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University of Bridgeport

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University of Bridgeport
TypePrivate
Established1927
PresidentNeil Albert Salonen
Academic staff
200
Undergraduates1,791
Postgraduates2,961
Location
Bridgeport
,
Connecticut
,
USA
CampusUrban 50 acres
Athletics11 varsity sports teams
7 women's; 4 men's
MascotPurple Knight
Websitewww.bridgeport.edu

University of Bridgeport is a private, non-sectarian university located on Long Island Sound in the South Bridgeport section of Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. The University offers a broad range of standard, accredited, college and graduate level, art, science and professional degrees departments. It was the first American university offering the standard array of accredited programs to also offer an alternative medicine program, which are usually stand alone programs. And the University has not just one alternative medical programs, but three. (It may still be the only accredited U.S. university to offer alternative medicine programs.) The University of Bridgeport has a diverse student body: 16% of undergraduate students come from overseas[1], and according to U.S. News and World Report, the University is the most diverse student body of any U.S. institution. In August 2008, the Univeristy of Bridgeport was named "The Worst University in America" by Radar Magazine. [2]

History

Junior college to full university

Founder and first President Everett Cortright created the Junior College of Connecticut in 1927 to expand the academic opportunities for local Connecticut youth. It was the first junior college chartered in the Northeastern United States.

The school broadened its curriculum, and developed baccalaureate programs. The legislature of Connecticut acknowledged the school's growth by renaming the institution "University of Bridgeport" in 1947. The school began awarding master's degrees in 1951. Under President James Halsey, the university was among the first American universities to enroll a significant number of international students. The University offered its first doctoral degree program, Educational Leadership, in 1979. Bridgeport became the first accredited American university arts, sciences and professional studies to include a school of Acupuncture, Chiropractic, and Naturopathic Medicine. The school of Naturopathy is one of the six accredited naturopathic medical schools.

Expansion and decline

The University grew rapidly in the 1960s by capitalizing on the increased number of people seeking to attend a U.S. college resulting from the baby boom, Vietnam War veterans eligible for a higher education under the G.I. Bill, and international students who wanted to attend college in the United States. Enrollment peaked at 9100 students in 1969[3]. Enrollment declined in the 1970s and 1980s after the waves of baby boom and Vietnam era veterans eligible for the G.I. Bill declined. By 1990, the University had tuition, room and board fees to $18,000 per year, but the school's reputation had not improved. More than a third of the 50 campus buildings were empty. To cut costs, the university decided to terminate 50 tenured faculty, and asked the other faculty to accept a 30% wage cut[4]. This led to the longest faculty strike in the history of American higher education. Dr. Greenwood, the president at the time, quit abruptly. Standard & Poor's found that the university was in technical default on a $10.2 million loan from a consortium of local banks since it had not complied with loan conditions. They added that the University had exhausted its unrestricted funds, so they lowered the University's bond rating. Borrowing money became expensive and nearly impossible.

PWPA and the Unification Church

Enrollment fell to 1,300 in 1991. The Board of Governors of the State Department of Higher Education, hereafter "the Board", found the university in non-compliance with several standards that year. Accreditation was granted for just 2 years, far less than the standard 4 or 5 years. The University was warned that it must comply with certain standard during this time, or face loss of accreditation. Debt rose to over $22 million in 1991-92. Trustees agreed to give control of the University to an affiliate of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church, the Professors World Peace Academy (PWPA), in exchange for investing $50.5 million in the university.[5] (The PWPA received about 90% of its funding from the Unification Church at the time.) Soon after the PWPA got involved, the Board evaluated the school for accreditation again. The Board was concerned that the PWPA might interfere with the academic freedom at the school, and called on the University trustees to create an independent, self-governing panel to oversee the school's operation to assure academic freedom. University trustees complied, but some of the Board was still concerned about the PWPA and academic freedom. So the Board rewarded the institution for making progress, but accredited the University for just 30 months; far less than the standard 4 or 5 years accreditation, but longer than the previous 2 year accreditation.

