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===Clubs and organizations=== |
===Clubs and organizations=== |
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According to the Hampden–Sydney College website, there are over 40 clubs on campus. Each club is run by the students, and the clubs come in a large variety. For example, there are political clubs, sports clubs, religious clubs, |
According to the Hampden–Sydney College website, there are over 40 clubs on campus. Each club is run by the students, and the clubs come in a large variety. For example, there are political clubs, sports clubs, religious clubs, a [[WWHS-FM|student-run radio station]], a pep band, and multiple social fraternities. There are also volunteer groups such as [[Habitat for Humanity]] and [[Rotaract]]. |
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The college campus is also home to a unique volunteer fire department, [http://www.hsvfd.org The Hampden-Sydney Volunteer Fire Department], which provides fire suppression service and non-transport |
The college campus is also home to a unique volunteer fire department, [http://www.hsvfd.org The Hampden-Sydney Volunteer Fire Department], which provides fire suppression service and non-transport [[basic life support]] [[Emergency medical services|EMS]] to [[Prince Edward County, Virginia|Prince Edward County]] and the college, as well as assisting the town of [http://www.farmvillefire.net Farmville Fire Department] with fire suppression at nearly all working fires within the town limits on a regular basis. HSVFD, Company 2, is located on the south end of campus near the water tower and the physical plant. Contrary to popular belief, and despite its location and the fact that 90% of the membership comes from college faculty, staff, and students, the fire department is, in fact, not affiliated with the college.<ref>http://www.hsvfd.org/</ref> |
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[[Union-Philanthropic Literary Society]] (UPLS) is the oldest student organization at Hampden–Sydney College. Established on September 22, 1789, it is the nation's second oldest literary and debating society still in existence today. |
[[Union-Philanthropic Literary Society]] (UPLS) is the oldest student organization at Hampden–Sydney College. Established on September 22, 1789, it is the nation's second oldest literary and debating society still in existence today. |
Revision as of 19:39, 11 March 2011
Motto | "And the Truth Shall Set You Free" |
---|---|
Type | Private men's college |
Established | 1775 |
Endowment | US $115.4 million[1] |
President | Christopher B. Howard |
Provost | Robert T. Herdegen III |
Academic staff | 128 |
Undergraduates | 1,106 |
Location | , , |
Campus | Rural, 1,200 acres (4.86 km2) |
Colors | Garnet and Grey |
Nickname | Tigers |
Website | www.hsc.edu |
Hampden–Sydney College is a liberal arts college for men located in Hampden Sydney, Virginia. Founded in 1775, Hampden-Sydney is the oldest private charter in the South, the last college founded before the American Revolution, and one of only three four-year, all-men's liberal arts colleges in the United States.
Overview
Hampden-Sydney enrolls 1,106 students from 30 states and several foreign countries, and emphasizes a rigorous and traditional liberal arts curriculum.[2]
Along with Wabash College and Morehouse College, Hampden-Sydney is one of only three remaining traditional all-male colleges in the US.[3] The school's mission is to "form good men and good citizens in an atmosphere of sound learning." As such, Hampden-Sydney has one of the strictest Honor Codes of any college or university. Upon entering as a student, each man pledges that he will not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate those who do; this pledge is binding for life. The pledge takes place during a ceremony. This simply-worded code of behavior applies to the students on or off campus. The honor-code system is student-run, allowing for a trial of peers, adjudicated by a court of students. Notably, a separate Code of Student Conduct covers "behavioral" infractions such as attempting to drink underage that do not rise to the level of an honor offense (which only arise if deception or theft is involved). Thus, in effect, a two-tier system of student discipline is maintained; Code of Student Conduct policies (regarding things like parking or drinking) are enforced by the Dean of Students' Office while the Honor Code system (with more serious penalties for lying, cheating, or stealing) is maintained by the students themselves.
