Roanoke College

Infobox_University
name = Roanoke College


image_size = 161px
motto = "palmam qui meruit ferat" ("let him who earns the palm wear it") [http://web.roanoke.edu/About_Roanoke/Traditions_and_Customs/Seal.htm]
established = 1842
type = Private, liberal arts
president = Michael C. Maxey
city = Salem
state = Virginia
country = USA
undergrad = 2,006
faculty = 120
free = $121 million
free_label = Endowment
campus = Suburban
nickname = Maroons
tagline = Classic for Tomorrow
website= [http://www.roanoke.edu roanoke.edu]

Roanoke College is an independent, private, coeducational, four-year liberal-arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The college is located in Salem, Virginia, a suburban independent city adjacent to Roanoke, Virginia. Established in 1842, Roanoke is the second oldest Lutheran-affiliated college in the United States.

Roanoke has approximately 2,000 students (55% female, 45% male) who represent approximately 40 states and 25 countries. The college offers 34 majors, 30 minors, 20 concentrations, and pre-professional programs in law, medicine, dentistry, engineering, and ministry. Roanoke awards bachelor's degrees in arts, science, and business administration and is one of 276 colleges with a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society.

Roanoke is an NCAA Division III school competing in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The college fields varsity teams in nine men's and ten women's sports.

History

Early years

Roanoke College was founded in 1842 as a boys' preparatory school by Lutheran pastors David F. Bittle and Christopher C. Baughmann. Originally located in Augusta County near Staunton, the school was called the "Virginia Institute." In 1847, the institute moved to Salem which was developing into a center of commerce and transportation in the region; the institute moved all of its possessions in a single covered wagon. In 1853, the Virginia General Assembly granted a college charter and approved the name "Roanoke College", chosen in honor of the Roanoke Valley. Bittle then served as the college's first president.

Roanoke was one of the few Southern colleges that remained open throughout the American Civil War. The student body was organized into a corps of cadets and fought with Confederate forces at the Battle of Hanging Rock, which occurred a short distance from the college's campus. The students were outmatched and quickly forced to surrender, but the Union commander allowed them to return to the college in exchange for a promise to put down their arms and return to their studies. A monument honoring Salem's Confederate soldiers, erected by the local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, is on the Roanoke campus. The monument is on the grounds of the former Roanoke County courthouse, which is now a college academic building.

International students

Roanoke enrolled its first international students in the late 1800s; the first Mexican student in 1876 and the first Japanese student in 1888. The first Korean to graduate from an American college or university, Surh Beung Kiu, graduated in 1898.

Coeducation

Roanoke became coeducational in 1930 when women were admitted to counter a decline in male enrollment caused by the Great Depression. A small number of women were previously offered limited admission, but not as degree seeking students. Most were from Elizabeth College, a sister Lutheran women's college in Salem that burned in 1921; the students finished the 1921-1922 academic year at Roanoke. The first women's residence hall, Smith Hall, opened in 1941. Roanoke's student body is now more than fifty percent female.

Roanoke adopted the alumnae of Marion College, a sister Lutheran women's college in Marion, Virginia, when it closed in 1967. Marion Hall, a large residence hall constructed in 1968, honors the college and its alumnae.

National championships

Roanoke athletic teams have won two national championships; the 1972 NCAA Division II men's basketball championship and the 1978 Division II men's lacrosse championship. Roanoke's third national championship occurred in 2001; student Casey Smith won an individual championship in the Division III women's 10,000m track and field event.

Recent years

Roanoke experienced exceptional growth in the 1980s and 1990scite book | first = George | last = Keller | authorlink = George Keller | title = Prologue To Prominence, A Half Century at Roanoke College | Publisher = Lutheran University Press | isbn=1-932688-12-9] [http://www.kirkhouse.com/pdf/announcement.pdf] . Two strategic plans, the 1992 Sesquicentennial Campaign and the 2002 Plan (also known as "The Difference"), were successfully completed with well over $150 million raised. The campaigns financed the renovation and construction of numerous facilities including the library, the student center, and the arts and performance center as well as increases in the size and quality of the faculty and the student body.

