Summary
Westminster College is a liberal arts and media arts college located in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1852, it is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The student population is approximately 1600 undergraduate and graduate students.[3]
Overview
Westminster is located in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, a relatively small town 50 miles (80 km) north of Pittsburgh and 80 miles (130 km) south of Erie and Cleveland on a 300-acre (120 ha) campus.
Westminster formed as a result of a meeting on Jan. 21, 1852, between the Ohio and Shenango Presbyteries. In 2009, The Washington Monthly' ranked Westminster College "third in social mobility" among 253 liberal arts colleges.[4] In 2010, Forbes ranked Westminster first in the nation as the "Best College for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math."[5] In 2008 36% Westminster's graduating class received their degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (known colloquially as STEM)--and unusually, more of those STEM graduates were women than men.[6] The student population is nearly 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students.[3] The college offers 41 majors and nearly 100 organizations. Due to declining enrollments, the college achieved a $2.2 million dollar budget deficit for the 2012-2013 school year. As a result, nearly one-tenth of the faculty will be leaving the college at the end of the 2012-2013 school year via elimination of temporary faculty lines, retirements, or tenure denials. Additionally, in 2013 the college was rated #17 on the "Worst Faculty" list by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity. [7]
Academics
Westminster has long been recognized for a commitment to teaching and learning. The Westminster Plan curriculum puts the liberal arts into action. The college has been honored as one of “The Best 361 Colleges” by the Princeton Review and recognized by the Templeton Guide as a “Character-Building College.”
In 1896, scientific classrooms were well appointed and boasted of the latest styles and approaches to teaching. Courses such as botany and biology were conducted and the college was among the first to offer fully equipped classrooms. After the Old Main fire in 1927, a former laboratory was converted to a library. The Hoyt Science Resources Center opened in 1974 which offered large and small laboratories for intensive study and collaboration between students and faculty. Unlike other research universities, Westminster made high-end and sophisticated laboratory equipment readily available to students. Such was the case with the installation of a transmission electronic microscope which was first demonstrated in the 1980s by Dr. Clarence Harms and Dr. Monica Becker.
A major capital investment in technology and wiring provided students and faculty with “smart classrooms” where computer technology and a full range of audio-visual equipment enhanced learning. Westminster became one of the first to “go online” and was named one of America’s Most Wired Colleges by Yahoo! Internet Life in 2002. Education in modern languages received a boost with the 1961 opening of the Arts and Sciences building and the rollout of the language laboratory.[8]
In 2012, the faculty approved a major expansion of the Media Arts program that entails the construction of two new computer labs, the hiring of at least one new faculty member, and revised academic requirements for the major. [9]
Athletics
The Westminster Titans compete in NCAA Division III athletics. Before moving to the NCAA, Westminster competed in the NAIA for many years. For a brief period, Westminster was a member of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). The Titans currently are a member of the Presidents' Athletic Conference.
The first official football game by the Westminster Titans was in December 1891. They lost to Geneva 42-0. The next year was the first official season; they played 4 games that year and went 3-1. Over the next 100 plus years the Titans have had a record of 577-406-54. They are one of only 10 schools to record over 575 wins in school history. They have won the national championship 6 times with 11 undefeated seasons. Four former Titans football players have been enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame: Harold Davis, Joe Fusco, Larry Pugh, and Harold Burry. Hall of Fame head coach Tuss McLaughry was not an alumus but did coach the Titans for four years.[10] The current head coach of the Titans is Jeff Hand. He has been there for eight years and has a record of 27-33. [1]
Publications
Westminster has two alumni publications and three student publications. The alumni publications are Westminster College Magazine, which is a quarterly magazine detailing on-campus and alumni activities; and Westminster Weekly, a weekly e-mail to alumni, parents, students and other subscribers, containing announcements and press releases.[citation needed]. The student publications include The Holcad, a weekly student-run newspaper; Argo, the student-run yearbook; and Scrawl, a student-run yearly literary magazine.
Student organizations
The Student Government Association (SGA) exists primarily for governing and providing entertainment for the student body.[11]
The five social fraternities each have their own off campus house which junior and senior class brothers can live in. Each of the five sororities have their own respective hall in a sorority dorm building on campus that sisters can live in if they chose. The fraternities are: Alpha Sigma Phi, Phi Kappa Tau, Sigma Nu, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Theta Chi. The sororities are: Alpha Gamma Delta, Kappa Delta, Phi Mu, Sigma Kappa, and Zeta Tau Alpha.