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Hiram College

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Hiram College
MottoFiat Lux
(Let there be light)
TypePrivate, Liberal Arts College
Established1850 as Western Reserve Eclectic Institute
PresidentThomas V. Chema
Academic staff
73 full-time (Fall, 2006)
Undergraduates1,200 (Fall, 2007)
Location
Hiram
,
Ohio
,
United States
CampusRural, 110 acres plus 390 acre J.H. Barrow Field Station
ColorsRed & Blue    
NicknameTerriers File:Terriercolor.png
Websitewww.hiram.edu
File:HIRAM logo.png

Hiram College is a private liberal arts college located in Hiram, Ohio. Founded by Amos Sutton Hayden of the Disciples of Christ Church in 1850 as the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute, the school was rechartered under the current name in 1867.[1]

Since the College's first days, it has been nonsectarian and coeducational, and throughout its existence Hiram College has sustained this egalitarian tradition of educating men and women from diverse backgrounds. The institute's original charter was authorized by the state legislature on March 1, 1850, and modified in 1867 to recognize the institution's new collegiate rank when it became Hiram College.[1]

U.S. President James Garfield was a student, instructor, and principal of the institution while it was still the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute.[2] Garfield was a classical scholar and taught Greek and Latin, along with such subjects as mathematics and geology. Although he left Hiram in 1861 to take up the Civil War command of Company A of the 42nd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, a regiment recruited from Hiram, Garfield's name appeared in the Institute's catalogues until 1863.[citation needed]


About the College

As a liberal arts college, Hiram specializes in the education of undergraduate students, though the college does have a small graduate program. Hiram confers the following degrees: BA, BSN (nursing), MA (interdisciplinary studies). Students also have the option of a dual degree plan in engineering between Hiram and the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, or the School of Engineering at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

Majors: Accounting and Financial Management, Biochemistry, Biology, Biomedical Humanities, Chemistry, Classical Studies, Communication, Computer Science, Creative Writing, Economics, Education, English, Environmental Studies, French, History, Management, Mathematics, Music, Neuroscience, Nursing, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology/Anthropology, Spanish, Studio Art/Art History, Theatre Arts

Additional minors: Entrepreneurship, Ethics, Exercise/Sport Science, Gender Studies, Greek, Latin, International Studies, Public Leadership, Photography, Urban Studies, Writing

Pre-professional programs: business, dentistry, law, medicine, optometry, podiatry, seminary, veterinary

Top five majors: biology; management; biomedical humanities; accounting; education

Hiram students hail from twenty-six states and twenty-three countries and represent more than twenty-five different religions. Hiram's strengths as an institution relate to its small class sizes, which affords students significant involvement in lectures. Hiram's education plan also focuses on international study experiences, independent study opportunities, and faculty-guided research projects. Currently, almost all majors require some form of extensive independent project or apprenticeship experience, and in most cases, a public defense/presentation of the work, in order to complete the degree requirements.

Ohio Historical Marker

Education writer Loren Pope included Hiram in his influential book Colleges That Change Lives. He praised the College writing "Concern for the student's personal as well as academic welfare is one of the qualities that makes Hiram such an exceptional college." [1] The Princeton Review notes Hiram's strengths saying "Uniformly strong science programs set this tiny liberal arts college apart from many otherwise fine schools of similar size. Want proof? Over the past ten years, Hiram's medical school acceptance rate has been among the highest in the nation." - The Princeton Review (2002).

The College was awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's premier undergraduate honor society, in 1971.

Hiram has implemented a Tuition Guarantee system, which ensures that the annual cost for tuition will not increase between the first year a student is enrolled at Hiram and the student's senior year.

Hiram employs a unique academic calendar consisting of two, 15-week semesters further divided into two sessions- a 12-week, during which students take three academic courses, and a 3-week, when students focus on a single intensive course [2].

The school's sports teams are called the Terriers. They participate in the NCAA's Division III and the North Coast Athletic Conference. The Hiram College basketball team, competing as the United States national team, won the 1904 Olympic gold medal in St. Louis.

In September 2004, Thomas V. Chema was appointed as the 21st president of Hiram College.

The Kennedy Center

Clubs and organizations

Greek clubs

There are no national fraternities or sororities at Hiram College. There are, however, Greek social clubs. No affiliations with any national fraternities are intended or implied. Greek social clubs at Hiram are restricted from using the same Greek letters as any national organization.

Established in 1929, Phi Gamma Epsilon (or "Phi Gams") is currently the oldest existing Greek social club at Hiram College. Probation threatened the existence of the club in the mid 1980s, but the group survived and now claims to boast a strong, visible presence. The Phi Gams have sponsored a number of events, including an annual Toga Party and Spaghetti Dinner. The group's mascot, Buck PhiGam, is a Viking whose likeness is represented in a painting the group believes was created in the 1920s. Phi Beta Gamma, their sister group, often co-sponsors a number of these events.

Another one of the social clubs at Hiram College is Delta Chi Lambda. The Delta Chi Lambdas is made up of all female students. This club was once disbanded but now is back. It is currently one of the largest Greek social clubs at Hiram. The brother group is Lambda Lambda. After a shortage of members, they are currently rebuilding their program.

Kennedy Center Programming Board

The Kennedy Center Programming Board (KCPB) is one of Hiram's largest student organizations. Although its establishment is unknown, yearbook pictures of events and members can be found as far back as the early 1970s. KCPB is responsible for programming student activities on campus. KCPB receives its funding from the student activity fund which each student pays into each year. Some of the annually notable programs are Homecoming, Spring Fest, Campus Day, Game Room Tournaments, and Coffee Houses. In 2006/2007, Student Senate created a new position, Vice President of Activities. This person serves as the chairman/chairwoman of KCPB. This merger allowed Student Senate to relinquish its programming sector and focus on student and college issues.

Terrier Productions

Terrier Productions is Hiram College's film and video production club. They tape events on campus, create promotional advertisements for other clubs, and work on other creative projects--including talk shows, music videos, student body polls, and short movies. This group broadcasts over a local, closed-network cable channel and Youtube[3].

Terrier Sound Marching Band

Hiram College created its first marching band in Spring of 2006 emerging from an already established pep band. After intense fund raising, the students raised just over $10,000 to purchase marching band music and instruments in just less than six months. The first marching band in Hiram College history sprang from student initiative led by senior Joe Gaither, a music education major. The Terrier Sound Marching Band (TSMB) made its first official appearance at the Hiram’s season-opening football game against Carnegie Mellon University on Saturday, September 2, 2006. In the summer of 2007, the marching band purchased its first official marching band uniforms after a generous donation. The band can be seen performing on the steps of the Kennedy Center (Student Union) before the home football games.


Notable alumni

Pictures

References

  1. ^ a b "History of Hiram College". Official Hiram College web site. Hiram College. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
  2. ^ "James A. Garfield". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
  3. ^ James J. Green, The Life and Times of General B. D. Pritchard (Allegan: Allegan County Historical Society, 1979), p. 2.
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