Christopher Newport University

Christopher Newport University

Christopher Newport University Logo
Type	Public university
Established	1960
President	Paul S. Trible, Jr.
Academic staff	218
Students	4,793
Undergraduates	4,623
Postgraduates	170
Location	Newport News , Virginia , USA
Campus	Suburban, 260 acres (1.1 km²)
Colors	Royal Blue and Sliver
Nickname	Captains
Mascot	Captain Chris
Website	www.cnu.edu

Christopher Newport University, locally abbreviated as CNU, is a small liberal arts university located in Newport News, Virginia. It was established in 1960 as a two-year school of the College of William and Mary. It became a four-year college in 1971, and a university in 1992. Former United States Senator Paul S. Trible, Jr., became President of CNU in 1996. More recently, the school has been recognized for the quality of its residence life program, garnering state awards for residence life excellence in 2004. The Washington Post listed CNU as an “undiscovered gem.” In recent years, applications have gone up by more than 400 percent, and the students’ SAT average has increased by more than 200 points. Nearly 90 percent of CNU's faculty members hold the highest degree in their fields. The campus has been transformed by more than $400 million in capital construction. [1]

The institution is named after Christopher Newport, the captain of the ship which brought the first English settlers to the Jamestown.

History

CNU was initially established as Christopher Newport College in 1960 as a two-year branch of the College of William and Mary. It was originally located in a single building in downtown Newport News. In 1963, the tract of land that forms most of the current campus was purchased for CNU by the city. In 1971 the college began offering four-year degrees, finally breaking away from William and Mary in 1977. In 1992, the school officially became Christopher Newport University. In 2001, the football team was formed, and it won the USA South Athletic Conference championship its first four years of existence. A marching band was established to play for the football team beginning in 2004.

Academics

Christopher Newport University offers a variety of four year bachelors of sciences and bachelors of arts degrees. For a few of these degrees they offer a masters in 5 program which, with an additional year of study, will allow graduation with a masters of science or masters of arts in the selected field. Along with the choice of a major, many students will choose a minor with which to complement their education. They also offer several Pre-professional programs and Certificate programs. The campus academic programs are divided into the Joseph W. Luter III School of Business and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. Each of these departments is broken down further into the academic programs that they offer.

Joseph W. Luter III School of Business

The School of Business is located in the Business and Technology Center, locally abbreviated as The BTC Building. Here you will find administrative and faculty offices for the department, as well as classrooms and computer labs. In 2005 the school of business was renamed to the Joseph W. Luter III School of Business. The school was renamed after a 5 million dollar donation from the Smithfield Packing Company. Joseph W. Luter, III, the president and CEO of the company at the time said, "I have always felt strongly about the importance of contributing to the community and to the people with whom we come into contact every day. ..I have always encouraged Smithfield Foods, Inc. and its subsidiaries to focus on helping their local communities in a direct way."[2] in regards to the companies donation. The school of business is accredited by the AACSB and offers bachelors degrees in Accounting, Economics, Finance, Management and Marketing. Worldwide, only one in six business schools has AACSB international accreditation. [3]

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

The college of Liberal Arts & Sciences is divided into academic departments. Each academic department is primarily associated with a building on campus. Most classes within a department will be located in the associated building as well as faculty offices and other learning resources. The department of Biology, Chemistry & Environmental Science, generally located in the Science Building, offers bachelors degrees in Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science and Ornamental Horticulture. The Physics, Computer Science & Computer Engineering, or PCSE, department offers several bachelors degree as well as a master in 5 program. Undergraduate programs include degrees in Computer Engineering, Applied Physics, Computer Science and Information Science. The Information Science program offers several concentrations which include Networking & Communications, Information Systems, and Business Administration. With an extra year of study, a student can graduate with their bachelors in Computer Science or Physics as well as a masters in Applied Physics and Computer Science. Sharing Gosnold Hall with the PCSE Department is the Mathematics Department which offers a degree in Mathematics.

