Wright State University
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| Wright State University | |
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| Established: | 1967 |
| Type: | Public |
| President: | Dr. David R. Hopkins |
| Staff: | 831 faculty, 1,448 staff |
| Undergraduates: | 12,938 |
| Postgraduates: | 3,108 |
| Location: | Dayton (Fairborn), Ohio, U.S.A. |
| Campus: | Suburban |
| Gender Ratio: | 1:1.2 (approx.) |
| Mascot: | Rowdy Raider |
| Website: | www.wright.edu |
Wright State University is a public university in Ohio, U.S. The university uses Dayton as its postal address (3640 Colonel Glenn Highway, Dayton, Ohio 45435-0001), but the campus is actually completely within the city limits of Fairborn. Its current president is Dr. David R. Hopkins.
The university is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools at the doctoral degree-granting level.
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[edit] Mission Statement
"Wright State University will be a catalyst for educational excellence in the Miami Valley, meeting the need for an educated citizenry dedicated to lifelong learning and service. To those ends, as a metropolitan university, Wright State will provide: access to scholarship and learning; economic and technological development; leadership in health, education, and human services; cultural enhancement; and international understanding while fostering collegial involvement and responsibility for continuous improvement of education and research."
[edit] History
Founded in 1964, Wright State University was originally the Dayton branch campus of both Miami University and The Ohio State University. At that time it comprised only a single building, Allyn Hall (named for Stanley Allyn, then-president of National Cash Register and one of the university's founders).
A 1965 act of the Ohio General Assembly created the university. Several names were considered, including Dayton State University, Southwest Ohio State University, Shawnee University, Four Rivers University (after the four nearby rivers: the Great Miami, the Mad, the Stillwater, and Wolf Creek), and Mad River University. Wright State University was eventually chosen to honor the Wright Brothers, natives of Dayton. On October 1, 1967, the university met enrollment criteria set by state legislature and Senate Bill 212 passed to actually create a new university. This led to the official charter of Wright State University.
Prior to current president David R. Hopkins appointment, Wright State University held five other presidents. Those previously including in WSU administration have been: Brage Golding (1966-1973); Robert J. Kegerreis (1973-1985); Paige E. Mulhollan (1985-1994); Harley E. Flack (1994-1998); Kim Goldenberg (1998-2006).
In 2007, Wright State University celebrated its 40th Anniversary in connection with the Presidential Inauguration of Dr. David R. Hopkins. In order to mark this milestone in university history, WSU created a 40th Anniversary Web site to highlight the events, history, and vision of its community. More information about the university's history can be seen on this WSU Web site.
[edit] Board of Trustees
Each board member serves for a pre-defined number of years. The following board members come from a variety of backgrounds and professions, allowing WSU to ensure a collaborative, community-focused board:
Michael Adams
James Borchers, Student Trustee
Arpan Patel
Don Graber, Chair
Jamie King
Larry R. Klaben
John Kunesh
Bonnie Langdon
Robert Nevin
Vishal Soin
J. Thomas Young, Secretary
Individual board member profiles, including term expirations and biographies, can be seen on the WSU Board of Trustees Web site.
[edit] Campus and community
As of spring 2006 according to statistics published by the university, it had a total enrollment of 17,117 (including 910 at the branch Lake Campus, located in Celina, Ohio, near St. Marys). Wright State offers 155 degree programs, including 46 graduate and professional programs (including schools of medicine and professional psychology). Over 60% of freshmen live on campus. In many cases, commuters are considered the students who live in apartments less than one mile from campus, because they do not live in campus housing.
Wright State has a compact campus, with several academic buildings constructed following Allyn Hall. Key buildings on campus include the Founders' Quadrangle (quad) buildings, which are Allyn Hall (home to the College of Education and Human Services and WSU dining option, the Hangar), Millett Hall (named for John Millett, former president of Miami University, and home of the College of Liberal Arts), Fawcett Hall (named after Novice Fawcett, president of Ohio State), and Oelman Hall (named after Robert Oelman, first president of the board of trustees, and the home of the College of Science and Mathematics).
