Clarke College
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Clarke College |
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| Established | 1843 |
| Type | Private University |
| President | Sister Joanne Burrows, SC, Ph.D. |
| Students | 1,246 |
| Location | Dubuque, Iowa, USA (42.509899, -90.690869) |
| Address | 1550 Clarke Dr. |
| Telephone | (563) 588-6300 |
| Campus | Urban |
| Colors | Royal Blue and Gold |
| Nickname | Crusaders |
| Affiliations | Roman Catholic Church |
| Website | www.clarke.edu |
| Public transit access | KeyLine Transit (Gray Line) |
Clarke College is a four year Catholic college located in Dubuque, Iowa. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees. It is one of three four year institutions in the city of Dubuque, and is one of three Catholic colleges in the Archdiocese of Dubuque.
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[edit] History
The school was founded as Saint Mary's Academy by Mother Mary Frances Clarke - who had founded the order of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary - in 1843 as a boarding school for local girls. It was one of the first such schools built west of the Mississippi River. During this time the school operated out of several different locations.
In 1881 the school was moved to Seminary Hill. At this time it was renamed Mount St. Joseph Academy and College. Since that time it has remained at this location, along what today is known as Clarke Drive. Mount St. Joseph became a liberal arts school in 1901; the first bachelor's degree was awarded in 1904.
In 1910 the school was chartered by the state of Iowa. Clarke became a four-year college in 1913. The North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools accredited Mount St. Joseph in 1918. The Academy closed in 1928, and the college was given its current name of Clarke College in honor of Mother Mary Clarke.
In 1964 Clarke College began a graduate program; the first master's degrees were awarded in 1967. The school was one of the first in Iowa to offer a program in Computer Science. While Clark College was an all-female school for a number of years, it became a coeducational institution in the spring of 1979.
On May 17, 1984 the school experienced a disastrous fire that destroyed four of its main buildings. One of the buildings destroyed was the Sacred Heart chapel. The school launched a project to replace the buildings. In 1986 the new library, music performance hall, chapel, bookstore, administrative offices and central atrium were dedicated. The glass atrium has become a symbol of the school.
Joanne Burrows, SC (Sisters of Charity) is the current president of the College. She began her term as president on July 1, 2006, replacing Sister Catherine Dunn, IBVM.
[edit] Buildings
Atrium
The Atrium is the main building of the campus and is depicted in much of the graphic art associated with the College. It was built in 1986 following the fire which destroyed four main buildings on the north end of the campus. It is made of glass and steel, with inner rooms framed by brick walls. From the Atrium one can access any of the other buildings on the north side of the campus. The Atrium holds classrooms for art and music, as well as Jansen Music Hall (the recital hall on campus), the Library, Sacred Heart Chapel, administrative offices, and the switchboard.
Catherine Byrne Hall Catherine Byrne Hall (or CBH) is the main hall of classrooms for the College. Many faculty offices are located in this hall, including a number of those faculty teaching in the fields of mathematics, sciences, and business fields. In addition to a number of classrooms, there are a number of rooms designated for laboratory teaching in the physics, chemistry, and biology fields. There is a cadaver laboratory in the basement, as well as a planetarium on the top floor. Catherine Byrne Hall is generally regarded as only one of two major halls that is colloquially mentioned by its initials.
Eliza Kelly Hall Eliza Kelly Hall (or EKH) is one of the three remaining buildings on the campus that have survived from the origination of the College to the present day. It houses offices of faculty that teach in the music, art, drama/speech, and communication departments. There are also a number of practice rooms for music students to use at their convenience. Colloquially, students refer to the hall as "Eliza Kelly".
Mary Benedict Hall Mary Benedict Hall (or MBH) is the female underclass dormitory of the College. A number of upperclass women also live there, at their discretion. It is a five-floor building with a basement that holds a hallway linking it to the rest of the northern side of campus. In addition to student dormitories, there is a coffeehouse in the basement (known as the "Bean Scene"), and apartments for visitors on the ground floor of the building. Most of the students refer to the building colloquially as "Mary Ben".