Roanoke's tenth president (and first female president), Dr. Sabine O'Hara, took office in August 2004. O'Hara, an expert in sustainable economic development, was recruited to lead formulation of a new strategic plan, one that would advance the college into the next decade. In March 2006, Roanoke unveiled "The 2015 Plan" [http://web.roanoke.edu/x5864.xml] [http://web.roanoke.edu/About_Roanoke/Strategic_Plan.htm] , which calls for expanded academic offerings, an increase in enrollment from 1,900 to 2,100 students, renovation and construction of facilities to support increased enrollment, and growth in endowment resources to support financial aid for more students. Successful completion of the plan is ongoing; 2,006 students were enrolled for fall semester 2007, the most in college history, and four new residence halls have opened since 2005.

New leadership

On March 16, 2007, Dr. Sabine O'Hara, Roanoke's tenth president, announced her resignation effective June 30, 2007. O'Hara told the college community that she had accomplished her primary objective at Roanoke by unveiling "The 2015 Plan", the college's current strategic plan, and that new leadership could better achieve the articulated goals. O'Hara's three-year tenure as president was short, but productive; four new residence halls were constructed, two academic buildings were renovated, a new sports stadium opened, records were set for applications and enrollment, and the tradition of balanced budgets was continued (as of O'Hara's departure, Roanoke had a balanced budget for 52 consecutive years).

Michael C. Maxey became Roanoke's eleventh president on July 1, 2007. Maxey previously served as Roanoke's vice president for college relations and dean of admissions and financial aid from 1992 until his selection as president. Roanoke received a record number of applications nine times during Maxey's tenure as vice president, and in May 2007, graduated 410 students, the largest class at that time in college history. In lieu of naming an interim president while a national search was conducted to replace O'Hara, the board of trustees unanimously elected Maxey to become Roanoke's eleventh president.

President Maxey presided over commencement for the first time on May 3, 2008. Roanoke graduated 421 students, the largest class in college history.

Leaders

Principals of Virginia Institute, 1842-1853

*David F. Bittle, 1842-1845
*Christopher C. Baughman, 1845-1853

Presidents of Roanoke College, 1853-present

*David F. Bittle, 1853-1876
*Thomas W. Dosh, 1877-1878
*Julius D. Dreher, 1878-1903
*John A. Morehead, 1903-1920
*Charles J. Smith, 1920-1949
*H. Sherman Oberly, 1949-1963
*Perry F. Kendig, 1963-1975
*Norman D. Fintel, 1975-1989
*David M. Gring, 1989-2004
*Sabine U. O'Hara, 2004-2007
*Michael C. Maxey, 2007

Lutheran heritage

Established in 1842, Roanoke is the second oldest (Gettysburg College is the oldest) Lutheran-affiliated college in the United States and is associated with three synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; the Virginia Synod, the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod, and the West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod. The Virginia Synod is headquartered on the Roanoke campus (in Bittle Hall; the college's first library now occupied by the Bishop of the Virginia Synod).

Historically, the state of Virginia has had a small Lutheran population. As a result, Roanoke has admitted many students from other religious denominations. Approximately 20 religious groups are now represented in the student body with Roman Catholic the most prevalent; Lutherans total less than 20% of the student body.

Roanoke has an active religious life program for students seeking that experience, however, religion is not prominent on the Roanoke campus; students are not required to attend religious services or to take classes in religion. Roanoke has an independent board of trustees and is not controlled by the church.

The dominant aspect of Roanoke's Lutheran heritage is the college's commitment to academic freedom. Martin Luther encouraged freedom from oppression along with freedom for learning and freedom for service in the community. Roanoke aims to produce resourceful and responsible citizens who are well-educated in the Lutheran tradition of intellectual freedom.

Academics

Roanoke is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's degrees in arts, science, and business administration. In addition, the business administration program is accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs; the chemistry program is accredited by the American Chemical Society; the teacher licensure program is accredited by the Virginia Department of Education; and the athletic training program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.

