Washington & Jefferson College

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Washington & Jefferson College
File:W&Jtowerlogo.jpg
TypePrivate liberal arts college
Established1781
Endowment$93,169,441
PresidentDr. Tori Haring-Smith
Undergraduates1,525
Location
Washington
,
Pennsylvania
,
USA
CampusSmall Town
ColorsRed and Black
MascotPresidents
Websitewww.washjeff.edu

Washington & Jefferson College (W&J) is a private, coeducational, liberal arts college located in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, in the city of Washington, Pennsylvania, USA. The college has an enrollment of approximately 1,525 students in the 07-08 academic year.

It is noted primarily as a good Pre-Med and Pre-Law institution due its fine liberal arts curriculum and as an excellent preparatory school for graduate level studies in general, but especially in chemistry, biology, economics and history.

The school has been ranked at no. 106 among the top liberal arts colleges in the US according to the "America's Best Colleges 2008" issue of US News and World Report, and the Princeton Review recently named W&J the 14th fittest college in the US.[1] It has also been highlighted as a strong liberal arts institution by the college search website Colleges of Distinction. [2]

History

Old Main at W&J College.

W&J was founded in 1781 and is the oldest institution of higher learning west of the Allegheny Mountains, making it the eleventh oldest college in the United States. W&J was originally two distinct schools, Washington College and Jefferson College, which were each founded by Presbyterian ministers seeking to introduce higher education to what was then the American West.

In 1865, decreased enrollment due to the Civil War forced Washington College and Jefferson College to combine to form Washington & Jefferson College. The new, combined college traces its roots back to the original Washington College charter, hence the founding date of 1781. The college campus is 51 acres large and its architecture is mostly colonial[3] in a small city which serves as the county seat.

Perhaps the college's highest national sports honor is that the football team, coached by Earle "Greasy" Neale, played the University of California in the 1922 Rose Bowl, which ended as a 0-0 tie. [4] The team played just 11 players for the entire game and started Charles "Pruner" West at QB, an African American, who would become a noted physician. The school played major college football from 1900 to 1935 and is the smallest college to have played in the Rose Bowl. The football team has become a powerhouse in Division III in the last 25 years and is a perennial playoff team.

Founded as men's college, it became a coeducational institution in September of 1970.[5]

Recent campus improvements

The Howard J. Burnett Center

Beginning in the late 1990s, W&J embarked upon a massive building campaign. First, the campus' Rossin Campus Center was completely renovated, complete with a new "ski lodge" and coffee shop. For student housing, two new apartment-style residence halls were added by the fall of 2004, and more than half a dozen "special interest," colonial-style, duplexes and triplexes were completed by the fall of 2005.

File:Technology center.jpg
Technology Center

The two newest academic buildings are the Howard J. Burnett Center and the Technology Center (formerly known as the "Vilar Technology Center" - see news report about alleged scandal that initiated the name change). These buildings were opened in 2002 and 2004, respectively, and added multiple advanced "smart classrooms", computer labs, and seminar rooms. However, funding issues have prevented completion of the Technology Center's interior; only rooms on the ground, first and second floors are finished. A timetable for completion has not been set.

The college also added a modern radio studio and broadcast tower to expand and improve the WNJR student radio station. This once was licensed under the call letters WXJX and WJCR.

The focus on student life improvement continued with the re-opening of the "Hub" student center in the fall of 2006. The building was originally opened in the 1960s as a student center but later used as a home for information technology offices. The renovated Hub includes lounge areas, a game room, and continues the traditional Monticello's student-run coffee house on weekends.

File:W&Jstatues.jpg
W&J's statue of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson

On May 18, 2007 the college unveiled a new statue commemorating the institution's namesakes, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. It is approximately 10 feet tall and cast in bronze, located at the corner of Lincoln St. and Beau St. Also unveiled was a statue of a coal miner reading a book in front of the Technology Center. The sculptor for both pieces is Alan Cottrill.

Academics

W&J follows a different academic schedule than most institutions. The Fall and Spring semesters are somewhat abbreviated in order to accommodate a one-month intersession semester during January. This schedule is referred to as "4-1-4" to indicate that the terms last four months, one month (of intensive study), and four months, respectively.

