| Albion College | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Lux Fiat - Let there be Light |
| Established | 1835 |
| Type | Private |
| Endowment | $160 million |
| President | Donna M. Randall |
| Academic staff | 130 |
| Students | 1,572 full-time 30 part-time[1] |
| Location | Albion, Michigan, USA |
| Campus | small town, 225 acres (0.91 km2) |
| Colors | Purple and Gold |
| Mascot | Britons |
| Website | www.albion.edu |
Albion College is a private liberal arts college located in Albion, Michigan. Related to the United Methodist Church, it was founded in 1835 and was the first private college in Michigan to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. It has a student population of about 1500.
The school's sports teams are called the Britons and the school colors are purple and gold. They participate in NCAA and the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) as well as the Midwest Lacrosse Conference for Men's and Women's Lacrosse.
Albion College is a member of the Great Lakes Colleges Association and the Michigan Campus Compact, an organization dedicated to encouraging student volunteerism.
As of 2009, Albion College was ranked 97 in US News and World Report's "Top 100" List of Liberal Arts Colleges, and 96th in Forbes magazine's list of "America's Best College Buys."[2][3]
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The origin of Albion College lies not in the city of Albion, but about 10 miles (16 km) southeast of the present location of the college. On March 23, 1835, Methodist Episcopal settlers in Spring Arbor Township obtained a charter for the Spring Arbor Seminary from the Michigan Territorial Legislature. Foundations for a building were begun in 1837 at a location about 3 miles (4.8 km) southwest of the current village of Spring Arbor but were soon abandoned due to the economic turmoil caused by the Panic of 1837. No classes were ever held at the Spring Arbor location. The trustees applied to move the seminary to Albion in 1838, and the legislature approved the move in 1839.
With 60 acres (243,000 m²) of land donated by Albion pioneer, Jesse Crowell, the cornerstone was laid for the first building in 1841. In 1843, now named the Wesleyan Seminary, classes were first held in the local Methodist Church. In 1844, classes began in the newly constructed Central Building, which was rebuilt as the present Robinson Hall in 1907.
The Albion Female Collegiate Institute was founded in 1850 by the Wesleyan Seminary Corporation. The two schools merged in 1857 under the name The Wesleyan Seminary and Female College at Albion.
On February 25, 1861, both schools were completely merged under the name Albion College when the school was fully authorized by the State legislature to confer a full four-year college degree upon both men and women.
Albion College offers approximately 25 academic majors leading to Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees. In addition to the academic majors, numerous concentrations, academic institutes, and special programs are offered. These include the Prentiss M. Brown Honors program, The Center for Sustainability and the Environment, Fritz Shurmur Education Institute, the Gerald R. Ford Institute for Public Policy and Service at Albion College, the Carl A. Gerstacker Institute for Professional Management, and pre-professional programs in engineering, medicine, and law.
The Albion College student body is composed of approximately 1,650 students. The student to faculty ratio is 13:1. The average class size of under 19 is comparable to other small liberal arts colleges. Albion College employs more than 120 full time faculty, of whom more than 95% have earned the highest degree offered in their field.
Albion College offers many opportunities for students to travel and study at other institutions. Programs are offered in Philadelphia, Chicago, London, Heidelberg, Tübingen, Tokyo, Seoul, Cape Town, Aix-en-Provence, Ballyvaughan, Athens, Brussels and Paris.
Albion College appears on the U.S. News & World Report list of America's Top Liberal Arts Colleges. Also, Albion is a member of The Princeton Review's 371 Best Colleges and Best Midwestern Colleges list. [1]
Construction on a new science complex recently ended. The new Kresge Hall and remodeled Palenske Hall, Putnam Hall and the Norris Center house the Chemistry, Geology, Biology, Physics, Mathematics, and Computer Science departments of the college.
Albion College's 225-acre (0.91 km2) campus houses 93% of the students that attend the college in four dormitories (Wesley Hall, Seaton Hall, Whitehouse Hall, and the Mitchell Towers), upper-class apartments (the Mae Harrison Karro Residential Village, Munger Place, the Burns Street Apartments, and the Briton House Apartments), seven women-only housing options (The Beach House, Porter Street Annex, The Manor, Octagon House, Ingham Hall, Fiske Hall and Dean Hall), one men-only housing option (711 Michigan Avenue), six fraternity houses, and numerous annexes. In addition to campus housing, several students live at The Goodrich Club, a co-op founded in 1932. Wesley and Seaton Halls traditionally house mostly first-year students. Wesley Hall is, by far, the largest residential building on campus with over 450 residents. Mitchell Towers and Whitehouse Hall typically are home to Sophomores and some Juniors. The Mae Karro Residential Village (commonly called "The Mae") houses Seniors. The majority of rooms in Wesley and Seaton Halls house two students with residents of each hallway sharing one community bathroom. All other dormitories have suite-style housing with two rooms sharing one bathroom between them.
