Dickinson College Dickinson College is a private , residential liberal arts college in Carlisle , Pennsylvania , United States . Originally established as a grammar school in 1773 , Dickinson was chartered September 9 , 1783 , five days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris , making it the first college to be founded in the newly recognized United States . Dickinson was founded by Benjamin Rush , a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence and originally named " John and Mary ' s College " in honor of a signer of the Constitution , John Dickinson , who was later the President of Pennsylvania and his wife , Mary Norris Dickinson , who donated much of her extensive personal library , combined with John Dickinson ' s library , to the school . Dickinson College is America ' s 16th oldest college . With over 180 full - time faculty members and an enrollment of nearly 2 , 400 students , Dickinson is known for its curriculum and international education programs . Dickinson sponsors 12 study centers in other countries and its approach to global education has received national recognition from the American Council on Education and . The college was among six institutions profiled in depth by NAFSA for " Outstanding Campus Internationalization " in 2003 The 42 % acceptance rate for the Class of 2011 is Dickinson ' s lowest ever , and the College ' s nearly 6 , 000 applications put it amongst the top liberal arts colleges nationwide . In 2007 Dickinson ' s endowment topped $ 300 million , more than double its total from ten years before . Dickinson College is not to be confused with the Dickinson School of Law , which abuts the campus but has not been associated with the college since the late 19th century . The law school merged with Pennsylvania State University in 1997 , and its students study at both the Carlisle and State College campuses . History . The Carlisle Grammar School was founded in 1773 as a frontier Latin school for the young men in western Pennsylvania . Within years Carlisle ' s elite , especially James Wilson and John Montgomery , were pushing for an expansion of the school into a college . In 1782 Benjamin Rush , a revolutionary leader and the preeminent physician in the new nation , met in Philadelphia with Montgomery on the porch of prominent businessman and politician William Bingham to discuss the founding of a frontier college in the town . It was in this conversation that the idea for the college was formed , and " Bingham ' s Porch " was long a rallying cry at Dickinson . Dickinson College was chartered by the Pennsylvania legislature on September 9 , 1783 , six days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris ( 1783 ) ending the American Revolution , making it the first college founded in the newly recognized nation . Rush intended to name the institution after the President of Pennsylvania John Dickinson and his wife Mary Norris Dickinson , originally calling it " John and Mary ' s College . " John and Mary Norris Dickinson had given the new university an extensive library they jointly owned , one of the largest libraries in the colonies . The name Dickinson College was chosen instead . At the time of its founding its location west of the Susquehanna River made it the westernmost college in America . For the first meeting of the trustees , held in April 1784 , Rush made his first journey to Carlisle . The trustees selected Dr . Charles Nisbet D . D . a Scottish minister and scholar , to serve as the College ' s first president . He arrived and began to serve on July 4 , 1785 and served faithfully until his unexpected death in 1804 . A combination of financial troubles and faculty dissension led to a college closing from 1816 - 1821 . In 1832 , when the trustees were unable to resolve a faculty curriculum dispute , they ordered Dickinson ' s temporary closure a second time . The law school dates back to 1833 , and became a separate school within Dickinson in 1890 . The Law School separated from Dickinson in 1919 . It is now affiliated with Penn State . Among the 18th century graduates of Dickinson were two U . S . Supreme Court justices , Robert Cooper Grier and Roger Brooke Taney , who served together on the Court for 18 years . During the 19th century two famous Dickinson College alumni were important participants in issues which led to the Civil War . These were James Buchanan , the 15th President of the United States , and Roger Brooke Taney , Chief Justice of the United States . It was under Taney ' s leadership that the Supreme Court issued the " Dred Scott v . Sandford " decision , which held that Congress could not prohibit slavery in federal territories . Buchanan threw the full prestige of his administration behind congressional approval of the Lecompton Constitution in Kansas . In 1863 , Confederate forces twice occupied Carlisle and the Dickinson campus . When George Metzger , class of 1798 , died in 1879 he left his land and $ 25 , 000 to the town of Carlisle for the purpose of opening a college for