Ohio Northern University
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| Motto | "Large enough to challenge, small enough to care" |
|---|---|
| Established | 1871 |
| Type | private |
| President | Kendall Baker, Ph. D |
| Faculty | 207 |
| Students | 3526 |
| Undergraduates | 3202 |
| Postgraduates | 324 |
| Location | Ada, Ohio, USA |
| Campus | Rural |
| Latin motto | "Ex Diversitate Vires" |
| Colors | Orange, Black, White |
| Nickname | Polar Bears |
| Mascot | Klondike |
| Affiliations | United Methodist Church |
| Website | http://www.onu.edu/ |
Ohio Northern University is a private, United Methodist Church-affiliated university located in the United States in Ada, Ohio. It was founded by Henry Solomon Lehr in 1871. Enrollment in 2005-06 was 3,542 students. The university is comprised of four undergraduate colleges:
- Getty College of Arts and Sciences,
- College of Business Administration,
- T.J. Smull College of Engineering,
- Rudolph H. Raabe College of Pharmacy,
and the graduate Claude W. Pettit College of Law. The law school was formerly known as "the Warren G. Harding College of Law."[1] In 1973, it was renamed in honor of Claude W. Pettit, a judge and former dean of the college.[2]
In 2007, US News & World Report listed Ohio Northern as the fifth-best comprehensive college in the Midwest. [1]
[edit] History
Lehr founded ONU in 1871 after serving five years as the schoolmaster in Ada. During that time, he used the school's facilities to teach "select" classes beyond the traditional curriculum. In summer 1870 he proposed to the citizens of Ada a plan to purchase land for a campus and an academic building. Classes at the Northwestern Ohio Normal School, as it was originally known, began in August 1871.
[edit] The Lehr Era
President Lehr designed the school to prepare public school teachers, as was common with normal schools at the time. The first year there was a class on surveying, and the engineering department was formed in 1882. The pharmacy department was founded in 1884, followed by the department of law the next year. The school became known as Ohio Normal University upon incorporation in 1885.
A complete history of the early years of the university, written by Lehr himself and serialized in the University Record between 1904 and 1907, can be found in President Lehr's memoirs.
[edit] Sale to the Methodist Church
Seeking to secure permanence for the school he founded, Lehr agreed to sell the school to the United Methodist Church in 1899, given the large number of Methodists in the student body. In 1901, Dr. Leroy Belt (a Methodist minister) became the second president of the university. In 1903, students petitioned to drop the word "Normal" from the name. The Board of Trustees changed the name to "Ohio Northern University" in order to preserve the ONU initials.
[edit] 20th Century Expansion
Dr. Albert Edwin Smith succeeded Dr. Belt in 1905, and served as president for 25 years. Smith's tenure was marked by changes to the curriculum and campus (eight new buildings were built) until Dr. Robert Williams became the university's fourth president in 1930. Williams kept the university going through the Great Depression and World War II, despite declining enrollment, until his retirement in 1943.
ONU's fifth president, Dr. Robert McClure, began to process of getting the school's programs accredited, and increased enrollment during his six-year tenure, shortened by illness. His successor, Dr. F. Bringle McIntosh, who was installed in 1949 and was responsible for many of the west campus buildings and the student union which bears his name.
Dr. Samuel Lewis Meyer became the first layman since Lehr to become president when he began serving in 1965. He added seven buildings to the campus, including the science hall named after him, the engineering building, and the library. Dr. Ray B. Loeschner served as the university's eighth president from 1977-1979.
[edit] Modern History
In December 1979, Dr. Debow Freed began his twenty-year tenure as ONU President. During this time, many campus buildings were improved. Freed also oversaw the construction of the Freed Center for the Performing Arts and the ONU Sports Center in 1991. The current president of the University, Dr. Kendall Baker, was installed in 1999. Major additions have included the Dicke Hall (2003) for the business college and Dial-Roberson Stadium (2004), located at the far west end of campus.
[edit] Athletics
Ohio Northern student-athletes compete in the Division III Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). For more information, see the ONU Sports website and the OAC website. The Ohio Northern varsity football team defeated Mount Union College in 2005 to snap the Purple Raiders 110 game regular season winning streak.
[edit] Trivia
- The school mascot is a polar bear named "Klondike."
- The central part of the university's campus is referred to by students and faculty alike as the "Tundra", a reference to both the school mascot and the cold, windy conditions students face when walking to classes during winter months.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| Ohio Athletic Conference |
|---|
| Baldwin–Wallace • Capital • Heidelberg • John Carroll • Marietta • Mount Union • Muskingum • Ohio Northern • Otterbein • Wilmington |