Every student must prepare for and pass the Rhetoric Proficiency Exam, which requires passing a pure grammar proficiency test (testing whether the student knows the rules of grammar) and a three-hour essay that is graded upon coherence of argument, quality of argument, style in which the argument is presented, and grammatical correctness. To prepare, the college requires each student to pass two Rhetoric classes that are usually taken the first two semesters a student is at Hampden-Sydney. The Rhetoric requirement is the same for students who decide to major in the humanities as those who follow a course of studies in economics. After graduating, many alumni have stated that the Rhetoric Program was the most valuable aspect in the Hampden-Sydney education, ensuring that no matter what else they chose to do, at least they could write about it.
History
The College's founder and first president, Samuel Stanhope Smith, was born in Pequea, Pennsylvania. He graduated as a valedictorian from the College of New Jersey in 1769, and he went on to study theology and philosophy under John Witherspoon, whose daughter he married on 28 June 1775. In his mid-twenties, working as a missionary in Virginia, Smith persuaded the Hanover Presbytery to found a school east of the Blue Ridge, which he referred to in his advertisement of 1 September 1775 as “an Academy in Prince Edward...distinguished by the Name of HAMPDEN-SIDNEY"[4] The school, not then named, was always intended to be a college-level institution; later in the same advertisement, Smith explicitly likens its curriculum to that of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). “Academy” was a technical term used for college-level schools not run by the established church.[5]
Classes at Hampden-Sydney began in temporary wooden structures on November 10, 1775, on the eve of American Independence, moving into its three-story brick building early in 1776. The College has been in continuous operation since that date, meaning that college has operated under the British, Confederate, and United States flags. In fact, classes have only been canceled twice: for a Civil War skirmish on campus, and for a hurricane that knocked a tree into a dormitory building.
Despite the difficult and financially-strapped first years resulting from the Revolutionary War, the College survived with sufficient viability to be granted a charter by the Virginia General Assembly in 1783 — the oldest private charter in the South. Patrick Henry, then Governor of Virginia, encouraged the passage of the charter, and wrote into it an oath of allegiance to the new republic, required of all professors.
Presumably under the influence of his mentor and father-in-law Witherspoon,[6] Smith named the college for two English champions of liberty, John Hampden (1594–1643) and Algernon Sydney (1622–1683). Hampden lost his life in the battle of Chalgrove Field during the English Civil War. Sidney, who wrote "Discourses Concerning Government," was beheaded by order of Charles II following his (unproven) implication in a failed attempt to overthrow the king. These proponents of religious and civil liberties were much admired by the founders of the College, all of whom were active supporters of the cause of American independence.
The college was founded by alumni of Princeton University. Both Patrick Henry, who did not attend any college, and James Madison, a Princeton alumnus, were elected trustees in the founding period before classes began. Smith hired his brother, John Blair Smith, and two other recent Princeton graduates to teach at Hampden–Sydney College. Samuel Stanhope Smith would later become President of Princeton University. John Blair Smith would become the second president of Hampden-Sydney, and later the first president of Union College.
Hampden-Sydney became a thriving college while located in southside Virginia, which led to expansion. In 1812, the Union Theological Seminary was founded at Hampden–Sydney College. The Seminary was later moved to Richmond, Virginia and is currently the Union Theological Seminary & Presbyterian School of Christian Education. In 1838, the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College was founded—the Medical College of Virginia, which is now the MCV Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University. During this time, the College constructed new buildings using Federal-style architecture with Georgian touches. This is the style of architecture still used on the campus.