After the PWPA assumed control of the University, the trustees retained the president at the time, Dr. Edwin G. Eigel, Jr. (1932-2008). Eigel served as president till 1995. He was succeeded by holocaust theologian and former PWPA president Dr. Richard Rubenstein, who served from 1995-1999.[6] Neil Albert Salonen was the Chairman of the University's Board of Trustees when he was chosen to serve as ninth University president in 1999. Salonen had earned a Baccalaureate degree, but no PhD or professional degree. Salonen acknowledged that he did not hold an advanced degree, and that this was a departure for a university president. He argued that there is a trend of in higher education of hiring people with management experience as university presidents. He has managed several Unification Church related organizations, serving as President of the Unification Church of America from 1973 to 1980, and as Chairman of the International Cultural Foundation prior to becoming the chief executive of the university.[7]

The University of Bridgeport became solvent in 2003, so the PWPA ceased subsidizing the school.[8]

Advanced Degree programs

The University of Bridgeport inaugurated its first doctoral program, Educational Leadership in 1979, and added a Ph.D. degree program in Computer Science and Engineering in 2006. Two terminal, professional, alternative medicine programs in Chiropractic and Naturopathic Medicine were established in 1991 and 1996 respectively.

Developments in the student profile

University of Bridgeport enrollment grew from 1,383 students in 1992 to over 4,700 in Fall 2007. The university's student recruitment practices have changed. The amount of scholarship assistance available for international undergraduate students has decreased and the University focuses on admitting more domestic students, especially those interested in career-oriented global educations.

Safety issues

The campus is bordered by high-crime neighborhoods leading to a number or muggings and other violent crimes on campus and/or against students.[9] The school encourages students to be vigilant about personal safety,[10] and gives incoming students a personal alarm locator that enables an individual to alert campus public safety to request assistance.[11] The University was awarded the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Award for effective use of cutting-edge technology and dramatic reduction of crime on campus.[12]

Board of directors

According to the 2007 Annual Report:[13]

Degree programs

The School of Arts and Sciences

  • Biology (B.A., B.S.) With concentrations in:

Chemistry , General Biology, Marine Biology, Pre-Chiropractic Studies, Pre-Dental Studies, Pre-Medical Studies, Pre-Naturopathic Studies, Pre-Veterinary Studies, Zoology.

  • General Studies (B.S.) With concentrations in:

Business Studies, Humanities, Internet Applications, Natural Sciences/Mathematics, Science, Engineering, and Computer-Related Fields, Social Sciences.

  • Graphic Design (B.F.A.)
  • Industrial Design (B.S.) "Winning Top industrial Design awards for the past Decade" starting with Manuel Saez, Cristian Suarez among others.
  • Interior Design (B.S.)
  • Literature and Civilization (B.A.) With concentrations in:

Creative Writing, English, History, Interdisciplinary Studies, Philosophy, Psychology.

  • Mathematics (B.A., B.S.) With concentrations in:

Actuarial Mathematics, Computer Science, Natural Sciences.

  • Music Arts (B.Mus.) With concentrations in:

Jazz Studies, Music Business, Music Education, Music Performance.

The International College

  • International Political Economy & Diplomacy (B.A.) With concentrations in:

International Relations, International Studies.

  • Mass Communications (B.A.) With concentrations in:

Advertising, Communication Studies, International Communication, Journalism, Public Relations.

  • World Religions (B.A.) With concentrations in:

Conflict Analysis and Mediation, World Religions and Culture, World Religions and Service.

  • Martial Arts Studies (B.A.) With concentrations in:

Criminal Justice, Health Science, Business Track, Mass Communication, Asia Pacific Studies.

  • Social Science (B.A.) With concentrations in:

Political Science, Criminal Justice, Economics, Sociology.

  • Global Peace and Development (M.A.) With concentrations in:

Political Economy and Development, Culture and Conflict Resolution, Global Management.

