125 years later, Malone is a thriving Christian University for the arts, sciences, and professions dedicated to the integration of Christian faith and learning in the liberal arts tradition.
Timeline of major events
Founding & cleveland years
- 1857 – J. Walter Malone was born.
- 1859 – Emma Brown was born.
- 1886 – J. Walter Malone married Emma Brown.
- 1887 – J. Walter Malone was recorded as a “Minister of the Gospel.”
- 1892 – Emma Brown Malone was recorded as a “Minister of the Gospel.”
- 1892 – Date of founding. First classes on East Prospect (Carnegie) Avenue near Thirtieth Street, Cleveland.
- 1897 – Institute moved into new complex at 3219 Cedar Avenue, Cleveland.
- 1899 – Incorporated as Friends Bible Institute and Training School. (Gradually became known as Cleveland Bible Institute.)
- 1937 – Name changed to Cleveland Bible College. Authorized to award collegiate degree of Bachelor of Theology.
- 1945 – College moved to 3201 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland.
- 1948 – Charter member of the Accrediting Association of Bible Institutes and Bible Colleges. Bachelor of Religious Education and Bachelor of Sacred Music became the degrees for the four-year programs. Bachelor of Theology became a five-year degree.
- 1956 – Name changed to Malone College. Decision to move to Canton and enlarge curriculum to include liberal arts and teacher education.
Media Gallery
J. Walter and Emma Brown Malone with their children.
The Malones working in their office. The couple shared teaching and administrative duties at the young Bible institute.
Esther Baird ’92 was one of the first missionaries to go into the field. Here she is shown with women of Mukti Orphanage, India.
Dedicated prayer time was a part of the daily schedule.
Students gather between classes.
Staff of the CBI Voice.
Malone comes to Canton
- 1957 – Canton campus opened and liberal arts program established; Main Building original complex, plus Fox Hall.
- 1957 – Men’s Basketball began as Malone’s first intercollegiate sport.
- 1958 – Approved by State of Ohio Department of Education to offer courses and programs leading to Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Education degrees, effective with class of 1961.
- 1958 – Became a member college of the North Central Association Liberal Arts Study.
- 1958 – Membership granted in Council for the Advancement of Small Colleges.
- 1959 – College seal approved. The University motto, “Christ’s Kingdom First” appears in Latin — Regnum Christi Primum — with the symbolic open Bible, dove, and lamp.
- 1960 – Osborne Hall completed.
- 1960 – “Pioneers” chosen by student senate as nickname for athletics teams.
- 1961 – Timken Science Hall built.
- 1961 – Men’s Track and Field began as intercollegiate sport.
- 1962 – Penn Hall completed and occupied.
- 1962 – Became associate member of the Ohio College Association.
- 1962 – North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools (NCA) granted “candidate-for-membership” status.
- 1962 – Men’s Cross Country, Golf, and Tennis added as intercollegiate sports.
- 1963 – Ohio State University gave full value to transcript of record for undergraduate or graduate purposes.
- 1963 – Men’s Baseball added as intercollegiate sport.
- 1964 – Gurney Hall and Whittier Hall completed.
- 1964 – Accreditation received from the North Central Association and full membership in the Ohio College Association.
- 1964 – One-half million dollar endowment received from the Timken Foundation in recognition of accreditation.
- 1965 – Woolman Hall completed.
- 1966 – Faculty Office Building with new dining hall and office areas created as extension of Main Building.
- 1966 – Men’s Soccer added as intercollegiate sport.
- 1967 – Additional land donated by the Timken Foundation.
- 1967 – Women’s Basketball added as first women’s intercollegiate sport.
- 1969 – Golfer Ken Hyland became first NAIA National Champion.
Media Gallery
Byron Osborne and students display renderings of what the new campus will look like.
Malone President Byron Osborne welcomes students to the new Canton campus.
The class of 1958 was the first to graduate in Canton.
With the move to Canton came intercollegiate athletics. Men’s Basketball became the first team in 1957.
Malone’s first library was located in what is now the Theatre in Founders Hall.
Malone partnered with the Aultman School of Nursing in the early 1960s.
Morris Pike was a popular professor and built the school’s first theatre program.
