Lake Erie College
| Type | Private liberal arts college |
|---|---|
| Established | 1856 |
| Endowment | $40.0 million[1] |
| President | Peter Gerhart (Interim) |
Academic staff | 41 |
| Undergraduates | 650 |
| Postgraduates | 325 |
| Location | , , 41°43′00″N 81°15′06″W / 41.71667°N 81.25167°W |
| Campus | Suburban, 50 acres (20 ha)[2] |
| Colors | Forest green and white[2] |
| Nickname | Storm |
| Affiliations | CIC |
| Mascot | Stormy the Cyclone[3] |
| Website | www.lec.edu |
Lake Erie College is a private liberal arts college founded in 1856 that is located in Painesville, Ohio, approximately 30 miles (48 km) east of Cleveland. As of the 2012-2013 academic year, the enrollment was approximately 1200 undergraduates and graduate students.
Lake Erie is best known for its equine studies program, which attracts students from across the country, and around the world, and is the most popular major at the college. The George M. Humphrey Equestrian Center is located 5 miles (8.0 km) to the south of the main campus, in Concord Township. In 2011, the Lake Erie College IDA (Intercollegiate Dressage Association) team won champion honors at the 9th annual IDA National Championship held at the Canterbury Equestrian Show Place in Newberry, Florida.
Prior to 1986, it was one of three remaining women's colleges in Ohio, along with Ursuline College and Notre Dame College, the latter of which is also now co-educational.
New President and Rapid Growth
Under the Michael T. Victor administration Lake Erie College has experienced record growth.[4]
Academic Achievements
- Enrollment in Lake Erie College's MBA program increased 35%
- 22 new majors were added
- Student applications increased 93%
- Introduction of 6 new athletic programs (women's golf, men's and women's track, men's and women's lacrosse, women's and men's swimming and diving, wrestling,and football)
Fund raising
- Since July 1, 2006 the College has received more than $40 million in gifts and pledges
Campus Upgrades
- Rebuilt Austin Hall of Science with a stately Georgian façade, creating state-of-the-art science laboratories and classrooms; an adjacent new courtyard and fountain creates a dominant entrance for the front of campus
- Built and dedicated the new equestrian learning center at the George M. Humphrey Equestrian Center, creating a new entrance façade, classrooms, offices, locker rooms and student activity spaces
- Renovated Kilcawley Hall, the main floor of College Hall, Mathews House and all of the Manor House (including the Rathskellar) to showcase their beauty, history and functionality
- Repaved sidewalks and parking lots and spruced up the landscaping on the entire campus
- Reacquired the property previously known as the Andrews Osborne Academy; renovated the main building to house the Center for Entrepreneurship and classrooms; transformed the upstairs of the Ritchie Gymnasium into a workout facility for football players; and renovated the basement pool for recreational swimming
- Rebuilt the locker room at the Jack Britt Stadium for use by Lake Erie’s home and visiting football teams; replaced the grass turf on the field with a synthetic surface
- Created a wireless campus in the spring of 2007; students can now receive wireless internet service in any of the campus buildings, residence halls and apartments
- Acquired off-campus apartment complexes – Founders Court and Lydia Sessions Apartments – in order to accommodate increasing numbers of residential students
Campus
The college is approximately thirty miles east of downtown Cleveland in downtown Painesville. Students under the age of 22 whose official residence is outside a 50-mile (80 km) radius of Lake Erie College's campus are required to live on campus during the academic year.[5]
Students can rely on their own transportation or the Lake County Laketran bus system that has stops near the campus. Parking one personal vehicle on campus is available upon registering with the college.[6]
In October 2007, CSX Transportation opened a temporary outreach center at Lake Erie College to assist evacuees after a local train derailment.
Facts and Figures
- Undergraduate Tuition (2012–2013): $27,368
- Faculty to Student Ratio: 15:1
- Average class size: 17
- Full Time Faculty with Ph.D. or terminal degree: 74%
Racial Makeup
- Caucasian: 81%
- Minority: 11%
- Unknown, International or more than two races reported: 8%
- Female: 48%
- Male: 52%
Past presidents
| # | Name | Term of Office |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lydia Sessions | 1859–1866 |
| 2 | Anna M. Edwards | 1866–1868 |
| 3 | Mary Evans | 1868–1909 |
| 4 | Vivian Blance Small | 1909–1941 |
| 5 | Helen Dalton Bragdon | 1941–1950 |
| 6 | Alfred T. Hill | 1950–1951 (interim) |
| 7 | Paul S. Weaver | 1951–1976 |
| 8 | Paul Newland | 1976–1977 (interim) |
| 9 | Charles E.P. Simmons | 1977–1984 |
| 10 | Marilyn S. Jones | 1984–1985 (interim) |
| 11 | Edward Q. Moulton | 1985–1986 |
| 12 | Clodus R. Smith | 1986–1992 |
| 13 | Hal Laydon | 1992–2005 |
| 14 | M. Sue Dreitzler | 2005–2006 (interim) |
| 15 | Michael T. Victor | 2006–present |
Athletics
Known as the Lake Erie College Storm, the College is a member of NCAA Division II and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).[7] Lake Erie College fields 21 varsity sports teams at the Division II level and joined the GLIAC prior to the start of the 2010-11 academic year. Prior to making the transition in 2010, Lake Erie College was a member of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) of Division III; LEC had been part of the AMCC through through the 2007-08 academic year.[8]
The official nickname of the College’s athletics teams is the Storm. The name was chosen to replace the nickname Unicorns when the College added men’s intercollegiate athletics beginning in 1988. Their mascot is Stormy.The College offers basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, indoor and outdoor track & field, lacrosse and volleyball for women and baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, lacrosse, indoor and outdoor track & field and wrestling for men. 20 teams participate in the GLIAC while men's lacrosse competes in the Eastern College Athletic Conference. A newly heated rivalry has begun with Ashland University, a two-hour drive away in Ashland, Ohio.
References
- ^ Lake Erie College Facts, Stats and Admissions Information
- ^ a b Lake Erie College - About Us - Facts
- ^ Traditions – Stormy
- ^ Lake Erie College - President
- ^ Lake Erie College - Student Life
- ^ Lake Erie College - Safety and Security
- ^ "GLIAC grants two schools provisional membership". Retrieved 2009-11-23.
- ^ "NCAA approves Lake Erie College as Division II Provisional Member". Retrieved 2008-08-29.