Juniata College Juniata College is a private liberal arts college located in Huntingdon , Pennsylvania . It is named after the Juniata River — one of the principal tributaries of the Susquehanna River . In 1876 it became the first college founded by the Church of the Brethren and has been co - educational since that time . Juniata has a current enrollment of approximately 1 , 600 students from 28 states and territories and 26 foreign countries . History . The Huntingdon Normal School was established by a young Huntingdon physician , Dr . Andrew B . Brumbaugh , and his two cousins , Henry and John Brumbaugh . Henry provided a second - story room over his local printing shop for classes while John lodged and fed the college ' s first teacher , Jacob M . Zuck , free for one year . Andrew was to " provide students and furniture " . Juniata ' s first classes were held on April 17 , 1876 with Zuck teaching Rebecca Cornelius , Maggie D . Miller , and Gaius M . Brumbaugh , the only son of Andrew Brumbaugh . In 1879 classes moved into Founder ' s Hall , the school ' s first permanent building on the present day campus . The college was renamed " Juniata College " in 1893 for the nearby Juniata River and its watershed . In 1895 Dr . Martin Grove Brumbaugh , an 1881 graduate from Huntingdon Normal , took over the active presidency of Juniata until 1901 whereby he continued in name only until 1910 . During and after his tenure , Brumbaugh remained intimately connected to the college , and reacquired the college ' s presidency in 1924 , after having served as Governor of Pennsylvania from 1915 - 1919 . M . G . Brumbaugh died unexpectedly in 1930 while on vacation in Pinehurst , North Carolina and was succeeded in his presidency by a former pupil at Juniata , Dr . Charles Calvert Ellis . The current president of Juniata College is Dr . Thomas R . Kepple Jr . He retired in 2013 . Campus . The main campus area is , and the college manages a Baker - Henry Nature Preserve . Two new buildings since 2000 include the Von Liebig Center for Science and the Suzanne von Liebig Theatre . The newest building project on the campus is the renovation of Founders Hall , which was the first building on campus . Construction was finished in the summer of 2009 and uses underground geothermal energy to heat and cool the building . This building will be recognized as a LEED Gold building . Other off - campus sites include the Baker Peace Chapel ( designed by Maya Lin ) and the Raystown Field Station , a reserve on Raystown Lake . The " cliffs " also offer some beautiful scenery of the Juniata River . The college also owns the Raystown Field Station which includes a LEED Gold building and two lodges for semester - long residential programs , often focused on environmental topics . Academics . Program of emphasis . Juniata College features a " Program of Emphasis " rather than the common Academic major . Within a certain course framework , students choose and create their own Program of Emphasis and graduate with a degree in it . There are designated Programs of Emphasis that follow a set of courses ( e . g . Environmental Science , Communication and Anthropology , etc . ) or students may create their own with the approval of two faculty advisors . Areas of Study . Juniata is a liberal arts institution . It has strong programs in a variety of areas , from the natural sciences to the arts , social sciences , and humanities . Many students who enter Juniata for the strong science programs , however , find that they enjoy world culture , international programs , peace studies , politics , or a variety of other disciplines . This varied combination allows students to explore different facets of the world . The strong academic tradition of Juniata College is made apparent in the success of its students . The school touts an impressive graduation rate : 79 % of all students entering Juniata graduate ; of those , 96 % do so within four years . Juniata also has a 95 % acceptance rate to all postgraduate programs , including medical , podiatric , dental , occupational therapy , physical therapy , chiropractic , and law schools . Since 2003 , Juniata has produced eight Academic All - Americans , five American Physiological Society Undergraduate Research Fellows , four Benjamin A . Gilman International Scholars , seven Fulbright Scholars , seven Goldwater Scholars , two Pickering Fellows , eight St . Andrew ' s Society Scholars , and one Davies - Jackson Scholar . Juniata also perennially places at least one student as a Harvard Summer Research Scholar . Nearly forty - five percent of Juniata students design their own program of emphasis , and Juniata offers study - abroad opportunities in 30 countries . Athletics . Juniata is a Division III collegiate sports institution . It is well known for its volleyball program ( Men ' s and Women ' s ) and is also a charter member of the Landmark Conference . Juniata athletes compete in the Landmark Conference except for volleyball and football . The Juniata Men ' s Volleyball Team competes in the Continental Volleyball Conference ( formerly it competed in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association winning several titles under , both , Division I and Division III sanctioning ) . The Juniata Eagles Football Squad is a member of the Centennial Conference . Juniata had a school record of five Academic All - Americans in 2004 - 2005 academic year and 38 All - American honors since 1998 . In addition , " College Hill " sports 2 National Championships in Women ' s Volleyball ( 2004 & 2006 ) . Men ' s Volleyball boasts one EIVA Championship as an NCAA Division I exception ( 1992 ) and 6 National Championships as a Division III powerhouse ( 1998 , 2004 , 2005 , 2006 , 2007 & 2009 ) . The Goal Post Trophy goes to the winner of the annual football game with rival Susquehanna University . It is a section of goal post from the post that was torn down after the 1952 Juniata - Susquehanna game . The visiting Indians ( now Eagles ) upset the Crusaders in Selinsgrove , and Juniata fans tore down the goal post after the game . At roughly 5 feet tall , it is one of the tallest trophies in college football . . Student life . Annual events . Juniata College has a tradition of campus - wide events dating back to its founding days . People . Notable alumni of Juniata include : In the press . Juniata College is mentioned in the following publications : 2006 Princeton Review ' s Best 361 Colleges ; Loren Pope ' s Colleges That Change Lives ; Kaplan , Inc . ' s Insider ' s Guide to the 328 Most Interesting Colleges ; Peterson ' s Competitive Colleges ; Miriam Weinstein ' s Making A Difference College Guide : Outstanding Colleges to Help You Make a Better World ; Barron ' s Best Buys in College Education ; Leland Miles ' Provoking Thought : What Colleges Should Do for Students ; Elle Girl Magazine : Top 50 colleges that Dare to be Different ; Rugg ' s Recommendations on the Colleges ; and Don Asher ' s Cool Colleges . In 2009 , Forbes rated it 75th of America ' s Best Colleges . The college was listed as 1 of 13 " best performing " colleges according to a 2004 study by the Teagle Foundation . It was noted as an " overachieving college " based on an " exceptionally high graduation rate " and " has a high percentage of students who go to earn doctoral degrees and achieves those numbers through efficient use of resources . " References . A History of the Juniata Valley , vol . 1 , National Historical Association , Harrisburg , PA , 1936 .