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Centre College

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 65.82.119.230 (talk) at 19:26, 14 August 2008 (I added that the College attained at rank of 13 in Forbes list of best American colleges in the intro paragraph). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Established January 21, 1819
School type Private undergraduate liberal arts
President John A. Roush
Motto Doctrina lux mentis
Learning is the light of the mind
Location Danville, KY, USA
Enrollment 1,215
Faculty 145
Endowment US $205 Million[1]
Campus National Register of Historic Places
150 acres
64 buildings
Mascot Colonel
Colors Gold, White, Black
Athletics NCAA Division III
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
Website www.centre.edu

Centre College is a highly regarded, private, four-year liberal arts college located in Danville, Kentucky, USA, a community of about 16,000 in Boyle County, approximately 35 miles (56.3 km) south of Lexington, KY. Centre was founded by Presbyterian leaders in 1819, ranks 44th nationally[2] among top liberal arts schools in the 2008 US News & World Report list, and is the highest-ranking nationally ranked college or university in Kentucky. In 2007, Centre was ranked by Consumer Digest as best value among private, liberal arts schools in the nation [3]. In 2008, the College was ranked as the 13th best college in the nation by Forbes Magazine. The 150-acre (0.61 km2) campus has 64 buildings, 13 of which are included on the National Register of Historic Places. Centre College is also listed in Loren Pope's Colleges That Change Lives. In describing the college, Pope says, "No university faculty compares with Centre's in the impact it has on the growth of young minds and personalities."

History

See also: List of presidents of Centre College and List of commencement speakers at Centre College
File:P5080096.JPG
Old Centre

Centre College received its charter from the Kentucky Legislature on January 21, 1819 and classes began in the fall of 1820 in Old Centre, the first building on campus and the oldest college administration building west of the Allegheny Mountains. The Greek Revival structure was built at the cost of $8,000 and has housed a grammar school, a law school, classrooms, a student dormitory, a hospital, a chapel, a dining hall, a library, and administrative offices. Old Centre served as a Civil War Hospital during the Battle of Perryville in 1862.

Centre faced early financial hardships, disputes within and outside the Presbyterian Church, and six wars (including the occupation of Old Centre by both Confederate and Union troops during the Civil War). A Centre alumnus, John Todd Stuart, played a formative role in American history by encouraging Abraham Lincoln to study for the bar and by serving as Lincoln's professional and political mentor. In its years of growth that followed the Civil War, Centre became affiliated with various institutions including the Kentucky School for the Deaf, also in Danville, which was originally controlled by the Centre board of trustees. In 1901, Central University in Richmond, Kentucky was consolidated with Centre, and the Kentucky College for Women merged with Centre in 1926.

In 1921, Centre upset Harvard University's undefeated football team 6-0 which The New York Times later called "Football's Upset of the Century".[4] ESPN has called it one of the biggest upsets in sport during the twentieth century.[5] Today, "C6H0" remains a point of pride among students and alums and is the answer to "What is the formula for a winning football team?" It is also a clever play on the elements of the periodic table - carbon is "6", but hydrogen is "2."

During the 1960s the college's financial resources doubled. Eleven new buildings were added to the campus and enrollment increased from 450 to 800. Today, enrollment hovers around 1,215, with nearly 150 faculty members.

Norton Center for the Arts the morning of the 2000 Vice Presidential Debates

Dr. John A. Roush, who took office in 1998, is the college's 20th president. In 2000, Centre became the smallest college ever to host a national election debate.[6] Dick Cheney and Senator Joe Lieberman debated on October 5 at Centre's Norton Center for the Arts. The event was moderated by CNN's Bernard Shaw.

In 2005, the College completed The College Centre,[7] a $22-million project to expand and renovate Suttcliffe Hall, the Crounse Academic Center and Grace Doherty Library, which was the largest construction project on campus since the Norton Center was built in 1973.

A new student residence, Pearl hall, has been constructed, a new campus center is being constructed, and planning is underway for a new science and math center.

