Coe College

Coe College

Sinclair Auditorium
Motto	"Veritas Virtusque" (Truth and Virtue)
Type	Private
Established	1851
Affiliation	Presbyterian Church (USA)
Endowment	US $77.9 million[1]
President	David McInally
Academic staff	80
Undergraduates	1,400
Location	Cedar Rapids, IA, USA
Campus	50 acres (200,000 m2)
Colors	Crimson and gold
Nickname	Kohawks
Website	www.coe.edu

Coe College is a nationally-ranked,^[2] private, four-year, liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Founded in 1851, the institution is historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and is one of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM). Coe's current president is David McInally. 

History

Coe College was founded in 1851 by Rev. Williston Jones as The School for the Prophets.^[3] While canvassing churches in the East to raise money to help send students to Eastern seminaries, Jones met a farmer named Daniel Coe, who pledged to donate $1,500 and encouraged Jones to open a college in Cedar Rapids. Coe's gift came with the stiuplation that the college should offer education to both men and women, and when the Cedar Rapids campus opened as the Cedar Rapids Collegiate Institute, it was founded as a co-educational institution.^[3] In 1975, the college was reestablished as Coe College Institute and in 1881, after a generous gift from T.M Sinclair, founder of the Sinclair Meat Packing Company, was finally founded as Coe College.

Coe was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Universities in 1907 and has since established itself as one of the country's top liberal arts colleges.^[4]

Academics

With 1,400 students and an average class size of 16, Coe is known for its "student-centered" approach to learning.^[5] Coe offers more than 40 majors and provides the option for students to create their own major under the guidance of faculty members.

Coe College awards the following degrees:

• Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
• Bachelor of Music (B.M.)
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.)
• Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T)

Athletics

Coe College teams participate as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III. The Kohawks are a member of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and wrestling; women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. Their athletic team name is the Kohawks, a stylized bird; their mascot is known as Charlie Kohawk.

Stewart Memorial Library

Stewart Memorial Library houses more than 202,000 books and other materials. The library contains gallery spaces featuring collections from Iowa artists Marvin Cone, Conger Metcalf, and Grant Wood.^[6]

Stewart Memorial Library was renovated and expanded in 1989 through a grant from the Hall Foundation. The original building was a gift from Robert W. Stewart, chairman of the board of Standard Oil company, in 1931.

National rankings

Coe is recognized by a variety of college ranking publications. U.S. News & World Report regularly includes Coe in its "America's Best Colleges" publication, which ranked Coe tied for 98th among national liberal arts colleges in its 2009 edition. Coe is also included in the latest editions of The Princeton Review 361 Best Colleges and Peterson's Guide to Selective Colleges. Barron's "300 Best Buys in College Education ranks Coe as "Very Competitive."

Fraternities and sororities

Coe has an active Greek social community: five fraternities and four sororities. The groups, all of which are chapters of national organizations, include fraternities Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Kappa Tau, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Tau Kappa Epsilon; and sororities Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Delta Delta Delta and Alpha Gamma Delta.^[7] The campus is also home to a chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon, a coeducational professional music fraternity.

At one time, Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity and Kappa Delta and Chi Omega sororities had chapters on campus but they are now defunct.

Coe has implemented a Greek Task Force focusing on revising the current Greek system. The Greek Task Force is composed of Greek students, Greek alumni, Coe faculty and administrators, and non-Greek students.

Writing center

Coe's Writing Center is one of the largest undergraduate writing centers in the nation, with over 80 undergraduates on staff.^[8]

The Coe Writing Center opened in September 1986 with a staff of seven writing consultants, directed by Robert L. Marrs, professor of rhetoric. Since that first year, the CWC has grown in size and influence on campus, currently conducting over 2,000 student conferences per year. Staff members have published dozens of articles and essays in professional journals, and have given over 80 presentations at state, regional, and national conferences. Most recent conferences have included the Midwest Writing Center Association conference in Rapid City, South Dakota.

The CWC also produces and distributes several campus publications, including The Pearl, Colere, Coetry, and the Coe Quarto.

Notable alumni

• S. Donald Stookey – inventor who had 60 patents in his name related to glass and ceramics,^[9] inventor of Fotoform and CorningWare^[10]
• Fran Allison – the "Fran" in the 1950s TV series Kukla, Fran and Ollie^[11]
• Michael Boddicker – Grammy winning musician^[12]
• Wilmer D. Elfrink – college football and basketball coach^[13]
• Paul Engle – director of the Iowa Writer's Workshop and the International Writer's Workshop, both at the University of Iowa
• Bill Fitch – head coach of various NBA teams, including 1981 NBA champion Boston Celtics^[14]
• Chris Funk – guitarist and eclectic instrumentalist for The Decemberists
• James William Good – US Congressman and Secretary of War^[15]
• Fred Hickman – sportscaster, formerly of Turner Sports, ESPN and YES Network^[16]
• Timothy S. Hillman – U.S. District Court judge^[17]
• Fred Jackson – NFL running back, Seattle Seahawks^[18]
• Jason Kottke – blogger, designer^[19]
• Marv Levy – Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee; former coach for the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills – former general manager for the Bills.^[20]
• Curt Menefee – sportscaster, host of Fox NFL Sunday^[21]
• Edward A. Ross – sociologist^[22]
• Eric Shackelford - drummer for Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo
• William Shirer – journalist, author
• Shelby Steele – author, sociologist, political commentator
• Gregory Alan Williams – actor and author^[23]

References

External links

• Coe College Official Website
• Coe College Official Athletics Website

Coordinates: 41°59′16.11″N 91°39′27.70″W / 41.9878083°N 91.6576944°W / 41.9878083; -91.6576944