Ripon College (Wisconsin)

Ripon College
Established	1851
Type	Private liberal arts college
Affiliation	non-sectarian, non-denominational[1]
Endowment	$62.3 million[2]
President	Zach P. Messitte
Students	Approximately 1000 undergraduate
Location	Ripon, Wisconsin, USA
Campus	Small Town Urban, 250 Acres
Athletics	35% of students on varsity teams
Mascot	Rally[3]
Website	http://www.ripon.edu

Ripon College is a liberal arts college in Ripon, Wisconsin, USA. As of 2015, Ripon College's student body stood at around 1000,^[4] the majority of whom live on campus. Students come from 14 nations and 33 states, and 53% are female while 47% are male. More than 95% of students receive financial aid.^[5]

History

Ripon College was founded in 1851, although its first class of students did not enroll until 1853. Ripon's first class, four women, graduated in June, 1867. In 1868 formal ties with Presbyterian and Congregational churches were cut, but Ripon remained somewhat religious for much of its history. During the 19th century students were required to attend two church services each Sunday. The first six presidents of Ripon College had clerical backgrounds, as did the previous president, David Joyce. The college recognized social and academic Greek letter societies in 1924. The Ripon Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa was started by Clark Kuebler, who served as president from 1944 to 1955. The National Forensic League, which is still located in Ripon, Wisconsin, was founded at the college in 1925.

Academics

Ripon College provides a four-year graduation guarantee to all students who remain in good academic standing, declare a major course of study by the end of sophomore year, and follow an approved course plan.

Ripon has a student-to-faculty ratio of 11.5:1,^[6] a student satisfaction rate of 95 percent and a placement rate of 96 percent within six months of graduation.

The College is on the semester system and has two optional three-week summer sessions known as Liberal Arts In Focus.^[7] Students may choose from 32 majors, a variety of pre-professional advising options and also opt to self-design a major. Off-campus study is highly encouraged; nearly one-third of all Ripon College students elect to spend a semester off-campus on a focused area of study.^[8]

Each incoming student is assigned a faculty mentor based on their area of interest. Together, faculty mentors and staff in the Office of Career Development work with students throughout their time on campus to help set goals and construct a course plan to reach those goals.

Ripon is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM), a grouping of private liberal arts schools that share expertise and collaborate on off-campus study programs. The College is also affiliated with the Annapolis Group of private liberal arts colleges.

Center for Social Responsibility

The Center for Social Responsibility ^[9] was established at Ripon College in spring 2013. The center combined the best of existing programming to formalize the curricular role of community engagement, service learning, social entrepreneurship and interdisciplinary studies in leadership curriculum. In addition to overseeing a variety of service trips, workshops, real world internships, volunteer and business consulting opportunities, the center facilitates an minor in socially responsible leadership. This minor comes with two emphases: social entrepreneurship and innovation, and community engagement and service learning.

Center for Politics and the People

The Center for Politics and the People ^[10] at Ripon College was established in spring 2014.

The center is located in Ripon, Wisconsin.

Since 1941 the College has also served as the host site for Badger Boys State, a public affairs program for more than 800 Wisconsin high school students to learn about the civic process.

The Center for Politics and the People at Ripon College sponsors scholarship and hosts special events, featuring elected officials and policy makers, high-level campaign operatives, academic experts, journalists, prognosticators and citizens representing a broad spectrum of political views. The center also manages the College’s annual Career Discovery Tour to Washington, D.C., and helps to place students in internships.

A lead gift to fund start-up costs for the center has been donated by Ripon College Trustee William MacLeod ’73, partner at Kelley Drye & Warren law firm and a former bureau director at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

Arts

The college's C.J. Rodman Center for the Arts houses the Departments of Art, Music, and Theater. The Art Department manages two gallery spaces, one of which is dedicated to student work and the other to art more broadly. Student work is also shown across campus. Two art works of note in the permanent collection of the college are life-size portraits by Anthony van Dyck of Princess Amalia of the House of Orange and Sir Roger Townshend. The Classics department manages a collection of classical Greek and Roman artifacts, many of which are displayed in the campus library. A sculpture garden is located adjacent to the building.

The college has a vibrant music department that offers classes, lessons, and ensembles. Students of any major may participate in the music department and are eligible for music scholarships. The department offers the following ensembles: orchestra, symphonic wind ensemble, jazz ensemble, and two choirs (Chamber Singers and Choral Union).^[11]

Sustainability and the environment

Ripon College attempts to be a sustainable institution. It has a fleet of campus hybrid vehicles, a recycling program, and uses energy efficient light bulbs.

