Lafayette College
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Lafayette College |
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| Motto | Veritas liberabit (Latin for "The truth shall make you free")[1] |
| Established | 1826 |
| Type | Private |
| Endowment | $727 million[2] |
| President | Daniel Weiss |
| Faculty | 198 [2] |
| Undergraduates | 2,381 [2] |
| Location | Easton, PA, USA |
| Campus | Suburban 110 acre (0.4 km²) main campus additional 340 acres (1.37 km²)[3] |
| Student Life | 250 groups, clubs, & sports |
| Colors | Maroon and White |
| Mascot | Leopard  |
| Fight song | "Lafayette Fight Song 1898" |
| Website | www.lafayette.edu |
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by the citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832.[4] The founders voted to name the school after Marquis de Lafayette, then in a farewell tour of the country, as "a testimony of respect for [his] talents, virtues, and signal services... the great cause of freedom."[4]
The student body, consisting entirely of undergraduates, come from 42 U.S. States and 72 countries.[5] In its 2007 edition, U.S. News & World Report ranked Lafayette thirtieth out of all liberal arts colleges in the nation,[6] while Barron's ranked it as among the top 65 most competitive colleges and universities.[2] Its varsity sports teams participate in the Patriot League, with its football team claiming the league championship in each of the past three years.[7]
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[edit] History
A group of Easton citizens, led by lawyer James Madison Porter, met on December 27, 1824 at White's Hotel to explore the possibility of opening a nearby college.[1] The recent visit of Marquis de Lafayette to Philadelphia prompted the founders to name the school after the French military officer.[4] The group also established the 35-member Board of Trustees, a system of governance that has remained at the college since its inception.[1] In need of an education plan, the meeting gave the responsibility to Porter, laywer Jacob Wagener, and Yale educated lawyer Joel Jones.[1] The charter gained approval and on March 9, 1826, Pennsylvania Governor John Andrew Shulze's signature made the college official.[1]
The school did not open until six years later when the Rev. George Junkin, a Presbyterian minister, took up the charter and moved the all-male Manual Labor Academy of Pennsylvania from Germantown, Pennsylvania to Easton.[4] Classes began on May 9, 1832, with the instruction of 43 students on the south bank of the Lehigh River in a rented farmhouse.[4] Students had to earn money to support the program by laboring in the fields and workshops.[4] Later that year, Lafayette purchased what is now known as "College Hill" - nine acres of elevated land across Bushkill Creek.[4] The college's first building was constructed two years later on the current site of South College.[4]
Lafayette College became affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in 1854,[8] although recently the ending of this official relationship has been discussed.[9] In 1857, Francis March became the first professor of English at an American college when Lafayette introduced the program of study.[4]
The Lafayette, Lafayette's weekly student newspaper, was founded in 1870 and claims to be the oldest college newspaper in Pennsylvania.[10]
In 1970, the college increased total enrollment after changing from an all-male school to a coeducational institution.[1]
[edit] Academics
Lafayette's student body consists of 2,381 undergraduate students hailing from 42 U.S. States and 72 countries. For the class of 2010, the acceptance rate was 37%, with 76% of those accepted ranking in the top 10% of their high school classes.[11] The middle 50% of enrolled students have SAT scores ranging from 580-670 Critical Reading and 620-710 Math.[11] The college has 198 full-time faculty members, giving it an 11:1 student to faculty ratio.[2]
Lafayette students have been honored in recent years with national and international scholarships,[12] including the most Goldwater Scholarships obtained by a liberal arts college over the past six years.[13] For the class of 2010, Lafayette gave financial aid to 46% of the students, with the average package amounting to $28,270.[14] The college also offers two merit-based academic scholarships - the Marquis Scholarship, which provides $16,000 a year, and the Trustee Scholarship, which provides $8,000 a year.[15] Lafayette's endowment is valued at more than $727 million, placing it in the top 2% of all colleges and universities in endowment per student,[1] with total assets amounting to more than $1 billion. [2]
In its 2007 edition, U.S. News & World Report ranked Lafayette 30th out of all liberal arts colleges in the nation,[6] with its engineering program ranked 12th out of non-doctoral schools.[16] Barron's ranked it among the top 65 most competitive colleges and universities.[2] In Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, a study on the best valued schools ranked Lafayette 14th among liberal arts colleges. [17]
[edit] Campus
Pardee Hall was devastated by fire twice in the 1800s. One fire began when a science experiment was carelessly left in a drawer. The other fire was arson, deliberately set by a professor of moral philosophy, who reportedly enjoyed watching the building burn from across the Delaware River in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. During the winter, or after a drenching spring rain, sledding is popular on the hill "behind" Pardee Hall. Although Pardee Hall is truly oriented southward, with the gently sloping hill leading to its front entrance, the students refer to this as the "back" of Pardee because the other side (the true back) faces the Quad. The most popular sleds are stolen trays from one of the two main dining halls on campus.