Roanoke offers 34 majors, 29 minors, and 19 concentrations. The college also offers dual degree programs with Virginia Tech and the University of Tennessee that lead to a Roanoke degree and an engineering degree from the other school. Each year, Roanoke invites approximately 40 incoming freshmen and first-term sophomores to become members of the Honors Program. These students complete the Honors Curriculum in lieu of the Roanoke College "Centers of Distinction" Curriculum. Honors students are offered numerous special learning experiences including plays, lectures, concerts, and service projects.

Roanoke has 14 academic departments:

* Biology
* Business Administration and Economics
* Chemistry
* Education
* English
* Fine Arts
* Foreign Language
* Health and Human Performance
* History
* Math, Computer Science, and Physics
* Public Affairs
* Religion and Philosophy
* Psychology
* Sociology

tatistics

tudent Body

Roanoke has approximately 2,000 students (55% female, 45% male) who represent approximately 40 states and 25 countries. Approximately 60% of the student body is from Virginia; the majority of out-of-state students are from Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. In 2007, for the seventh consecutive year, Roanoke received a record number of freshman applications; over 3,200 for approximately 540 openings.

Faculty

Roanoke has a tenure-track faculty of 120 (95% hold the highest degrees in their fields) plus a variety of adjunct professors selected from the business, political, and other communities for their subject matter expertise. [http://roanoke.edu/About_Roanoke/Fast_Facts.htm]

Library

Roanoke's Fintel Library, named after Dr. Norman Fintel, eighth president of the college, has a collection of over half a million items. Roanoke and nearby Hollins University have a reciprocal borrowing agreement expanding the size of the library collection by another 300,000 items.

pecial Programs

Roanoke has several special programs that bring distinguished visitors to the college.

The Henry H. Fowler Public Affairs Lecture Series brings respected world leaders to campus. Guest lecturers have included former presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and Lawrence Eagleburger, former Polish president Lech Walesa, former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt, former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, and numerous other diplomats and public officials. In addition, the Copenhaver Artist-in-Residence Program brings visiting artists to campus, including theatrical productions, while the Charles H. Fisher Lecture Series brings distinguished scientists to campus.

tudent Organizations

Roanoke has over 100 student organizations that provide learning experiences outside the classroom. Students may choose from academic, religious, service, and social organizations including a campus newspaper, a student-operated radio station: WRKE-LP, a literary magazine, and eight Greek social organizations. Intramural sports are also offered.

Greek life

Organizations

Roanoke has recognized chapters of nine social Greek organizations.

Fraternities:

*Kappa Alpha Order (Beta Rho Chapter, established 1924, revived 1988)
*Pi Kappa Alpha (Phi Chapter, established 1896, revived 2001)
*Pi Kappa Phi (Xi Chapter, established 1916, revived 2005)
*Sigma Chi (Tau Chapter, established 1872, revived 1923)

Sororities:

*Alpha Sigma Alpha (Theta Beta Chapter, established 2002)
*Chi Omega (Pi Epsilon Chapter, established 1955)
*Delta Gamma (Gamma Pi Chapter, established 1955)
*Phi Mu (Gamma Eta Chapter, established 1955)
*Delta Sigma Theta (Tau Omega Chapter, established 2005)

Greek History

Roanoke has a long history of Greek organizations. The Black Badge Society, organized at Roanoke in 1859, was one of the earliest Greek organizations established in the South. The fraternity became inactive at Roanoke in 1879, but had expanded to include chapters at eight other colleges and universities, the last of which became inactive in 1882.

In addition to the Black Badge Society, Roanoke's inactive fraternities include:

*Alpha Tau Omega (Epsilon Chapter, established 1869)
*Phi Delta Theta (Virginia Alpha Chapter, established 1869)
*Phi Gamma Delta (Beta Deuteron Chapter, established 1867)
*Pi Lambda Phi (Virginia Lambda Kappa Chapter, established 1959)
*Sigma Phi Epsilon (Virginia Gamma Chapter, established 1903) Roanoke added sororities for the first time in 1955; the three organizations, Delta Gamma, Chi Omega, and Phi Mu, were housed in Bowman Hall for many years until they moved to Chesapeake Hall in 2006. Roanoke's newest Greek organization is Delta Sigma Theta, the college's first historically African-American sorority.