The intersession term was developed to enable students to pursue different opportunities, such as internships, study abroad, or general electives. During intersession, professors offer specialized elective classes, such as "Professional Selling," "Politics of the Developing World," "Basic Robotics," "Ballroom Dancing," "The Dialogs of Plato," "Literature of J.R.R. Tolkien," or "Vampires & Other Bloodsuckers." [6]Professors regularly offer intersession trips to London, China, and Zuni.[7]

Areas of study

Majors: Accounting, Art, Art Education, Biochemistry, Biological Physics, Biology, Business Administration, Chemistry, Child Development and Education, Economics, English, French, German, History, Industrial Chemistry and Management, Information Technology Leadership, International Business, Mathematics, Music, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Spanish, Theatre, Thematic Major.

Minors: Accounting, Biology, Business Administration, Chemistry, Communication, Economics, Environmental Studies, French, Gender and Women's Studies, German, History, Mathematics, Music, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Physics, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, Spanish, Theatre.

Concentrations: Graphic Design, Professional Writing, Neuroscience, Entrepreneurship

Pre-Professional and Special Programs: Teacher Certification; Engineering; Entrepreneurial Studies; Mind, Brain, and Behavior; Pre-Health Professions; Pre-Law.

Electives: Chinese, Earth and Space Science, Japanese, Physical Education, Russian, Science.

Student life

Activism

Bill Clinton at a "Solutions for America" rally at Washington & Jefferson College on March 11, 2008[1]

W&J College has a strong history of political activism, with chapters of College Republicans and College Democrats. Currentt students currently serve as members of the Bentworth School Board and Canonsburg Council[2]

Vice-president Dick Cheney visited W&J in 2004.<ref>http://www.washjeff.edu/content.aspx?section=2210&menu_id=517&crumb=518&page_title=Current%20Press%20Releases&id=11289<.ref> Former President Bill Clinton held a rally in 2008.<ref>http://www.washjeff.edu/content.aspx?section=2210&menu_id=517&crumb=518&page_title=Current%20Press%20Releases&id=11289<.ref>

Athletics

W&J competes in 23 intercollegiate athletics at the NCAA Division III level. W&J's sports teams, named the "Presidents," have experienced great success; W&J has won more than 30 PAC Championships and produced 17 Academic All-American athletes.[8]

W&J also offers variety of intramural sports, and its athletic facilities (including tennis and racquetball courts, swimming pools, and weight facilities) are open to recreational student use.

The Washington and Jefferson Rugby Club was founded in 2004, and fields both men's and women's teams. It is a member of USA Rugby, the Midwest Rugby Union, and the Allegheny Rugby Union. The club competes in the Allegheny Rugby Union Collegiate Division 2. The club also competes in an unofficial Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship every spring. In 2004, the men's club won the 2004 Allegheny Rugby Union Division 3 championship.

Clubs

W&J has over 60 student clubs on campus, including the Bottega Art Club, Franklin Literary Society, and clubs for most academic disciplines.[9]

Concerts

W&J's annual spring concert has featured New Found Glory, O.A.R, Hawthorne Heights, and The Roots. The 2006 Fall concert featured Talib Kweli. The 2008 concert will feature Third Eye Blind.

Greek life

W&J also has a Greek community consisting of six national fraternities, four national sororities, and the Greek honorary society Order of Omega. Approximately 44% of W&J's campus is active in the Greek communities [citation needed]. Phi Gamma Delta and Phi Kappa Psi were both founded at Jefferson College prior to its merger with Washington College.

Student media

W&J's student media includes the 1500-watt WNJR (FM) radio station and The Red & Black student newspaper.[10]

Notable alumni

Distinguished alumni include:

Trivia

  • W&J's Old Main is home to the plaster model used to sculpt the head of Jefferson for the Jefferson Memorial.
  • In 1990, the film based on the Stephen King novel The Dark Half was filmed in part on W&J's campus. [18] The primary locations used in the film were the Chapel in Old Main and the large office next to it, currently used by the chair of the W&J Religion Department.
  • W&J was granted a Phi Beta Kappa chapter in 1937.
  • W&J's traditional college cheer is "Whichi Coax!"
  • Library archives show that W&J's student literary society, named after Benjamin Franklin, included honorary members such as Horace Mann, John Quincy Adams, and Edgar Allan Poe.
  • The doorknob used in the 1939 film "Gone With The Wind" for the front door of Tara is now a part of the library in Lazear Hall.
  • Coach John Heisman, of whom the Heisman Memorial Trophy Award is named after, coached at Washington and Jefferson College.

External links


  1. ^ http://www.washjeff.edu/content.aspx?section=2210&menu_id=517&crumb=518&page_title=Current%20Press%20Releases&id=11289
  2. ^ http://www.washjeff.edu/content.aspx?section=2210&menu_id=517&crumb=518&page_title=Current%20Press%20Releases&id=10680
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