Classes at Centre are rarely cancelled. Prior to the Vice Presidential Debate in 2000, the last time classes were officially cancelled was due to the Great Blizzard of 1978, although in 1994 and 1998, when severe snow and ice storms shut down much of the state, classes were delayed by half a day. Classes were also cancelled in the spring of 2000 due to a hazardous chemical spill on the train tracks found at the end of "Greek Row." The entire campus was evacuated. On March 7, 2006, classes were cut short due to a symposium honoring retiring Dean John Ward. Ironically, Dean John Ward had made the statement in 1997, following a large snow storm, "Centre didn't cancel classes during parts of the Civil War, we're not cancelling them now."

Campus

Old Centre

Completed in 1820, Old Centre is a Greek Revival structure and was the College's first building. It has been used as a library, dormitory, and during the Civil War, a hospital. Today it houses the offices of the president, vice president for academic affairs, and vice president for college relations, as well as the College's Admissions Welcome Centre. Old Centre is a Kentucky Landmark, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and included in the Smithsonian Guide to Historic Places. It is the oldest continuously operating academic building west of the Alleghenies.

Old Carnegie

Built in 1913, Old Carnegie was the College library until 1966 and currently houses the Career Services and the Center for Global Relations.

Norton Center for the Arts

Norton Center for the Arts

Centre's Norton Center for the Arts has hosted performers such as violinist Itzhak Perlman, dancers Mikhail Baryshnikov and Twyla Tharp, the Boston Pops, The Chieftains, Three Dog Night, David Copperfield, Dolly Parton, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Ben Folds, They Might Be Giants, and musicals such as Rent, Titanic, Annie Get Your Gun, Hairspray and My Fair Lady. In October 2000, the Norton Center hosted the Vice-Presidential Debate with Dick Cheney and Senator Joe Lieberman.

The Norton Center for the Arts was built in 1973 and originally named the Regional Arts Center (RAC). It was later renamed for Jane Morton Norton, a former trustee of Centre College. The 85,000 square foot (8,000 m²) complex was designed by architect William Wesley Peters of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

The Norton Centre for the Arts will be undergoing refurbishment during the 2008-2009 school year.

The College Centre

Construction of the College Centre

Opened in the spring of 2005, the College Centre took center stage on campus, so to speak. The College Centre is composed of two buildings, Crounse Hall and Sutcliffe Hall, which both received multi-million dollar expansion/renovation. Crounse Hall now houses an enlarged library, theater, and additional classrooms, while Sutcliffe Hall now has over 62,000 square feet (5,800 m2) in athletic space including several new gymnasiums and workout facilities.

The Old Bookstore (Stuart Hall)

This building was the first chapter house of any fraternity in Kentucky, holding the brothers of the Epsilon Chapter of Beta Theta Pi. Before it came into Centre's hands, it was also used as a funeral home and as a shoe store. It was later converted to the Campus Bookstore, and in 2005 the bookstore moved to a new location, leaving the building empty. In 2008, it was rededicated as Stuart Hall, an upperclassmen residential facility. It was so named in honor of John T. Stuart, class of 1826, a Centre alum who gave Abraham Lincoln his first set of law books, became Lincoln's first law partner, and set the famed president down the road to extraordinary success.

Craik House

Built in 1853 and renovated in 1958, this is the president's home. Originally a private residence, it was bought in 1937 with a bequest in honor of his class from Henry Craik, Centre Class of 1890. It was first presidentially occupied by Robert L. McLeod, the 14th president of Centre. The Craik House is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Pearl Hall

During homecoming festivities in 2005, plans were announced for the construction of a new residence hall. Construction of the three-floor facility, named Pearl Hall, which is located on Main Street, began in May 2007 after commencement and will be finished in time for students to move into in August 2008. Dedication of the building will take place during homecoming in October 2009. A groundbreaking ceremony for Pearl Hall was held in April of 2008. It will house 146 students.

Pearl Hall is being built with a gift from Centre trustee Robert Brockman '63. The residence hall is named in memory of Brockman's mother and grandmother, of whom were both named Pearl.