Albion's campus is home to well over 100 student organizations. These groups — dedicated to academia, politics, sports and recreation, diversity awareness, and community service — are a large part of student life at Albion College. Groups such as The Nwagni Project, The Albion Croquet League, College Democrats of America, Habitat for Humanity International, and "Break the Silence" are examples of some of the prominent groups on campus. Intramural sports are another large part of campus life, with four season and about ten sports offered annually.
In 2006 Albion College designated one of the schools annexes as the "Environmental House." Since this time the students who live in the house have worked towards self sustainability and raising environmental awareness on campus.
The 144-acre (0.58 km2) Whitehouse Nature Center plays an important role in classroom instruction at Albion College and offers its facilities and services as an environmental education area to public schools and the community. The Whitehouse Nature Center features six self-guided trails, 400 plant species, 168 bird species, 25 acres (100,000 m2) of oak-hickory and flood-plain forest, a tall-grass prairie and spring in the Adele D. Whitehouse Wildflower Garden, an arboretum of Michigan trees and shrubs, 34 acres (140,000 m2) of farmland and research projects, and an interpretative building with classrooms, observation room, porch, and restrooms. Every spring a controlled burn is performed in the prairie section of the nature center in order to restore and perpetuate the native prairie ecosystem.
The recently constructed Nancy G. Held Equestrian Center is the only equestrian center owned by a private college in Michigan. The 340-acre (1.4 km2) facility features a state-of-the-art 81 stall barn, a grass outdoor competition arena, a sand outdoor riding arena, a 100x400ft indoor riding arena, on-site instructional facilities, three instructors, many school horses, and three competing teams. The teams compete in IDA dressage competitions and IHSA hunt seat and western competitions. In the last two years, Albion has had several riders advance to regional and zone champions with IHSA hunt seat and 2 riders compete at the IDA national championships.
The Albion College Music Department offers students numerous ensembles in which to participate. The British Eighth, the Albion College Marching Band is one of the most visible examples of the school's mascot. The British Eighth wears uniforms reminiscent of those worn by the British Royal guards at Buckingham Palace. Under the direction of current Director of Bands Dr. Sam "Mac" McIlhagga, the band has increased in size to approximately 80 members. The British Eighth achieved national recognition by marching in the 2006 Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Albion College Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Band, Concert Choir, Jazz Ensemble, and Briton Singers perform regularly throughout the school year. The Jazz Ensemble is particularly active in performing in the Albion community.
2006 was the beginning of significant change at Albion College starting with a movement to create a more sustainable environment, for both the students and residents of Albion. The Dining and Hospitality Services and the grounds department at the college were the first to make the transition. Dining services introduced organic foods into the diets of students on campus while making the effort to purchase from Michigan-based suppliers. Baldwin Dining Hall replaced the napkin baskets with napkin dispensers to eliminate waste. The grounds department made an impact by installing new sprinkler systems that use significantly less water. In the fall of 2009 the sports fields and athletic department branch of the grounds department installed rain gardens. The gardens simply collect the surface water from the outdoor tennis courts. 99% of leaves are mulched into the grass around campus, saving a half pound of nitrogen each year. The grounds department went from throwing away 700 cubic yards of leaves to only 7 cubic yards.
All academic, administrative, and residential buildings are controlled through the Siemens Building Automation System, the college’s central plant system. Kresge Hall, the college’s primary athletic gym, uses a heat recovery system to maximize energy efficiency in a building which requires 100% makeup air. Whitehouse Hall, Seaton Hall, and Baldwin Hall have all been refitted with thermal pane windows and new washers and dryers to maximize energy efficiency. During academic break periods, buildings are closed, equipment is shut down, and temperatures are lowered to help reduce energy consumption. Lighting on campus has been updated to more environmentally friendly and economically efficient systems. The first stages of this plan included making lighting more economically and environmentally beneficial in the Dow Center’s Lomas Field house, Kresge Gymnasium, Whitehouse Hall, Robinson Hall, and the six fraternity houses. The Dow’s, 150 lights were replaced by 100 fluorescent lights; using two-thirds the energy and emitting almost double the amount of light.
