Gettysburg College Gettysburg College is a private , four - year liberal arts college founded in 1832 , in Gettysburg , Pennsylvania , United States , adjacent to the famous battlefield . Its athletic teams are nicknamed the Bullets . Gettysburg College has about 2 , 700 students , with roughly equal numbers of men and women . Gettysburg students come from 43 states and 32 countries . In 2012 , U . S . News & World Report ranked it 46th among Best Liberal Arts Colleges . The college is the home of " The Gettysburg Review " , a literary magazine . History . Founding and early roots . Gettysburg College was founded in 1832 , as a sister institution for the Lutheran Theological Seminary . Both owe their inception to Thaddeus Stevens , a Radical Republican and abolitionist from Gettysburg . The college ' s original name was Pennsylvania College ; it was founded by Samuel Simon Schmucker . Seven years after Gettysburg College was first founded , it established a medical school , which was located in Philadelphia . The college was forced to close the medical school in 1861 , when students from the seceding southern states withdrew to return home , leaving it without adequate revenue . Battle of Gettysburg . In June 1863 , southern Pennsylvania was invaded by Confederate forces during the Gettysburg Campaign . Many local militia forces were formed around the area between Chambersburg and Philadelphia to face the oncoming foe . Among these units was Gettysburg ' s 26th Pennsylvania Emergency Militia Regiment ( PEMR ) . Composed mostly of students from the College and Seminary , the 26th PEMR was mustered into service on June 22 , 1863 . Four days later , the students saw combat just north of town , skirmishing with advanced units of Confederate division commander Jubal A . Early . Casualties were light on both sides , but about 100 of the militiamen were captured and paroled . During the Battle of Gettysburg , Pennsylvania Hall , or Old Dorm , was used as both a signal corps station and field hospital . Penn Hall is an interesting anomaly in the battle . Due to the geographic position it held , it was used by both Confederate and Union troops during the battle for signal work and surgery . On November 19 , 1863 , College President Henry Louis Baugher gave the benediction at the ceremony opening the National Soldiers ’ Cemetery at Gettysburg ; speaking after Abraham Lincoln . Henry Baugher was the president of Gettysburg College from 1850 until his death in 1868 . Relationship with the Eisenhowers . Early in his military career , Dwight D . Eisenhower and his wife , Mamie , lived in a house in Gettysburg that was across the street from the college . Both were fond of the town , so they decided to retire to a working farm adjacent to the battlefield after he left the army . It was there that President Eisenhower recuperated from his 1955 heart attack . While living in Gettysburg , Eisenhower became involved with Gettysburg College . He served on the Gettysburg College Board of Trustees , and he was given an office , which he used when writing his memoirs . Eisenhower ’ s old office is now named Eisenhower House and is occupied by Gettysburg College ’ s office of admissions . Eisenhower ’ s grandson , David , and his granddaughter Susan continue a certain level of family involvement with the institution . Today the Eisenhower Institute , a nationally recognized center for leadership and public policy based in Gettysburg and Washington , D . C . , is formally recognized as a distinctive program of the college . Campus . The college is located on a campus adjacent to the Gettysburg National Military Park . Gettysburg , Pennsylvania , is 36 miles ( 60 km ) from Harrisburg , from Baltimore , from Washington , D . C . , from Philadelphia , and from New York City , and from Boston . The college ' s main campus is roughly divided in half by Pennsylvania Hall ( administration ) . The northern half contains Eddie Plank Gym , Masters Hall ( physics and astronomy ) , Musselman Library , the College Union Building , the College Dining Center , Briedenbaugh Hall ( English and Asian Studies ) , and several freshman dorms and fraternities . A section of this part of campus known as " Stine Lake " is not actually a lake but rather a quad located outside of the library . Prior to Musselman Library being built in the late 1970s , and due to Gettysburg ' s wet climate and drainage issues , the quad and library site would be prone to accumulating water , creating a large , muddy " lake " of sorts . Today , however , Stine Lake does not flood , but the name has stuck , to the confusion of first - year students . Additionally , the College Dining Center is known to students and faculty as " Servo , " after a now defunct 1980s food service company , Servomation . The southern half of the main campus includes McKnight Hall ( languages ) , Glatfelter Hall ( economics , management , political science , mathematics , and others ) , Schmucker Hall ( art and music ) , Kline Theater , and several fraternities . Over the last half - century , the campus has expanded considerably to include land to the east of North Washington Street and to the west of the traditional campus . Since approximately 96 % of students live on campus , most of this additional land is dedicated to housing . It also includes the college chapel , the admissions building , a large gymnasium and field house complex , and several athletics fields . The college has also purchased or leased a large number of buildings for student housing , including residences on Washington Street , Carlisle Street , Middle Street , Stratton Street , and others . Academic Facilities . Library . Musselman Library houses the college collection of books , journals , videos , sound recordings , online publications , rare books , manuscripts , and digital collections . An online catalog , MUSCAT , provides a gateway to all library materials and is accessible through any computer terminal connected to the college network . In addition , the building contains a media theater , computer lab , and media production center . Musselman Library is open around the clock when classes are in session . The library operates 24 hours a day on weekdays