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The College of Wooster
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Scientia et religio ex uno fonte <br />(''Science and religion from one source'')
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1866
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Private
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R Stanton Hales
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Wooster
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Ohio
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USA
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~ 1,900
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0
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graduate
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~ 130
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Suburban, 240 acres (1 km²)
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Fighting Scot
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Athletics
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22 varsity sports teams
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is a
Liberal Arts College primarily known for
Its '''Independent Study''' Program . It has roughly 1,800 students and is located in
Wooster ,
Wayne County ,
Ohio . Founded in
1866 by the
Presbyterian church as the University of Wooster, it was from its creation a
Co-educational institution. The school is a member of The
Five Colleges Of Ohio and the
Great Lakes Colleges Association .
The current president of the college is , who was the first lady of
Croatia .
This college is one of 40 named in
Loren Pope 's book ''
Colleges That Change Lives ''.
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The University of Wooster was founded in 1866 by Presbyterians who wanted to do their part in the education of young people, and in 1870 opened its doors with a faculty of five and a student body of thirty men and four women. Wooster citizen Ephriam Quimby donated the first 22 acres, a large oak grove situated on a hilltop overlooking the town. By the early 20th century there were eight divisions, including a medical school whose faculty outnumbered those in the college of arts and sciences. However, the university had gradually begun to define itself as a liberals arts instituation, and in 1915, after a bitter dispute between the faculty and the Trustees, chose to become The College of Wooster in order to devote itself entirely to the education of undergraduate students.
The College's campus is 240 acres large and boasts of an unusual tree endowment which supports a tree conservation maintenance and replacement program at Wooster.
Students entering Wooster are provided with a liberal arts education, a learning approach that encourages students to experience different fields of study and once majors are chosen, to bring those varied experiences to their selected fields of study. Upon completion of typically 32 courses, students may earn diplomas in Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, or Bachelor of Music Education.
In addition to the programs listed below, students may design their own major with approval from the
Registrar . Some of the pre-professional programs listed below are cooperative programs, in which students spend a certain period of time at the College of Wooster before transferring to accelerated courses at other colleges and universities.
Majors: Africana Studies, Anthropology, Archaeology, Art History, Art (Studio), Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biology, Business Economics, Chemical Physics, Chemistry, Classical Studies, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Communication Studies, Comparative Literature, Computer Science, Cultural Area Studies, Dance, Economics, English, French, Geology, German, History, International Relations, Mathematics, Music, Music Education, Music History and Literature, Music Performance, Music Theory (Composition), Music Therapy, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Russian Studies, Sociology, Spanish, Theater, Urban Studies, Women's Studies
Additional minors: Chinese, Education (with teaching licensure in early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, and multi-age), Film Studies, International Business, Physical Education
Pre-professional programs: Pre-Architecture, Pre-Engineering, Forestry and Environmental Studies, Dentistry, Nursing, Pre-Social Work, Pre-Business, Pre-Medicine, Pre-Veterinary Medicine, Pre-Law, Pre-Seminary Studies, Dual-Degree Programs
The College of Wooster is noteworthy for its
Independent Study program, under which all students complete a
Thesis or other significant project during the course of their
Senior year. The program, begun in 1947 by Howard Lowry (the College's 7th President), has received considerable attention from other schools, and other colleges have modeled programs after it. In 2003, the IS program was recognized by ''
US News And World Report '' as the second best "senior capstone experience" in the US, coming in behind
Princeton University . This unique approach to education has kept Wooster competitive against other more well-known colleges, making it 14th in the nation among independent colleges whose graduates earned Ph.D.'s between 1920 and 1995 (according to the
Baccalaureate Origins of Doctorate Recipients,1998 ).
Special traditions have been developed surrounding Independent Study. Upon completion, a student will receive a
yellow button that says "I did it," as well as a
Tootsie Roll . The tradition developed when the registrar at the time, Lee Culp, decided to give out candy along with the buttons one year; the Tootsie Roll itself was chosen simply because they were cheap in bulk. The "due date," or the last day that students can turn in their completed Independent Study project, is the first Monday after spring break. On I.S. Monday, the
Pipe Band begins a drone and with the Dean of the Faculty leading the way, the seniors travel through
Kauke Arch in a jubilant parade ending at Kittredge dining hall for a celebratory dinner with their advisors and college administrators.
A
database exists on the College of Wooster website which allows people to browse the myriad Independent Study topics from every class year since the late 1940s.
Wooster has long emphasized international education. An unusually high percentage of its early graduates went overseas as missionaries, and soon not only their sons and daughters, but also the students from their schools, were enrolling at Wooster as students. This international presence affected the entire campus, establishing a tradition which continues to influence the College. Today, approximately seven percent of the student body is international in origin, representing more than 40 different countries. Majors in Cultural Area Studies and International Relations, instruction in seven foreign languages, twenty overseas programs, and the popularity of Babcock International Program, all attest to a global awareness which is a vital part of the educational fabric of the College. The majority of Wooster's international students currently come from
South Asia (
India and
Pakistan ), and
West Africa (many from
Ghana ).
Wooster is a member of the
NCAA Div-III North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Its school colors are black and old gold, and its mascot is the "Fighting
Scot ."
Scottish culture is an important part of the school's spirit; its
Football games, in addition to the standard
Marching Band , features a small
Pipe Band clad in the yellow and black
MacLeod tartan.
In recent years, the athletic teams at Wooster have had considerable success. Among other achievements, the
Baseball team has made three appearances in the NCAA Division III World Series and nine NCAC championships (a league record). The men's
Basketball team has nine NCAC regular season championships, nine NCAC Tournament titles, and twelve appearances in the Div-III NCAA Tournament. In
2004 , the
Football team went undefeated in the regular season, won its first outright NCAC conference championship, and won its first NCAA tournament game.
The College of Wooster has over 100 student organizations, from the Jenny Investment Club, which allows students to invest real money for the Collegeas they learn about the stock market, to Common Grounds, a student-run coffee shop and house program offering chemical-free alternatives to the College community.
There are currently 9 active
Greek Groups At The College Of Wooster , 6 sororities and 3 fraternities. Called ''clubs'' and ''sections'', these groups are not affiliated with national Greek organizations, and approminately 15 percent of the student body participates.
The college has a wide variety of student-run media.
''The Wooster Voice'' is the weeky student newspaper, and has been published continually since 1886 (see
List Of College Newspapers ), while
WCWS (WOO 91) is the college radio station. ''The Goliard'' is the annual literary magazine. English professor Daniel Bourne also publishes an international literary magazine called
Dodge'' every year. Additionally, the English Department has classes every two years on journalism and magazine writing; these students create and publish a newspaper and a magazine respectively.
In 1995, the College of Wooster gained some notoriety in academic circles when it rescinded its offer to hire Susanne Woods as its next president. After announcing its decision to hire her, evidence surfaced that Woods was a lesbian, and the college decided not to hire her after all, despite the fact that they had been courting her for the position for nearly a year. Many on Wooster's faculty decried the
Homophobia of the board of trustees, though because of confidentality agreements neither Woods nor the board members have spoken publicly about the incident. The official reason given for Woods' dismissal was the parties' inability to agree on the role of the president in the school. Woods is currrently the provost and a professor of English at Wheaton College in Massachusetts.