Housing

Roanoke's Greek organizations reside in college-owned housing. Roanoke's fraternity row, however, constructed in the 1960s, no longer houses the college's fraternities; the buildings have been converted into residence halls. The Greek organizations are now housed in various locations on the Roanoke campus. Kappa Alpha Order, Pi Kappa Alpha, Sigma Chi, and Alpha Sigma Alpha have houses. Delta Gamma, Chi Omega, Phi Mu, and Pi Kappa Phi occupy Chesapeake Hall, a new residence hall that opened in 2006; each organization has a floor in the four-story building.

tudent Participation

Roanoke's Greek organizations have a prominent role on campus, but are not dominant; approximately 25% of the Roanoke student body participates in Greek life. Freshmen students must wait until spring semester to join a fraternity or sorority. Roanoke has over 100 student organizations that provide many extracurricular opportunities other than Greek life.

Campus

Quadrangles

Roanoke's campus is relatively self-contained with most academic buildings and residence halls built around two quadrangles; the John R. Turbyfill Front Quad and the "Back" Quad. [http://www.roanoke.edu/map/] Newer residence halls and athletic facilities form a partial outer ring around the traditional quads. The campus is lined with brick sidewalks and has been recognized for its landscaping and views of the surrounding mountains.

Architecture

The campus architecture is a blend of traditional and modern styles. The Administration Building, constructed in 1848 with bricks made on-site, and five other buildings, Miller Hall, Trout Hall, Bittle Hall, Francis T. West Hall, and Monterey House, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [http://roanoke.edu/x9931.xml?cat=] [http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/VA/Salem/state.html] [http://hcap.artstor.org/cgi-bin/library?a=d&d=p1403] [http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/VA/Roanoke/state.html] The Fintel Library, the Colket Student Center, and most residence halls have the traditional style of the older structures. Other newer buildings are more modern. These include Antrim Chapel, the science complex comprised of Trexler Hall, Massengill Auditorium, and the Life Science Building, the fine arts building named F. W. Olin Hall, and the C. Homer Bast Physical Education and Recreational Center. [http://www.roanoke.edu/map/]

National Register of Historic Places

Six college buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [http://roanoke.edu/x9931.xml?cat=] Roanoke's four oldest buildings, listed as the Main Campus Complex, are the Administration building, constructed in 1848; Miller Hall, constructed in 1857; Trout Hall, constructed in 1867; and Bittle Hall, constructed in 1878. Francis T. West Hall (the former Roanoke County courthouse now named after a Roanoke alumnus), constructed in 1910; and Monterey House, constructed in 1853, are also listed.

Residence halls

Approximately 65% of the student body resides on campus. Residence halls for freshman students include Bartlett Hall, Smith Hall, Crawford Hall, Marion Hall, Blue Ridge Hall, and Shenandoah Hall. Upperclass students reside in Bowman Hall, Chalmers Hall, Wells Hall, Yonce Hall, Fox Hall, Tabor Hall, Catawba Hall, Augusta Hall, Caldwell Hall, Allegheny Hall, Ritter Hall, Chesapeake Hall, and Elizabeth Hall.

President's House

The President's House is in a residential district approximately one-half mile north of the Roanoke campus. The colonial revival mansion, one of the largest private homes in the area, was constructed in the late 1930s; was purchased in the mid-1950s by John P. Fishwick, president of the Norfolk and Western Railway and a Roanoke alumnus; and was acquired by the college in 1968. Presidents Kendig, Fintel, Gring, O'Hara, and Maxey have lived in the house.

Elizabeth campus

Additional college facilities, mostly residence halls and athletic fields, are located on the site of the former Elizabeth College, a Lutheran women's college that closed in 1922. The area, approximately two miles east of the main campus, is now referred to as Roanoke's "Elizabeth campus". Houses for Kappa Alpha Order, Pi Kappa Alpha, and Alpha Sigma Alpha are on Elizabeth campus along with Elizabeth Hall, a large residence hall with apartments for non-freshman students.

New construction

With the opening of three new residence halls in 2005, Caldwell Hall, Allegheny Hall, and Ritter Hall, known collectively as "CAR", the Roanoke campus has more than 50 buildings. Chesapeake Hall, another new residence hall, opened in 2006.

