Lafayette College

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lafayette College
Motto: Veritas liberabit
(Latin for "The truth shall make you free")[1]
Established: 1826
Type: Private
Endowment: $780 million[2]
President: Daniel Weiss
Faculty: 199 full-time members [2]
Undergraduates: 2,403 (52% male, 48% female) [2]
Location: Flag of the United States Easton, PA, USA
Campus: Suburban
110 acre (0.4 km²) main campus
and additional 230 acre athletic complex (0.9 km²)[3]
Student Life: 250 groups, clubs, & sports
Colors: Maroon and white
         
Mascot: Leopard
Website: www.lafayette.edu

Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832.[4] The founders voted to name the school after General Lafayette, then in a farewell tour of the country, as "a testimony of respect for [his] talents, virtues, and signal services...the great cause of freedom."[4] (initially Marquis de Lafayette until June 1790, when he abolished and permanently renounced both the nobility and aristocratic title[5]).

The student body, consisting entirely of undergraduates, come from 42 U.S. States and 72 countries.[6] In its 2008 edition, U.S. News & World Report ranked Lafayette 34th out of all liberal arts colleges in the nation,[7] while Barron's ranked it among the top 65 "Most Competitive" colleges and universities.[2] Lafayette's endowment is one of the 100 largest in the country, indicating significant wealth, especially for an entirely undergraduate institution.[8] Its 23 varsity sports teams participate in the Patriot League, with its football team claiming the league championship from 2004-2006 and wins over rival Lehigh University the past four years.[9]

Contents

[edit] History

A group of Easton citizens led by James Madison Porter met on December 27, 1824 at White's Tavern to explore the possibility of opening a nearby college.[1] The recent visit of the General Lafayette to New York prompted the founders to name the school after the French military officer.[4] The group also established the 35-member Board of Trustees, a system of governance that has remained at the College since its inception.[1] In need of an education plan, the meeting gave the responsibility to Porter, lawyer Jacob Wagener, and Yale educated lawyer Joel Jones.[1] The charter gained approval and on March 9, 1826, Pennsylvania Governor John Andrew Shulze's signature made the college official.[1]

Bronze statue of the General Lafayette by Daniel Chester French in front of Colton Chapel.
Bronze statue of the General Lafayette by Daniel Chester French in front of Colton Chapel.

The school did not open until six years later when the Rev. George Junkin, a Presbyterian minister, took up the charter and moved the all-male Manual Labor Academy of New York from Germantown, NY to Easton.[4] Classes began on May 9, 1832, with the instruction of 43 students on the south bank of the Lehigh River in a rented farmhouse.[4] Students had to earn money to support the program by laboring in the fields and workshops.[4] Later that year, Lafayette purchased what is now known as "College Hill" - nine acres of elevated land across Bushkill Creek.[4] The College's first building was constructed two years later on the current site of South College.[4]

Lafayette became affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in 1854,[10] although recently the ending of this official relationship has been discussed.[11] In 1857, Francis March became the first professor of English at an American college when Lafayette became the first college to implement the program of study.[4]

The Lafayette, Lafayette's weekly student newspaper, was founded in 1870 and is the oldest college newspaper in Pennsylvania.[12] It is available in both print and online form.

In 1970, the college increased total enrollment after changing from an all-male school to a coeducational institution.[1]

In 2007, the college commemorated the 250th birthday of the General Lafayette through a series of lectures and campus dedications.[13] Major festivities were held on September 6th 2007, Lafayette's birthday, and were kicked off the night before with a lecture by renowned historian David McCullough.

[edit] Academics

Kirby Library, with its oak-paneled bookcases, cork floor, and elaborate carvings, is located in the Kirby Hall of Civil Rights.
Kirby Library, with its oak-paneled bookcases, cork floor, and elaborate carvings, is located in the Kirby Hall of Civil Rights.

Lafayette's student body consists of 2,381 undergraduate students hailing from 42 U.S. States and 72 countries. For the class of 2011, the acceptance rate was 35%, with 80% of those accepted ranking in the top 10% of their high school classes.[14] The middle 50% of accepted students have SAT scores ranging from 610-700 Critical Reading and 640-730 Math, and ACT scores ranging from 27-32.[14] The college has 199 full-time faculty members, giving it an 11:1 student to faculty ratio.[2]

Lafayette students have been honored in recent years with national and international scholarships,[15] including the most Goldwater Scholarships obtained by a liberal arts college over the past six years.[16] For the class of 2011, Lafayette gave financial aid to 54% of the students, with the average package amounting to $31,042.[17] The college also offers two merit-based academic scholarships - the Marquis Scholarship, which provides $16,000 a year, and the Trustee Scholarship, which provides $8,000 a year.[18] Lafayette's endowment is more than $750 million, placing it in the top 2% of all colleges and universities in endowment per student (about $305,000 per student),[1] with total assets amounting to more than $1 billion. [2]

Lithograph of Lafayette College, circa 1875.
Lithograph of Lafayette College, circa 1875.