Farinon College Center, the student union, was architecturally inspired by the McKelvy House, a college-owned mansion just off campus. It is located in the original location of the Delta Upsilon fraternity, and the fireplace in the lobby is the original fireplace from the fraternity. While the top floor of Farinon is an "all-you-can-eat" style buffet paid for in blocks from a meal plan, the downstairs is a station-based food court in which students pay itemized fees for food. The dining area for the downstairs area also serves as the stage for comedy acts brought in by the activities committee of the college.
Gilbert's Cafe, a coffeehouse located on the ground floor of Kirby House, was opened in 1999 to provide a late-night hangout for students. Its name was the subject of a contest, and the winning student selected one of the Marquis de Lafayette's middle names: Gilbert. Recently, a sinkhole was discovered underneath Kirby House, and the much-beloved coffeehouse (as well as the residence hall) was closed for the spring semester of 2006. However, it was reopened for the subsequent fall semester. Gilbert's Cafe is the site of many open mic nights where student bands can perform for their fellow classmates. In the fall of 2006, Lafayette College signed a deal with MTV to designate the campus as an MTVu campus. As a result, Lafayette hosted an MTVu concert in the spring of 2006, as opposed to the regular concert chosen by the student government.
The Kirby Hall of Civil Rights, the interior of which is constructed of travertine marble, was rumored to have been the most expensive collegiate building, per square foot, built at its time. Fred Morgan Kirby was criticized by many for spending too much money ($7 million) on the building during the Great Depression. To answer them, he had emblazoned across the front of the building a quote from the Bible that states "is it my right to do what I will with mine own." The building was designed by the same architectural firm that designed New York City's Grand Central Terminal.
Although Markle Hall is now an administrative building, housing the Offices of Admissions and Financial Aid, it was originally the Hall of Mining Engineering.
[edit] Athletics
Lafayette has made three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division I-AA football tournament. The men's basketball program has a long history, peaking in the late nineties under the leadership of Fran O'Hanlon, who led the Leopards to back-to-back Patriot League championships and NCAA Tournament appearances in 1999 and 2000. These seasons were documented by John Feinstein in his book,The Last Amateurs. American football innovations at Lafayette include the first use of the huddle[18] and the invention of the head harness, precursor to the football helmet.[19]
- Affiliation: NCAA Division I
- Conference: Patriot League
- Team name: Leopards
- Team colors: Maroon and white
- Main rival: Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
- Stadiums: Fisher Field at Fisher Stadium (Football), Kirby Sports Center (Basketball), Metzger Athletic Complex
- National Football Championships:
- Football: 1896 (National Championship Foundation, Parke Davis)
- Football: 1921 (Boand, Parke Davis)
- Football: 1926 (Parke Davis)
- Conference Championships:
- Football: 1992, 1994, 2004 (Co-Champions with Lehigh), 2005 (Co-Champions with Colgate), 2006 (Co-Champions with Lehigh)
- Basketball: 1999, 2000
- National Championship:
- College Bowl: Undefeated Champions, 1962
[edit] The Rivalry
Lafayette College's athletic program is notable for The Rivalry with nearby Lehigh University. Since 1884, the two football teams have met 142 times, making it the most played rivalry in the history of college football.[20] It is also the longest running rivalry in college football, with the teams playing at least once every year since 1897.[20] The Rivalry is considered one of the best in all of college athletics, and ESPNU recently ranked it #8 among the Top Ten College Football Rivalries.[21] The game is sold out long before gameday each year.
Lafayette leads the all-time series 75-62-5. In the latest contest, Lafayette beat Lehigh on Saturday, November 18, 2006 by a score of 49-27 at Fisher Stadium, their fourth win in 5 years over the Mountain Hawks. Quarterback Brad Maurer '07 and running back Jonathan Hurt '07 shared the MVP title. Lehigh and Lafayette thus shared the Patriot League Championship, while the win earned Lafayette the automatic bid to the I-AA playoff tournament.
[edit] Fraternities and sororities
Lafayette has six fraternities and six sororities, all of which are located on campus. Approximately one-third of students participate in Greek Life at Lafayette, making it a viable living option.
Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity was founded in 1925 at Lafayette College by Frank Reed Horton in Hogg Hall.
The Rho Chapter of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity is the oldest fraternity and the oldest student organization at Lafayette College, having been chartered on October 15, 1855. Among the distinguished members of this chapter are Peyton C. March, U.S. Army Chief of Staff during World War I, and William E. Simon, former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.
The Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house was in the Guinness Book of World Records for a number of years as the largest free standing structure to undergo transportation. The "Old Grey Barn", as it is often called, is now located along March Field.
[edit] WJRH 104.9FM
The campus radio station, WJRH 104.9FM, first established licensure with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1946, broadcasting under a Class D educational license on 90.5 FM. As FM frequencies grew in demand, the FCC mandated that stations operating in the frequency range currently provided to WJRH increase their power to serve larger audiences. Since WJRH was only to serve the Lafayette community, it was decided to give the frequency to another facility and relocate to its current home frequency, 104.9. WJRH alumni have become influential individuals in the broadcasting field, ranging from Engineering Directors for networks such as the American Broadcasting Company, to public broadcasting policy makers.