Roger Leach was the first director of the Malone Chorale in Canton.
Women’s Basketball became the schools first women’s athletic program in 1967.
The Homecoming Court in 1963.
1970 – 89
- 1970 – Barclay Hall and new Maintenance Building completed.
- 1971 – Completion of The Everett L. Cattell Library building.
- 1971 – Charter Membership in the Christian College Consortium.
- 1971 – Men’s Wrestling added as intercollegiate sport.
- 1972 – NAIA National Champions: Men’s Cross Country.
- 1973 – New Front Entrance and Circle Drive completed.
- 1974 – Ten-year re-accreditation received from the North Central Association.
- 1975 – Early Childhood Education program began and Child Development Center opened.
- 1975 – Women’s Volleyball added as intercollegiate sport.
- 1976 – Faculty Exchange Program with Hong Kong Baptist College announced; first exchange, Fall 1977.
- 1976 – Women’s Tennis added as intercollegiate sport.
- 1977 – Completion and dedication of Barn/Campus Center.
- 1979 – Initiated Graduate Program in Education in cooperation with Ashland College; first 2-year sequence of courses began Fall 1980.
- 1979 – Women’s Track and Field added as intercollegiate sport.
- 1981 – Name changed from Barn/Campus Center to Randall Campus Center.
- 1982 – Program for under-prepared college students established.
- 1982 – Child Development Center named Weaver Child Development Center in honor of Howard Weaver, M.D.
- 1982 – Women’s Cross Country added as intercollegiate sport.
- 1984 – Ten-year re-accreditation received from the North Central Association.
- 1984 – Social Work Program received accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education.
- 1984 – First cohort of Malone College Management Program (MCMP) students began classes.
- 1987 – Approved by the Ohio Board of Regents and the North Central Association to offer the Management Program at two off-campus locations.
- 1987 – Approved by Ohio Board of Regents, the Ohio Board of Nursing Education and Nurse Registration and the North Central Association to offer a program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
- 1987 – Timken Science Building remodeled and air-conditioned with a $250,000 gift from the Timken Foundation.
- 1989 – Timken Annex (temporary modular building) added.
- 1989 – Approved by the Ohio Board of Regents to offer the Master of Arts in Education degree with Cores in Curriculum and Instruction or Reading.
Media Gallery
An early rendering of the Everett L. Cattell Library in 1972.
In 1972 students, faculty, and staff helped to transfer books from the original library to the new Everett Cattell Library.
Coached by Jack Hazen, Men’s Cross Country claimed Malone’s first NAIA National team championship in 1972.
Science and mathematics faculty members in the early 1970s.
Byron Osborne was still an important figure on campus in the 1970s. Here he is with longtime student development staff member, Sandy Johnson.
Later in the 1970s, Malone embarked on a campaign to transform the original barn from the Stark County Home into a modern, original student center.
(left - right) Canton Mayor Stanley Cmich, Malone President Lon Randall, and alum Dr. Ed Mitchell break ground on the new Barn Campus Center.
The Randall Campus Center has been a center of student life on Malone’s campus since its completion in the late 1970s.
In the 1970s and 80s, there was a student lounge and snack shop in Osborne Hall.
Students in a 1970s class.
Longtime Malone professor Alvin Anderson and his wife, Lucy, at a Malone basketball game. Lucy was director of public affairs in the 1970s.
Led by coach Patty Long and star player Gloria Blanks, the Women’s Basketball team was dominant in the early 1980s.
The degree-completion program for adults with some college credits started its first class in 1984. This is the first class of graduates.
A 1980s WWF women’s residence hall room.
A group of graduates in the mid 1980s
Students pose for a 1980s promotional piece.
1990 – 99
- 1990 – Approved by the North Central Association for the Master of Arts in Education program.
- 1991 – Approved by the Ohio Board of Regents and the Ohio State Department of Education to add two new cores to the Master of Arts in Education Program: Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Education.
- 1991 – Approved by the Ohio Board of Regents to offer the Master of Arts in Christian Ministries degree.
- 1992 – College Hill Residence Suites opened.