English Language Institute

The School of Business

  • Accounting (B.S.)
  • Business Administration (A.A., B.S.)
  • Computer Applications and Information Systems (B.S.)
  • Fashion Merchandising (A.A., B.S.)
  • Finance (B.S.)
  • International Business (B.S.)
  • Management and Industrial Relations (B.S.)
  • Marketing (B.S.)
  • Business Administration (M.B.A.) With Concentrations in:

Accounting, Bio-Tech Management,Computer Applications and Information Systems (CAIS),Corporate, Government and Information Security, e-Commerce, Entrepreneurship, Environmental and Energy Management, Fashion Merchandising, Finance, Foundations of Doing Business in China, Foundations of Doing Business in India, Global Management, Global Marketing, Global Program and Project Development, Healthcare Management and Administration, Human Resources Management, Information Technology Management, Intellectual Property Management, Management and Operations, Manufacturing Management, New Product Development and Management, Service Management and Engineering, Strategic Sourcing/Outsourcing, Supply Chain Management.

The School of Education and Human Resources

  • Psychology (B.S.)
  • Human Services (B.S.)
  • Counseling (M.S.) With concentrations in

Community Counseling, Human Resource Development, College Student Personnel, Human Services.

  • Education (M.S.) With concentrations in

Elementary (Grades K-6), Middle Grades with subject specializations in: TESOL (four-summer courses, mainly for Taiwanese.), Biology, Business, Chemistry, Earth Science, English, General Science, Mathematics, History & Social Studies, Physics, Remedial Reading/Language Arts, Music. Secondary with subject specializations in: Biology, Business, Chemistry, Earth Science, English, General Science, Mathematics, History & Social Studies, Physics, Remedial Reading/Language Arts, Music.

  • Master of Science in Instructional Technology (iMSIT)
  • Sixth Year Degree/Diploma/Certificate With concentrations in

Remedial Reading & Remedial Language Arts (Certificate Program), Reading & Language Arts Consultant (Certification Program), Instructional Technology, Elementary Education (Degree Program), Secondary Education (Degree Program), Intermediate Administrator or Supervisor (Diploma/Certification Program).

  • Educational Leadership (Ed.D.)

The School of Engineering

The UB School of Engineering (SOE) is a 21st-century, high-tech learning center and hub for people who want to master the latest technologies. UB SOE is also a research and development think tank for new ventures in the emerging world of technology-oriented markets and computer-aided solutions. UB SOE hosts some of the region's most advanced engineering facilities, laboratories and computing environments. The SOE offers undergraduate degrees in Computer Science and an ABET-accredited Computer Engineering degree; in addition to five highly-interdisciplinary Master's degrees in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering and Technology Management. Furthermore, the SOE started recently offering a unique Ph.D. degree in Computer Science and Engineering. The SOE also offers many interdisciplinary graduate certificates and concentrations in some of the most exciting fields like biomedical engineering, computer and information security, mobile computing and wireless networking, robotics and automation, e-commerce, environmental and energy management, intellectual property management, supply chain management and strategic outsourcing, service management and engineering, manufacturing management, IT management, and many others. The School offers its classes weekdays, weekend, evenings and via distance learning. The learning process in the SOE emphasizes hands-on applications in laboratories and industry via a very strong co-op and internship program that students participate in.

The School of Engineering has established very strong relationships with industry in the last few years through an active School of Engineering Industry Advisory Board and intensive networking with local and regional computing, technology and engineering companies.

The graduate Engineering program at UB is currently the largest in the State of Connecticut and one of the 5 largest programs in New England. Through the SOE industry collaborations, very significant research productivity, very well established reputation as one of the premier schools of engineering regionally; in addition to selective student recruiting strategies; the growth of the school and its resources has been phenomenal. The growth in size, reputation, quality and research outcomes is routinely touted in academia and the regional/local industries as one of the most impressive success stories in graduate engineering education in the U.S. in recent history.

The School of Engineering has been able to attract quality students through active recruiting strategies, innovative, interdisciplinary and interactive curricula, efficient advertising and significant faculty participation. It is worth noting that the overall student retention percentage has been approximately 93 % over the past several years.

The SOE has had great successes with recruiting some of the most talented researchers and teachers, who are multi-disciplinary oriented in their approaches to scholarship, as Faculty members in the last several years. 85% percent of the SOE Faculty have been hired within the last 11 years. The SOE is UB's standard-bearer in research and scholarship; with over 250 Faculty refereed publications in the last three years, many academic conference and journal leadership roles, editorial positions, invited keynotes, lectures, colloquia, seminars and workshop presentations, and many other notable Faculty accomplishments at the national and international levels.