Shying away from Science and Technology and moving into the arts, the Government & Public Affairs department is primarily located in Ratcliffe Hall. The department offers a Bachelors of Arts degrees in Political Science. The History department is primarily located in McMurran Hall; offering degrees in History. The English Department is also located in Ratcliff Hall. Offering a lone degree in English, the department offers several concentrations with which to complement your degree. These include Creative Writing, Journalism, Language Arts, Literature, Technical Writing and Writing. For languages other than English, the Modern & Classical Languages & Literatures department offers degrees in German, French and Spanish.

The department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, shares Wingfield Hall with the Psychology Department. A bachelors of Arts is Philosophy is all the department offers in the way of degrees, but offers several options for a concentration. These include Critical Thinking, General Philosophy, Indic Studies, Pre-Seminary Studies and Religious Studies. Between the Psychology and Sociology & Anthropology and Socialwork Departments, they offer degrees in Psychology, Social Work and Sociology. The sociology program also offers options for a concentration with include Criminology, Culture/Socialization/Society and General sociology studies.

With the addition of the Ferguson Center for the Performing Arts, the schools Fine and Performing arts programs has been greatly enhanced. The Fine Art Department, located in the back of the Ferguson Center, offers a degree in Fine Arts with concentrations in Art History and Studio Art. The department that, perhaps, gained the most value from the addition of the Ferguson center is the Theatre & Dance Department. The department offers a degree in Theater Arts with concentrations in Acting, Arts Administration, Design/Technology, Directing/Dramatic Literature and Music/Dance.

If looking for something other than a science or arts degree, the school also offers a Bachelors of Music degree. This degree can be complemented with concentrations in History/Literature, Music Education both Instrumental and Choral, Performance and Theory/Composition

Student profile

• 44% male, 56% female [4]
• Students from every region in Virginia and 26 other states as well as several foreign countries. [5]
• Average High School GPA is a 3.5 [6]
• Average SAT 1175 [7]

Athletics

CNU participates in the USA South Athletic Conference and fields a wide variety of college level teams.

• Baseball
• Basketball (Men's and Women's)
• Cheerleading
• Cross Country (Men's and Women's)
• Field Hockey
• Football
• Golf (Men's Only)
• Lacrosse (Men's and Women's)
• Sailing
• Soccer (Men's and Women's)
• Softball
• Tennis (Men's and Women's)
• Track
• Volleyball

CNU also has a young but strong sport clubs program, including ice hockey[8], equestrian, cycling, lacrosse, soccer, bowling, wrestling, rugby, disc golf, fishing, ultimate frisbee, paintball, motorsports, and taekwondo.[9]

Exceptional sports

Baseball The Captains baseball team made it to the NCAA World Series and finished 3rd and 2nd in 2002 and 2003 respectively under the coaching of John Harvell.[10] The CNU baseball team has fielded 6 All American Athletes.[11]

Basketball The CNU Men's basketball team holds an impressive .697 percent victory percentage and 13 All-American Athlete honors over its almost 40 years of existence.[12]. CNU has also produced an NBA player in Lamont Strothers. The Women's basketball team, started in 1971 sports a slightly lower overall win percentage at .583 and has fielded 7 All-American Athlete honors.

Cross country The CNU Men's Cross Country team holds an impressive historical roster with over 110 first team All-American Athlete awards.[13] The women's team holds over 50 First team All-Ameerican Athlete awards.

Football With most CNU sports having been established for 20 years or more, CNU Football is one of the newest sports. Started in 2001 with Matt Kelchner coaching, the team has made it to the NCAA play-offs 5 out of the last 6 years. The team recently won their NCAA Division III Conference Championship.

Track The CNU track has an impressive historical roster with 62 national championship titles held by 31 different athletes. Also, the track team has received a total of 451 All-American Athlete awards among 89 different athletes.[14]

Men's Tennis The CNU men's tennis team has recently come onto the Division III tennis scene after years in the shadows. The men won the USA South Conference title for the regular season and the Conference Tournament for the first times in almost a decade. The team players had several wins over Division I opponents and sophomore Eddie Glidewell finished in the Top 35 in the Nation. He joined five other players to reach this distinction Holden Knight, Detlef Schultz, Jason Martin, and Hugh Spain. Coach Rush Cole has also recently set the programs record for most wins and is beginning to make the team a national powerhouse with the help of new assistant coach Worth Richardson.[15]

Campus

Boundaries

The traditional boundaries of the Christopher Newport University campus have been Warwick Boulevard, Shoe Lane, and Prince Drew Road in Newport News. In recent years, however, the University has "jumped" Warwick Boulevard, buying and demolishing properties in the immediate area to expand. The part of campus that is east of Warwick Boulevard is referred to as "East Campus" and is primarily used to house upper-class students.