At the onset of the American Civil War, Hampden-Sydney students formed a company in the Virginia Militia. The Hampden-Sydney students did not see much action but rather were “captured, and...paroled by General George B. McClellan on the condition that they return to their studies."[7]
On May 11, 1964, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy visited Hampden–Sydney College to speak with students. [8]
Campus
The College has expanded from its original small cluster of buildings on 100 acres (0.4 km²) to a campus of over 1300 acres (5.25 km²). Before 2006, the college owned 660 acres (2.7 km²). In February 2006, the college purchased 400 acres (1.6 km²) which include a lake and Slate Hill Plantation, the historic location of the college’s founding. The campus is host to numerous federal style buildings. Part of the campus has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district.[9]
The campus is currently undergoing major construction and renovation, beginning in 2004 with the opening of a new fitness center in Kirby Field House. During the summer of 2005, a new parking lot was constructed behind the Alphabet dorms. The original parking lot for the Alphabet dorms (directly across College Road) was torn out and grassed. In 2006 the new Hellmuth-Pritzlaff artificial turf lacrosse field was completed.[needs update][citation needed]
Lewis C. Everett of Kilmarnock, Virginia, gave Hampden–Sydney College $2.5 million to construct the Lewis C. Everett Stadium. Construction on the 1850-seat facility began in November 2006 and was completed in August 2007. The new stadium opened on September 1, 2007, for the opening football game against the Johns Hopkins University. The stadium replaced the 40-year-old Hundley Stadium adjacent to Fulton Field.[citation needed]
Most significant of all the construction projects is the new Walter M. Bortz III Library. Opened in the summer of 2007, the 85,000-square-foot (7,900 m2) library houses over 245,000 volumes and subscriptions to over 800 journals and periodicals. Fanfare for the new building spurred many donations, including a collection of early maps of the Chesapeake Bay area (including a two-part Frye-Jefferson Map), and a collection of twentieth-century art that includes prints by Joan Miró and Salvador Dalí.
In autumn 2008, the renovation and expansion of Gammon Gymnasium into the Kirk Athletic Center was completed.[citation needed] The new facility sits next to Fulton Field. Future construction plans include renovations to Eggleston Hall (the former library) and Winston Hall (fine arts).[citation needed]
Student life
Culture
As one of only a few higher educational institutions for men, and being older than the nation in which it is located, Hampden–Sydney College has a unique culture. Typically, students are Southern, well-dressed, articulate, and conservative [citation needed]. Many take part in long-standing campus traditions—wearing jacket and tie to football games, greeting everyone they meet on campus, and active campus involvement, to name a few [citation needed]. Students are also issued a copy of To Manner Born, To Manners Bred: A Hip-pocket Guide to Etiquette for the Hampden-Sydney Man, which covers everything from basic manners, how to greet and introduce people, how to respond to invitations, how to dress, the difference between a black tie and white tie event, how to choose a wine, etc. The college publishes the book as a useful tool for existing successfully in a variety of social settings; as a result, Lisa Birnbach describes the College as “THE finishing school for Southern Gentlemen,” in her book The Official Preppy Handbook.[citation needed]
Demographics
According to the Hampden–Sydney College website, the student body for 2004–05 is 94.1 percent White, 2.7 percent Black, 1.0 percent Hispanic, and 1.7 percent Asian. The majority (63%) of the student body is from Virginia. The rest come from 35 other states and 10 different countries.[citation needed]
Clubs and organizations
According to the Hampden–Sydney College website, there are over 40 clubs on campus. Each club is run by the students, and the clubs come in a large variety. For example, there are political clubs, sports clubs, religious clubs, a student-run radio station, a pep band, and multiple social fraternities. There are also volunteer groups such as Habitat for Humanity and Rotaract.
The college campus is also home to a unique volunteer fire department, The Hampden-Sydney Volunteer Fire Department, which provides fire suppression service and non-transport basic life support EMS to Prince Edward County and the college, as well as assisting the town of Farmville Fire Department with fire suppression at nearly all working fires within the town limits on a regular basis. HSVFD, Company 2, is located on the south end of campus near the water tower and the physical plant. Contrary to popular belief, and despite its location and the fact that 90% of the membership comes from college faculty, staff, and students, the fire department is, in fact, not affiliated with the college.[10]
Union-Philanthropic Literary Society (UPLS) is the oldest student organization at Hampden–Sydney College. Established on September 22, 1789, it is the nation's second oldest literary and debating society still in existence today.
Athletics
In late February and early March 2007, the Hampden-Sydney men's basketball team captured the school's tenth ODAC championship, its fourth this decade. The Tigers won its first-round NCAA Tournament game against Hood College, but lost in the second round to fellow ODAC foe (and 2007 National Champion) Virginia Wesleyan College.[citation needed]
Hampden-Sydney's rivalry with Randolph-Macon College is one of the longest-running college rivalries in the United States. "The Game" is often referred to as the oldest small-school football rivalry in the South.[11] Athletic events involving the two schools are fiercely competitive, and the week prior to "The Game" between Hampden-Sydney and Randolph-Macon is known as "Beat Macon Week."
