Coe College

Coe College
Motto	"Veritas Virtusque" (Truth and Virtue)
Established	1851
Type	Private
Endowment	US $69.5 million[1]
President	James R. Phifer
Academic staff	80
Undergraduates	1,300
Location	Cedar Rapids, IA, USA
Campus	50 acres (200,000 m2)
Colors	Crimson and Gold
Nickname	Kohawks
Affiliations	Presbyterian Church (USA)
Website	http://www.coe.edu/

Coe College is a private, four-year, liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Founded in 1851, the institution is historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Its current president is James R. Phifer. It is one of the smaller universities to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. It is one of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM).

Academics

Coe offers more than 40 majors: Accounting, African-American Studies, American Studies, Art, Asian Studies, Athletic Training, Biochemistry, Biology, Business Administration, Chemistry, Computer Science, Creative Writing, Economics, Education, English, English as a Second Language – ESL, Environmental Science, French, French Studies, Gender Studies, General Science, German, German Studies, History, Historical Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies, Literature, Mathematics, Molecular Biology, Music, Neuroscience, Nursing, Philosophy, Physical Education, Physics, Political Science, Pre-Professional Programs, Psychology, Public, Relations, Religion, Sociology, Spanish, Spanish Studies, Speech, Theatre Arts, and Writing.

Coe also provides the option for students to create their own major under the guidance of faculty members.

Coe College awards the following degrees:

• Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
• Bachelor of Music (B.M.)
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.)
• Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T)

Stewart Memorial Library

Stewart Memorial Library houses more than 202,000 books and other materials. The library contains gallery spaces featuring collections from Iowa artists Marvin Cone, Conger Metcalf, and Grant Wood.^[2]

Stewart Memorial Library was renovated and expanded in 1989 through a grant from the Hall Foundation. The original building was a gift from Robert W. Stewart, chairman of the board of Standard Oil company, in 1931.

National Rankings

Coe is recognized by a variety of college ranking publications. U.S. News & World Report regularly includes Coe in its "America's Best Colleges" publication, which ranked Coe tied for 98th among national liberal arts colleges in its 2009 edition. Coe is also included in the latest editions of The Princeton Review 361 Best Colleges and Peterson's Guide to Selective Colleges. Barron's "300 Best Buys in College Education ranks Coe as "Very Competitive."

Department of Music

Coe College is known for a strong Department of Music, with a long history of excellence. Approximately one out of every four students participates in music each year. Marc Falk is chair of the Department of Music, which has been accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) since 1962. Performing ensembles include a concert band, concert choir, a chamber choir (known as Crimson & Gold) women's chorale, symphony orchestra, and jazz band. There also is a student-led drumline that operates independently of the music department. The department sponsors chapters of two musically oriented fraternities, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Mu Phi Epsilon.

Fraternities and sororities

Coe has an active Greek social community: five men's fraternities and three women's fraternities (sororities). The groups, all of which are chapters of national organizations, include fraternities Lambda Chi Alpha, Sigma Nu, Phi Kappa Tau, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Tau Kappa Epsilon; and sororities Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Sigma Alpha and Delta Delta Delta. The campus is also home to a chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon, a coeducational professional music fraternity.

At one time, Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity and Alpha Xi Delta and Chi Omega sororities had chapters on campus but they are now defunct.

Coe has recently^[when?] implemented a Greek Task Force focusing on revising the current Greek system. The Greek Task Force is composed of Greek students, Greek alumni, Coe faculty and administrators, and non-Greek students.

There are no "official" sorority or fraternity houses located off campus. All official Greek houses are located in the residence halls on campus.

Writing Center

Coe's Writing Center is the largest undergraduate writing center in the nation^{[citation needed]}. There are about 70 students on staff for the 2008–2009 academic year.

The Coe Writing Center opened in September 1986 with a staff of seven writing consultants directed by Robert L. Marrs, professor of rhetoric. Since that first year, the CWC has grown in size and influence on campus, currently conducting over 2,000 student conferences per year. Staff members have published dozens of articles and essays in professional journals and have given over 80 presentations at state, regional, and national conferences. Most recent conferences have included the Midwest Writing Center Association conference in Rapid City, South Dakota.

The CWC also produces and distributes several campus publications, including The Pearl, Colere, Coetry, and the Coe Quarto.

Notable alumni

• Fran Allison – the "Fran" in the 1950s TV series Kukla, Fran and Ollie
• Michael Boddicker – Grammy winning musician^[3]
• Wilmer D. Elfrink – college football and basketball coach
• Paul Engle – founder of the Iowa Writer's Workshop and the International Writer's Workshop, both at the University of Iowa
• Bill Fitch – head coach of various NBA teams
• Chris Funk – guitarist and eclectic instrumentalist for The Decemberists
• James William Good – US Congressman and Secretary of War
• Fred Hickman – sportscaster, formerly of Turner Sports, ESPN and YES Network
• Fred Jackson – Running back, Buffalo Bills
• Jason Kottke – blogger, designer
• Marv Levy – Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee; former coach for the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills - former general manager for the Bills.
• Curt Menefee – sportscaster, host of Fox NFL Sunday
• Edward A. Ross – sociologist
• William Shirer – journalist, author
• Shelby Steele – author, sociologist, political commentator
• S. Donald Stookey – inventor of Fotoform and CorningWare
• Gregory Alan Williams – actor and author^[4]

References

1. ^ As of June 30, 2009. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2009 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2008 to FY 2009" (PDF). 2009 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. National Association of College and University Business Officers. http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2009_NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values.pdf. Retrieved March 1, 2010. 
2. ^ "The Iowan" Fall Issue 1989, page 32
3. ^ Winter Courier 2004, p. 22, PDF. Coe Community College. Retrieved on 9 March 2008.
4. ^ "Williams, GregAlan". desmoinesregister.com. http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/FAMOUSIOWANS/607020334/0/famousiowans. Retrieved 2 January 2010. 

External links

• Coe College Official Site

Coordinates: 41°59′16.11″N 91°39′27.70″W / 41.9878083°N 91.657694°W / 41.9878083; -91.657694