- Otterbein University
-
Otterbein University 
Established 1847 Type Private College Religious affiliation United Methodist Endowment US$70,025,283 President Kathy Krendl[1] Undergraduates 2,700 (Fall, 2006) Postgraduates 400 (Fall, 2006) Location Westerville, Ohio, United States Campus 114 acres (0.46 km2)[2] Mascot Cardinal Website www.otterbein.edu Otterbein University is a private, four-year liberal arts college in Westerville, Ohio, United States. The university was founded in 1847 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. As a result of a division and two mergers involving the Church, the University has since 1968 been associated with the United Methodist Church. It has an enrollment of approximately 3,000, which includes both traditional undergraduate students and adult students enrolled in graduate programs or post-degree studies. The university is named for United Brethren founder Rev. Philip William Otterbein. In 2010, Otterbein College changed its name to Otterbein University to reflect the increasing array of graduate and undergraduate programs offered.[3]
Contents
Academics
Otterbein, being a liberal arts college, prides itself on its integrative studies program. It is a requirement for all four years, and demands students take a variety of classes that stray far from their selected major, as the college believes that the fields of study are related to each other, and believes that it helps students "become a whole person and to participate in the magic of the human experience in all of its dimensions."[4]
Students can earn a B.A., B.S., B.F.A., B.Mus., B.M.E., B.S.E., B.S.N., MAE, MBA, or MSN degree and can choose from 56 major and 41 minors.[5] In addition, Otterbein has an average student-to-faculty ratio of 12:1.[5]
Otterbein will be converting to the semester calendar beginning in Fall 2011. Currently, the university runs on the quarter calendar.
Theatre program
Otterbein is one of the only colleges in the nation to offer a professional theatre training program with a liberal arts education. Professional training is offered in the areas of Acting, Costume and Scenic Design/Technology, and Musical Theatre with B.F.A. Degrees offered in all three programs and a dance concentration in the latter. The department also offers a BA degree in Theatre which allows students to tailor the major to suit interests in directing, writing, and stage management among others. In 2005 Princeton Review ranked Otterbein as the number three Musical Theatre/Acting school in the country, behind only the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati and Carnegie Mellon.
Tuition
Otterbein has only one tuition rate, and offers no discount for students who are in-state residents. For the 2010-2011 school year, tuition was set at $28,413, with room and board at $3,996 and $3,891, respectively.
Otterbein also distributes more than $17 million in financial aid annually, in the form of grants, student loans, scholarships, and their work-study program.
Campus
The Otterbein campus is located in Westerville, Ohio, a residential suburb northeast of Ohio's capital, Columbus. It sits between Alum Creek on the west and Ohio State Route 3 (State St.) on the east.
Otterbein features a very categorized campus[citation needed]:with academic buildings inward. Home Street, which runs through the center of campus, is the address of most of the college's homes and student residence halls[citation needed], as well as the campus center. The north end of the campus is home to most underclassman housing, the health and physical education department, athletic facilities, as well as the Clements Recreation Center.
Overall, the campus occupies 150 acres (0.61 km2)[citation needed].
Athletics
The Otterbein Cardinals compete in NCAA Division III, as a member of the Ohio Athletic Conference. They sponsor eight men's and eight women's varsity sports, including:
- Baseball (Men)
- Basketball (Men/Women)
- Cheerleading (Coed)
- Cross Country (Men/Women)
- Football (Men)
- Golf (Men/Women)
- Lacrosse (Men)(women's team to be added in Fall 2011)
- Soccer (Men/Women)
- Softball (Women)
- Tennis (Men/Women)
- Track and Field (Men/Women)
- Volleyball (Women)
Arguably, Otterbein has found most success in men's basketball. Producing nine Division III All-Americans, they've been led for 33 seasons by head coach Dick Reynolds, who is also the school's athletic director. His overall record stands at 583-316[citation needed], and his teams have made 13 trips to the NCAA Division III Tournament, reaching the Final Four in 1981 and 1991 and winning the national championship in 2002.
The men's soccer team has also found its way into the national spotlight, finishing as runner-ups in the 2002 Division III Soccer Championship.
Most recently, the women's soccer team finished the 2010 season in the National Semi-Final when they lost 4-2 in a penalty shootout to eventual National Champion Hardin -Simmons (TX). The team finished their first undefeated season at 20-0-4 and ranked first nationally (of over 400 DIII teams) in Shutout Percentage, Goals Against Average and Save Percentage.
