students have received nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships , including 22 Fulbright scholarships . In the 2005 - 2006 school year , the College introduced several new leadership programs . These programs — the Posey Global Fellowships and the Center for Responsible Leadership — were generously funded by alumni with the goal of furthering students ' awareness of ethical leadership and service in an increasingly global economy and political landscape . In addition , an Honors Program was begun with the specific intention of preparing candidates for application to Phi Beta Kappa , a liberal arts honorary . Majors and Programs of Emphasis . In addition to traditional majors , students may opt to create a Program of Emphasis ( POE ) . Students work with faculty mentors to create their own major by taking courses from a variety of departments and combining them with internships and research experience that rounds out their POE . Some recent POEs have included Social Justice , Anthropology , Foreign Service and Nonprofit Management . Recently Alma has created several new majors , including Health Care Administration , Environmental Studies , Biotechnology and New Media Studies . Students may also participate in Pre - Professional Programs such as Pre - Medical and Pre - Dental studies . A new Integrated Health Studies Institute will bring together students from across the disciplines with health - related career interests to gain practical experience in Health Fields and discuss cross - disciplinary issues related to health . Campus . Alma College is located in a small - town setting , the city of Alma having slightly fewer than 10 , 000 residents . The campus is built with a red brick motif , centered around a large square ( McIntyre Mall ) , and its admittedly small skyline dominated by the Dunning Memorial Chapel , as it is tradition not to build any structure on campus higher than the spire of the Chapel . The majority of buildings are located on North Campus , that is , the area north of Superior Street . These include the major dormitory residences , as well as the academic and student life buildings . South Campus is home to suite - style residences ( " New Dorms , " so named because they were built later in the 1960s than residences in North Campus ) as well as the new environmentally friendly apartment - style Wright Hall , inaugurated in 2005 and the second residence of its name , the former being demolished in 1976 . South Campus is also home to " Fraternity Row " ( Center Street ) and " Sorority Row " ( Superior Street ) as well as several other themed houses . Over 50 percent of the buildings on Alma ' s campus were built under the long tenure ( 1956 – 1980 ) of Robert D . Swanson , after whom the main academic building is named . Recent additions to the campus include the Alan J . Stone Recreation Center in 2001 , the Oscar E . Remick Heritage Center in 2000 , Colina Library Wing in 2006 , and the Hogan Physical Education Center In addition to the main campus , the College also owns a ecological research area containing woodlands , a willow marsh , a sphangnum bog , and a glacial kettle lake , with a full research facility and a bird observatory , located in Vestaburg , about to the west of Alma . Scottish Heritage . In more than 100 years since its founding , Alma has stayed true to its roots by keeping its Scottish heritage alive . Today , Alma features a marching band clad in kilts , a Scottish Highlands dance troupe , and even its own official tartan . Each year , the College hosts the Alma Highland Festival and Games which feature traditional Scottish games and revelry . In 2011 Alma expanded its Highland Arts Program and participated in its first Piping competition at the 2011 Alma Highland Festival and Games . Athletics . Alma College athletic teams , nicknamed the " Scots , " are part of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association ( MIAA ) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) - Division III . Generally , more than a third of Alma ' s students participate in sports . In October 2010 , the College added men ' s wrestling , women ' s bowling and men ' s and women ' s lacrosse as varsity sports effective in the 2011 - 12 academic year . With these additions , the college offers 11 men ' s and 11 women ' s varsity athletic programs . Performing arts . More than a third of all Alma students take part in at least one performance each year . The College offers majors in theatre , dance and music , but students of all majors may join in productions . The Heritage Center for the Performing Arts is the region ' s premiere performing arts facility . It houses the Theatre and Dance Department and serves as the performance venue for the College ' s eight music ensembles . It features a 500 - seat concert hall for large performances , an intimate 190 - seat theatre , and a dance studio . Greek life . Alma College is home to six social men ' s fraternities , five social women ' s sororities , and numerous honorary and professional fraternities . The six fraternities are Tau Kappa Epsilon , Theta Chi , Sigma Alpha Epsilon , Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia , Sigma Chi and Zeta Sigma . The social sororities at Alma are Alpha Gamma Delta , Alpha Xi Delta , Gamma Phi Beta , Kappa Iota ( Alma ' s local sorority ) , and Phi Sigma Sigma . Other organizations include Sigma Alpha Iota , the women ' s music fraternity , Alpha Phi Omega , the co - ed National Service Fraternity — one of the largest organizations on campus , and a women ' s Christian sorority , Sigma Alpha Omega , which was formed in the Winter Term of 2006 . These are not social Greek organizations and are not under jurisdiction of the Greek Judicial , the Inter - Fraternal Council ( IFC ) , or the PanHellenic Council . Presidents of Alma College . The following thirteen individuals have served as president of Alma College from the creation of the office in 1785 to the present . Those marked with their names in bold had graduated from Alma . Where years don ' t overlap there was a gap of a few months while a suitable candidate was found .