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Hampden-Sydney College

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Hampden-Sydney College
Seal of Hampden-Sydney College
Motto Γνώσεσθε τὴν αλήθειαν
Gnôsesthe tên Alêtheian
(Greek; "Ye Shall Know the Truth")
Established 1775
Type Private, liberal arts, men's college
Endowment $111.2 Million
President Walter M. Bortz III
Provost Earl Fleck
Faculty 128
Undergraduates 1,082
Location Hampden-Sydney, VA, USA
Campus Rural
Athletics 8 varsity teams
Colors Garnet and Gray
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 one of only four remaining mainstream all-men's liberal arts colleges in the United States (the others are Wabash College, Deep Springs College, and Morehouse College).

For nearly two and a half centuries, Hampden-Sydney College has been dedicated to the goal of forming “good men and good citizens in an atmosphere of sound learning.”

Contents

[edit] Overview

The John Brooks Fuqua Computing Center, established in 1979, is the center of an extensive network of fiber optics that links every residence hall, classroom, and faculty and administrative office. Every member of the academic community has access to the Internet.

Hampden-Sydney enrolls over 1,100 students from thirty states and several foreign countries. The College enrolls young men of character and ability who will benefit from a rigorous and traditional liberal arts curriculum. Students participate in activities that teach teamwork, such as intercollegiate and intramural athletics, publications, theater productions, social fraternities, and student government

Hampden-Sydney is also home of the Baseball Tigers that made the trip to the Division III College World Series, becoming the first team from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference to make such an appearance. The team starts the 2006 season ranked 12th nationally and as the reigning ODAC and South Region Champions.

[edit] History

Classes at Hampden-Sydney began in temporary wooden structures on November 10, 1775, on the eve of the American War of Independence; This makes Hampden-Sydney College the nation's 10th oldest college. The College has been in continuous operation since that date, and 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.

Hampden-Sydney College derives its name from John Hampden (1594-1643) and Algernon Sidney (1622-1683). Hampden lost his life in the battle of Chalgrove Field during the English Civil War. Sydney, who wrote Discourses Concerning Government, was beheaded by order of Charles II following a failed attempt to overthrow the king. The college was founded by alumni and people affiliated with Princeton University. 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. Both Patrick Henry and James Madison were elected trustees in the founding period before classes began.

The college's first president, Rev. Samuel Stanhope Smith, was subsequently the president of the College of New Jersey, which is currently Princeton University. Smith hired many faculty members from the College of New Jersey.

Hampden-Sydney became a thriving college in southside Virginia. In fact, the college’s website states that “In its first fifty years the College prospered and gained the respect of the public and of the educational world.” This led to an expansion of the college. In 1812, the Union Theological Seminary was founded at Hampden-Sydney College. The Seminary was later moved to Richmond, VA and is currently the Union Theological Seminary & Presbyterian School of Christian Education. In 1838, the medical department of Hampden-Sydney College founded the Medical College of Virginia which is now the Medical College of Virginia of Virginia Commonwealth University. During this time, the college constructed new buildings using Federal style architecture. 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.”[http://www2.hsc.edu/hschistory/ 1.

[edit] The Campus

The College has expanded from its original small cluster of buildings on 100 acres (0.4 km²²) to a campus of over 1000 acres (4 km²²). Prior to February 2006, the college owned 660 acres (2.7 km²²). In February 2006, the college purchased 400 acres (1.6 km²²) which include a lake and the historic location of the college’s founding. The campus is host to numerous Federal style buildings. Part of the campus has been designated as a National Historic Preservation Zone. The campus has recently undergone major construction and renovation. In 2004 a new Fitness Center was completed 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 Rd.) was torn out and filled in with dirt and grass.

As of July 2006, the college’s new library was halfway through construction. The new library is expected to be open for the Fall 2007 semester. As of July 2006, the college is also in the middle of construction of a FieldTurf field for the Hampden-Sydney lacrosse team. The field is scheduled to be completed in August 2006.

Lewis C. Everett of Kilmarnock, Virginia, has given Hampden-Sydney College $2.5 million to construct the Lewis C. Everett Stadium. Construction on the 1850-seat facility will begin in November 2006 and will be completed in August 2007. The Everett Stadium will replace the 40-year-old Hundley Stadium adjacent to Fulton Field.

[edit] Student life

[edit] Clubs and organizations

According to the Hampden-Sydney College website, there are over 40 clubs on campus. Each club is run by the students themselves and the clubs come in a large variety. For example, there are political clubs, sports clubs, religious clubs, a pep band, and multiple social fraternities. There are also volunteer groups; in fact, the school has its own volunteer fire department. Students can also participate in the various publications as well as WWHS-FM, the student run radio station (www.wwhsfm.org).

[edit] Fraternities

Rush, for freshmen, begins in the first semester. Pledging for freshmen takes place in the spring. If a student chooses not to pledge in the spring, sophmores and juniors can pledge in the fall or spring. Roughly 33% of the student body is involved in Greek Life.


[edit] Demographics

According to the Hampden-Sydney College website, a large portion (63%) of the student body is from Virginia. The rest of the student body represents 35 other states and 10 different countries.

[edit] Housing

Freshmen are required to live in one of three dorms which are set aside for freshmen. These dorms are Cushing Hall, the Carpenter Dormitories, and the Whitehouse Quadrangle. Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors have the option of living in any of the other dorms that they choose. Although an overwhelming majority of students live on campus or in campus owned housing, the school does permit a small portion of students (usually upperclassmen) to live off-campus.

[edit] Presidents of Hampden-Sydney College

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Facts

  • Patrick Henry, believing that “every free state” should promote “useful knowledge amongst its citizens,” helped to create Hampden-Sydney College in Prince Edward County. Six of his sons studied there.
  • Hampden-Sydney College is the oldest private charter in the South; the 10th oldest institution of higher education in the nation.
  • The college has been in operation under the British, Confederate, and United States flags.
  • Hampden-Sydney has been in continuous operation since classes began November 10, 1775.
  • In the over 230 years of its existence, class has only been canceled twice: for a Civil War skirmish on campus, and a hurricane that knocked a tree into a dormitory building. Classes were not cancelled fall 2003 during Hurricane Isabel, although the power was out across campus.
  • Mentioned in the novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
  • The parent institution of Union Theological Seminary (Presbyterian) and The Medical College of Virginia (now Virginia Commonwealth University), located in Richmond, Virginia.
  • Chapters of Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa.
  • Enrollment 1082 men; one of four all-male colleges in the United States.
  • Students come from 30 states and several foreign countries.
  • Most popular majors: economics, history, and political science.
  • Student-Faculty ratio of 11 to 1.
  • 95% of full professors hold doctorates.
  • Basketball and lacrosse teams are regular NCAA Division III national tournament contenders.
  • Half the graduates attend graduate school within five years.
  • Endowment per student ranks Hampden-Sydney in the top quarter of colleges and universities in the country.
  • Union-Philanthropic Literary Society (UPLS), is the oldest student organization at Hampden-Sydney College, and the nation's second-oldest literary and debating society still in existence today. The society was established September 22, 1789 and has been in operation since.

[edit] External links

Old Dominion Athletic Conference
Bridgewater • Catholic† • Eastern Mennonite‡ • Emory & Henry • Guilford • Hampden–Sydney • Hollins‡ • Lynchburg‡ • Randolph–Macon • Randolph–Macon Woman's‡ • Roanoke‡ • Sweet Briar‡ • Virginia Wesleyan‡ • Washington & Lee
† football-only member  ‡ no-football member
Retrieved from "http://en.wikivisual.com/index.php/Hampden-Sydney_College"
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