Nichols College

Nichols College
Motto	Your success is our business
Established	1815
Type	Private
Endowment	$12.8 million[1]
President	Dr. Debra M. Townsley[2]
Students	1,459[2]
Location	Dudley, Massachusetts,
Campus	Suburban 200 acres (0.81 km2)[2]
Athletics	NCAA Division III TCCC[3]
Colors	Black & Green
Nickname	Bison
Website	Nichols College

Nichols College is a private, co-educational, four-year institution of higher learning that is located in Dudley, Massachusetts.^[4]

Nichols has many diverse majors that mainly focus on business and liberal arts. The school also offers an MBA program for graduate students.^[5]

Nichols College athletics compete in the NCAA at the Division III level.^[3] Their teams are known as the Bison and Lady Bison. All of Nichols College athletic fields are located on campus in Dudley Hill.

History

Founding

Photograph of Conant Hall circa 1838

The college was originally founded in 1815 as Nichols Academy. The founder was Amasa Nichols, a wealthy industrialist in Dudley, MA.^[6] The school is the oldest in Worcester County, and one of the oldest in the country. Early benefactors of the academy included textile manufacturers Samuel Slater and Hezekiah Conant.^[6] Nichols Academy closed its doors in 1909 but the closing was only temporary.^[6]

Conrad's reign

In 1931, James L. Conrad founded Nichols Junior College at the closed Nichols Academy location. The college was a men-only college, and was the first junior college in Massachusetts to be granted the authority to grant an associates degree in Business Administration. With the exception of a few years being closed during World War II, when President Conrad was called to serve, the junior college would expand and grow through 1958.^[6] The expansion started in 1948 and it lasted until the school began to award Bachelor's degrees. The School during this ten year span purchased, constructed, and remodeled over forty-four buildings to shape most of the current campus that is seen today. In 1958, the college became a four-year institute, and was granted authority to grant a Bachelor in Business Administration degree. 1965 saw more change, the College was accredited by the New England Association of School and Colleges. In 1971, the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education authorized the College to award Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and Bachelor of Science in Public Administration degrees.^[6] In 1974, it was granted the authority to grant the degree of Master of Business Administration. 1980 was the last big change for a while, but was almost an important aspect to the current university. Nichols established the Institute for American Values (renamed the Robert C. Fischer Policy and Cultural Institute [1] in 1999, and unrelated to the New York-based Institute for American Values founded in 1987) as a division of the College, providing a forum for the free exchange of ideas.

Today

NC logo

In the early 1990s, Davis Hall was built as a new classroom building that featured "smart classrooms." Shamie Hall was built in the mid-1990s as a residence hall that features dorm rooms with private bathrooms. Of the original buildings two remain, Conant Hall which was constructed in 1835 and the Currier Center from 1893. These two buildings help keep the heritage of the original Nichols Academy to its current day campus. In 2005, the MBA program was one of the largest in Central Massachusetts, having awarded 1380 MBA degrees.^[4] Between 1997 and 2007, the college expanded its academic offerings and building expansion. During that time frame, new specializations for students included Sports Management, Criminal Justice Management, and an Educator Preparation program (grades 5-12). The graduate division also expanded its offerings to include two new MBA concentrations; one in Sports Management and one in Security Management. The college also began offering a Masters in Organizational Leadership. A new athletic sports complex was built, as well as the football field being redeveloped as Vendetti Field.^[4] Two new residence halls which offer, Kuppenheimer Hall and Remillard Hall, expanded living quarters for a growing enrollment.

History of presidents

Gerald Fels has been appointed interim president until a successor to Dr. Debra M. Townsley can be found. The president is the chief executive officer of the college and is responsible for the success of the college's mission in providing superior academic programs and research.

President	Tenure
Amasa Nichols	1815–
Col. James L. Conrad	1931–1966
Dr. Gordon B. Cross	1966–1973
Dr. Darcy Coyle	1973–1978
Dr. Lowell C. Smith	1978–1996
Dr. James J. Darazsdi	1996–1998
Dr. Debra M. Townsley	1998–2010
Gerald Fels (interim)	2010–present

Academics

Nichols College is a combination of three colleges. They are the College of Business, College of Liberal Arts, and the College of Education. The College has students take both liberal arts and business classes, with the intent being that graduates will be well versed in both the business and cultural aspects of life.^[6]

Schools and programs

• College of Business
  • Accounting
  • Arts and Entertainment Management
  • Business Administration
  • Communications
  • Economics
  • Human Resources
  • International Business
  • Legal Studies
  • Management
  • Management Information Systems
  • Marketing
  • Sports Management
• College of Education
  • Business
  • History
  • English
  • Mathematics

• College of Liberal Arts
  • Communications
  • Economics
  • English
  • History
  • Mathematics
  • Psychology
• Graduate College of Business
  • Master of Business Administration
    • Accounting
    • Economics
    • Finance
    • International Business
    • Management
    • Marketing
  • Master of Organizational Management
  • Master of Securities Management
  • Master of Sports Management

Campus

North Campus

The Nichols College campus is down a main road of Dudley Hill. The north and south campuses are divided by the Conrad Hall, which is the second oldest building at the Dudley campus. The north campus is consisted of ten out of the twenty-two campus buildings. the northern most part of the campus is the Winston Residence Hall. The southern most part of the campus is Conrad Hall. The western most part of the north campus is the Nichols Library.^[7][8]

