College of Wooster

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The College of Wooster
Motto: Scientia et religio ex uno fonte
(Science and religion from one source)
Established: 1866
Type: Private
Endowment: US $270.1 million[1]
President: Grant H. Cornwell
Faculty: 133
Undergraduates: 1,827
Postgraduates: 0
Location: Wooster, Ohio, USA
Campus: Suburban, 240 acres (1 km²)
Athletics: 22 varsity sports teams
Colors: Old Gold and Black
        
Mascot: Fighting Scots Fighting Scot
Website: www.wooster.edu

The College of Wooster is a private liberal arts college primarily known for its "Independent Study" program. It has roughly 1,800 students and is located in Wooster, Wayne County, Ohio (approximately 60 miles (97 km) south of Cleveland). Founded in 1866 by the Presbyterian church as Wooster University, it was from its creation a co-educational institution. The school is a member of The Five Colleges of Ohio and the Great Lakes Colleges Association. As of September 2007, Wooster's endowment stood at approximately $280 million.[2]

The president of the college is Grant H. Cornwell, who previously served as Vice-President and Dean of Academic Affairs at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. He was selected by the Board of Trustees to replace R. Stanton Hales, who announced his intention to retire effective June 30, 2007. Cornwell comes to Wooster with a background in philosophy and strong experience in liberal arts advocacy and administration.[3] Distinguished faculty have included Dijana Plestina, former assistant professor of political science, and former part-time faculty member, who is former first lady of Croatia, and Gordon Collins, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, recent initiate to the Tarkio College Athletic Hall of Fame.

This college is one of forty named in Loren Pope's influential book Colleges That Change Lives, in which he called it his "...original best-kept secret in higher education."[4] It consistently ranks among the nation's top 100 liberal arts colleges, according to U.S. News and World Report.

Contents

[edit] History

The University of Wooster was founded in 1866 by Presbyterians who wanted to do their part in the education of young people, and in 1870 opened its doors with a faculty of five and a student body of thirty men and four women. Wealthy Wooster citizen Ephraim Quinby donated the first 22 acres, a large oak grove situated on a hilltop overlooking the town. After being founded with the intent to make Wooster open to everyone, the university's first Ph.D. was granted to a woman, Annie Irish, in 1882. The first black student, Clarence Allen, began his studies later in the same decade.[5]

In the pre-dawn hours of December 11, 1901, a fire destroyed the five-story "Old Main" building, the centerpiece of the campus. Within two years, it was replaced by several new buildings which (after substantial renovations within the last 30 years) remain the primary structures for the classes, labs, and faculty offices. These include Kauke Hall (the iconic center of campus), Scovel Hall and Severance Hall (which together form a large courtyard in front of Kauke Hall), and Taylor Hall.

A decade after the fire and rebuilding, there were eight divisions, including a medical school whose faculty outnumbered those in the college of arts and sciences. However, the university had gradually begun to define itself as a liberal arts institution and, in 1915, after a bitter dispute between the faculty and the Trustees, chose to become The College of Wooster in order to devote itself entirely to the education of undergraduate students in the liberal arts. The enrollment of the college is kept intentionally small, around 1800 students, to allow for close interaction between faculty and students.

The College's 240-acre (0.97 km2) campus boasts of an unusual tree endowment, established in 1987, which supports a tree conservation, maintenance and replacement program. Near the center of campus lies the Oak Grove, a pleasant green space which is the site for the commencement ceremony each May. Several of its trees are older than the college itself, including a black oak near Galpin Hall that dates to 1681, as well as a 1766 white oak. Each senior class plants a "class tree" in the Oak Grove on the day before graduation.

[edit] Academics

Students entering Wooster are provided with a liberal arts education, a learning approach that encourages students to experience different fields of study and once majors are chosen, to bring those varied experiences to their selected fields of study. Upon completion of at least 32 courses, students may earn a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, or Bachelor of Music Education degree.

In addition to the programs listed below, students may design their own major with approval from the registrar and the Provost. Some of the pre-professional programs listed below are cooperative programs, in which students spend a certain period of time at the College of Wooster before transferring to accelerated courses at other colleges and universities.

