Doane University is a private university in Crete, Nebraska. It has additional campuses in Lincoln and Omaha. Established in 1872, Doane is the oldest private university in the state of Nebraska.

Doane College was founded on July 11, 1872, by Thomas Doane, chief civil engineer for the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad. David Brainerd Perry was the first college president. He served until his death in 1912; at that time, there were twenty professors and instructors, six substantial brick buildings, and a cash endowment of $214,000. Total assets, according to the 1910 catalogue, were valued at "nearly $400,000."

Funding at the beginning of the 20th century came from the Congregational Education Society in Boston and "many individual eastern givers, especially in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York". The chapel and music building were completed in 1907; central heating was available on most of campus beginning in 1907.

Doane College was renamed Doane University in May 2016.

In 2020 the director of the Perkins library came under fire for a "Parties of the Past" exhibit of historical photographs which included two photos of students wearing blackface in 1926. The photos and then the entire exhibit was taken down by administrators who placed the library director on leave to the objection of the faculty. Doane was then named one of the "Worst Colleges for Free Speech" by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. The university later reinstated the library director.

The university has had over 70 Fulbright Scholars since the program began in 1946.

Doane's residential campus is in Crete, Nebraska. This campus is over 300 acres. Doane's non-residential programs take place mainly on the Lincoln and Omaha campuses, and online.

• The College of Arts and Sciences offers over 25 undergraduate majors.
• The College of Business offers undergraduate majors in accounting, agribusiness, business administration, and economics. Two graduate degrees are also offered: Master of Arts in Leadership and a Master of Business Administration.
• The College of Education offers undergraduate degrees in Elementary Education, Special Education, Secondary Education, and Physical and Health Education. Graduate programs include: Masters of Education in Curriculum & Instruction, Educational Leadership, and School Counseling; Master of Arts in Counseling; Education Specialist Degree; Doctorate of Education; and Initial Certification at the Advanced Level (also known as the Fast Track Program).
• The School of Innovative Learning (SIL) offers undergraduate majors in health sciences and exercise science. It also houses the Masters Degree in Instructional Design and Technology. SIL is also the home of Doane's Open Learning Academy, which offers online classes with transferable credits for non-degree seeking students. DoaneX, a partnership with MOOC platform edX, is also housed under SIL.

Doane University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and approved by the Nebraska Coordinating Commission of Post-Secondary Education. Several programs also hold specialized accreditations.

• The Teacher Education unit at Doane University is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
• The Master of Arts in Counseling program was accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) in 2020.
• The Music Department is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music.
• As of 2021, the Bachelor of Science in Engineering program is in the process of seeking accreditation through ABET.

Doane University is the home of the Doane Owl, the oldest student-run newspaper in the state of Nebraska. Established in 1879 as a literary publication and news bulletin, The Owl evolved into a traditional newspaper covering Doane, Saline County, and Crete, Nebraska issues.

Regarding student broadcasting, Doane's college radio station is KDNE. Programming on KDNE includes live broadcasts of Tigers sporting events, news broadcasts, and student-run music specialty shows. A pillar of the station is “Cheska Musica”, a long running polka show serving the nearby culturally Czech community of Wilber, Nebraska.

The Doane athletic teams are called the Tigers. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) since the 1969–70 academic year.

Doane competes in 23 intercollegiate varsity sports. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor), volleyball and wrestling; and co-ed sports include cheerleading, dance, and shotgun sports.

The first college football coach at Doane was F.P. Reed, who led the team to a 1–1 record. Other coaches in its football history include Al Papik, Tommie Frazier, Matt Franzen and current head coach Chris Bessler.

1905 Nebraska State College Football Champions. After defeating Bellevue College, the 1905 Doane College football team became the Nebraska State Football Champions. Considered a formidable team, in no small part due to their combined weight, the Doane team lost their subsequent game with University of Nebraska Cornhuskers, 43–5. The largest player on the Doane team was 220 pound, left guard, Claude LeRoy Farrow of Aurora, Nebraska.

From 1965 to 1969, the football team was unbeaten in 38 consecutive games. The streak ended with a loss to Concordia College in the first game of 1970.

Doane's football team has participated in three bowl games, winning two and tying one. The first was the 1950 Bean Bowl where they defeated Colorado State College by a score of 14–6. Doane then had back-to-back appearances in the Mineral Water Bowl in 1967 and 1968. They have qualified for the NAIA National Playoffs six times, most recently in 2016, and were semifinalist in 1972 and 1997.

This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations. (July 2021)

• Raymonn Adams – Class of 2001 - Professional football player
• Michael Aung-Thwin – Class of 1969 - Burmese historian and academic
• Henry Pratt Fairchild – Class of 1900 - Sociologist and educator
• Judi M. gaiashkibos – Board of Trustees - Executive director of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs
• Weldon Kees – Class of 1935 - Poet, painter, filmmaker, and jazz musician
• Joseph D. Leitch – Class of 1886 - US Army major general
• John Perry – Class of 1964 - Philosopher
• Bob Stitt – Class of 1987 - College football coach
• Toshihiro Takami – Class of 1956 - Won the Asian version of the Nobel Peace Prize for his extensive work establishing ARI, teaching sustainable farming to third world countries.
• Robert Taylor – Class of 1933. Hollywood actor, born Spangler Arlington Brugh
• Ralph W. Tyler – Class of 1921 - Developed the ACT test
• Robert Van Pelt – Class of 1920 - Judge, U.S. District Court, 1957–88
• Samantha Marie Ware – Class of 2013 - Actress and singer
• Claude E. Welch – Class of 1927 - Chief surgeon of the Pope during the assassination attempt in 1981
• Douglas L. Wilson – Class of 1957 - American presidential historian.

• Official website
• Official athletics website

40°37′25″N 96°56′55″W / 40.623578°N 96.948724°W / 40.623578; -96.948724