Lawrence University
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Lawrence University |
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| Motto | Light More Light! Veritas est lux (Truth is Light.) |
| Established | 1847 |
| Type | Private |
| Endowment | $200.4 million |
| President | Jill Beck |
| Staff | 132 faculty |
| Students | 1,420 undergraduates |
| Location | Appleton, Wisconsin,, USA |
| Campus | Urban, 84 acres (340,000 m²) main campus, 425 acres (1.7 km²) Björklunden |
| Athletics | 23 varsity sports teams |
| Mascot | Viking |
| Website | www.lawrence.edu |
Lawrence University, located in Appleton, Wisconsin, is a private undergraduate college founded in 1847. The first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the sixth college in the United States to be founded coeducational.
Lawrence University has a 425-acre northern campus, Björklunden, in Door County, Wisconsin. Björklunden serves as a site for retreats, seminars, concerts, and theatrical performances. Donald and Winifred Boynton of Highland Park, Illinois, donated the property to Lawrence in 1963.
Although the names are similar, Lawrence University is not related to Sarah Lawrence College or St. Lawrence University. Nor should it be confused with the University of Kansas, located in Lawrence, Kansas, though the university and the city take their name from the same person, Amos Adams Lawrence.
Lawrence University is known by many for the Great Midwest Trivia Contest broadcast every January over the college radio station WLFM.
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[edit] History
Lawrence's first president, William Harkness Sampson founded the school with Henry R. Colman, using $10,000 provided by famed philanthropist Amos Adams Lawrence, and matched by the Methodist church. Both founders were ordained Methodist ministers, although Lawrence was Episcopalian. The school was originally named Lawrence Institute, documented in its 1847 charter from the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature.
Lawrence's first period of major growth came during the tenure of alumnus Samuel G. Plantz as president. From 1894 until 1924, Plantz presided over the school and led its student body to grow from 200 to 800.
From 1913 until 1964, the school was named Lawrence College, to emphasize its small size and liberal arts education focus. The name was changed back to Lawrence University when it joined with Milwaukee-Downer College, symbolizing the two schools united as one. Initially, the university designated two entities: Lawrence College for Men and Downer College for Women. This separation has not lasted in any material form, though degrees are still conferred "on the recommendation of the Faculty of Lawrence and Downer Colleges" and the university by-laws still make the distinction.
The Lawrence Conservatory of Music, affectionately referred to as "the Con," was founded in 1894. The university confers a Bachelor of Music degree and also offers a five-year program leading to a Bachelor of Arts in addition to the music degree.
Lawrence University is distinguished by originating the idea of freshman studies. Freshman Studies at Lawrence is a mandatory two trimester class that panoptically exposes students to notable literature from many fields. President Nathan M. Pusey is credited with initiating the program in 1945, although Professor Waples chaired the Freshman Studies Committee and was responsible for actually getting the program off the ground. The program has continued to this today, despite being suspended in 1974, and has been adapted by many liberal arts colleges.
[edit] Milwaukee-Downer traditions
The traditions and heritage of Milwaukee-Downer are woven into the Appleton campus, from the grove of hawthorn trees (called Hawthornden) between Brokaw and Colman halls, to the sundial on the back of Main Hall, to the bestowing upon each class year a class color and banner. Milwaukee-Downer alumnae are generous both financially and spiritually to Lawrence University, attending yearly reunions and other events there, and contributing to the school's endowment. The State of Wisconsin purchased the Milwaukee-Downer property and buildings to expand the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
[edit] Ranking and reputation
In 2007, Lawrence was ranked #53 by U.S. News & World Report, tied with Reed College in Portland, Oregon. The college is known for its small classes and the emphasis on undergraduate education. Lawrence's is the only music conservatory devoted solely to the education of undergraduates.
Lawrence is also regarded as a "Best Value" by the Princeton Review; other sources also point out the college's value when compared to other colleges of its kind. Tuition and room and board fees at Lawrence are far lower than at comparable schools (the comprehensive fee is $37,663, which is not much more than tuition alone at many similar schools). Also, the school has a strong financial aid program: it is one of the few colleges in America having need-blind admissions, and the college awards both need and merit-based financial aid to over 85% of its students.
The College is less selective than most institutions of its kind, admitting over 55% of its applicants. Thus, it is included in Loren Pope's, Colleges that Change Lives, a book highlighting schools that are comparable to the most selective colleges in the country in quality, but far less selective. Whitman College, Reed College, Beloit College, St. John's College and Clark University are some of the others included.
[edit] Academics
Unlike most colleges, Lawrence University operates on a trimester calendar. A complete academic year runs from late September to mid-June.
The student/faculty ratio at Lawrence is 9:1, much lower than the national average, this allows for small class sizes and individual attention from professors.
Lawrence awards Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Music degrees. A double degree is possible and double degree students are common. Lawrence offers a number of cooperative degree programs such as engineering and environmental studies.