Other buildings include Rike Hall (named after the founder of the Rike Kumler company, since merged into Federated Department Stores, home of the Raj Soin College of Business), University Hall (administrative offices and the College of Nursing and Health), the Creative Arts Center, the Mathematical and Microbiological Sciences Building (M&M), the Fritz and Dolores Russ Engineering Center (home of the College of Engineering and Computer Science), the Medical Sciences Building (home of the Fordham Health Sciences Library), Biological Sciences Building, Health Sciences Building (home of the School of Professional Psychology), Joshi Research Center, and the Student Union (which was created by combining the former gymnasium and University Center). The main university library is the Paul Laurence Dunbar library.
Across from the M&M building is an abstract sculpture titled "Turning Points", designed by David Black. This piece was created in 1998, as part of the Ohio Arts Council Percent for Arts Program and the addition of University Hall. It has been nicknamed B.A.R.T. (Big Ass Red Thing)
The entire campus is handicap accessible. In fact, it enjoys a national reputation for being an extremely welcoming and accommodating campus. A distinctive feature of Wright State is that one can travel around the main campus both by sidewalks outside, and a tunnel network that connects almost all the buildings at the basement level. In fact, out of WSU's nineteen buildings, only two are inaccessible from the tunnels; namely, Hamilton Hall (a dormitory building) and White Hall.
The Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine may be accessed at http://www.med.wright.edu. The School of Medicine utilizes the main campus for pre-clinical training and many community hospitals for third and fourth year training opportunities. The medical training facilities are in the process of a complete renovation thanks to a very large donation from Oscar Boonshoft.
[edit] Distinguished Alumni
- David Albright, Founder and President of Institute for Science and International Security, as well as a former UN weapons inspector.
- J. Todd Anderson ('85 B.A.) is the storyboard artist for the Coen Brothers. He's story boarded most of their films, including "Fargo" and "The Big Lebowski".
- Jim Baldridge, Long-time television news anchor at WHIO-TV.
- Joyce Beatty, Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives and John Kerry delegate in 2004 Democratic National Convention, received a Masters degree.
- Erik Bork (BFA Motion Pictures) is a screenwriter in Los Angeles, where he has won two Emmys as Supervising Producer of the HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon (miniseries) and Band of Brothers.
- David S. Brown, Historian and professor at Elizabethtown College
- Jennifer Crusie (MA Professional Writing and Women's Literature) is a bestselling romance novelist.
- Nanette (Nan) Davis Ferrall (B.S. Education, 1983) was the first paraplegic to walk and was inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame for her work with paraplegics and quadriplegics. [1]
- Brian Gillis (B.S. Economics, 2007) drummer for indie rock band Exceptional Edward and teen heart throb.
- Logan Martinez, Green Party politician/activist.
- James M. Mountz (69 B.S.) Director of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Department of Radiology Nuclear Medicine program.[2][3]
- John D. Mountz (69 B.S.) Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.[4]
- Robert Pollard, Songwriter and founder of the musical group Guided By Voices. In 1978, he pitched the first no-hitter in Wright State baseball history.
- Nicole Scherzinger is a singer and actor best known as the lead singer for the pop group The Pussycat Dolls, and formerely Eden's Crush, a Musical Theater major, left Wright State at the end of her Junior year after performing leads in Show Boat, Chicago and Harlem Renaissance In Black & White to pursue her music career in L.A.
- Anthony Shaffer (B.A. Political Science and Environmental Studies, 1986) member of Wright State University's 1986 National Mock Trial Championship Team, is a seasoned intelligence officer and Bronze Star recipient associated with project Able Danger and uncovering the plotting of September 11, 2001 attacks.
