Hiram College
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Motto | Intimate Learning. Global Reach. |
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| Established | 1850 as Western Reserve Eclectic Institute |
| Type | Private, Disciples of Christ |
| President | Thomas V. Chema |
| Faculty | 73 full-time (Fall, 2005) |
| Undergraduates | 900 (Fall, 2005) |
| Location | Hiram, Ohio, United States |
| Campus | Rural |
| Athletics | 18 sports teams |
| Nickname | Terriers |
| Website | www.hiram.edu |
Hiram College is an institution of higher learning located in Hiram, Ohio. Founded by Amos Sutton Hayden of the Disciples of Christ Church in 1850 as the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute, the school was rechartered under the current name in 1867.[citation needed] Hayden's primary focus was to train people for Christian ministry.
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[edit] History
Since the College's first days, it has been nonsectarian and coeducational, and throughout its existence Hiram College has sustained this egalitarian tradition of educating men and women from diverse backgrounds. The institute's original charter was authorized by the state legislature on March 1, 1850, and modified in 1867 to recognize the institution's new collegiate rank when it became Hiram College.[citation needed]
U.S. President James Garfield was a student, instructor, and principal of the institution while it was still the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute.[citation needed] Garfield was a classical scholar and taught Greek and Latin, along with such subjects as mathematics and geology. Garfield broadened the curriculum offered at the Institute and insisted on its nonsectarian character. Although he left Hiram in 1861 to take up the Civil War command of Company A of the 42nd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, a regiment recruited from Hiram, his name appeared in the Institute's catalogues until 1863.[citation needed] Throughout his life, he retained his fondness for Hiram, making frequent visits and corresponding with numerous Hiram people.[citation needed] Two of his greatest friends were Almeda Booth, teacher of English, classics and mathematics from 1851 to 1866, and Burke A. Hinsdale, a student of Garfield's and future president of the College.
[edit] About the College
The school's sports teams are called the Terriers. They participate in the NCAA's Division III and the North Coast Athletic Conference. The Hiram College basketball team, competing as the United States national team, won the 1904 Olympic gold medal in St. Louis.[citation needed]
The Hiram women's soccer team just came off one of their best seasons yet. They recorded their first NCAC win in history against Oberlin College in the 2005 season. The 2006 season is proving to be one of rebuilding and reorganization. While the women are struggling, the men's soccer team is involved in a new era of soccer. They have come out full force in this 2006 season and dominated their non-NCAC opponents. They have their hopes set high on their first time in post season ever.
Hiram is a small, liberal arts college with a student body of about 900 as of 2005. Its strengths as an institution relate to its small class sizes and low student-to-professor ratio. Hiram's education plan also focuses on international study experiences and diversity. Although the majority of Hiram's student body represent the demographic of its surrounding area (middle-class Caucasian), Hiram's students come from twenty-six states and twenty-three countries and represent more than twenty-five different religions.[citation needed]
A large majority of Hiram students live in the College's six residence hall buildings and eat their meals on campus. Hiram strictly regulates off-campus living, which is designed to protect the close-knit atmosphere the college strives to create for its students.
Student services include a health center, a fitness center (newly rebuilt in 2005), a career placement office, professional counseling on a range of personal and academic concerns, optional religious services and activities, and sports. Many student organizations are active on campus, including honorary societies, social clubs, music and drama groups, student publications, religious groups, student government, political groups, and social-action groups. All student organizations, including the campus radio station and student publications, are managed and directed by Hiram College students.
Hiram's student newspaper is called The Advance. It is a bi-weekly, student-produced publication, containing news and opinions regarding the campus and beyond.
On the "Best Bargain Schools" list, Hiram ranks 8th out of all the private schools in The Best 357 Colleges.[citation needed] The ranking is based on a combination of The Princeton Review's academic rating and the average tuition paid per student (sticker price minus the average financial aid award). Education writer Loren Pope featured Hiram College in his book Colleges That Change Lives.
