Ohio Dominican University
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Established | 1911 |
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| Type | Private |
| President | Jack Calareso |
| Faculty | 163 |
| Students | 2,942 (all campuses) |
| Location | Columbus, Ohio, United States |
| Campus | 62 acres (0.25 km²) |
| Athletics | NAIA 14 varsity sports |
| Mascot | Panthers |
| Affiliations | Roman Catholic |
| Website | http://www.ohiodominican.edu/ |
Ohio Dominican University is a coed, four-year private Catholic liberal arts university in Columbus, Ohio, with nearly 3000 students from 13 states and 20 foreign countries. The university was founded in 1911 by Dominican order nuns of St. Mary of the Springs.
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[edit] History
Ohio Dominican University was chartered in 1911 as the College of Saint Mary of the Springs. It was originally founded as a women's college, becoming co-educational in 1964. The name was changed to Ohio Dominican College in 1968. Ohio Dominican became a university on July 1, 2002 under an ambitious strategic plan to become one of the country's preeminent small Catholic universities, under the direction of Dr. Jack Calareso, who was inaugurated as the school's 13th president in December 2001.
[edit] Campus and Campus Development
ODU currently operates three campuses, the main in Eastern Columbus, OH as well as two others primarally for their LEAD program, aimed mostly at adults.
Under the direction of ODU President Jack Calareso, Ohio Dominican has embarked on an aggressive growth plan, and expects to have approximately 3,700 students enrolled on its main campus by 2007, compared to 1,900 in 2001.
To accommodate the projected growth, a team of campus and community members, city planners, and Columbus business leaders worked with international design firm Sasaki Associates, to design a campus Master Plan. The plan encompasses the critical elements of campus organization: land and building use; vehicular and pedestrian circulation; infrastructure; open space; and the University's relationship to the community. Major components of Phase One focus include expansion of student residences; additional sports and recreation facilities; development of Sunbury Road as a gateway to the campus; and creation of a new campus center and study center.
More residence halls are needed to meet the housing needs of the increasing number of traditional students. As a result, Ohio Dominican has opened two new student resident buildings, Siena Hall and Aquinas Hall, in Fall 2004.
[edit] Sports
The University currently competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Ohio Dominican offers Baseball, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, Softball, Men's Tennis, Women's Tennis, Women's Volleyball, Men's and Women's Golf, and Men's and Women's Cross Country. The Ohio Dominican Football Panthers began play in the Mid-States Football Association of the NAIA Fall 2004. The team has a record of 3-17 during its first two seasons, which is expected out of any new program. But, the team is expected to improve as time goes on. In 2006 the football team climb into the top 25.
[edit] Students and Student Development
With the hiring of a new vice president for student development, the university is significantly expanding the level of on-campus student extracurricular activities and improving residential life. At the same time, Ohio Dominican has expanded its extracurricular offerings, providing a greater number of on-campus activities for residential students. A central focus has been the expansion of athletic programs, which are expected to attract student athletes and non-athletes alike, foster alumni participation, and enhance fundraising.