Trout Hall and Miller Hall, two of Roanoke's oldest buildings, reopened in 2005 and 2006 after complete renovation and a new campus entrance, highlighted by a large colonnade, opened in 2005.

Donald J. Kerr Stadium, a 1,000 seat multi-sport artificial turf athletic complex, opened in 2007. The artificial surface complements the college's natural surface athletic fields. The field is used primarily as the home venue of the men's and women's lacrosse teams, but is also suitable for soccer and field hockey.

Roanoke began construction on a new freshman housing complex in 2007; three existing residence halls, Blue Ridge Hall, Shenandoah Hall, and Tabor Hall, are being renovated and enlarged to form the complex. The first phase is scheduled to open in 2008 with the second phase set to open in 2009.

Roanoke in Germany

Roanoke offers study abroad programs including the "Roanoke College in Wittenberg" spring semester in Germany. The program is a link to Roanoke's heritage as the second oldest Lutheran-affiliated college in the United States; Martin Luther's Protestant Reformation originated in Wittenberg where he posted the 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church. Roanoke professors provide the instruction; courses are offered in German language and literature, history, humanities, religion.

Athletics

Roanoke is an NCAA Division III school competing in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. [http://odac.bridgewater.edu/] The college fields varsity teams (known as "Maroons"; the college's athletic colors are maroon and gray) in nine men's and ten women's sports. Roanoke is particularly noted for the strength of its men's lacrosse program.

History

Roanoke athletics began in 1870 when the college fielded its first baseball team. The men's basketball program, added in 1911, received national recognition in 1939 when the team finished third in the National Invitational Tournament, the premiere postseason tournament of that era; and with more than 1,200 wins (almost 2,000 games played; better than 60% winning percentage over more than 90 years) is among the most successful in the nation. Frankie Allen, arguably the greatest men's basketball player in Virginia college history (2,780 points and 1,758 rebounds), graduated from Roanoke in 1971. Roanoke teams have won two national championships: the 1972 NCAA Division II men's basketball championship and the 1978 Division II men's lacrosse championship. In 2001, Roanoke student Casey Smith won an individual national championship in the Division III women's 10,000m track and field event.

Roanoke teams have won 87 conference championships (as of April 2008; 42 in men's sports, 45 in women's sports) since the college joined the ODAC as a founding member in 1976. [http://odac.bridgewater.edu/alltimeodacchamps.html] Roanoke has won more conference championships than any other ODAC school in men's lacrosse (15), women's basketball (13), women's lacrosse (9) and softball (7). [http://odac.bridgewater.edu/alltimeodacchamps.html] Roanoke and Hampden-Sydney College are tied for the most conference championships in men's basketball (10). [http://odac.bridgewater.edu/alltimeodacchamps.html]

Recent achievements

2006-2007

Roanoke completed the 2006-2007 academic year having won three ODAC championships; women's indoor track and field, women's outdoor track and field, and men's lacrosse. [http://odac.bridgewater.edu/0607year_review.htm] Roanoke finished second in men's basketball, men's tennis, women's lacrosse, and women's cross country. [http://odac.bridgewater.edu/0607year_review.htm] In individual action, Roanoke students won the Virginia Division III golf tournament, the Virginia Division II/III women's cross country championship, and the ODAC men's cross country championship.

The men's and women's lacrosse teams advanced to the 2007 NCAA Division III tournament quarter-finals; both were defeated by the number #1 teams in the country. The men's team, after winning it fifteenth ODAC championship, ended the season with 15 wins, which for the third straight year, tied the college record for wins in a season. The women's team, after finishing second in the ODAC, ended its season with 15 wins as well, the second most in team history.

The women's outdoor track and field team finished second in the 4x100 relay event at the 2007 NCAA Division III tournament; the team set a new college and ODAC record with their NCAA second-place time. [http://odac.bridgewater.edu/0607year_review.htm]

2007-2008

Roanoke completed the 2007-2008 academic year having won three ODAC championships; men's soccer, women's indoor track and field, and women's outdoor track and field. [http://odac.bridgewater.edu/alltimeodacchamps.html] The track and field championships were Roanoke's third consecutive in each sport. Roanoke finished second in women's soccer and women's lacrosse.