[edit] Academic Programs

  • Majors: Africana Studies, Anthropology, Archaeology, Art History, Art (Studio), Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biology, Business Economics, Chemical Physics, Chemistry, Classical Studies, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Communication Studies, Comparative Literature, Computer Science, Cultural Area Studies, Dance, Economics, English, French, Geology, German, History, International Relations, Mathematics, Music, Music Education, Music History and Literature, Music Performance, Music Theory (Composition), Music Therapy, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Russian Studies, Sociology, Spanish, Theater, Urban Studies, Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies
  • Additional minors: Chinese, Education (with teaching licensure in early childhood, adolescent/young adult, and multi-age), Dance, Environmental Studies, Film Studies, International Business, Physical Education
  • Pre-professional programs: Pre-Architecture, Pre-Engineering, Forestry and Environmental Studies, Dentistry, Nursing, Pre-Social Work, Pre-Business, Pre-Medicine, Pre-Veterinary Medicine, Pre-Law, Pre-Ministry Studies, Dual-Degree Programs

[edit] Independent Study program

The College of Wooster is especially noteworthy for its Independent Study program, in which all students work one-on-one with a faculty advisor to complete a written thesis or other significant project during the course of the senior year. The student also presents an oral defense of the thesis before a faculty committee. The program, begun in 1947 by Howard Lowry (the College's 7th President), has received considerable attention from other colleges and universities, and a number of other institutions have modeled programs after it. In 2003, the independent study program at Wooster was recognized by US News and World Report as the second best "senior capstone experience" in the US, behind only Princeton University. This unique approach to education has long kept Wooster competitive against more well-known colleges. As evidence of this fact, Wooster ranks 14th in the United States among independent colleges whose graduates earned Ph.D.'s between 1920 and 1995 (according to the Baccalaureate Origins of Doctorate Recipients,1998).

Special traditions have been developed surrounding Independent Study. Upon completion, a student will receive a yellow button that says "I did it!" as well as the highly coveted Tootsie Roll. The tradition developed when the registrar at the time, Lee Culp (also a graduate of the College of Wooster), decided to give out candy along with the buttons one year; the Tootsie Roll itself was chosen simply because it was cheap to buy in bulk. The "due date," or the last day that students can turn in their completed Independent Study project, is the first Monday after spring break. On I.S. Monday, the pipe band begins a drone and, with the Dean of the Faculty leading the way, the seniors travel through Kauke Arch in a jubilant parade ending at Kittredge dining hall, where a celebratory dinner with their advisors and college administrators follows.

A database exists on the College of Wooster website which allows anyone to browse the myriad Independent Study topics from every class year since the late 1940s.

[edit] Student Life

Wooster has long emphasized international education. An unusually high percentage of its early graduates went overseas as missionaries (Wooster has its own unique collection of artifacts sent back from those alumni, including among other things an Egyptian mummy), and soon not only their sons and daughters, but also the students from their schools, were enrolling at Wooster as students. This international presence affected the entire campus, establishing a tradition which continues to influence the College. Today, approximately seven percent of the student body is international in origin, representing more than 30 different countries.[2] Majors in Cultural Area Studies and International Relations, instruction in seven foreign languages, many overseas programs, and Babcock Hall houses the Center for Diversity and Global Engagement, a symbol of the global awareness that is a vital part of the educational fabric of the College. The majority of Wooster's international students currently come from South Asia (India and Pakistan), and West Africa).[citation needed]. Fifty-three percent of Wooster students are from outside of Ohio.[2]

[edit] Athletics

Wooster's athletic history dates back to its first football team, in 1889. Over its first two seasons, the team won all seven games it played, by a total score of 306-4. Included was a 64-0 victory at Ohio State on November 1, 1890, in the Buckeyes' first-ever home football game[6]. Shortly thereafter, intercollegiate sports were banned by the College President.[7] After varsity athletics returned in 1901, Wooster became an early member of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). In 1983, Wooster (along with the rest of the Ohio Five) broke away from the OAC to form the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). The NCAC, which competes at the non-scholarship Division III level of the NCAA, was founded primarily on the principle of offering women equal opportunity to participate in varsity sports[8]. In its first season of competition, 1984-85, the NCAC sponsored 21 sports, eleven for men and ten for women. Women's softball was added in 1998, giving Wooster (and the NCAC) its current 22 athletic teams.