The Nichols north campus consists equally of residence halls and academic halls. Also located in the north campus is the oldest building at the Dudley campus. The oldest Building is Conant Hall which was built during the original Nichols Academy. This building is often considered the focal point to the history of the college, that dates back to 1815. Lastly, the Academy Hall is located on the north campus, which is the social and focal centerpoint for Nichols College.^[8]

South Campus

The Nichols College campus is down a main road of Dudley Hill. The north and south campuses are divided by the Conrad Hall, which is the second oldest building at the Dudley campus. The south campus is consisted of twelve out of the twenty-two campus buildings. the northern most part of the campus is Academy Hall. The southern most part of the campus is Kuppenheimer Residence Hall. The eastern most part of the south campus is the athletic complex.^[7][9]

The athletic complex is the focal point of the south campus. The Athletic Complex includes Vendetti Field, which is the multipurpose field turf field, that is used mainly for football. It is also used for men's and women's lacrosse. The complex also includes the Baseball, Softball Tennis and Soccer complexes. Besides the athletic field it also has the Athletic Center for indoor events and the Chambers field house for athletic training. The southern campus unlike the north campus is not known as the focal point for current students, but instead is often a gathering for local residents of Dudley, Students and Alumni who attend many of the sporting events.^[9]

Worcester Campus

The Worcester campus is the newest of the schools campuses. The campus is in downtown Worcester. This location allows the school to be part of the Worcester Consortium, which is a coalition of colleges in the Worcester area to work together for better resources, and it has helped grow the schools name. Having an ideal name in the Worcester area allows for better advertising and diversifying of Nichols.

The campus is shared with Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. The Building is located on Foster Street near the Worcester Train Station. This location is mostly used by graduate students at Nichols. The campus is in an ideal and central location for night students. Also, being located in Worcester allows many of the graduate students to apply their footprint directly in the area and have a working/learning relationship. The campus is also in an ideal location for traditional students, because the Worcester campus is only fifteen minutes north of the main Dudley campus.

Athletics

History

During the 1930s Nichols College had a resurgence in college athletics. It became one of the premiere college athletic institutions in New England. The teams annually competed with other small private colleges such as Holy Cross, Boston College, Dartmouth College, and many other recognized universities. Nichols has sponsored many athletics and since 1930 they have sponsored the following: football, tennis, cross country, baseball, ice hockey, and soccer. These sports were and are still the cornerstone of Nichols athletics.^[10]

In 1971, the school introduced women's athletics; softball, basketball, and field hockey were the early additions while soccer and tennis were added later. In 1999 Nichols added women's lacrosse and in 2008 they added women's ice hockey. This brings the total athletic teams to 15. With the sponsor of eight men's athletics and seven women's athletics.^[10]

The Athletic Department at Nichols College has a strong history of championship teams, especially in recent years with Nichols women's sports programs. The Bison football teams of the 1970s came away with 5 NEFC Championships and the baseball and soccer teams were also strong. The women's basketball team dominated within the state during the 1980s. Men's tennis, women's soccer, field hockey and softball have continued the winning tradition with conference and tournament championships in the 1990s.^[10] Since the modern era of college athletics with NCAA classifications Nichols College has been had a strong presence in New England Division III athletics.^[11] The school has had national recognition with many sports. The most prominent teams are women's basketball, football, and men's ice hockey.^[12] The most popular was women's ice hockey which was ranked ninth in the country.^[13]

Current state of the athletics

Nichols College athletics teams are known as the Bison. Currently, the Nichols College Department of Athletics offers eight men's intercollegiate sports: baseball, basketball, football, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer and tennis. They also offer seven women's intercollegiate sports: basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball and tennis. The school varsity teams compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III level. Nichols is a member of the Commonwealth Coast Conference for most sports. The football team is a member of the New England Football Conference while the men's ice hockey team compete in the ECAC Northeast and women's hockey in the ECAC East. The school also sponsors a variety of club sports.

Athletic awards and accolades

Male

• Hal Chalmers Memorial Award for Dedication and Sportsmanship
• Gary McNulty Memorial Award for Outstanding Male Freshman Athlete
• Dan Cardin Memorial Award for Integrity and Leadership
• Major Charles M. Hopkins Award for Study, Sports, and Spirit
• William Horigan-Bud Sessions Award for Outstanding Male Sophomore Athlete
• Outstanding Male Junior Athlete Award
• Jim Miller Award for Outstanding Senior Athlete

Female

• Outstanding Female Freshman Athlete Award
• Nancy Rossini Memorial Award for Outstanding Female Sophomore Athlete
• Outstanding Female Junior Athlete Award
• Outstanding Female Senior Athlete Award

References

1. ^ US News. "US News". 2009 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. National Association of College and University Business Officers. http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges. Retrieved August 15, 2010. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} College Board School Profile
3. ^ ^{a b} Commonwealth Coast Conference Member Institutions
4. ^ ^{a b c} U.S. News Report
5. ^ Nichols College
6. ^ ^{a b c d e f} History of Nichols
7. ^ ^{a b} Campus Map
8. ^ ^{a b} Nichols College North Campus info, map and tour
9. ^ ^{a b} Nichols College South Campus info, map and tour
10. ^ ^{a b c} Nichols Bison athletic history
11. ^ Division III athletic history and reclassification system
12. ^ United States College Hockey Organization History, Rankings, and Data
13. ^ American Collegiate Hockey National Weekly Rankings

External links

• Official website
• Official Nichols College Athletics Website
• Discussion of founding of Nichols Academy

Coordinates: 42°02′34.34″N 71°55′47.14″W / 42.0428722°N 71.9297611°W / 42.0428722; -71.9297611