The station is constantly being upgraded with the latest broadcasting technology. Several additions have included the relaunch of WJRH Broadband (a live Windows Media Player stream available to Lafayette students) and WJRH PC (an online database of MP3 Podcasts of select shows as part of an overall website renovation).
WJRH has been housed for over 30 years in its current location, Hogg Hall. The station's web site is: WJRH 104.9FM. Lafayette College sporting events can also be watched on the Lafayette Sports Network at various cable and satellite outlets, listed at GoLeopards.com.
[edit] Notable alumni
A number of Lafayette College alumni have held prominent positions in the United States government. William E. Simon, class of 1952, served as the 63rd Secretary of the Treasury and later acted as the President of the United States Olympic Committee. George H. Decker, class of 1924, was Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1960 to 1962. Lafayette alumni who served in Congress include William Sebring Kirkpatrick, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, and Bob Smith, class of 1952 and former Senator of New Hampshire. Joesph F. Crater, class of 1910 and object of a famous unsolved disappearance case from 1930, was an Associate Justice of the New York Supreme Court,
Two Lafayette alumni have won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Philip S. Hench, class of 1916, won in 1950, while Haldan K. Hartline, class of 1923, received the honor in 1967. Other notable alumni in academia include James McKeen Cattell, the first professor of psychology in the United States, and Jay Parini, a poet and Middlebury College professor. Dominique Lapierre is a noted author, Brent Glass is the director Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Frank Reed Horton founded the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity, and W.A.P. Martin was a Presbyterian missionary and translator. The Kirby family (Fred M. Kirby and Allen P. Kirby) helped found the Woolworth's five and dime store chain. Charles Bergstresser was one of the three founders of Dow Jones & Company. Ian Murray co-founded the Vineyard Vines clothing company.
Alumni that have made their name in sports and entertainment include Joe Maddon, current manager of Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and Joel Silver, head of Hollywood's Silver Pictures and producer of films including the Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, and The Matrix series. In addition, the founders of the 1960s pop group The Cyrkle, guitarists Don Danneman and Tom Dawes, were graduates of Lafayette.
[edit] Notable non-alumni attendees and faculty
- Stephen Crane, author of The Red Badge of Courage. Attended for one semester before leaving to live the life of a vagrant in order to do research for his writing.
- Theodore Roethke, poet, served on faculty, prior to his publication and fame.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g Inauguration of Daniel Weiss. Lafayette College. Retrieved on April 1, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g Lafayette at a Glance. Lafayette College. Retrieved on March 27, 2007.
- ^ Aerial View of 110-acre Main Campus. Lafayette College. Retrieved on January 21, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i History of Lafayette College. Lafayette College. Retrieved on January 22, 2007.
- ^ Student Life at Lafayette College. Lafayette College. Retrieved on January 22, 2007.
- ^ a b America's Best Colleges 2007. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved on January 22, 2007.
- ^ Lafayette College Football. Lafayette College. Retrieved on January 22, 2007.
- ^ Mission Statement and Accreditation. Lafayette College. Retrieved on February 2, 2007.
- ^ Chaplain position to be eliminated upon Miller's retirement this spring. The Lafayette. Retrieved on February 2, 2007.
- ^ About The Lafayette. The Lafayette. Retrieved on February 2, 2007.
- ^ a b Requirements and Class Profile. Lafayette College. Retrieved on January 23, 2007.
- ^ Recent Lafayette Recipients of National and International Scholarships.... Lafayette College. Retrieved on January 23, 2007.
- ^ Jaryd Freedman ’08 Receives Goldwater Scholarship. Lafayette College. Retrieved on March 24, 2007.
- ^ College Costs and Financial Aid Awards. Lafayette College. Retrieved on January 23, 2007.
- ^ Scholarships. Lafayette College. Retrieved on January 23, 2007.
- ^ America's Best Colleges 2007. Kettering College. Retrieved on January 23, 2007.
- ^ 50 Best Value Liberal Arts Colleges. Kiplinger.com. Retrieved on May 18, 2007.
- ^ Brady, Erik. Every year fields the game of the century. USA Today. Retrieved on March 22, 2007.
- ^ Riffenburgh, Beau. Evolution of the Football Helmet. Riddell. Retrieved on March 22, 2007.
- ^ a b Reed, Howard (2006-11-25). Lafayette-Lehigh above all others. Gwinnett Daily Post. Retrieved on April 2, 2007.
- ^ Lafayette-Lehigh Rivalry to be Featured by ESPN. Lafayette College (2006-10-11). Retrieved on April 2, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Lafayette College - official web site
- Lafayette College Leopards - official athletics web site
- The Lafayette - student newspaper
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps or Yahoo! Maps
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Maps or Microsoft Virtual Earth
| Patriot League |
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| Bucknell • Colgate • Holy Cross • Lafayette • Lehigh Non-football members: American • Army • Navy Football-only members: Fordham • Georgetown Women's Lacrosse-only member: Villanova |