- 1992 – Centennial celebrated; activities included Malone runners carrying the torch from Cleveland to Canton with the unveiling of ‘Malone Parkway’ (section of Route 62).
- 1992 – Approved by the North Central Association for the Master of Arts in Christian Ministries Program; first class held.
- 1992 – BSN program accredited by the National League for Nursing.
- 1992 – Women’s Softball added as intercollegiate sport.
- 1993 – Student lip-syncing competition, Airband, kicked off.
- 1993 – Heritage Hall Residence opened.
- 1993 – Football began as an intercollegiate sport.
- 1994 – First Malone Pioneer Spirit Marching Band took the field.
- 1994 – Classrooms, offices, and Campus Bookstore opened in Brehme Centennial Center.
- 1994 – First cohort of BSN degree-completion students began.
- 1994 – Herbert W. Hoover courtyard was completed.
- 1994 – Ten-year re-accreditation received from the North Central Association.
- 1995 – Ten-year reauthorization received from the Ohio Board of Regents.
- 1995 – Office of Multicultural Services established.
- 1995 – “Into the Streets” community service projects incorporated into Freshman Orientation Program.
- 1996 – Approval of adapted Malone College Alma Mater, originally written by music students in 1968.
- 1997 – Received the 1996 Award of Appreciation from the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce.
- 1997 – Piano Extravaganza held at Palace Theater for the first time.
- 1997 – The first MBA degrees were granted to 14 graduates.
- 1997 – Women’s Soccer added as intercollegiate sport.
- 1998 – Worldview Forum program established.
- 1998 – Emma Malone posthumously inducted into the YWCA Stark County Women’s Hall of Fame.
- 1998 – Listed in Templeton’s Character Building Colleges.
- 1999 – Haviland Hall, Mitchell Hall, and Silk Auditorium opened.
- 1999 – CCCU Division II Forensics Religious National Championship.
- 1999 – NAIA National Champions: Women’s Cross Country.
Media Gallery
New Student Orientation grew dramatically during the 1990s.
As part of the Centennial celebration in 1992, athletes ran a torch from Malone’s original location in Cleveland to the current campus in Canton.
In 1992, a portion of Rt. 62 was named “Malone Parkway” in recognition of Malone’s Centennial.
Into the Streets, an important component of Orientation that continues to this day is an example of Malone’s commitment to preparing students to serve.
The Brehme Centennial Center was constructed in the 90s and is now home to the Hoover Dining Commons, the Campus Store, classrooms and offices, and the Brehme Conference Center.
The Hoover Dining Commons in the late 1990s.
The first Pioneer football team took the field in 1993.
With football came the arrival of the Pioneer Spirit Marching Band in 1994.
The popular Piano Extravaganza launched in 1997.
Pioneer Track & Field teams dominated in the early 1990s. Brian Kelly (pole vault) and Keith Spiva (sprints) each earned multiple NAIA national championships.
The BSN program began in the 1990s.
2000 – 09
- 2000 – NAIA National Champions: Men’s Golf.
- 2000 – Women’s Golf added as intercollegiate sport.
- 2000 – Reclassified by Carnegie Foundation from BA-II to MA-I.
- 2000 – First Honors Program students admitted.
- 2000 – First Homecoming Dance held.
- 2001 – Reorganization of undergraduate and graduate programs into schools with deans.
- 2001 – CCCU Division II Forensics Religious National Championship.
- 2001 – Pi Kappa Delta Fraternity Novice Parliamentary Debate National Championship.
- 2002 – Ohio Board of Regents authorized the Master of Science in Nursing program.
- 2002 – Homecoming Chapel featured granddaughters of J. Walter and Emma Malone: Betty Osborne Robinson and Gerri Osborne Williams.
- 2002 – Malone Athletics placed fifth in Sears Directors’ Cup (all-sports) for NAIA schools.
- 2002 – Initial accreditation granted to the School of Business by the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE).
- 2003 – SIFE team (Students in Free Enterprise) captured Regional Rookie of the Year, Regional Champion, and National Rookie of the Year awards.
- 2003 – Receipt of $8-million gift to the College endowment.
- 2003 – Signing of option to purchase First Christian Church for $6 million.
- 2003 – Identity and Mission Statement, Educational Goals adopted.