Wooster's school colors are black and old gold, and its mascot is the "Fighting Scot." Early Wooster teams were known as the Presbyterians, or unofficially as the "Presbyterian Steamroller," due to the football team's success. In 1939, a large donation from alumnus Birt Babcock funded the purchase of kilts for the marching band, in the yellow-and-black MacLeod tartan, which had no particular significance, except that it matched the school colors[9]. Scottish culture eventually became an important part of the school's heritage; today, the football games feature a Scottish pipe band with Highland dancers in addition to a traditional marching band, with all three groups clad in the MacLeod tartan.

The baseball team has made five appearances in the NCAA Division III World Series, including a second-place finish in 2009. The Scots lost the national championship final game to the St. Thomas (Minnesota), 3-2 in 12 innings. This was Wooster's sixth consecutive appearance in the NCAA baseball tournament, and 19th overall, under head coach Tim Pettorini, who has been the Scots head coach since 1982. Pettorini has guided the Scots to over 900 victories, placing him in the all-time top ten among D-III baseball coaches. The Scots have also won a league-record twelve NCAC championships, including the 2009 title. Justin McDowell and Matt Groezinger were named 1st-team All-Americans by d3baseball.com, as a pitcher and designated hitter, respectively.[10] Pitcher Mark Miller was named a first-team All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association, while both McDowell and outfielder Sean Karpen were named to the second team[11].

In 22 seasons at Wooster, head men's basketball coach Steve Moore has won over 500 games, and he is among the all-time winningest coaches in D-III basketball.[12] His teams have won thirteen NCAC regular-season championships (including five in a row from 2005-2009), and eleven NCAC Tournament titles (the most recent in 2009). The Scots have made 18 appearances[13] in the Div-III NCAA Tournament[14]. The team has twice reached the Final Four of the NCAA Men's Division III Basketball Championship, in 2003 and 2007. The 2003 team set a school record for victories, with a record of 30-3, and Wooster center Bryan Nelson was named D-III Men's Basketball Player of the Year. Home games are played in the 3,400-seat Timken Gym, which can be full it for big games, including the rivalry contest with Wittenberg University and post-season games. Since 2000, the Scots have been in the top ten in D-III basketball attendance every year, ranking 4th in 2008-09 with nearly 1,700 fans per home game.[15].

The football team's greatest success occurred between 1916 and 1934; during this era, Wooster had a record of 118-31-12[16], and won four outright OAC championships[17]. The 1934 title would be the Scots' last outright conference championship for 70 years, with only a pair of shared conference titles (1959 OAC and 1997 NCAC) during that time. In 2004, the team recorded a perfect 10-0 regular season and won its first outright NCAC conference championship, as well as its first NCAA D-III football tournament game. The 2008 Scots had a record of 8-2, placing second in the NCAC and narrowly missing an NCAA playoff berth. With over 3,100 fans per home game, Wooster ranked in the top 25 in D-III football attendance. In 2009, lights and artificial turf were added to the Scots' 4,500-seat John Papp stadium. The first-ever nighttime football game at Wooster will be played on October 10, 2009, against Case Western Reserve University, with the winner taking the Baird Brothers Trophy.

In addition to baseball and men's basketball, two other Wooster teams earning NCAA Tournament berths during the 2008-09 academic year. The women's field hockey and women's lacrosse teams both won NCAC championships, earning automatic bids to their national NCAA D-III tournaments.

Three Scots were named Academic All-Americans in 2008-09 by ESPN The Magazine, in the College division, which includes NCAA Division II and Division III institutions, as well as NAIA schools, a total of over 1000 colleges. Chantal Koechli, a junior with a 3.96 GPA in biochemistry and molecular biology, was a member of the Academic All-American 1st team in women's soccer[18]. Junior Jay Keener, a chemistry major with a 3.93 GPA, was named a 3rd-team Academic All-American in men's soccer.[19] Junior lacrosse player Ryan Story, a biochemistry and molecular biology major with a 4.0 GPA, was a 3rd-team Academic All-American for men's at-large sports (a combined group chosen from nine sports).[20]

[edit] Performing Arts

Besides having a well-respected music department, Wooster is the home of the Ohio Light Opera, an endeavor founded within the college in 1979, but is not a part of the college curriculum, and does not engage any of the college faculty or students directly. It is the only professional company in the United States entirely devoted to operetta. OLO performs the entire Gilbert & Sullivan repertoire, but also regularly revives rarely performed continental works of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Over the years, the Company has produced eighty different operettas. The College is proud to have this company rent its facilities.