Mary Frances Hall Mary Frances Hall (or MFH) is the co-ed upperclass dormitory of the College. It is reserved for juniors and seniors who maintain a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.5 or better. It is also the only building in the College where students may possess alcohol, and then only students over 21 may have it legally in their rooms. It is one of the three "original" buildings still remaining from the origination of the College. It is a four-story building with a central complex extending into western and eastern wings. The first and second floors are reserved for female students, with the third floor reserved for male students. The fourth floor is used for storage, and is generally thought to be haunted.
A section of the fourth floor known as "Red Wing" is named for the color of the floor. Many variations of a story regarding the reason for the color of the floor float about the campus, but most center around the idea of a nun hanging herself in her dormitory room. When she was found, blood oozing from the wound inflicted on her neck from the rope spilled on to the floor. When custodians attempted to clean the blood, they were unable to do so (or, in some versions, they were able to do so but it would reappear after a time, in the same pattern as it had originally spilled). In reality the fourth floor is not used because of concerns about the asbestos used in the insulation.
Mary Frances Hall is colloquially called "Mary Fran".
Mary Josita Hall Mary Josita Hall (or MJH) is the male underclass dormitory of the College. It is four stories tall, with a basement hallway linking it to Mary Benedict Hall. There are also some campus offices in the basement of Mary Josita Hall, including the main Security office and the main Residence Life office. The main dining hall is also located in the basement of the building. The first floor is reserved for offices of faculty that teach in the humanities, philosophy, social sciences, political sciences, and history. The configuration of the next three stories has varied from year to year based upon enrollment and students electing to live on campus, but generally the majority of residents in Mary Josita Hall are male.
Robert and Ruth Kehl Center The Kehl Center is the main athletic and social area of the College. There are two main sections of the Center - the arena area and surrounding offices, and the "Student Activity Center" (or SAC, for short) which includes the student union and some student life offices. The arena area of the Kehl Center includes an indoor track, a competition basketball court (with three intramural basketball courts overlapping the main court), two racquetball courts, two weight rooms, a swimming pool, and locker room facilities. In the Student Activity Center there is a game room, the Whitlow Bookstore, the Crusader Cafe (an alternative to the main dining hall set up in the fashion of a fast-food grill), the Mail Center, and a stage for entertainment. The Kehl Center Arena was constructed in 1997, with the SAC being added on to the main building in 2000.
Terence Donaghoe Hall Terence Donaghoe Hall (or TDH) is the main hall for theatre productions at the College. The drama department generally produces four mainstage productions each year (two per semester). It is a proscenium stage design with a main floor and balcony seating. The capacity is approximately 600 people seated. Terence Donaghoe Hall is the third "original" building to have survived to present day. While straight theater productions are staged in TDH, musical theater productions are generally staged in Jansen Music Hall (located in the Atrium) because there are no available pianos or orchestra space available in the hall.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Nancy Dickerson - pioneering television newswoman
- Karen Morrow - actress/singer
- Adam Rapp – novelist/playwright (Note: no mention in his biodata)
[edit] See also
[edit] External link
[edit] Sources
- Clarke College. History / Heritage. Article (http://www.clarke.edu/info/history.htm) from the Clarke College web site. Date Accessed: August 9, 2005. 2005: Dubuque, Iowa. Clarke College.
| Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association |
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| Shondell/Dunlap League: Ball State • IPFW • Lewis • Loyola • Mercyhurst • Ohio State • Quincy Coleman League: Carthage • Clarke • Central State • MSOE |
| Midwest Classic Conference |
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| Ashford • Grand View • Iowa Wesleyan • Mount Mercy • Saint Ambrose • Viterbo • Waldorf • William Penn • Clarke (expected 2007) |