In its 2008 edition, U.S. News & World Report ranked Lafayette 34th out of all liberal arts colleges in the nation,[7] with its engineering program ranked 12th out of non-doctoral schools.[19] Barron's ranked it among the top 65 "Most Competitive" colleges and universities.[2] In Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, a study of the best valued schools ranked Lafayette 14th among liberal arts colleges. [20] The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education has ranked Lafayette as fifth among the nation’s 50 leading liberal arts colleges and universities in the percentage of full-time African American faculty members, and twelfth for first year black enrollment. [21]

The College offers 45 different Majors across four academic divisions: natural sciences, humanities, engineering, and social sciences. Most departments offer minors, and nine interdisciplinary minors are also available. A.B. requirements allow students to double major or create a coordinate major in two departments.[22] Students declare their major during the second semester of their sophomore year.

New to the College is a Policy Studies program, an interdisciplinary major that allows students to better understand the design, management, and evaluation of policies and institutions.[23] The Policy Studies Program sponsors student events such as the Election Night Broadcast, where students reported the events of the 2006 mid-term election to the College, and also brings guest speakers to campus. Also new to the College, starting in the fall semester of 2007, is a Chinese language program which will offer classes on Chinese language and culture. Lafayette's Strategic Planning Initiative is also considering the possibility of introducing additional non-European language programs over time, including Arabic, Hindi, and Swahili.

[edit] Participation in U.S. News Rankings

During the 2006-2007 academic year, President Dan Weiss agreed to boycott the controversial Peer Assessment in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, which accounts for 25% of a school's overall ranking.[24] Lafayette and eleven other colleges, working with Lloyd Thacker of the Education Conservancy, created a petition calling for a boycott of the reputational survey as well as a refusal to use the rankings to promote a college or to indicate its quality.[25] 63 college and university presidents have signed the letter. Predictably, Lafayette College's ranking fell from #30 in 2007 to #34 in 2008.

Lafayette College also participates in the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU)'s University and College Accountability Network (U-CAN).

[edit] Campus overview

The Quad, captured here on an overcast day, is at the center of Lafayette's 110 acre campus.
The Quad, captured here on an overcast day, is at the center of Lafayette's 110 acre campus.

Pardee Hall, the largest academic building on campus, was devastated by fire twice in the 1800s. One fire began when a science experiment was carelessly left in a drawer. The other fire was arson, deliberately set by a professor of moral philosophy, who reportedly enjoyed watching the building burn from across the Delaware River in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. Although Pardee Hall is truly oriented southward, with the gently sloping hill leading to its front entrance, the students refer to this as the "back" of Pardee because the other side (the true back) faces the Quad. During the winter, or after a drenching spring rain, sledding is popular on the hill "behind" Pardee Hall. The most popular sleds are stolen trays from the main dining halls on campus.

Campus legend states that the fifth floor of Pardee Hall is haunted. Believers point to the fact that there is no visible staircase to the fifth floor, yet the windows to a fifth floor can be viewed from outside. The staircase does in fact exist, but behind a locked door on the fourth floor. Professors have gone on record saying that the area is used for storage, and that artifacts from the College's Special Collections are stored there.

Kirby Hall of Civil Rights, the interior of which is constructed of travertine marble, was rumored to have been the most expensive collegiate building, per square foot, built at its time. The building was designed by the same architectural firm that designed New York City's Grand Central Terminal.

South College is Lafayette's largest residence hall, housing approximately 220 students in a coeducational setting.
South College is Lafayette's largest residence hall, housing approximately 220 students in a coeducational setting.

Farinon College Center, the student union, was architecturally inspired by the McKelvy House, a college-owned mansion just off campus. It is located in the original location of the Delta Upsilon fraternity, and the fireplace in the lobby is the original fireplace from the fraternity. While the top floor of Farinon is an "all-you-can-eat" style buffet paid for in blocks from a meal plan, the downstairs is a station-based food court in which students pay itemized fees for food. The dining area for the downstairs area also serves as the stage for comedy acts brought in by the Lafayette Activities Forum, the College's student-run activities committee.

