Kentucky Wesleyan College Kentucky Wesleyan College ( KWC ) is a private Methodist college in Owensboro , a city on the Ohio River , in the U . S . state of Kentucky . KWC is east of Evansville , Indiana , north of Nashville , Tennessee , west of Louisville , Kentucky , and east of St . Louis , Missouri . Daviess County is home to 94 , 000 residents . Kentucky Wesleyan College is known for its liberal arts programs . Fall 2009 enrollment was 843 students . Athletically , Kentucky Wesleyan College is a NCAA Division II school , nicknamed the Panthers , that is part of the Great Lakes Valley Conference . Starting in the 2013 - 2014 academic season the Panthers will be competing in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference , abbreviated as the G - MAC . Kentucky Wesleyan will be charter members of the newest NCAA Division II athletic conference along with Cedarville University , Central State University , Trevecca Nazarene University , and Ursuline College . History . Kentucky Wesleyan College was founded in 1858 by the Kentucky Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church . It was originally located in Millersburg . Classes began in 1866 and the first commencement took place in 1868 . At first , it was a training school for preachers but soon business and liberal arts classes were added to the curriculum . In 1890 the school was moved to Winchester and soon after women began to be admitted for the first time . In 1951 , the school moved to its present location in Kentucky ' s fourth largest city , Owensboro . Academics . Kentucky Wesleyan offers 40 majors and 11 pre - professional curricula and has a student - to - faculty ratio of 15 : 1 . Academics are divided into three divisions : Humanities and Fine Arts ; Social Sciences ; and Natural Sciences . Kentucky Wesleyan College now also offers a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration 100 % Online . Tuition for the online business degree is extremely competitive and affordable . Financial aid is available for all students who qualify . Student life . Kentucky Wesleyan offers over 40 student organizations on campus . These range from campus ministry , student government , Greek life , academic , and other special interest clubs . Intramurals are offered on a seasonal basis . Greek life . Kentucky Wesleyan has two national fraternities and three national sororities . Athletics . The Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers compete in NCAA Division II and are members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference . KWC announced it will be leaving the GLVC after the 2012 - 2013 season . They will join the GMAC . Intercollegiate men ' s teams include baseball , basketball , cross country , golf , football , soccer , and will be implementing modern era indoor and outdoor track and field teams beginning in the 2012 - 2013 academic season . Women compete in basketball , cross country , golf , soccer , softball , tennis , volleyball , and will also be implementing modern era indoor and outdoor track and field teams in the 2012 - 2013 academic season . http : / / kwcpanthers . com / index . aspx ? path = mtrack & & tab = 1 The men ' s basketball team advanced to the Division II championship game six consecutive years ( 1998 – 2003 ) , winning in 1999 and 2001 under the direction of Ray Harper . In addition to these successes , they won six other championships ( 1966 , 1968 , 1969 , 1973 , 1987 , and 1990 ) and were runners - up in 1957 . Overall , Kentucky Wesleyan has won eight NCAA Division II National Men ' s Basketball Championships , which is the most by any NCAA Division II School . Presidents . College presidents include :