The college has a prairie nature reserve that is used for biology, environmental studies, and other classes. It tries to maintain a healthy population of bees in the area, by including them in the prairie area. There are also trails for walking and snowshoeing throughout this area, which connects to a municipally-run nature park, the South Woods. A student group, EGOR: The Environmental Group of Ripon, focuses on awareness of these issues. Students can also major in environmental studies, which is an interdisciplinary program.^[12]

Media

• Ripon College Days – a bi-weekly campus newspaper, the oldest college newspaper continuously published in Wisconsin
• WRPN-FM – a campus radio station with continuous broadcasts
• RCTV – a television production group
• Parallax – a literary magazine
• Crimson – yearbook distributed every spring

Student life

Clubs

There are over 70 student clubs on campus, ranging from fraternities and sororities to special interest groups (focuses include the environment, sexual orientation, race, religion, etc.) to academics (art, anthropology, physics, sociology, music, theater, and others) to service groups (Amnesty, animal welfare, etc.) to politics (Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, and Greens).^[13]

Greek life

The college has seven residential dormitories with several sororities, including Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Chi Omega, and Kappa Delta. The college has four all-male fraternities including chapters of Sigma Chi, Theta Chi, Phi Delta Theta, and a local fraternity, Phi Kappa Pi, (named Merriman for the college's founding president). Ripon College also has one local co-ed fraternity, Theta Sigma Tau, founded in 1910, the oldest local fraternity on campus. It became co-ed in 1980 after severing ties with Sigma Nu fraternity. Students in all five fraternities live in dormitories on campus, following the recent removal of Phi Kappa Pi from Merriman House. Phi Kappa Pi was relocated to the Quad living area, with the other three fraternities, after the Merriman house was condemned and the board of Trustees determined that all students (unless exempted) should reside in residence halls.^[14]

Diversity

People of color compose 10% of the student population.^[15] The McNair Scholars program supports first generation college students and African American, Native American, and Hispanic students who wish to attend graduate school.^[16] An office of Multicultural and International Student Affairs serves students of color, international students, and gay and lesbian students through mentoring and programming.^[17] Student groups that focus on the experiences of racially diverse, culturally diverse, and LGBT students are also active on campus.^[18]

Athletics

Ripon athletics teams participate in NCAA Division III as part of the Midwest Conference. Conference competition for men includes: cross-country, football, soccer (fall), basketball (winter), swimming (winter), indoor and outdoor track, baseball, golf, and tennis (spring). Conference competition for women includes: cross-country, golf, soccer, tennis, volleyball (fall), basketball (winter), swimming (winter), indoor and outdoor track, and softball (spring). The Ripon Red Hawks Cycling Team competes at the Division II level in the Midwestern Collegiate Cycling Conference (MWCCC), governed by USA Cycling.

Campus facilities

Education buildings and offices

The Ripon College Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places.

• Bartlett Hall – part of the college union and houses student services and student organization offices
• Carnegie Library Building – downtown building, President and Dean of Faculty's office
• Collaborative Learning Center – place for students to receive help from mentors on writing, class work, or presentations
• East Hall – classrooms and faculty offices (the original campus building)
• Farr Hall – science laboratories, classrooms, and faculty offices
• Harwood Memorial Union – Great Hall, The Pub, lounges, mail center, radio station (WRPN), and student organization offices
• Kemper Hall – technology department
• Lane Library – Ripon College Library and Waitkus Computer Lab
• S.N. Pickard Commons – bookstore, coffee shop, dining facility
• Rodman Center for the Performing Arts - theatre, music, and studio art
• Smith Hall – business and financial aid offices
• Storzer – full-sized gymnasium, the tartan area, swimming pool, dance studio, locker rooms
• Todd Wehr Hall – classrooms and faculty offices
• West Hall – classrooms and faculty offices

Residence halls

• Campus Apartments – Apartment style living for fourth- and fifth-year students
• Johnson Hall – Women only and sororities
• Merriman House – Former fraternity house of Phi Kappa Pi
• The Quads – Upper-class students and fraternities
  • Anderson Hall – Co-ed; the new residence of Phi Kappa Pi
  • Bovay Hall – Co-ed (contains the fitness center and the Terrace)
  • Brockway Hall – Men Only; the residence of Sigma Chi and Theta Chi fraternities
  • Mapes Hall – Co-ed; the residence of Theta Sigma Tau co-ed fraternity and Phi Delta Theta fraternity
• Scott Hall – First-year men, upper-class men and women
• Tri Dorms (Shaler Hall, Evans Hall, Wright Hall) – Mainly first-year women, except for living groups