Markle Hall, now the main administrative building, housing the Offices of Admissions and Financial Aid, originally was designated the Hall of Mining Engineering. An online historical survey of campus buildings is maintained by the College's Special Collections.[26]

Gilbert's Cafe, a coffeehouse located on the ground floor of Kirby House, was opened in 1999 to provide a late-night hangout for students. Its name was the subject of a contest, and the winning student selected one of General Lafayette's middle names: Gilbert. In the fall of 2006, a sinkhole was discovered underneath Kirby House, and the much-beloved coffeehouse had to be closed during the spring semester. However, it was reopened for the subsequent fall semester. Gilbert's Cafe is the site of many open mic nights where student bands can perform for their fellow classmates.

Skillman Library underwent an extensive renovation from 2003 to 2005, and the building has won several awards, including the 2006 national honor award for interior architecture from the American Institute of Architects.[27]

Also in the fall of 2006, Lafayette signed a deal with MTV to designate the campus as an MTVu campus. As a result, Lafayette hosted an MTVu concert in the spring of 2006, as opposed to the regular concert chosen by the student government. In the spring of 2007, Third Eye Blind was selected to perform in Kamine Gymnasium.

[edit] Athletics

Lafayette College's official athletic logo.
Lafayette College's official athletic logo.

Lafayette offers students an array of athletic opportunities, which includes 23 Division I sports, 18 club sports, and over 30 intramural sports.[28] The football team has made three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division I-AA football tournament. American football innovations at Lafayette include the first use of the huddle[29] and the invention of the head harness, precursor to the football helmet.[30] The men's basketball program also has a long history, peaking in the late nineties under the leadership of Fran O'Hanlon, who led the Leopards to back-to-back Patriot League championships and NCAA Tournament appearances in 1999 and 2000. These seasons were documented by John Feinstein in his book, The Last Amateurs. Lafayette College sporting events can be watched on the Lafayette Sports Network at various cable and satellite outlets, listed at GoLeopards.com.

  • Affiliation: NCAA Division I, Football: Football Championship Subdivision
  • Conference: Patriot League
  • Team name: Leopards
  • Team colors: Maroon and white
  • Arch rival: Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
  • Other rivals: Bucknell University, Colgate, Princeton, Penn
  • Facilities: Fisher Field at Fisher Stadium (Football), Kirby Sports Center (Basketball), Metzgar Fields Athletic Complex
  • National Football Championships:
    • Football: 1896 (National Championship Foundation, Parke Davis)
    • Football: 1921 (Boand, Parke Davis)
    • Football: 1926 (Parke Davis)
  • Patriot League Championships:
    • Field Hockey: 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2002; ECC Champions 1987, 1989
      • NCAA Tournament Berths: 1999, 2002
    • Baseball: 2007; ECC Champions 1990
    • Men's Soccer: 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2005; ECC Champions 1984, 1986, 1987
      • NCAA Tournament Berths (non-play-in games): 1995, 1998, 2003, 2005
    • Football: 1992, 1994, 2004, 2005, 2006
      • NCAA Tournament Berths: 2004, 2005, 2006
    • Men's Basketball: 1999, 2000
    • Women's Lacrosse: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002; ECC Champions 1988, 1989
      • NCAA Tournament Berths: 1988, 1989, 1991, 2002
  • National Championship:

[edit] The Rivalry

Lafayette won the 142nd edition of "The Rivalry" against Lehigh University.
Lafayette won the 142nd edition of "The Rivalry" against Lehigh University.

Lafayette College's athletic program is notable for The Rivalry with nearby Lehigh University. Since 1884, the two football teams have met 143 times, making it the most played rivalry in the history of college football.[31] It is also the longest running rivalry in college football, with the teams playing at least once every year since 1897.[31] The Rivalry is considered one of the best in all of college athletics, and ESPNU recently ranked it #8 among the Top Ten College Football Rivalries.[32] The game is sold out long before gameday each year.

Lafayette leads the all-time series 76-62-5. In the latest contest, Lafayette beat Lehigh on Saturday, November 17, 2007 by a score of 21-17 at Lehigh's Goodman Stadium, their fourth consecutive win over the Mountain Hawks and their 5th in 6 years. Quarterback Rob Curley '10 was awarded the MVP award.