The college is also one of a few colleges in America to have an active on-campus pipe band. Officially called the College of Wooster Pipe Band, members perform at many official on-campus events such as commencement, sports games (football, basketball, swim meets, and sometimes lacrosse games), and many spontaneous student-run events. During the spring season they perform and compete at a grade 3 level, having won prizes at the Scots wi' Shotts event in Cleveland hosted by the local Lochaber Pipe Band. The Pipe Band also placed first in the grade 3 contest at the 2009 Toronto Indoor Highland Games out of 5 bands in total. Wooster was the only American band competing.

In 2007, Wooster's theatre production of "Nocturne" was invited to perform at the Kennedy Center's American College Theatre Festival in Washington, D.C. Wooster's production was one of four shows chosen from a field of approximately 400 entries.

[edit] Student activities and clubs

The College of Wooster has over one hundred student organizations, from the Jenny Investment Club, which allows students to invest real money for the College as they learn about the stock market, to Common Grounds, a student-run coffee shop and house program offering "an alternative atmosphere to the partying scene" for the College community.[21]

There are currently ten active Greek groups at the College of Wooster, six sororities and four fraternities. Called clubs and sections, these groups are not affiliated with national Greek organizations, and approximately fifteen percent of the student body participates.

The college has a wide variety of student-run media. The Wooster Voice is the weekly student newspaper, and has been published continuously since 1886 (see list of college newspapers), while WCWS (WOO 91) is the college radio station. The Goliard is the annual literary magazine. Each year, English professor Daniel Bourne also publishes an international literary magazine called Artful Dodge. Additionally, the English Department has classes every two years on journalism and magazine writing; these students create and publish a newspaper and a magazine respectively.

[edit] Pictures

Kauke Hall

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Notable faculty

[edit] External links

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "College and University Endowments Over $250-Million, 2007". Chronicle of Higher Education: pp. 28. 2008-08-29. 
  2. ^ a b c Wooster Facts ( http://www.wooster.edu/about/facts.php )
  3. ^ The College of Wooster News Services. "Grant H. Cornwell named president of The College of Wooster". December 11, 2006. (http://www.wooster.edu/news/0607/news/CornwellNamed.php ).
  4. ^ Loren Pope. Colleges that Change Lives ( http://www.ctcl.com/colleges/wooster/index.htm )
  5. ^ http://www.wooster.edu/about/history.php
  6. ^ http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=12442
  7. ^ http://athletics.wooster.edu/fb/archives/history.php
  8. ^ http://www.northcoast.org/history.html
  9. ^ http://admissions.wooster.edu/traditions/kilts.php
  10. ^ http://www.d3baseball.com/all-american/d3baseball-allamericans-2009.pdf
  11. ^ http://www.titans.uwosh.edu/NCAAChampionship/2009/BaseHits/2009AllAmericans.html
  12. ^ http://athletics.wooster.edu/mb/coach.php
  13. ^ http://athletics.wooster.edu/mb/news/2008-09/3-2.php
  14. ^ http://www.northcoast.org/mb/mballtime.pdf
  15. ^ http://www.ncaa.org/wps/ncaa?key=/ncaa/ncaa/sports+and+championship/general+information/stats/m+basketball/attendance/index2.html
  16. ^ http://athletics.wooster.edu/fb/results/1900.php
  17. ^ http://www.oac.org/documents/2008FBGuidecb.pdf
  18. ^ http://www.cosida.com/documents/2008/11/18/2008AAAWSOCTeams.pdf
  19. ^ http://www.cosida.com/documents/2008/11/19/2008AAAMSOC.pdf
  20. ^ http://www.cosida.com/documents/2009/6/8/2009AAAMENSAtLargeTeam.pdf
  21. ^ Common Grounds home page ( http://www.wooster.edu/commongrounds/index.html )
  22. ^ Mary Crow, Colorado Poet Laureate ( http://www.colostate.edu/depts/English/poetlaureate )
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