Programs:

  • Computer Engineering (B.S.)
  • Computer Science (B.S.)
  • Computer Engineering (M.S.) With Concentrations in:Advanced Applications and Systems Programming, Bio-Medical Engineering, CAD/CAM, Computer and Information Security, Computer Communications and Networking, e-Commerce, Microelectronics and Computer Architecture, Modern Data Base Systems, Robotics and Automation, Signal and Image Processing, Software Engineering, Very Large Scale Integration (VSLI), Wireless and Mobile Communications.
  • Computer Science (M.S.) With Concentrations in: Advanced Applications and Systems Programming, Bio-Medical Engineering, CAD/CAM, Computer and Information Security, Computer Communications and Networking, e-Commerce, Microelectronics and Computer Architecture, Modern Data Base Systems, Robotics and Automation, Signal and Image Processing, Software Engineering, Very Large Scale Integration (VSLI), Wireless and Mobile Communications.
  • Electrical and Electronics Engineering (M.S.) With Concentrations in: Bio-Medical Engineering, Computer Communications and Networking, Environmental and Energy Management, Microelectronics and Computer Architecture, Modern Data Base Systems, Robotics and Automation, Security (IT Security, Biometrics, etc.), Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI), Wireless and Mobile Communications.
  • Mechanical Engineering (M.S.) With Concentrations in: CAD/CAM, Intellectual Property Management, Manufacturing Management, Supply Chain Management, Robotics and Automation.
  • Technology Management (M.S.) With Concentrations in:Accounting, Automation and Robotics, Bio-Tech Management, CAD/CAM, China/India Trade, Computer Communications and Networking Corporate, Government and Information Security & Continuity Management, Environmental and Energy Management, Finance, Global Business, Global Marketing, Global Program and Project Management.
  • Computer Science and Engineering (Ph.D.) Research Areas Available: Computer architecture and VLSI and FPGA; Design, modeling and simulation of embedded and integrated systems; Electromechanical systems prototyping and optimization; Robotics, automation, machine perception and sensing; Software engineering, Web development and computational sciences; Systems and computer security and biometrics; Wireless and mobile computing and networking.

The Fones School of Dental Hygiene

Acupuncture Institute

  • Acupuncture (M.S.)

Nutrition Institute

  • Human Nutrition (M.S.)

College of Chiropractic

  • Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.)

College of Naturopathic Medicine

  • Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (N.D.)

References

  1. ^ US News and World Report, 2007.
  2. ^ http://www.radaronline.com/from-the-magazine/2008/08/worst_colleges_in_america_2008_part_1_01.php
  3. ^ Schaffer, Robert Illustrated History of Bridgeport NY: Wislow Publishing, 1992, p. 52.
  4. ^ Davey, Robert “Moon Over Bridgeport” Connecticut Magazine (July, 1994), p. 69
  5. ^ Bridgeport U. Closes Deal to Cede Control, The New York Times New York and Region, May 30, 1992
  6. ^ Richard Rubenstein: A Brief Biographical Note
  7. ^ Featuring Neil Albert Salonen in The American Chiropractor, July 30, 2005.
  8. ^ As a non-stock, non-profit Connecticut corporation, the University is evaluated by the State Department of Higher Education, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and national accrediting bodies for various academic and professional departments. The mission statement reads: "The University of Bridgeport offers career-oriented undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees and programs for people seeking personal and professional growth. The University promotes academic excellence, personal responsibility, and commitment to service. Distinctive curricula in an international, culturally diverse supportive learning environment prepare graduates for life and leadership in an increasingly interconnected world. The University is independent and non-sectarian."
  9. ^ CT Post. Bridgeport gangs: deadly or troublesome?
  10. ^ CT Post. Bridgeport gangs: deadly or troublesome?
  11. ^ Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Award presented to the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Bridgeport
  12. ^ Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Award presented to the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Bridgeport
  13. ^ www.bridgeport.edu/include/pdf/alumni/AnnualReport2007.pdf

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