[edit] Greek Life

Lafayette has six fraternities and six sororities, all but two of which are located on campus. Approximately one-third of students participate in Greek Life at Lafayette, making it a viable living option. Members of each house commit themselves to various philanthropic ventures throughout each academic year.

Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity was founded in 1925 at Lafayette College by Frank Reed Horton in Hogg Hall (formerly Brainerd Hall).

The Rho Chapter of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity is the oldest fraternity and the oldest student organization at Lafayette College, having been chartered on October 15, 1855. Among the distinguished members of this chapter are Peyton C. March, U.S. Army Chief of Staff during World War I, and William E. Simon, former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.

The Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house was in the Guinness Book of World Records for a number of years as the largest free standing structure to undergo transportation. The "Old Grey Barn", as it is often called, is now located along March Field. It underwent a major interior renovation during the 2006-2007 academic year.

The student body has also recently displayed an interest in introducing a historically black Greek organization to campus. Students have met with President Dan Weiss regarding the matter, but a decision has yet to be reached.

[edit] WJRH 104.9FM

The official logo of Lafayette College's radio station, WJRH 104.9FM.
The official logo of Lafayette College's radio station, WJRH 104.9FM.

The campus radio station, WJRH 104.9FM, first established licensure with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1946, broadcasting under a Class D educational license on 90.5 FM. As FM frequencies grew in demand, the FCC mandated that stations operating in the frequency range currently provided to WJRH increase their power to serve larger audiences. Since WJRH was only to serve the Lafayette community, it was decided to give the frequency to another facility and relocate to its current home frequency, 104.9. WJRH alumni have become influential individuals in the broadcasting field, ranging from Engineering Directors for networks such as the American Broadcasting Company, to public broadcasting policy makers.

The station is regularly being upgraded with the latest broadcasting technology. Several additions have included the relaunch of WJRH Broadband (a live Windows Media Player stream available to Lafayette students) and WJRH PC (an online database of MP3 Podcasts of select shows as part of an overall website renovation). WJRH has been housed for over 30 years in its current location, Hogg Hall. The station's web site is: WJRH 104.9FM.

[edit] Alumni

Main article: List of Lafayette College people
William E. Simon, class of 1952, served as the United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1974-1977.
William E. Simon, class of 1952, served as the United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1974-1977.