Residence halls

Residence halls on campus are generally segregated into the class of student living in them. In the recent years, new policies have been enacted that require all freshman and sophomore students to live in an on campus housing facility, unless they live in the commuting zone.

Freshman housing

The oldest housing facility on campus is Santoro Hall which opened in 1994 and was named after Carol and Anthony Santoro. This building is directly adjacent to one of the campus dining facilities, the Hiden-Hussey Commons. Santoro Hall, along with the newer York River Hall is primarily used for freshman housing. York River Hall was opened for occupancy in 2002. The name York River Hall can be deceiving as it is actually 2 separate buildings connected only by a decorative brick fence. These separate buildings are called York River East and York River West. On campus, they are referred to as York East and York West. The York River buildings are almost identical mirror images or each other with the major differences being differences in interal color schemes and numbering. The numbering scheme is often confusing with all of the rooms in York River West being odd numbers and all of the rooms in York River East being even numbers. Whether living in York River or Santoro, the rooms are all the same concept. Two rooms, each of which is designed to house two people, are connected by a shared bathroom.

Upperclass housing

The upperclass housing includes James River Hall, Potomac River Hall, The CNU Apartments, The CNU Village, The Barclay Apartments and Warwick River. James River Hall is the second oldest residence hall on campus and sports a variety of different room types from apartments with two bedrooms each designed to house 2 people with a shared living room and bathroom to 4 bedroom apartments with three people in a single rooms and two people sharing a room while they all share a bathroom, kitchen and living room. Potomac River, opened in 2004 is usually used to house sophomore but other class levels have been placed there has well. Potomac River is designed similarly to York River with the two sides mirroring each other but the middle is left open making each side a completely separate building. These sides are named Potomac River North and Potomac River south, for their orientation on the campus. Potomac River and James River are the only two upperclassman resident halls that exist on the main campus. A majority of upperclassman make the move across Warwick Boulevard to what is viewed as more elite housing. The newer buildings such as the CNU Apartments and the CNU village feature apartments with anywhere from 2 to 4 single bedrooms connected by a common living area with full kitchen, washer and dryer. Again, the term CNU Apartments can be deceiving as it is not actually a building but 5 completely separate buildings surrounding a grassy common area known as the presidents courtyard. The buildings that make up the CNU Apartments are Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Harrison and Monroe, all named after United States Presidents. On August 4, 2006 at about 4:50 pm, a lightning bolt struck the roof of Madison hall, sparking a fire that spread through the top floor. That damage along with water damage from extinguishing efforts has caused the relocation to temporary housing of all residents of the hall. Volunteers sifted through the remains the next day to salvage student belongings. It is estimated that students will be in temporary housing for the remainder of the school year. In 2005 the new building dubbed the, "CNU Village" was opened. The "Village" runs parallel to Warwick Boulevard and the first floor is used restaurant and retail spaces while the other floors are for student housing. Among the restaurants situated on the first floor of the village is a bar/restaurant named Schooners that was opened by three local restaurateurs who wanted to fill a void in the lack of a social outlet on campus. While much of the east campus sports newer housing, there are still 2 antiquated and dilapatated buildings in use. These are the Barclay Apartments and Warwick River(an old hotel that the school purchased and refitted for overflow students).

Dining facilities

The campus has 2 major dining facilities.

Hiden-Hussey Commons

The first dining facility on campus was originally named Harbour Lights. This all you can eat cafeteria style facility is decorated internally with nautical memorbalia to go along with its name. In 2005 Harbour Lights was renamed to the Hiden Hussey Commons. Newer students quickly accepted this name dubbing it, "The Commons." Even with its new name, some students still refer to it as, "Harbours."