Food

The main dining hall includes a wide range of options at each meal, including traditional American fare, foreign cuisines, and vegetarian/vegan options. A coffee shop on campus brews Starbucks coffee and makes specialty drinks to order. The Ripon Pub serves snacks, sandwiches, fast food, and along bottled beverages. The Terrace, located inside Bovay (one of the residence halls), is open evenings and serves subs, pizza, snacks, and drinks.^[19]

Recognition

The school's volunteerism and community service earned it a place on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for 2009.^[20] In 2009, Forbes ranked Ripon 100th on the list of America's 600 best colleges.^[21] The school earned an award from The Chronicle of Higher Education as being one of the "Great Colleges to Work For" in the nation, an award given to institutions that are well-managed and where faculty and staff being enthusiastic about their jobs.^[22]

Notable alumni

Notable faculty

• Edward Daniels, geologist
• David Graham, poet
• Karen Holbrook, President of Ohio State University
• Bruno E. Jacob, founder of the National Forensic League
• Wacław Jędrzejewicz, Polish diplomat
• Alfred E. Kahn, Chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board
• Russell Burton Reynolds, U.S. Army Major General
• Paul N. Siegel, author
• William Hayes Ward, President of the American Oriental Society

References

External links

• Official website
• Official athletics website
• Official Vimeo site
• YouTube site
• Pinterest site
• LinkedIn
• Official Flickr site
• Official athletics YouTube
• Official Facebook site
• Official Facebook athletics site
• Official Twitter feed

Colleges and universities in Wisconsin Private institutions Alverno Beloit Carroll Cardinal Stritch Carthage Concordia Edgewood Lakeland Lawrence Madison Media Institute Maranatha Marian Marquette Medical College of Wisconsin Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Milwaukee School of Engineering Mount Mary Northland Northland International Ripon St. Norbert Silver Lake Viterbo Wisconsin Lutheran Wisconsin School of Professional Psychology University of Wisconsin System Eau Claire Green Bay La Crosse Madison Milwaukee Oshkosh Parkside Platteville River Falls Stevens Point Stout Superior Whitewater University of Wisconsin Colleges Baraboo/Sauk County Barron County Fond du Lac Fox Valley Manitowoc Marathon County Marinette Marshfield/Wood County Richland Rock County Sheboygan Washington County Waukesha Wisconsin Technical College System Blackhawk Chippewa Valley Fox Valley Gateway Lakeshore Madison Area Mid-State Milwaukee Area Moraine Park Nicolet Area Northcentral Northeast Wisconsin Southwest Wisconsin Waukesha County Western Wisconsin Indianhead Tribal institutions College of Menominee Nation Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College

Midwest Conference Beloit Carroll Cornell Grinnell Illinois College Knox Lake Forest Lawrence Monmouth Ripon (Red Hawks) St. Norbert

Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities Milwaukee Area Alverno Cardinal Stritch Concordia University Wisconsin Marquette Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Milwaukee School of Engineering Mount Mary Wisconsin Lutheran Greater Wisconsin Area Beloit Carroll Carthage Edgewood Lakeland (WI) Lawrence Marian (WI) Northland Ripon (WI) Silver Lake St. Norbert Viterbo

Annapolis Group Chair Katherine Haley Will Member schools Agnes Scott Albion Albright Allegheny Alma Amherst Augustana Austin Bard Barnard Bates Beloit Bennington Berea Berry Birmingham-Southern Bowdoin Bryn Mawr Bucknell Carleton Centre Chatham Claremont McKenna Coe Colby Colgate Saint Benedict Colorado Connecticut Cornell Davidson Denison DePauw Dickinson Drew Earlham Eckerd Franklin & Marshall Furman Gettysburg Gordon 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 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 Puget Sound Randolph-Macon Randolph Reed Rhodes Ripon Rollins St. Benedict and St. John's St. John's St. Lawrence St. Olaf Salem Sarah Lawrence Scripps Sewanee Skidmore Smith Southwestern Spelman Swarthmore Sweet Briar Transylvania Trinity College Trinity University Union Ursinus Vassar Wabash Washington Washington & Jefferson Washington & Lee Wellesley Wesleyan College Wesleyan University Westmont Wheaton Whitman Whittier Willamette William Jewell Williams Wittenberg Wooster

Associated Colleges of the Midwest Beloit Carleton Coe Colorado Cornell (Iowa) Grinnell Knox Lake Forest Lawrence Luther Macalester Monmouth (Illinois) Ripon St. Olaf