women . In 1881 , the Metzger Institute , a College for Young Ladies , opened . The college existed separately until 1913 , when its building was leased to Dickinson College for the education of women , and the building served as a women ' s dorm until 1963 . Campus . Dickinson College sits on a quiet campus two blocks from the main square in the historic small town of Carlisle , the county seat of Cumberland County , Pennsylvania , and the site of the nation ' s second oldest military base , Carlisle Barracks , now the home of the U . S . Army War College . The campus is heavily wooded and characterized by limestone - clad buildings . The grammar school which would become Dickinson College in 1783 was founded in 1773 and housed in a small , two - room brick building on Liberty Avenue , near Bedford Street and Pomfret Street . Upon the College ' s founding the building was expanded and was Dickinson ' s first home . In 1799 the Penn family sold on the western edge of Carlisle to the nascent college , on which it has made its home ever since . On June 20 of that year the cornerstone was laid by John Montgomery , a founding trustee of the college , for a building on the new land . The twelve - room building burned to the ground on February 3 , 1803 , just five weeks after opening its doors , and the college returned to its previous accommodations . Within weeks of the fire , a national fundraising campaign was launched , enticing donations from President Thomas Jefferson , Secretary of State James Madison , and Chief Justice John Marshall and many others . Benjamin Latrobe , already famous for his work on the Bank of Pennsylvania and Princeton University ' s Nassau Hall , and soon - to - be Architect of the Capitol , was chosen to design the new structure . Latrobe ' s design for the building , now known as " West College , " or more fondly as " Old West , " featured monumental and classical elements within a simple and subdued academic style . The building was to be capped with a classically inspired cupola graced by a figure of Triton , but the local craftsman instead created a mermaid , which has ever since been a symbol of the college . Latrobe , who donated his services to the college , visited the building for the first time in 1813 . The total cost of West College topped $ 22 , 000 and , although classes began in 1805 , work was not finished until 1822 . More than 200 years after its doors opened for the first time , Old West is today the ceremonial heart of the college , as all students march through the open doors during convocation at the beginning of their freshman year , and march out the same doors to receive their degrees and graduate . Old West also houses the college administration , several classrooms , a computer lab , and the college chapel . Throughout the 19th century Dickinson expanded across what has now become its main academic quadrangle , known formally as the John Dickinson Campus . Dickinson expanded across College Street to build the Holland Union Building and Waidner - Spahr Library , which along with several dormitories , makes up the Benjamin Rush Campus . Across High Street ( U . S . Route 11 ) lies the Charles Nisbet Campus , home to the largest grouping of dormitories . The Dickinson School of Law , part of Penn State , lies directly to the south of the Nisbet Campus . Together these three grass - covered units compose the vast majority of the College ' s campus , though several outlying buildings surround these main areas . In addition , the College owns playing fields and a large organic farm , both of which are only a short distance from the main campus . Buildings of note include : Revitalization initiatives . Under the leadership of President William Durden , Dickinson entered the 21st century with renewed energy . Since 2000 , Dickinson ' s acceptance rate has dropped by 20 % , SAT scores have risen by 100 points , and the institutional endowment has more than doubled . In 2000 Dickinson opened a new science building , Tome Hall , a state - of - the - art interdisciplinary facility to host astronomy , computer science , math , and physics . Tome hosts Dickinson ' s innovative " Workshop Physics " program and was the first step of a new science complex . Opened in 2008 , the LEED Gold certified Rector Science Complex serves as a place of scientific exploration and learning in an environment that is artful and sustainable . Featuring of state - of - the - art laboratories , classrooms and research facilities , it houses the departments of biology , chemistry , psychology and interdisciplinary programs in biochemistry & molecular biology and neuroscience . Courses in the emerging fields of bioinformatics — a blend of biology and computer science — and nanotechnology — the applied study of particles the size of molecules — also are taught there . The new science complex was designed to afford learning opportunities outside of the classrooms and labs , and even outside of the building ’ s walls on the site of the new complex . Dickinson