Academics

Flame

Ninety-eight per cent of Centre professors have a Ph.D. or equivalent degree, and the student/faculty ratio is 11 to 1. The campus has active chapters of Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa, and has produced two-thirds of Kentucky's Rhodes Scholars in the last 50 years and 27 Fulbright Scholar winners in the last 10 years. It is among the smallest coeducational colleges to have a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, and is the only private institution in Kentucky with a chapter.

Degrees Offered

In addition to the programs listed, Centre offers self-designed majors, as well as double-majors and dual-degree engineering programs with Columbia University, University of Kentucky, Vanderbilt University, and Washington University (St. Louis).

Majors/Minors

  • Anthropology/Sociology
  • Art/Art History
  • Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
  • Biology
  • Chemical Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Classical Studies
  • Computer Science
  • Creative Writing
  • Dramatic Arts
  • Economics and Financial Economics
  • Elementary Education
  • English and Creative Writing
  • Environmental Studies
  • French
  • Gender Studies
  • German Studies
  • Government
  • History
  • International Studies
  • Mathematics
  • Music
  • Philosophy
  • Physics
  • Political Economy
  • Psychobiology
  • Psychology
  • Religion
  • Spanish

Pre-Professional Preparation

  • Pre-Dentistry
  • Pre-Law
  • Pre-M.B.A.
  • Pre-Med
  • Pre-Optometry
  • Pre-Pharmacy
  • Pre-Physical Therapy
  • Pre-Veterinary
  • Teacher Certification

Complete descriptions

The Centre Commitment

The "Centre Commitment" guarantees three things during a student's time at the college: one, an internship; two, graduation with four years, or Centre will provide up to a year of additional study tuition-free; and three, that students have the option to study abroad during their time at Centre. The college maintains permanent, residential sites in England, France, Japan, and Latin America, and it has short-term study program locations in India, Vietnam, New Zealand, Greece, Indonesia, Australia, Cameroon, Russia, Turkey, and San Salvador Island. A recent study compiled by Milton Reigelman, director of Centre's international programs, shows that 86 percent of 2006 Centre graduates studied abroad.

Student life

About 96% of Centre's students live on campus and participate in athletics, academic organizations, student government, and volunteer work. There are about 100 clubs, societies, teams and other formal and informal groups that sponsor more than 2,000 campus events each year. Centre has an active Greek life.

Clubs and Organizations

Centre College's list of student clubs and organizations is quite extensive, including:

  • American Chemical Society
  • Art Society
  • Badminton Club
  • BALANCE
  • B-GLAD (Bisexuals, Gays, Lesbians, and Allies for Dignity)
  • BCM (Baptist Campus Ministries)
  • CARE (Centre Action Reaches Everyone
  • CCF (Centre Christian Fellowship)
  • CENTO (School Newspaper)
  • Centre Catholic Community
  • Centre Chess Club
  • Centre Choral Ensembles
  • Centre College Cheerleading
  • Centre College Dance Team
  • Centre College Instrumental Ensembles
  • Centre Cycling Club
  • Centre Democrats
  • Centre Encore
  • Centre Equestrian Club
  • CentreFaith
  • Centre Outdoor Recreation and Service (CORS)
  • Centre PAWS (Promoting Animal Welfare Society)
  • CentrePeace
  • Centre Players (drama)
  • Centre Radio
  • Centre Republicans
  • Centre Science Journal
  • Centre Swing Club
  • CHARGE (Centre Helping to Achieve Respect & Gender Equality)
  • Colonels Corps (Admissions Team)
  • Deutschklub
  • DSU (Diversity Student Union)
  • ECCO (Environmentally Conscious Centre Organization)
  • Economics Society
  • FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes)
  • Film Society
  • French Society
  • Front and Centre - Channel 12 news progam
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • Hispanic Society
  • Interfraternity Council (governing fraternity council)
  • International Students Association
  • Japanese Club
  • Law Society
  • Math Association of America
  • Muslim Student Association (MSA)
  • NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)
  • Norton Center Ushers Corps
  • Olde Centre (yearbook)
  • Orthodox Christian Fellowship
  • Panhellenic Council (governing sorority council)
  • Phi Mu Epsilon
  • Philosophy Club
  • Politics Society
  • Pre-Med Society
  • Pre-Vet Society
  • Psychology Society
  • Rotaract
  • SAC (Student Activities Council)
  • SMART peer educators
  • Society of Future Educators
  • Society of Physics Students
  • St. Jude's Children's Hospital Fundraising (Up til Dawn)
  • Student Athletic Advisory Council
  • Student Government Association
  • Ultimate Frisbee Club
  • Vantage Point (literary magazine)
  • Women in Mathematics
  • Women's Lacrosse
  • Young Life Bluegrass