- 2004 – Ten-year re-accreditation received from the North Central Association.
- 2004 – The first MSN degrees were granted to 12 graduates.
- 2004 – Completion and dedication of Wellness Center.
- 2005 – Accreditation granted to the School of Nursing by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) for BSN and MSN programs.
- 2005 – SIFE team (Students in Free Enterprise) named USA Regional Champion.
- 2005 – Approval granted by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC/NCA) to offer the Management degree (MCMP) online.
- 2005 – Center for Professional Development established by the School of Education.
- 2005 – Foundational Principles adopted.
- 2006 – Forensics team captured first place in Division III at the National Christian College Forensics Invitational.
- 2006 – Brehme North Entrance/Conference Center addition completed.
- 2006 – College Hill Residence Hall rededicated as DeVol Hall, named in honor of Mary Elizabeth French DeVol, Friends missionary to China.
- 2006 – Took possession of First Christian Church building and nine acres of property.
- 2007 – First Christian Church renamed as The Ronald G. and Marjorie L. Johnson Center for Worship and the Fine Arts.
- 2007 – Groundbreaking for Blossom Hall Residence.
- 2007 – NAIA National Champions: Men’s Cross Country.
- 2008 – Board of Trustees voted unanimously to change the name of the institution to Malone University.
- 2008 – Teacher Education program received effective status approval (highest level) from the Ohio Department of Education.
- 2008 – NAIA National Champions: Men’s Cross Country.
- 2009 – The Graduate School and the School of Continuing Studies merged into the School of Graduate and Professional Studies.
- 2009 – Renovation and upgrade to the Hoover Dining Commons, including new entrance and exit and relocation of Froggy’s Café.
- 2009 – NAIA National Champions: Men’s Cross Country.
- 2009 – Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving added as intercollegiate sport.
Media Gallery
The golf team led by Ken Hyland ’69 won the NAIA national championship in 2000.
Granddaughters of founders J. Walter and Emma Malone (Betty Osborne Robinson and Gerry Osborne Williams) spoke at a special Homecoming Chapel in 2002.
Men’s Basketball Coach Hal Smith and Softball Coach Sharon Looney made news when Looney donated part of her liver to Smith. She was later invited to carry the Olympic torch for the 2002 Salt Lake games.
Malone has developed a strong relationship with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes through the years. As a result, former NFL players have taken classes at Malone.
Course assistants (CA’s) have become a large part of the first-semester program, GEN100.
The former First Christian Church was purchased and reformed into the Johnson Center for Worship and the Fine Arts.
Celebration, a student-led evening worship service has been an important part of the spiritual formation program.
The men’s cross country team won consecutive NAIA National Championships in 2007, 08, and 09, cementing its position as the winningest men’s program in NAIA history.
Music programs like the University Chorale continued to thrive in the 2000s.
The innovative and popular Zoo & Wildlife Biology program started in the 2000s. Students and graduates have landed internships and jobs all over the country.
The Hoover Dining Commons was renovated and modernized in the late 2000s.
(left–right) President Ron Johnson, U.S. Congressman Ralph Regula, and Vice President for Advancement Howard Taylor stand in the new Wellness Center. Regula played an important role in the addition of this building and the nursing building which now bears his name.
The SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) team had much success in the 2000s.
Swimming & Diving became the newest sport in 2009.
2010 – present
- 2010 – Approval of Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership; first classes start Fall Semester.
- 2010 – Received approval for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II provisional membership.
- 2010 – Teacher education program accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
- 2011 – Took possession of 9 acres of land and the building that was formerly owned by Temple Israel.
- 2012 – Accreditation granted by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) for the graduate programs in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling.
- 2013 – Ten-year re-accreditation received from the Higher Learning Commission.
- 2013 – Athletics teams officially began competing in NCAA Division II.
- 2014 – Cattell Library became the home of the Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition, a modern illuminated Bible.
- 2014 – Academic Summer Camp program established.
- 2015 – Granted associate membership in National Association of Schools of Music (NASM).
- 2016 – “A Bolder Future” capital campaign launched.
- 2016 – Receipt of $1-million gift for music programs.