In September 2004, Thomas V. Chema was appointed as the 21st president of Hiram College.[citation needed]
[edit] Clubs and organizations
[edit] Greek clubs
There are no national fraternities or sororities at Hiram College. There are, however, Greek social clubs. No affiliations with any national frats are intended or implied. Greek social clubs at Hiram are restricted from using the same Greek letters as any national organization.
Established in 1929, Phi Gamma Epsilon (or "Phi Gams") is currently the oldest existing Greek social club at Hiram College.[citation needed] Probation threatened the existence of the club in the mid 1980s, but the group survived and now claims to boast a strong, visible presence.[citation needed] The Phi Gams have sponsored a number of events, including an annual Toga Party and Spaghetti Dinner.[citation needed] The group's mascot, Buck PhiGam, is a viking whose likeness is represented in a painting the group believes was created in the 1920s.[citation needed] Phi Beta Gamma, their sister group, often co-sponsors a number of these events.
Another one of the social clubs at Hiram College is Delta Chi Lambda. The Delta Chi Lambdas is made up of all female students. This club was once disbanded but now is back as strong as ever. It is currently one of the largest Greek social clubs at Hiram. The brother group is Lambda Lambda. After a shortage of members, they are currently rebuilding their program. With help from one another, these two greek social clubs are having fun and helping out the Hiram community.
[edit] Dining options
In 2004, Hiram College ranked 20th in the nation on The Princeton Review's "Is This Food?" list under the "Quality of Life" category.[citation needed]
[edit] Miller Dining Hall
Miller Dining Hall is the primary dining option available to Hiram College students.[citation needed] It is a continuous serve operation that is open to students from 7AM to midnight on weekdays and 8AM to midnight on the weekend.[citation needed] Students receive unlimited access to this dining option.[citation needed]
The dining hall is located at the bottom of Miller Hall. The renovation of Miller Dining Hall was completed in January 2005.[citation needed]
[edit] KC Cafe
Students who do not wish to eat at Miller Dining Hall can use their board allowances to purchase meals at the KC Cafe. Several former dining options available in the past (the Grille, the Alternative, and the Grind) were combined to create the current KC Cafe.[citation needed] This dining option offers a menu of assorted food items that are made when ordered.
The KC Cafe is located in the basement of the Kennedy Center.
[edit] Stone Soup Cooperative
The Stone Soup Cooperative (known as "the co-op" on campus) is an alternative dining option coordinated by its student members. It is located in the center of Booth/Centennial Hall, just before Fenton Lounge. The co-op provides organic and other health foods not otherwise available through the regular dining plan.[citation needed] It is the only dining option available to students that caters specifically to vegetarians and vegans.[citation needed] Students with food allergies also join the co-op to accommodate their specific dietary needs.[citation needed]
[edit] Notable alumni
- James A. Garfield - 20th President of the United States
- Brvt. Brigadier General B. D. Pritchard - General who captured Jefferson Davis[1]
- Sharon Creech - Author, Walk Two Moons
- Osee Hall - U.S. Congressman
- David Brendan Hopes - Author
- Jan Hopkins - journalist (CNN Financial News show "Street Sweep"), businesswoman
- Vachel Lindsay - Poet
- Michael Stanley - American musician and radio announcer
- Tom Wesselmann - American Pop Artist
[edit] References
- ^ James J. Green, The Life and Times of General B. D. Pritchard (Allegan: Allegan County Historical Society, 1979), p. 2.
[edit] External links
| North Coast Athletic Conference |
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| Allegheny • Denison • Earlham • Hiram • Kenyon • Oberlin • Ohio Wesleyan • Wabash • Wittenberg • Wooster |
Categories: Articles lacking sources | Wikipedia articles with off-topic sections | Articles with unsourced statements | North Coast Athletic Conference | Hiram College alumni | Universities and colleges in Ohio | Portage County, Ohio | Universities and colleges affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