Greek Life

Greek Housing along West Walnut Street

There are currently chapters of:

Centre was also home to now-defunct chapters of other national fraternities and sororities including

Centre is also home to a variety of Academic and Leadership Greek Honorary Societies including:

Traditions

"Running the Flame"

Forty years ago a large metal sculpture named "The Flame" was installed at the center of campus. In the 1980s, students began a tradition of running from their dorm and today the fraternity houses to The Flame and back in the nude. "Running the flame" has become a tradition for some students on campus to complete prior to their graduation.

Kissing on the Seal

College tradition holds that if two students kiss over the college Seal set in the sidewalk in front of Old Centre at the stroke of midnight, they will get married following graduation. Many Centre grads, in fact, end up marrying each other.

Dead Fred

Fred M. Vinson, class of 1909, died in 1953 and hasn't missed a football game since. A portrait of Vinson, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, hangs in the hallway of the chapter house of the Kentucky Alpha-Delta chapter of Phi Delta Theta, on Centre's campus. Vinson was a member of the chapter in his years at Centre. Members of the chapter take the portrait, affectionately known as "Dead Fred," to Centre football and basketball games, as well as other fraternity events. Legend has it that after a particularly tough Centre loss, the portrait can be seen to shed a tear.

Athletics

Football

The Colonels won the Fort Worth Classic, a postseason college football bowl game, played only once, on January 1, 1921 in Fort Worth, Texas over Texas Christian University 63-7.

C6H0 Team

At the beginning of the Roaring '20s, Harvard University, the nation's dominant football power, was riding a five-year undefeated streak. Then the Crimson invited Centre College (enrollment at that time: 264) up to Cambridge for what they thought would be a "warm-up" game, a light workout before facing Princeton the following week.

In the 1921 Centre vs. Harvard football game, the Colonels (under coach Charley Moran) shocked Harvard University and became the first school ever from outside the East to beat one of the Ivy League's "Big Three" of Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. Star player Bo McMillin rushed for the lone touchdown of the game early in the third quarter, and the Praying Colonels' defense held off the Crimson's powerful offense from there for a 6-0 victory.

Centre competes in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. It is a former member of Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

Alumni

Over the last 25 years, Centre ranks first in the country for the percentage of former students making gifts. Centre is thus known as the college with "America's Most Loyal Alumni." Centre alumni have figured prominently in U.S. history. They include two U.S. vice presidents, one Chief Justice of the United States, an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, 13 U.S. Senators, 43 U.S. Representatives, 10 moderators of the General Assemblies of the Presbyterian Church, and 11 governors. Others have become leaders in teaching, business, medicine, law and journalism.[8] Among the most notable:

References

  1. ^ "Centre facts".
  2. ^ "US News and World Report 2007 Rankings".
  3. ^ "Centre ranked No. 1 value among U.S. liberal arts colleges by Consumers Digest".
  4. ^ "The Centre Harvard Game of 1921".
  5. ^ "ESPN names Centre's 1921 win over Harvard as a "Biggest College Football Upset"".
  6. ^ "Smallest College to host a National Election Debate".
  7. ^ "Opening of the College Centre".
  8. ^ "Famous Alumni of Centre College".

External links

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