Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC) is a private Methodist college in Owensboro, Kentucky, a city on the Ohio River. KWC is just 40 minutes east of Evansville, Indiana, 2 hours north of Nashville, Tennessee, 2 hours west of Louisville, Kentucky, and 4 hours 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. 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.