The men's lacrosse team was founded in 2009 and played its first game in March of 2010.
The school's primary athletic rival is Capital University of Bexley, Ohio.
Fraternity and sorority life
Otterbein has a rich history of social Greek organization dating back over 100 years. The Greek Community makes up about 20% of the student population and is unique in that 12 chapters on campus are local, meaning they only exist at Otterbein.
Fraternities
- Alpha Sigma Phi
- Eta Phi Mu (Jonda)
- Lambda Gamma Epsilon (Kings)
- Pi Beta Sigma (Bulls)
- Pi Kappa Phi (Country Club) - Not associated with the national Pi Kappa Phi
- Sigma Delta Phi (Sphinx)
- Zeta Phi (Rats)
Sororities
- Epsilon Kappa Tau (Arbutus)
- Kappa Phi Omega (Scotties /Onyx)
- Sigma Alpha Tau (Owls)
- Tau Delta
- Tau Epsilon Mu (Talisman)
- Theta Nu
WOBN
WOBN, which changed its frequency from 101.5FM to 97.5FM in October 2008, is Otterbein's student-run radio station, playing College Rock for Otterbein and surrounding Westerville. The station streams online at www.wobn.net. WOBN is the flagship of Otterbein Sports, covering many of the games for basketball, football, and baseball.
Notable alumni and faculty
Alumni
- Benjamin Russell Hanby, 1858, Composer Darling Nelly Gray, Up On The Houstop, Who Is He In Yonder Stall?.
- Harold Anderson, 1924, Men's basketball coach at Bowling Green State University and the University of Toledo.
- Carroll Widdoes, 1926, Head football coach at Ohio State University and Ohio University.
- Fred Martinelli, 1951, Hall of Fame Football coach at Ashland University
- Gordon Jump, 1955, Actor WKRP in Cincinnati
- Butch Hartman, attended circa 1960, USAC national stock car champion
- David Graf, 1972, Actor, best known for his role as Sgt. Eugene Tackleberry in the Police Academy series of films
- Leif Pettersen, 1973, slotback who played eight seasons in the Canadian Football League for the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
- Dee Hoty, 1974, Tony-nominated Broadway actress
- Cabot Rea, 1978, television news anchorman, currently serving as the evening and night co-anchorman for WCMH in Columbus, Ohio.
- Rachael Harris, 1989, Film and television actress and comedienne.
- Matt D'Orazio, 1999, Arena Football League quarterback, 2-time ArenaBowl MVP, ArenaBowl XX, 2006; ArenaBowl XXII, 2008.
- Sam Jaeger, 1999, American actor, best known for his role on the television show Eli Stone
- Wolfgang Schmitt, 1966, Former CEO of Rubbermaid
- Joel Riley, 1986, Radio Talk Show Host, 610 WTVN-AM (Columbus, Ohio)
- Henry Clay Frick, attended but did not graduate; business partner in Andrew Carnegie's Carnegie Steel Company, later a major American art patron
- Chris Jansing (born Christine Kapostasy), 1978, American television news correspondent. Currently working for NBC News as host of Jansing and Company on MSNBC.
- Paul Keefer 1987, Trainer N.Y. Yankee organization(Single A)
Faculty
- Abhijat Joshi - Professor of English and screenwriter for The Munna Bhai series, particularly Lage Raho Munna Bhai [1]
References
- ^ "Krendl's announcement as Otterbein president". http://www.otterbein.edu/calendar/news-releases/2008/new-president-announced.asp. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
- ^ USNews.com America's Best Colleges 2007. Accessed 2007-03-09.
- ^ "OTTERBEIN POISED TO RESUME NAME OF OTTERBEIN UNIVERSITY". http://www.otterbein.edu/calendar/news-releases/2010/university.asp. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- ^ Otterbein College Integrative Studies. Accessed 2006-12-02.
- ^ a b "Information about Otterbein University". Otterbein University. http://www.otterbein.edu/about/. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
External links
Ohio Athletic Conference Baldwin–Wallace • Capital • Heidelberg • John Carroll • Marietta • Mount Union • Muskingum • Ohio Northern • Otterbein • Wilmington
Coordinates: 40°07′33″N 82°56′10″W / 40.12573°N 82.93613°W
Categories:- Universities and colleges affiliated with the United Methodist Church
- Educational institutions established in 1846
- Otterbein College
- Universities and colleges in Ohio
- Westerville, Ohio
- Council of Independent Colleges
- National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities members
- North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
- Universities and colleges in Franklin County, Ohio
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