Greek life
For freshmen, rush begins in the first semester and pledging takes place in the spring. If a student chooses not to rush and/or pledge as a freshman, sophomores and juniors may pledge in the fall or spring. Roughly 34% of the student body is involved in Greek life.[12] Beta Theta Pi used Atkinson Hall (built 1834) as a fraternity house when it came to campus in 1850 possibly making it the first fraternity house in North America.[13][14]
- Kappa Sigma, KΣ[15]
- Sigma Alpha Epsilon, ΣΑΕ[16]
- Phi Gamma Delta, Phi Gam[17]
- Kappa Alpha Order KA[18]
- Sigma Nu, ΣN[19]
- Beta Theta Pi, ΒΘΠ[20]
- Theta Chi, ΘX[21]
- Pi Kappa Alpha, ΠKA[22]
- Sigma Chi, ΣX[23]
- Lambda Chi Alpha, ΛΧΑ[24]
- Chi Phi, XΦ (inactive)[citation needed]
- Alpha Chi Sigma, AXΣ[25]
In addition to the social and professional fraternities listed above, Hampden-Sydney also has chapters of Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society;[26] Phi Beta Kappa, the Academic Honor Society;[27] Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honor society [28] and Alpha Psi Omega, a national honors society for theatre arts.[29]
Housing
Freshmen are required to live in one of three dorms that are set aside for freshmen. These dorms are Cushing Hall, the Carpenter Dormitories (X and Y), and the Whitehouse Quadrangle. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors have the option of living in any of the other dorms that they choose (these additional residences include Carpenter Z, the Hampden House Units, Venable Hall, Alphabet Dormitories B through F, and the Blake Apartments). Fraternity houses are available for members and the chapter president and several speciality houses - usually organized around a club, sports team, or other student group - are available. The Elliott House is reserved for Honor Students who choose to live there. Although an overwhelming majority of students live on campus or in campus-owned housing, the school does permit a small number of students (usually upperclassmen) to live off-campus. In addition, some students also rent rooms in local campus homes.
Presidents of Hampden-Sydney College
The following is a list of the Presidents of Hampden–Sydney College from its opening in 1775 until the present.[30]
- Samuel Stanhope Smith, 1775–1779
- John Blair Smith, 1779–1789
- Drury Lacy, 1789-1797 (Vice President and Acting President during first part of tenure)
- Archibald Alexander, 1797–1806
- William S. Reid, 1897 (Vice President and Acting President)
- Moses Hoge, 1807–1820
- Jonathan Cushing, 1820-1835 (Acting President 1820-21)
- George A. Baxter, 1835 (Acting President)
- Daniel Lynn Carroll, 1835–1838
- William Maxwell, 1838–1845
- Patrick J. Sparrow, 1845–1847
- S. B. Wilson, 1847 (Acting President)
- F. S. Sampson, 1847-1848 (Acting President)
- Charles Martin, 1848-1849 (Acting President)
- Lewis W. Green, 1849–1856
- Albert L. Holladay, 1856 (Appointed, but died before taking office)
- Charles Matin, 1856-1857 (Acting President)
- John M. P. Atkinson, 1857–1883
- Richard McIlwaine, 1883–1904
- James R. Thornton, 1904 (Acting President)
- W. H. Whiting, Jr., 1904-1905 (Acting President)
- J. H. C. Bagby, 1905 (Acting President)
- James Gray McAllister, 1905–1908
- W. H. Whiting, Jr., 1908–1909
- Henry Tucker Graham, 1909-1917 [31]
- Ashton W. McWhorter, 1917-1919 (Acting President)
- Joseph Dupuy Eggleston, 1919–1939
- Edgar Graham Gammon, 1939–1955
- Joseph Clarke Robert, 1955–1960
- Thomas Edward Gilmer, 1960–1963
- Walter Taylor Reveley II, 1963–1977
- Josiah Bunting III, 1977–1987
- James Richard Leutze, 1987–1990
- John Scott Colley, 1990-1991 (Provost and Acting President)
- Ralph Arthur Rossum, 1991–1992
- Samuel V. Wilson, 1992–2000
- Walter M. Bortz III, 2000–2009
- Christopher B. Howard, 2009—
Notable alumni
Rankings
Forbes
Forbes ranked Hampden-Sydney #4 in its 2010 ranking of the best private colleges in the South. It ranked #6 among Forbes 20 best colleges in the South.[32]
The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review ranks Hampden-Sydney in their list of "Best 361 Colleges" in the following categories:[33]
Rank | List | Category |
---|---|---|
#3 | LGBT-unfriendly | Demographics |
#18 | Lots of Beer | Social Scene |
#7 | Professors Get High Marks | Academic |
#8 | Most Accessible Professors | Academic |
#2 | Most Conservative Students | Parties |
Hampden-Sydney was also rated as the preppiest school in America, according to The Official Preppy Handbook.[34]
See also
Category: Hampden-Sydney College alumni
References
- ^ As of June 30, 2009. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2009 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2008 to FY 2009" (PDF). 2009 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. National Association of College and University Business Officers. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
- ^ Programs of Study and Academic Catalogue
- ^ Whitman, David. Wabash College, One of a Dying Breed, US News and World Report, 31 January 1999.
