Summary
Arcadia University is a private university located in Glenside, Pennsylvania, United States, on the outskirts of Philadelphia. A master's university by Carnegie Classification,[2] the university has a co-educational student population of more than 4,000.[3] The university was ranked 25th in the master's universities in the North category by U.S. News & World Report for the 2009 rankings.[4] The 76-acre (310,000 m2) campus features Grey Towers Castle, a National Historic Landmark.
History
The school was founded in Beaver, Pennsylvania in 1853 as Beaver Female Seminary. By 1872 it had attained collegiate status, under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was named Beaver College. The school admitted men from 1872 to 1907, then again limited enrollment to women until 1972.[5] In 1925 Beaver College moved east to Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. In 1928, the school acquired the current campus in Glenside. The college operated both the Jenkintown and Glenside campuses into the mid-1960s, when it consolidated all activities onto the Glenside campus.
In July 2001, upon attaining university status, Beaver College officially changed its name to Arcadia University. The decision was made in part to shed its association with the former commonly derided name. As then-president Bette Landman noted, "[The name] too often elicits ridicule in the form of derogatory remarks pertaining to the rodent, the TV show Leave It to Beaver and the vulgar reference to the female anatomy."[6]
This decision resulted in Arcadia University being included as a question in the 20th anniversary edition of Trivial Pursuit.[citation needed] The question, in the news category, was: What Pennsylvania institution changed its name to Arcadia University in 2001, after web filters began blocking its old moniker? During the subsequent years, memorabilia from the former name became very popular for Arcadia students to give as gifts.
On July 1, 2011, Carl "Tobey" Oxholm III, an attorney and administrator at Drexel University, became the 20th president of Arcadia University, replacing the retiring Jerry Greiner.[7] On March 8, 2013, the board of trustees fired Oxholm.[8] Although an announcement on the Arcadia web site has announced Dr. Nicolette DeVille Christensen as Arcadia's new Chief Operating Officer,[9] the board has not given a reason for Oxholm's termination; this has caused controversy and consternation among Arcadia faculty and students.[10]
Undergraduate programs
The university offers over 75 fields of study,[11] in its undergraduate programs. Undergraduate majors are offered in the College of Business, Health, and Sciences (CBHS) and the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.[12] Students can design their own majors (subject to approval and course availability) to complete on the Glenside campus or through study abroad if currently available majors do not fit a student's career goals.
Graduate programs
Graduate and professional studies at Arcadia University range widely from the liberal arts to the primarily professional, from the doctoral level to workshops. Arcadia's international perspective is reflected in programs such as its accelerated part-time MBA with a Global Perspective, its Master of Arts in International Peace and Conflict Resolution and its new program in Paris, France. The master's program in Forensic Science is accredited by FEPAC[clarification needed].
The Doctor of Physical therapy program provides international opportunities for study abroad in London and Pro Bono opportunities in Jamaica, Peru, Guatemala and Morocco.[citation needed] There are clinical sites offered across the country, though mainly in the tristate area.[citation needed]
International Programs
The university is known for its study abroad programs. Nearly two-thirds of undergraduates at Arcadia study in another country at least once during their college careers.[citation needed] Arcadia's commitment to a global education has gained wide recognition. Open Doors 2010, the Institute of International Education's annual census, lists Arcadia University in first place—nationally—among all institutions, ranked by “undergraduate participation in study abroad”.[13]
In 2006 Arcadia won the 2006 Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization from NAFSA: Association of International Educators[14]
Also in 2006, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education approved Arcadia’s proposal to establish an additional location in Paris and to extend its accreditation to cover the Masters in International Relations and Diplomacy offered in the French capital by the American Graduate School of International Relations and Diplomacy (AGSIRD), an institution created in 1994 by a group of international lawyers, scholars and diplomats, in partnership with the University of Paris 11. In 2010, Arcadia announced the launch of its Asia expansion initiatives in collaboration with Aventis School of Management, a graduate school located in Singapore which offers Executive MBA, Master's degrees and graduate diploma programs for working professionals.
Student life
Arcadia University teams compete in the NCAA Division III within the Commonwealth Conference of the Middle Atlantic Corporation.[15] Men's sports teams include baseball, basketball, golf, soccer, lacrosse, swimming and tennis. Women's sports teams include basketball, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis and volleyball.
As of Spring 2011, Arcadia University has over 65 active governing, academic, sport, cultural, media, religious, and service clubs and organizations.