Buildings have been outfitted with state-of-the-art light sensor equipment. The sensors turn on lighting only when a room is occupied. The conversion of exterior lighting to HPS (high pressure sodium) is made for maximum energy efficiency. Interior lights turn off when the monitors in the room sense a certain amount of daylight, saving energy by utilizing natural light. This reduces the number of bulbs and increases light.
By 2010, the Albion College sustainability movement was in full swing. This marked the launch of the college’s “Year of Sustainability”. The themed year was created to make students aware of their impact. The year-long theme was incorporated to nearly every aspect of life on campus. The year began with a “Week of Impact”, a celebration designed to kick-off the life-style change. The week included days aimed at physical health, waste-management, and open discussion presentations. Other events are scheduled throughout the academic year.
Students have taken the initiative to help Albion College to become a self-sustaining campus. Such programs include various groups and clubs with the same goals as the college; creating inventive ways to maintain a sustained living environment. The Sustainability Council, the Albion College Environmental House, The Whitehouse Nature Center, and the Ecological Awareness Club were created to educate and entertain the students, the faculty, and the general public about sustainability and reducing environmental impacts.
In October 2009 Albion College made history by receiving certifications from both The Michigan Turfgrass Environmental Stewardship Program (MTESP) and The Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP). The MTESP recognizes environmental achievements, and the MAEAP “develop and implement a proactive environmental assurance program ensuring that Michigan farmers are engaging in cost-effective pollution prevention practices and working to comply with state and federal environmental regulations”. Albion College is the first college among higher education institutions to earn these state certifications.
The Albion College Britons field 22 intercollegiate teams, eleven for men and eleven for women. Albion College is a charter member of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association and competes in the NCAA, The school's Lacrosse team also competes in the Midwest Lacrosse Conference. Men's sports at Albion include cross country, football, golf, and soccer in the fall, basketball, swimming and diving in the winter, and baseball, tennis, track and field, and Lacrosse in the spring. The Albion women compete in cross country, golf, soccer, and volleyball in the fall, basketball and swimming and diving in the winter, and softball, tennis, track and field, and lacrosse in the spring. As of the 2011 Men's and Women's Lacrosse season, Albion is one of only three NCAA sanctioned Lacrosse programs in the state of Michigan with Adrian College, and The University of Detroit-Mercy. The trio of NCAA lacrosse programs will be joined by the University of Michigan in 2012 for Men's Lacrosse, and 2013 for Women's Lacrosse. Albion won the NCAA Division III football championship in 1994. During the 2005 season, both the men's and women's basketball teams advanced to the Division III playoffs. Throughout the 2006 season, the men have been ranked in the top 10 by D3Hoops.com [2] since the beginning of the season.
Men's Sports -Baseball -Basketball -Cross Country -Equestrian Hunt Seat -Football -Golf -Lacrosse -Soccer -Swimming and Diving -Tennis -Track and Field
Women's Sports -Basketball -Cross Country -Equestrian Hunt Seat -Golf -Lacrosse -Soccer -Softball -Swimming and Diving -Tennis -Track and Field -Volleyball
National Championships:
Albion College is home to six general purpose social fraternities and six general purpose social sororities. The six social fraternities each lease a house from the college. These essentially identical buildings are occupied by members of Alpha Tau Omega, Delta Sigma Phi, Delta Tau Delta, Sigma Nu, Sigma Chi, and Tau Kappa Epsilon. The six social sororities at Albion College do not live in their lodges, but rather hold meetings and other events there. The social sororities at Albion are Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Alpha Xi Delta, Delta Gamma, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Kappa Delta.
More than 40% of Albion College students are members of a social Greek organization.
The song Sweetheart of Sigma Chi was written in 1911 by Byron D. Stokes (Albion, 1913) and F. Dudleigh Vernor (Albion, 1914), and first performed by Harry Clifford (Albion, 1911)while undergraduates at Albion College.
Albion College is also home to nearly a dozen honorary, professional, service, and special interest fraternities. They include Alpha Lambda Delta, Alpha Phi Omega, Delta Sigma Pi, Sigma Xi, Theta Phi Alpha, Kappa Kappa Psi, Omicron Delta Kappa, the Order of Omega|, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Pi Sigma Alpha, Psi Chi, Sigma Alpha Iota, and Sigma Gamma Epsilon.
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