Iowa Wesleyan University is a fully accredited, coeducational liberal arts university. Founded in 1842, it has a rich history of innovation in education, pioneering in the sciences, educational opportunities for women and service-learning, to name just a few. Graduates include Dr. James Van Allen, space scientist who discovered the Earth’s radiation belts that now bear his name, and Dr. Peggy Whitson, NASA astronaut who has served as station commander for the International Space Station. Seven female Iowa Wesleyan students founded the P.E.O. Sisterhood on campus in 1869. The academic program at Iowa Wesleyan combines a liberal arts foundation with education in a specific career fields, including art, business, English, music, nursing, psychology, teacher education, among others.