The men's and women's soccer teams advanced to the 2007 NCAA Division III tournament. The men's team lost in the opening round; the women's team lost in the second round.

The women's outdoor track and field team finished second in the 4x100 relay event at the 2008 NCAA Division III tournament; the team finished second in 2007 as well. Overall, the team completed the tournament in fifth place with the highest point total and highest finish in Roanoke history. [https://www.roanoke.edu/athletics/Sports/release.cfm?id=1150&sport_code=wotf]

Another significant achievement during the 2007-2008 academic year involved Susan Dunagan, head women's basketball coach who won her 500th game in November 2007. [http://www.roanoke.edu/athletics/wbball/recap.pdf?sport_code=wbball&acad_year=2008-2009] She is the ninth NCAA Division III head coach to win 500 games. Dunagan has coached at Roanoke since 1981 and has led the college to thirteen ODAC championships, the most by any school in conference history.

Teams

Roanoke teams compete in the following sports:

*Baseball
*Basketball, Men's
*Basketball, Women's
*Cross-Country, Men's
*Cross-Country, Women's
*Field Hockey
*Golf
*Lacrosse, Men's
*Lacrosse, Women's
*Soccer, Men's
*Soccer, Women's
*Softball
*Tennis, Men's
*Tennis, Women's
*Track and Field (Indoor), Men's
*Track and Field (Indoor), Women's
*Track and Field (Outdoor), Men's
*Track and Field (Outdoor), Women's
*Volleyball

Football

Roanoke does not compete in football; discontinued during World War II, the program was not revived. The final game was a 42-0 loss to Catawba College on 13 November 1942. In 1985, the Salem city government constructed an 8,000 seat stadium adjacent to Roanoke's "Elizabeth campus", two miles from the main campus, location of athletic fields and residence halls. Constructed for Salem's public high school, many hoped the college would revive its football program and that the team would play in the stadium, but the college declined. The stadium hosts the annual NCAA Division III football championship even though Roanoke does not compete in the sport.

Rivalries

Roanoke does not have an archrival in athletics primarily because the college does not compete in football. Hampden-Sydney College, Lynchburg College, and Randolph-Macon College draw the most attention in men's sports. Bridgewater College and Lynchburg College draw attention in women's sports. All are members of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.

Roanoke and Virginia Tech were rivals in the late 1800s and early 1900s when Virginia Tech was a small college. In 1877, the schools competed in Virginia Tech's first intercollegiate baseball game (Virginia Tech won 53-13; an amazing score); and in 1896, Virginia Tech first wore its current athletic colors -- maroon and burnt orange -- in a football game against Roanoke. [http://spec.lib.vt.edu/archives/databook/text/chap2/2_8.htm] [http://www.vt.edu/about/hokie.html] In 1895, Roanoke and Virginia Tech were charter members of the now defunct Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Association along with Randolph-Macon College, the University of Richmond, and the College of William and Mary; and in 1926, Roanoke and Virginia Tech played the inaugural football game at Virginia Tech's Miles Stadium. [http://spec.lib.vt.edu/archives/databook/text/chap2/2_8.htm] [http://spec.lib.vt.edu/archives/databook/text/chap6/6_4.htm]

chool Colors

Roanoke is one of the few colleges with two sets of school colors; blue and yellow are the academic colors; maroon and gray are the athletic colors. In the early days of the baseball program (first team fielded in 1870; exact date of the colors change is uncertain), the team needed new uniforms, but the supplier was sold-out of blue and yellow. Maroon and gray uniforms were purchased as a substitute. Roanoke's athletic department embraced the colors and adopted them as the college's official athletic colors; the college's athletic nickname became "Maroons" as well. Roanoke's traditional blue and yellow, however, remain as the academic colors although commencement is generally the only time they are used.