- ^ Virginia Gazette, Williamsburg, Virginia, 1 September 1775.
- ^ Brinkley, 5 and Appendix I, 847–50
- ^ Brinkley, 15
- ^ History of HSC at the college's official website
- ^ [1] Louis Briel '66 Remembers Kennedy
- ^ "Prince Edward County Historic Districts" "National Registry of Historic Districts," Retrieved on December 6, 2010.
- ^ http://www.hsvfd.org/
- ^ "Oldest small-school football rivalry in the south now 'goes across all sports'". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 23, 2010.
- ^ "Hampden-Sydney College Campus Life" "Collegedate.com" Retrieved on December 3, 2010.
- ^ "Beta Theta Pi" "Beta Theta Pi", Date Retrieved December 3, 2010.
- ^ "Hampden-Sydney College Student Life" "Museum of Knowledge", Date Retrieved December 3, 2010.
- ^ "Kappa Sigma" "H-SC Kappa Sigma", Date Retrieved December 3, 2010.
- ^ "Sigma Alpha Epsilon" "H-SC Sigma Alpha Epsilon", Date Retrieved December 3, 2010.
- ^ "Phi Gamma Delta" "H-SC Phi Gamma Delta", Date Retrieved December 3, 2010.
- ^ "Kappa Alpha" "H-SC Kappa Alpha", Date Retrieved December 3, 2010.
- ^ "Sigma Nu" "H-SC Sigma Nu", Date Retrieved December 3, 2010.
- ^ "Beta Theta Pi" "H-SC Beta Theta Pi", Date Retrieved December 3, 2010.
- ^ "Theta Chi" "H-SC Theta Chi", Date Retrieved December 3, 2010.
- ^ "Pi Kappa Alpha" "H-SC Pi Kappa Alpha", Date Retrieved December 3, 2010.
- ^ "Sigma Chi" "H-SC Sigma Chi", Date Retrieved December 3, 2010.
- ^ "Lambda Chi Alpha" "H-SC Lambda Chi Alpha", Date Retrieved December 3, 2010.
- ^ "Alpha Chi Sigma", Date Retrieved December 4, 2010.
- ^ "Pi Sigma Alpha", Date retrieved December 4, 2010.
- ^ "Phi Beta Kappa", Date retrieved December 4, 2010
- ^ "Omicron Delta Kappa", Date retrieved December 4, 2010
- ^ "Alpha Psi Omega", Date retrieved December 4, 2010
- ^ "Presidents of Hampden Sydney College". Hampden-Sydney College. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
- ^ "Henry Tucker Graham". "Hampden-Sydney College. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
- ^ "The Best Colleges in the South". Forbes. Retrieved January 23, 2010.
- ^ ". The Princeton Review. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
- ^ "Lisa attends a H-SC football game"
Bibliography
- Brinkley, John Luster. On This Hill: A narrative history of Hampden–Sydney College, 1774–1994. Hampden-Sydney: 1994. ISBN 1-886356-06-8