Regattas

Regattas Restaurant is the newest addition to the CNU dining facilities. Opened in 2002, it shares a similar format to the Hiden Hussey Commons with the all-you-can-eat cafeteria style but sports a more up-tempo environment with newer chairs and tables and often featuring hand made waffle cones for ice cream and custom made omelettes. It has recently been moved into the new multi-million dollar Student Union.

Student Union

Along with Regattas, the Student Union offers other food choices. Students can choose Chick-fil-A, Stone Willys Pizza, or the Discovery Cafe. A convenience store is also located adjacent to the book store.

Academic buildings

The oldest building on campus - McMurran Hall - dates to 1964. The majority of the buildings on campus are of much more recent construction. Most of the buildings are known for their associated departments. Gosnold hall is often referred to as the computer science building even though it is also used for math, physics and other various classes. Ratcliffe hall is used as the English and Government building. Ratcliffe used to be the schools gymnasium but was converted for classroom space. Even through the conversion Ratcliffe kept part of its sporty spirit by housing the sports departments, sports locker rooms, training rooms and weight rooms in the back part of the building. Other academic buildings include the science building and Mcmurran Hall. The recent addition of the Ferguson Center hold classrooms for the drama and art departments. The only classroom building not directly on the campus is the Suntrust Business and Techonology Center, also known as BTC. The BTC building is a short distance away across Prince Drew Lane and is used by the Joseph W. Luter III School of business for faculty offices and classrooms. The first story of the four story building contains a Suntrust bank and some administrative offices for the school. The upper 3 floors are used only for the business school.

Sports buildings

The Freeman Center houses the basketball, volleyball, and indoor track teams, while the lacrosse, soccer, baseball, softball, and field hockey teams play at a complex called "Captain's Field." The football and outdoor track teams compete at POMOCO Stadium, named for a local car dealership chain.

Other buildings

The library, named for Rosemary and Paul S. Trible, Jr., is undergoing a multimillion dollar addition. Also, as of August 2006, a new student union, resembling the neogeorgian architectural style, has been built adjacent to McMurran Hall. The University also purchased the former Ferguson High School, located across Shoe Lane from the main campus, and demolished most of it to build the Ferguson Center for the Performing Arts. This has involved rerouting Shoe Lane, and has been met with some resistance from the residents of the area surrounding the University, who feel the University and Newport News are acting without consideration for the needs of the neighborhoods in the area.

Student life

Greek life

Greek life at Christopher Newport has grown in the recent years to include 6 North-American Interfraternity Conference listed fraternities, 5 National Panhellenic Conference listed sororities and 3 NPHC listed Greek organizations.

NIC fraternities

• Kappa Delta Rho
• Pi Kappa Phi
• Pi Lambda Phi
• Sigma Phi Epsilon
• Tau Delta Phi
• Sigma Tau Gamma

NPC sororities

• Alpha Phi
• Alpha Sigma Alpha
• Gamma Phi Beta
• Phi Mu
• Zeta Tau Alpha

NPHC listed

• Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
• Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

Notable alumni

• William Lamont Strothers (BA, 91'); NBA Player Portland Trailblazers, Dallas Mavericks.
• Jeion A. Ward (BA, 95'); Virginia House of Delegates.
• Melanie L. Rapp (BA, 90'); Virginia House of Delegates.
• Shirley F. Cooper; Virginia House of Delegates
• Douglas Duncan; CEO of FedEx Freight
• Randall Munroe; creator of xkcd.
• Chris Richardson; American Idol finalist

Campus ministries

The campus has several religious organizations. These include Intervarsity Fellowship, the Baptist Student Union, Catholic Campus Ministries, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Lutheran Student Association, the Pagan & Earth-Based Spirituality Organization, and The Hampton Roads Church Student Fellowship.

WCNU

WCNU is an online radio network supported by Christopher Newport University.

External links

• Christopher Newport University official site
• CNUpedia, the CNU Wiki
• The Captain's Log
• WCNU
• Sex Panther Radio