and selected hours during the weekends . In order to help facilitate late night studying , the library provides free coffee , tea , and hot chocolate at midnight to patrons who bring their own mugs . Technology . Full network capabilities in all campus buildings and each residence hall room . Students have access to more than 1 , 300 computers and a complex system of workstations and laboratories . Wireless connectivity is available across 97 % of the campus ( the other 3 % being the practice fields ) and in all of the residence halls . Organization . As an independent institution , the college operates under a charter granted in 1832 by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania . The College is governed by a 39 - member board of trustees comprising leaders from a range of professions and walks of life . Thirty of the College ’ s trustees are graduates of Gettysburg . On the student level , adjudication of academic disputes takes place through an Honor Commission , which holds hearings in which students are given a chance to have their say on charges brought against them . The Academic Honor Code has been in effect since 1957 , and recently has been updated to fit better with today ' s technology . Greek Organizations . " Fraternities " : Alpha Chi Rho , Alpha Tau Omega , Lambda Chi Alpha , Phi Delta Theta , Phi Gamma Delta , Phi Sigma Kappa , Sigma Alpha Epsilon , Sigma Chi , Sigma Nu " Sororities " : Alpha Delta Pi , Chi Omega , Delta Gamma , Gamma Phi Beta , Sigma Sigma Sigma , Sigma Gamma Rho , Zeta Phi Beta " Service Fraternity " : Alpha Phi Omega " Women ' s Music Fraternity " : Sigma Alpha Iota " Past Greek Organizations on Campus " : Alpha Phi Alpha , Alpha Xi Delta , Chi Phi , Kappa Delta Rho , Rho Beta ( local ) , Sigma Kappa , Theta Chi , Phi Beta Sigma , Phi Kappa Psi , Phi Kappa Rho ( local ) , Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia , Tau Kappa Epsilon , Zeta Psi Students can only rush as sophomores . Student Media . " The Gettysburgian " ( Campus Print Newspaper ) , The Forum ( www . gburgforum . com , the independent online news source ) , Channel 34 Gburg TV ( Campus Television Station ) , WZBT 91 . 1 ( Campus Radio Station ) , The Spectrum ( College yearbook ) . Every year , the media groups on campus work together to host a journalism and media conference entitled Speak Up , Write Out , bringing in members of the world , national , and local media to speak in panels open to students of Gettysburg and other nearby colleges . Students and Faculty . Nearly 2 , 700 students , approximately one - half men and one - half women and representing 40 states and 35 foreign countries , attend the college . Some 75 % of the student body is from outside Pennsylvania . The Class of 2014 had a 40 % acceptance rate , and often competes with comparable schools Dickinson and Franklin & Marshall for applicants . The college employs 180 full - time faculty , with 100 % of the permanent faculty holding a doctorate or highest earned degree in their fields . The student / faculty ratio is 10 : 1 , with an average class size of 18 students . The college hosts one of only 19 chapters of Phi Beta Kappa in Pennsylvania . Athletics . Twenty - four sports programs , for both men and women , participate in NCAA Division III . Gettysburg has earned the distinction of having the best win / loss record in the Centennial Conference for the past 12 years . The Gettysburg College women ' s lacrosse team won the Division III National Championship in 2011 . Head football coach Barry Streeter , the winningest coach in school history , is also the longest - tenured coach in the Centennial Conference , having helmed the program since 1979 . He is currently tied for 24th on the All - Time Division III wins list . The college also offers an extensive array of club , intramural , and recreational programs . Twenty - five percent of Gettysburg ' s students participate in intercollegiate programs , which include twelve sports for men and twelve sports for women . Although the mascot for Gettysburg College is the Bullet , there is no official Bullet mascot at sporting events . The Center for Athletics , Recreation and Fitness . The College broke ground on the new $ 25 million athletic center , named the John F . Jaeger Center for Athletics , Recreation and Fitness , on May 30 , 2008 . The 55 , 000 foot Center is an upgrade from the former athletic facility , known as the Bream / Wright / Hauser Complex . Bream / Wright / Hauser still exists next to the additions . The Center opened in stages . A dedication ceremony on April 30 , 2010 marked its completion . The Center was official named for the 1965 alumus John F . Jaeger on May 4 , 2012 . The Center features : The Center was created in order to provide more opportunities for the high percentage of students who like to maintain their fitness regimens and engage in intramural , club sports programs , and exercise classes . About 25 percent of the student body participates in varsity sports , while over 75 percent are active in intramural sports . More space was needed , and the Center is important to improve life on campus . John Jaeger , a 1965 Gettysburg College graduate , donated $ 1 . 2 million to encourage others to fund the project . Another important donor , Robert Ortenzio , provided the largest single gift by a living person in the history of the College , by giving $ 2 million . " Loyalty Song " . However , another rendition exists with a few differences and is the one currently in use : In Popular Culture . In the film " Remember the Titans " , Gettysburg College is the site of the summer football camp . An important scene involves Coach Herman Boone waking the players early to jog to the battlefield , where he delivers a speech on racism . Although the coach specifically mentioned once that Gettysburg College was the site of the camp , a different college was used for filming . The campus depicted in the film displays Gothic Revival architecture , but the actual campus of Gettysburg College is primarily Georgian . Civil War History activities . Due to its close relationship to a crucial battle in the American Civil War , Gettysburg College hosts a number of activities and awards :