Asbury College was founded in 1890. Located in [Wilmore, Kentucky], it is the fulfillment of a pledge the Reverend John Wesley Hughes, a Methodist evangelist, had made as a student at Vanderbilt University 10 years earlier. Originally named Kentucky Holiness College, the school was renamed to honor one of the founders of American Methodism, Bishop Francis Asbury. He was the man responsible for the organization of Bethel Academy in the 1790s. Bethel Academy was a pioneering Methodist school, located on the banks of the Kentucky River, approximately four miles south of the present Asbury College campus. Asbury College opened its doors for instruction in September 1890. With the first class graduating in 1893 the College has graduated more than 20,000 men and women. Some of these graduates include college presidents, denominational leaders, business executives, medical doctors, lawyers, school administrators, and professors. Also among the alumni are a host of pastors, missionaries, evangelists, and other full-time Christian workers. Asbury College is an independent institution, held in trust by a self-perpetuating board of trustees. It is evangelical in its religious commitment, bound by its by-laws to those doctrinal standards established by John Wesley and his immediate successors. The College is not supported by any denomination, and it does not receive government funds. Asbury is primarily a four-year, multi-denominational institution. Asbury College’s 17 academic departments offer 47 majors. The College also offers several masters degrees in education, including alternative certification programs. Asbury provides many opportunities for student involvement both on and off campus, including Internships, exchange programs, missions and community service opportunities.