Arcadia University

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. It was thought that a new name would emphasize the school's position as one of the top small institutions of higher learning on the East Coast, and would cement its change in designation from "college" to "university." The decision was also 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."

This decision resulted in Arcadia University being included as a question in the 20th anniversary edition of Trivial Pursuit. 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.

Undergraduate programs

The university offers over 75 fields of study,[6] 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.[7] 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.

The Physician Assistant program, housed in the Department of Medical Science and Community Health, has again graduated another class with a 100% pass rate on the national boards. In fact, the class of 2009 included the first graduating class from the Delaware campus and is currently ranked in the 98th percentile of all programs (148 and counting) based on this year's board scores.

Arcadia University also currently ranks 7th in the nation (U.S.News) with its Doctor of Physical therapy program. This program has international opportunities for study abroad in London and Pro Bono opportunities in Jamaica, Peru, Guatemala and Morocco. There are clinical sites offered across the country, though mainly in the tristate area.

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. 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”.

In the 2006 edition of its magazine, Arcadia was able to announce that "strategic growth finds Arcadia adding a graduate school campus in Paris, forging a new study abroad program in China, setting up a Physician Assistant program in Delaware and opening a peace center in Tanzania". These and other successful projects were rewarded in 2006—declared the Year of Study Abroad by the U.S. Congress—when Arcadia’s creation of an integrative learning environment infused with international and multicultural experiences has earned it the prestigious 2006 Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization from NAFSA: Association of International Educators Internationalizing the Campus 2006. Washington, DC USA: NAFSA: Association of International Educators. 2006. pp. 8–17. .

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

Alma mater dear The years have o'er thee swept But stainless still through time and tide Thy splendor thou has kept So hail Arcadia! HAIL! We say, Fling high the scarlet and the gray. We shall keep irradiant with truth Thine everlasting youth.

Arcadia University teams compete in the NCAA Division III within the Commonwealth Conference of the Middle Atlantic Corporation.[8] Men's sports teams include baseball, basketball, golf, soccer, lacrosse, swimming and tennis. Women's sports teams include basketball, field hockey, 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.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s the student operated radio station, WBVR, broadcast on an AM frequency. The station went through periods of inactivity followed by great student interest, however by the time the school's name change took place, WBVR was not operational. In 2004, students managed to generate a great deal of interest in the radio station again. By the fall of 2005, student membership had increased to over 30, and then in March 2006 started broadcasting live on the internet. As of the Fall 2009 semester, The Arc is back up and running. The Arc has recently won a contest (2009), sponsored by American Eagle Apparel, which makes the Arc the exclusive station of all American Eagle stores.

Study abroad

Arcadia University was ranked by U.S. News & World Report as being one of the nation's leading programs for study abroad[9] and has won numerous awards for their many distinctive trips[citation needed]. Recently, the Society for the Advancement of Travel Study presented Arcadia with their prestigious Martin Luther King Jr award for their use of travel study programs to promote interracial equality[citation needed].