Nickname and Mascot

Roanoke's athletic nickname is "Maroons", but the college does not have a mascot. For more than 100 years, "Maroons" has been only a color. The college, however, announced plans in April 2008 to select a mascot as a part of its current strategic campaign. [http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/159755]

In the press

Roanoke is listed favorably in many national publications. "U.S. News and World Report" ranks Roanoke as a national liberal arts college [cite web | title = America's Best Colleges 2008: Roanoke College: At a glance | publisher = USNews.com | url = http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/brief/drglance_3736_brief.php] ; the "Princeton Review" lists Roanoke among the "Best in the Southeast" [cite web | title = The Princeton Review: Roanoke College | url = http://www.princetonreview.com/schools/college/CollegeBasics.aspx?iid=1022702&uidbadge=%07] ; and the "Templeton Guide "names Roanoke as a college that encourages character development [cite web | title = John Templeton Foundation: College and Character: The Templeton Guide: Colleges By State | url = http://www.collegeandcharacter.org/guide/collegestate.html#virginia] . Roanoke is also listed as a 'College of Distinction' [cite web | title = Colleges Of Distinction | url = http://www.collegesofdistinction.com/collegetemplates/default.asp?cid=210] ; and in 2006, "Men's Fitness" magazine named Roanoke the 19th "fittest campus" in the United States [cite web | title = Men's Fitness: Fittest Colleges In America 2006 | url = http://www.mensfitness.com/college_rankings/79] [cite news | title = Pennsylvania, Virginia home to fittest colleges, magazine says | publisher = USAToday.com | url = http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-10-03-fitness-colleges_x.htm] based on the college's fitness facilities and healthy food options made available for students.

In 2005, George Keller, a noted American expert on higher education, authored "Prologue to Prominence, A Half Century at Roanoke College". Published by Lutheran University Press, the book documents the college's academic and financial success over the past half century. Other books about Roanoke College include "The First Hundred Years, Roanoke College 1842-1942" by William E. Eisenberg and "Dear Ole Roanoke, a Sesquicentennial Portrait, 1842-1992" by Dr. Mark F. Miller. These books were written as a part of the college's centennial and sesquicentennial celebrations.

Notable Alumni

Business

* D. R. "Dee" Carpenter - vice president, Landmark Publishing; past president and publisher of "The Virginian Pilot"
* Warner N. Dalhouse - vice chairman (ret), First Union National Bank
* Frank W. DeFriece, Jr. - president (ret), S.E. Massengill Company
* John P. Fishwick - president (ret), Norfolk and Western Railway
* John T. Lupton - one of three partners who obtained exclusive bottling rights for Coca-Cola; a founder of the first Coca-Cola Bottling Company
* John McAfee - software entrepreneur; founder of McAfee
* John A. Mulheren - noted Wall Street trader and philanthropist
* Jay Piccola - president, PUMA AG North America
* Albert L. Prillaman - chairman (ret), Stanley Furniture Corporation
* David C. Robinson - movie producer; vice president, Morgan Creek Productions
* William T. Ross, Sr. - assistant vice president (ret), Norfolk and Western Railway
* Stuart T. Saunders - founding chairman, Penn Central Railroad
* John S. Shannon - executive vice president (ret), Norfolk Southern Corporation
* John R. Turbyfill - vice chairman (ret), Norfolk Southern Corporation

Education

* Frankie Allen - arguably the greatest men's basketball player in Virginia college history; head men's basketball coach, University of Maryland Eastern Shore; former head men's basketball coach, Virginia Tech, Tennessee State University, and Howard University; 1993 NCAA Division I national coach of the year
* Donald Armentrout - author and long-time professor of religion, University of the South
* Denvy A. Bowman - president, Capital University
* M. Paul Capp - professor emeritus of radiology, University of Arizona; executive director (ret), The American Board of Radiology
* Eldridge H. Copenhaver - past president, Marion College
* R. H. W. Dillard - award-winning poet and author; long-time professor of English and creative writing at Hollins University
* Charles H. Fisher - author of more than 200 publications and holder of 72 patents in the fields of organic and polymer chemistry
* Kenneth R. Garren - president, Lynchburg College
* Dolphus E. Henry - past president, Tusculum College
* Cornelius T. Jordan - past president, New Mexico State University
* Charles B. King - past president, Elizabeth College
* Lewis R. Lancaster - Buddhist scholar; professor emeritus, University of California, Berkeley; past president, University of the West
* Robert Lineburg - athletic director, Radford University; former interim head men's basketball coach, Southern Methodist University
* Vernon Mountcastle - neuroscientist who discovered and characterized the columnar organization of the cerebral cortex
* David W. Peters - past president, Radford University
* Miller A. F. Ritchie - past president, Hartwick College and Pacific University
* James A. B. Scherer - past president, Newberry College and Throop College of Technology now named California Institute of Technology
* Hillary Scott - head men's basketball coach, Lynchburg College; former assistant head men's basketball coach, East Tennessee State University and Pennsylvania State University
* Surh Beung Kiu - the first Korean to graduate from an American college; Roanoke class of 1898
* Carol M. Swain - African-American author; Pulitzer Prize nominee
* David F. Thornton - senior development officer, Harvard Law School
* Munsey S. Wheby - professor of internal medicine, University of Virginia; past president, American College of Physicians