College ’ s Center for Sustainable Living student residence , known as the “ Treehouse , ” also achieved a Gold rating from the U . S . Green Building Council ’ s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ( LEED ) program . The college is the first in Pennsylvania to receive a Gold rating for a student residence . Dickinson is also at the forefront of campus environmental sustainability . In the Sustainable Endowments Institute ' s 2010 green report card Dickinson was one of only 15 schools to receive an A - , the highest grade possible . Dickinson also was named a Sierra magazine “ Cool “ School " in its Comprehensive Guide to the Most Eco - Enlightened U . S . Colleges : Live ( Green ) and Learn . The college ’ s commitment to making study of the environment and sustainability a defining characteristic of a Dickinson education landed it at the top of The Princeton Review ’ s 2010 Green Honor Roll . The College buys 100 % of its energy from wind power , has solar panels on campus , owns and operates an organic garden and farm , and has signed the American Colleges & Universities Presidents Climate Commitment . Under President Durden , the number of students who study abroad during their undergraduate years has increased to 58 % , and Dickinson has one of the highest number of Fulbright scholars among its alumni . Student life . Dickinson has a rich and varied student life with a variety of organizations involved in many different causes and interests . Its programs are geared only toward traditional students of typical college age . There are over a hundred organizations representing different facets of the college . Athletics . The Dickinson Red Devils participate in the NCAA Division III Centennial Conference . The Red Devils sport uniforms of red , white , and black . Dickinson has 23 varsity sports teams , including baseball and softball , men ' s and women ' s soccer , football , men ' s and women ' s tennis , men ' s and women ' s track , men ' s and women ' s basketball , men ' s and women ' s lacrosse , men ' s and women ' s swimming , men ' s and women ' s cross country , men ' s and women ' s riding , women ' s volleyball , and women ' s field hockey . The College also has a cheerleading squad and dozens of intramural and club sports including ice hockey , men ' s volleyball , lacrosse , soccer , and ultimate frisbee . The current football coach at Dickinson is Darwin Breaux , who has held the position since 1993 . Arguably Dickinson ' s most notable football victory is the 1931 defeat of Penn State 10 - 6 under head coach Joseph McCormick . The two teams have not met since . Without a doubt , Dickinson ' s ultimate athletic achievement is the 1958 Men ' s Lacrosse Team national title and Roy Taylor Division championship , also defeating Penn State in its final game to clinch the title . The Dickinson lacrosse tradition continues today under Men ' s Lacrosse Coach Dave Webster whose squad posted a compiled record of 32 - 5 over the 2010 - 11 seasons , including a 2 - 2 NCAA tournament record , with 2 home wins . The 2011 team earned the Red Devils ' first men ' s lacrosse victory against the Gettysburg Bullets since 1975 , and ultimately clinched the school ' s first Centennial Conference title in Men ' s lacrosse in 2011 . The 2010 - 2011 Centennial Conference Championships , won by Haverford and Dickinson respectively , marked the first time the Championship trophy was traded between anyone but the Gettysburg Bullets or Washington College Shoremen in the Centennial ' s 17 year history in men ' s lacrosse . From 1963 to 1994 Dickinson College hosted the summer training camp for Washington Redskins NFL football team . Greek organizations . Dickinson College has six recognized fraternities and six recognized sororities . The Dickinsonian . " The Dickinsonian " is an award - winning , student - run newspaper published by students , first published in 1872 . Hat Societies . Dickinson College has three senior " Hat Societies " on its campus . This name is given by the distinctive hats members wear on campus . To gain admittance into a Hat Society , one is " tapped " as a junior by current senior members to then serve as a member during his or her senior year . The induction ceremony is known as a Tapping Ceremony . While membership criteria differ amongst the organizations , overall character and general campus leadership are major requirements for membership in any of the three organizations . The three Hat Societies at Dickinson College are : School songs . The College ’ s musical tradition dates back to at least 1858 when the Medal of Honor recipient and author , alumnus Horatio Collins King , wrote the Alma Mater , “ Noble Dickinsonia ” to the tune of " O Christmas Tree " . In 1937 the College published a book titled " Songs of Dickinson " , which contains over 70 works from Dickinson ’ s past . In 1953 the Men ' s Glee Club recorded an album of college songs . In 2005 - 2006 , The Octals , Dickinson ' s all - male a cappella group , recorded a similar CD .