(W&J) is a private, coeducational,
Liberal Arts College located in the
Pittsburgh metropolitan area, in the town of
Washington, Pennsylvania . The college has an enrollment of approximately 1,355 students in the 05-06 accademic 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 .
W&J was founded in
1787 and is the oldest institution of higher learning west of the
Allegheny Mountains , making it the ''eleventh oldest'' in the United States. W&J was originally two distinct schools, 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 1787. The college campus is 51 acres large and its architecture is mostly colonial
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It's highest national sports honor is that the football team played in the
Rose Bowl Game of
1922 .
Beginning in the late 1990's, W&J embarked upon a massive building campaign. First, the campus'
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.
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 completed in 2002 and 2004, respectively, and added multiple advanced "smart classrooms", computer labs, and seminar rooms. 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 WJCR.
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 on W&J's campus. [http://www.washjeff.edu/content.aspx?section=2210&menu_id=517&crumb=518&id=399&page_title=2004%20Press%20Releases] The primary locations used in the film were the Chapel in Old Main and a large office (also in Old Main), which is currently used by the chair of the W&J Religion Department.
W&J was granted a
Phi Beta Kappa chapter in
1937 .
W&J first admitted women in
1969 .
The school has been ranked at #94 among the top 100 Liberal Arts Schools in the US according to the "America's Best Colleges 2006" issue of
US News And World Report .
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 unusual ''intersession term'' was developed to enable students to pursue different opportunities, such as internships or study abroad, and scheduling permitting, it is not infrequently used to accelerate a students pace towards degree requirements, usually to 'unload' one's major study schedule by satisfying off-major requirements during the intersession period. During intersession, professors offer more specialized and elective classes, such as "Politics of the Developing World," basic "Robotics," "Ballroom Dancing," the "Dialogs of Plato," "Literature of J.R.R. Tolkein," or "Vampires & Other Bloodsuckers."
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 and Communication, Thematic Major.
Minors: Accounting, Biology, Business Administration, Chemistry, 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.
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.
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.
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W&J also offers variety of intramural sports, and its athletic facilities (including tennis and raquetball courts, swimming pools, and weight facilities) are open to recreational student use.
Distinguished alumni include:
- John Astin , actor famous for playing Gomez on the 1964 TV series The Addams Family and the Riddler in the 1966 Batman TV series.
- James G. Blaine , a candidate for President of the United States
- H.W. Cook , pilot of the first continental airmail liner
- Dr. Jesse Lazear , who discovered that yellow fever was transmitted via mosquito
- Nicholas P. Dallis , creator of the newspaper comic strip "Rex Morgan, M.D."
- Stephen Foster , the nineteenth-century songwriter, attended W&J but never finished; he is said to have been kicked out.
- John Hemphill Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court and a United States Senator
- John Murtha , attended but left in 1952 to join the marines. Member of the United States House Of Representatives since 1974 .
- Matthew Quay ( 1850 ), United States Senator from Pennsylvania (1887–1899;1901–1904) and Chairman of the Republican National Committee
- John S. Reed , interim president of the New York Stock Exchange and former CEO of Citigroup
- Alberto Vilar , former Billionaire, now charged with fraud in New York court. His $100 million pledge to the college never materialized.
W&J also has a Greek community consisting of six national fraternities and four national sororities. Approximately 50% of W&J's campus is active in the
Greek Communities .
Phi Gamma Delta and
Phi Kappa Psi were both founded at Jefferson College prior to its merger with Washington College.