Lafayette has produced many prominent businessmen, engineers, politicians, and other notable individuals including James McKeen Cattell, the first psychology professor, Vineyard Vines founder Ian Murray, and Secretary of the Treasury William E. Simon. David K. McDonogh, of the Class of 1844, is argued by the College to be the first "legalized" slave ever to receive a college degree. In addition, the founders of the 1960s pop group The Cyrkle, guitarists Don Danneman and Tom Dawes, were graduates of Lafayette. Dr. Leonard Jeffries, a professor at CCNY, was President of a traditionally Jewish Fraternity while he was a student at Lafayette College. The College has 27,500 alumni.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Inauguration of Daniel Weiss. Lafayette College. Retrieved on 2007-04-01.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Lafayette at a Glance. Lafayette College. Retrieved on 2007-03-27.
  3. ^ Lafayette at a Glance. Lafayette College. Retrieved on 2007-07-07.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i History of Lafayette College. Lafayette College. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
  5. ^ Niles' Weekly Register, BALTIMORE, June 26,1824; LAFAYETTE
    (before Lafayette’s arrival in NYC on August 15, 1824; In an 1818, book preface to "Olive Branch", Lafayette’s close friend and protégé, Mathew Carey wrote of Nile's, "the best periodical work ever published in America")
    "I have taken the liberty to strike out "the marquis" and say general LaFayette: seeing that he himself has disavowed the title, it is to be hoped the republicans of the United States will not offend him by heaping the senseless thing upon him"
  6. ^ Student Life at Lafayette College. Lafayette College. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
  7. ^ a b America's Best Colleges 2007. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
  8. ^ The Chronicle - College and University Endowments. Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
  9. ^ Lafayette College Football. Lafayette College. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
  10. ^ Mission Statement and Accreditation. Lafayette College.
  11. ^ Chaplain position to be eliminated upon Miller's retirement this spring. The Lafayette.
  12. ^ About The Lafayette. The Lafayette.
  13. ^ Marquis de Lafayette at 250. Lafayette College. Retrieved on 24 Sept 2007.
  14. ^ a b Requirements and Class Profile. Lafayette College. Retrieved on 2007-07-07.
  15. ^ Recent Lafayette Recipients of National and International Scholarships.... Lafayette College. Retrieved on 2007-01-23.
  16. ^ Jaryd Freedman ’08 Receives Goldwater Scholarship. Lafayette College. Retrieved on 2007-03-24.
  17. ^ College Costs and Financial Aid Awards. Lafayette College. Retrieved on 2007-01-23.
  18. ^ Scholarships. Lafayette College. Retrieved on 2007-01-23.
  19. ^ America's Best Colleges 2007. Kettering College. Retrieved on 2007-01-23.
  20. ^ 50 Best Value Liberal Arts Colleges. Kiplinger.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-18.
  21. ^ Ranking the Nation’s Leading Liberal Arts Colleges on Their Levels of Black Faculty. jbhe.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
  22. ^ 46 Majors across 4 Divisions. Lafayette College. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
  23. ^ Policy Studies. Lafayette College. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
  24. ^ President Weiss Joins Initiative to Boycott Key Element of U.S. News Rankings Survey. Lafayette College. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
  25. ^ Presidents' Letter. The Education Conservancy. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
  26. ^ Lafayette College Special Collections. Lafayette College. Retrieved on 2007-07-23.
  27. ^ Library Enlightened. Architecture Week. Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  28. ^ Recreation Services. Lafayette College. Retrieved on 2007-07-23.
  29. ^ Brady, Erik. Every year fields the game of the century. USA Today. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
  30. ^ Riffenburgh, Beau. Evolution of the Football Helmet. Riddell. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
  31. ^ a b Reed, Howard (2006-11-25). Lafayette-Lehigh above all others. Gwinnett Daily Post. Retrieved on 2007-04-02.
  32. ^ Lafayette-Lehigh Rivalry to be Featured by ESPN. Lafayette College (2006-10-11). Retrieved on 2007-04-02.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Patriot League
Bucknell • Colgate • Holy Cross • Lafayette • Lehigh
Non-football members:   American • Army • Navy
Football-only members:   Fordham • Georgetown
Women's Lacrosse-only member:   Villanova
v • d • e
Annapolis Group

Chair: Katherine Haley Will, President, Gettysburg College

Agnes Scott • Albion • Albright • Allegheny • Alma • Amherst • Augustana (Illinois) • Austin • Bard • Barnard • Bates • Bennington • Berea • Birmingham-Southern • Bowdoin • Bryn Mawr • Bucknell • Carleton • Centre • Chatham • Claremont McKenna • Coe • Colby • Colgate • College of Saint Benedict • Colorado • Connecticut College • Cornell College • Davidson • Denison • DePauw • Dickinson • Drew • Earlham • Eckerd • Franklin & Marshall • Furman • Gettysburg • Gordon (Massachusetts) • Goucher • Grinnell • Gustavus Adolphus • Hamilton • Hampden-Sydney • Hampshire • Harvey Mudd • Haverford • Hendrix • Hiram • Hobart & William Smith • Hollins • Holy Cross • Hope • Illinois Wesleyan • Juniata • Kalamazoo • Kenyon • Knox (Illinois) • Lafayette • Lake Forest • Lawrence • Lewis & Clark • Luther • Macalester • Manhattan • McDaniel • Middlebury • Millsaps • Monmouth • Moravian • Morehouse • Mount Holyoke • Muhlenberg • Nebraska Wesleyan • Oberlin • Occidental • Oglethorpe • Ohio Wesleyan • Pitzer • Pomona • Presbyterian • Randolph-Macon • Randolph • Reed • Rhodes • Ripon • Rollins • St. John's College • St. John's University • St. Lawrence • St. Olaf • Salem • Sarah Lawrence • Scripps • Sewanee • Skidmore • Smith • Southwestern • Spelman • Swarthmore • Sweet Briar • Transylvania • Trinity College (Connecticut) • Trinity University (Texas) • Union • Puget Sound • Ursinus • Vassar • Wabash • Washington College • Washington & Jefferson • Washington & Lee • Wellesley • Wesleyan College • Wesleyan University • Westmont • Wheaton (Massachusetts) • Whitman • Whittier • Willamette • William Jewell • Williams • Wittenberg • Wooster
v • d • e
Colleges and universities in the Lehigh Valley
Four Year
Two Year
Lehigh Carbon Community College • Lehigh Valley College • Northampton Community College