- Brad Sherwood (BFA Acting) is an actor and comedian who has appeared in TV shows such as Whose Line Is It Anyway?, I Love the '90s: Part Deux, The Tonight Show, and hosted The Dating Game from 1997-98. [5]
- Steven Bognar (BFA '86, Motion Pictures), in collaboration with Julia Reichert (WSU professor of theatre arts/motion pictures) received a Primetime Emmy Award for Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking for their film A Lion in the House.
- J Alan Maxie (BA '91, Communications and Music) is an extremely talented musician who has traveled the world spreading the gospel of music.
- Chris Handley (BA '08, Liberal Studies) is best known as Edgar*Derby, the famous dancecore band that originated from the Dayton, OH area.
[edit] Athletics
The athletic program at Wright State University is recognized as an integral part of the total educational process. The athletics program is designed to contribute to the development of the student-athlete's health, fitness, leadership skill, and respect for others.
WSU's intercollegiate athletic are student-athletes who are instructed on and dedicated to the principles of fair play and amateur competition as defined by the rules of the National Collegiate Athletic Association It is the responsibility of the athletics administration and coaches to insure that the entire program is in full compliance with all pertinent rules and regulations.
The most successful sports on the campus have been men's basketball and baseball. The Raiders' men's basketball team captured the 1983 Division II national championship and made the NCAA Division I Tournament in 1993 and 2007.
[edit] Wright State Fine and Performing Arts
Wright State University has distinguished programs in fine and performing arts programs, from an acclaimed Art Department, an exceptional Music Program, to its renowned training programs in Theatre, Dance, and Motion Pictures. The faculty of these departments are well known for their excellence and dedication; many are working professionals in their respective fields. Graduates of these programs have become recognized as some of the leaders in the field of art, music, theatre, dance and motion pictures.
The three Departments of Art, Music, and Theatre, Dance & Motion Pictures are located in an interconnected Creative Arts Center with multiple theatres, concert halls, art galleries, and numerous classrooms. Each department has a distinguished track record of accomplishments, from international tours to national awards and honors.
The WSU Department of Art & Art History, headed by Dr. Linda Caron, has recently received a major art collection and the pledge of one million dollars to create a state of the art gallery to present the work of students, faculty, and leading artists. Every year the WSU Department of Music, under the leadership of Dr. Herbert Dregalla, produces hundreds of concerts and performances both in its two performing facilities, in the region, and on tours throughout the world. In the WSU Department of Theatre, Dance & Motion Pictures, headed by Dr. W. Stuart McDowell, students and faculty - and leading professional guest artists - work on numerous productions, dance concerts and film projects, gaining a unique reputation among training programs in America.
A unique expression of the collaborative spirit between these three distinguished departments, is the one-of-a-kind ArtsGala, an annual fundraiser for students in the arts that has become an exceptional event, now in its eighth year.
[edit] The ARTSGALA
Each year - on an evening in early spring - the Wright State Departments of Art, Music and Theatre, Dance & Motion Pictures collaborate in a unique celebration of the arts to raise scholarship funds through the creativity of hundreds of artists, musicians, actors and dancers. The ARTSGALA (above) has become a one-of-a-kind event which has drawn thousands of patrons over the years who have given three quarters of a million dollars to support students in the fine and performing arts. The evening combines fine dining with non-stop entertainment. Faculty and students work and perform side by side in what has become a full evening of art, music, theater, dance and motion pictures.
The ARTSGALA is but one expression of the commitment of Wright State University to support its students through scholarships, and through exceptional training in the arts, just as in all of its educational programs.
[edit] External links
- Official Site
- WSU in the News: University Headlines
- WSU's Calendar of Events
- WWSU, Wright State's Radio Station
- The Guardian Online- Wright State's Official Student Newspaper
- ArtsGala Annual Wright State Arts Festival
- Official athletics Site
- RaiderRoundball.com - Unofficial site for Wright State Raider basketball
- Official Ervin J. Nutter Center Web site
- Wright State Art and Art History
- Wright State Music
- Wright State Theatre, Dance & Motion Pictures
- Google Maps
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