Government

* Frederick C. Boucher - United States Representative, Virginia's 9th Congressional district
* Henry H. Fowler - United States Treasury Secretary in the administration of President Lyndon Johnson
* Donald H. Kent, Jr. - Assistant Secretary, United States Department of Homeland Security in the administration of President George W. Bush
* Kim Kyu-shik - Korean independence leader; represented Korea at the Paris peace conference at the end of World War I
* James W. Marshall - former United States Representative, Virginia's 9th Congressional district
* Park Hee Byung - Korean independence leader; worked to end the Japanese annexation of Korea
* E. J. Pipkin - member, Maryland State Senate; 2004 candidate for United States Senate
* Gilbert A. Robinson - career diplomat; awarded personal Ambassador rank by President Ronald Reagan; coordinated the Nixon-Khrushchev Kitchen Debate
* Robert P. Spellane - member, Massachusetts House of Representatives
* Frank S. Tavenner, Jr. - former United States Attorney, Federal District Court for the Western District of Virginia
* James C. Turk - Senior Judge, Federal District Court for the Western District of Virginia
* James P. Woods - former United States Representative, Virginia's 6th Congressional district

Other

* Sean Burch - the first Virginian to summit Mount Everest (2003); set the world record for the fastest ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro (2005)
* Charles E. Davis, Jr. - surgeon; past president, Medical Society of Virginia
* W. A. R. Goodwin - rector of Bruton Parish Church who assisted John D. Rockefeller, Jr. with the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg; known as the "Father of Colonial Williamsburg"
*Theodore Schneider - Bishop of the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 1995-2007
* Frank Vest, Jr. - Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia, 1991-1998

Roanoke and the Railway

The Norfolk and Western Railway, now Norfolk Southern Corporation, has provided career opportunities for many Roanoke alumni; the NWR was headquartered in Roanoke until 1982 and is a major employer in western Virginia. Roanoke graduates who have advanced to leadership positions include Stuart T. Saunders and John P. Fishwick, former presidents of the NWR; John R. Turbyfill, retired vice-chairman, NSC; John S. Shannon, retired executive vice president, NSC; and William T. Ross, Sr., retired assistant vice president, NWR.

Roanoke has strong historic ties to the railway due in part to its alumni connections. The NWR named a Pullman car "Roanoke College" in honor of the college and Fishwick's Salem residence is now the college President's House. Saunders and Turbyfill served as chairman of Roanoke's board of trustees. In 2007, David R. Goode, retired chairman, NSC, endowed Roanoke's Center for Learning and Teaching in honor of his father, sister, and brother-in-law, all Roanoke graduates. [http://web.roanoke.edu/x11836.xml]

References

External links

* [http://www.roanoke.edu Roanoke College - website]
* [http://web.roanoke.edu/About_Roanoke/Fast_Facts.htm Roanoke College - Fast Facts]
* [http://www.roanoke.edu/map Roanoke College - Campus Map]
* [http://www.roanoke.edu/athletics Roanoke College - Athletics]
* [http://www.roanoke.edu/safety/ Roanoke College - Office of Campus Safety]
* [http://www.wrke.org/ Roanoke College - Radio Station: WKRE]
* [http://www.collegesofdistinction.com/collegetemplates/default.asp?cid=210 Colleges of Distinction - Roanoke College]