Lawrence has major programs in most areas of study found at liberal arts colleges in the United States. The school also offers the option of interdisciplinary majors and allows students to create their own majors. All students are required to take Freshman Studies, which introduces students to broad areas of knowledge and provides a common academic experience for the entire school.
The school has an independent study option that allows students to design their own courses. The option allows students to explore academic interests not covered by Lawrence’s classes or to explore topics more deeply. Over 90% of the students take advantage of this option.
Academic integrity is maintained by the college’s honor code. The Honor Code ensures that the focus of students is on learning, not competing with other students.
In 2005, Lawrence University began the Lawrence Fellows Program, selecting initially eight recent Ph.D.s to teach and research at Lawrence for a period of two to three years. The goal is to expand the program to twenty recent Ph.D.s.
[edit] Athletics
During the 2005-06 season, the Lawrence University men's basketball team's record was 25-1, becoming ranked number one in NCAA Division III for much of the season after starting the season unranked. The team was the only undefeated team in all divisions of college basketball for the last six weeks of the season. Star forward Chris Braier won the Josten's Award as the top player in the country, an award for both playing ability and community service. Coach John Tharp was named Division III Midwest Coach of the Year. Excitement among fans caused attendance to increase to capacity for home games, causing local fire officials to demand that Lawrence cap attendance for the NCAA tournament games that Lawrence would host. The university decided to issue passes to attendees.
[edit] Student body
Lawrence enrolls about 1,400 students. The school's students hail from nearly every U.S. state, though the majority of them are from Wisconsin and other Midwestern states.
The school has a low number of American minority students: over 75% of the students identify as white. Lawrence does have a significant population of international students compared to its total student body and small size, about 12%.
[edit] Distinguished alumni
- William Baird, vice-president of Weyerhaeuser
- Richard C. Bush, chairman and managing director of the American Institute in Taiwan
- Louis B. Butler, Jr., associate justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
- Dale Duesing, baritone
- James D. Ericson, chairman Northwestern Mutual
- Edna Ferber, author
- Walter Samuel Goodland, governor of Wisconsin
- John Rankin Gamble, congressman from South Dakota
- Raymond Herzog, president and chairman of 3M
- Lorena Hickok, confidant of Eleanor Roosevelt
- Jeffrey Jones, actor
- Win Jones, watercolor painter
- Scott Klug, former congressman from Wisconsin
- Harry M. Kraemer, Jr., chairman and CEO of Baxter International
- John A. Luke, Jr., CEO of MeadWestvaco.
- Bob Landis, Emmy-award winning cinematographer
- Terry Moran, chief White House correspondent for ABC News
- David Mulford, U.S. ambassador to India
- Alice Peacock, singer-songwriter
- Josh Sawyer, video game designer at Obsidian Entertainment
- Bob Schaupp, General Secretary of Beta Theta Pi
- Campbell Scott, actor
- Janet Steiger, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission
- Mark Uhlemann, bass-baritone
[edit] University Presidents
- 1849-1853 William Harkness Sampson, principal
- 1853-1859 Edward Cooke, president
- 1859-1865 Russell Zelotes Mason, president
- 1865-1879 George McKendree Steele, president
- 1879-1883 Elias DeWitt Huntley, president
- 1883-1889 Bradford Paul Raymond, president
- 1889-1893 Charles Wesley Gallagher, president
- 1893-1894 L. Wesley Underwood, acting president
- 1894-1924 Samuel G. Plantz, president
- 1924-1925 Wilson Samuel Naylor, acting president
- 1925-1937 Henry Merritt Wriston, president
- 1937-1943 Thomas Nichols Barrows, president
- 1943-1944 Ralph Jerome Watts, acting president
- 1944-1953 Nathan Marsh Pusey, president
- 1954-1963 Douglas Maitland Knight, president
- 1963-1969 Curtis William Tarr, president
- 1969-1979 Thomas S. Smith, president
- 1979-2004 Richard Warch, president
- 2004-present Jill Beck, president
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| Midwest Conference |
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| Beloit • Carroll • Grinnell • Illinois College • Knox • Lake Forest • Lawrence • Monmouth • Ripon • St. Norbert |
| Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference |
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| Gustavus Adolphus‡ • Hamline‡ • Lawrence† • UW–Eau Claire • UW–La Crosse • UW–Oshkosh • UW–Platteville • UW–River Falls • UW–Stevens Point • UW–Stout • UW–Superior • UW–Whitewater • Winona State‡ † wrestling-only member • ‡gymnastics-only member |
| Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association |
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| Adrian College • Concordia University • Finlandia University • Lawrence University • Marian College • MSOE • Minnesota Crookston • Northland College |
| Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities |
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| Milwaukee Area: Alverno • Cardinal Stritch • Concordia • 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 |
Categories: Midwest Conference | Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association | Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities | Associated Colleges of the Midwest | Educational institutions established in 1847 | Lawrence University | Liberal arts colleges | Universities and colleges in Wisconsin
