Ohio Northern University

Ohio Northern University
Established	1871
Type	Private
Endowment	$112.9 million[1]
President	Daniel DiBiasio (since August 1, 2011)
Academic staff	207
Students	3,721 (2008)
Undergraduates	3,290 (2007)
Location	Ada, Ohio, USA
Campus	Rural
Latin motto	"Ex Diversitate Vires"
Colors	Orange, Black, White
Nickname	Polar Bears
Mascot	Klondike
Affiliations	United Methodist Church
Website	http://www.onu.edu/

Ohio Northern University is a private, United Methodist Church-affiliated university located in the United States in Ada, Ohio, founded by Henry Solomon Lehr in 1871. ONU is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. ONU is a sister university with Dankook University, a private university in Seoul, South Korea. In 2008, U.S. News & World Report listed Ohio Northern as the second-best comprehensive college in the Midwest.^[2]

Academic programs

McIntosh Center, the Student Center of Ohio Northern University.

The university comprises five colleges:

• Getty College of Arts and Sciences - official site
• James F. Dicke College of Business Administration - official site
• T.J. Smull College of Engineering - official site
• Rudolph H. Raabe College of Pharmacy - official site
• Claude W. Pettit College of Law (established 1885) - official site

Prior to 1973, the law school was known as "the Warren G. Harding College of Law".^[3] It was renamed in honor of Claude W. Pettit, a judge and former dean of the college.^[4]

History

Early years

An Ohio historical marker outlining the university's history

Henry Solomon Lehr, a former soldier in the American Civil War, became the schoolmaster for the Ada public school in 1866. Lehr began offering additional courses in the evenings to motivated students to cover topics beyond the standard curriculum. After five years, he approached the town about starting a college.^{[citation needed]} In August 1871, the Northwestern Ohio Normal School started with nearly 150 students attending classes in downtown stores and local churches until the first classroom building was completed in October.^{[citation needed]} Lehr built the college, and was involved in all activities, including teaching, construction of buildings, faculty selection and curriculum design. In the post-civil war period, the school’s focus was on training individuals to become public school teachers. By the mid-1880s, the school’s curriculum had expanded to include programs in pharmacy, engineering, law, and business. In 1885, the school trustees changed the name to Ohio Normal University to reflect the expanded aspirations and scope.^{[citation needed]}

The Music Department of Ohio Northern University, with Administration buildings in the background.

President Lehr’s educational philosophy emphasized low tuition, flexible schedule and curriculum, and allowed women as students and faculty. To secure the school’s future, Lehr tried to secure state support for the school, but when that failed, he arranged to transfer the school to the United Methodist Church.^{[citation needed]} When the transfer was completed in 1899, he was succeeded by Dr. Leroy Belt in 1900, and then by Dr. Albert Edwin Smith in 1905.^{[citation needed]}

Growth and struggle

Between 1900 and 1930, the school grew and was re-organized administratively. During this period, the name changed to Ohio Northern University.^{[citation needed]} A medical school and agriculture school were started, but subsequently closed. As high schools became more common in Ohio, ONU closed its preparatory program, which had allowed students to prepare for college. Dr. Smith traveled extensively on behalf of the school, and secured donations of nearly $500,000 for the first endowment fund.^{[citation needed]} Fraternities had continued presence on campus, and Smith fought to maintain the student code which forbids smoking and drinking.^{[citation needed]}

During the Great Depression and World War II, the school struggled financially as student enrollment dropped. Dr. Robert Williams introduced economy measures by reducing the administrative staff and combining academic programs. During the war years, the university participated in government programs supporting the Army Air Corps and Navy. In the 1940s, both the yearbook and student newspaper ceased publication, a classroom building was closed, and intercollegiate sports were suspended. President McClure served his first year without pay and many of the faculty went unpaid or on reduced salaries.^{[citation needed]}

Post-war education boom

In 1944, the G.I. Bill enabled veteran military servicemen to attend college across the country. ONU received an influx of students in fall of 1945, and which continued for several years, straining the local housing and forcing the university, under the leadership of Dr. Robert McClure, to add trailers and student dormitories.^{[citation needed]} By 1949, Dr. F. Bringle McIntosh shifted the school’s focus from survival to enhancing academic programs and securing accreditation. During the following years, individual programs were accredited and in 1958 the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools accredited the undergraduate program.^{[citation needed]}

Plaque commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King's speech at ONU on January 11, 1968, one of the last campus visits made by Dr. King before his assassination.

Throughout the 1960s, a number of ONU students and faculty/staff participated in the American Civil Rights Movement. ONU hosted Dr. Martin Luther King on January 11, 1968, four days before his 39th birthday and just three months before his assassination.^[5] During his visit at ONU, Dr. King famously spoke regarding the myth that many immigrant and/or ethnic groups successfully pulled themselves up by their bootstraps, whereas African Americans were incapable of doing so.^[6][7]

Undergraduate student housing, Ohio Northern University.

Under Dr. Samuel Lewis Meyer and Dr. Ray B. Loeschner, the university continued to expand its campus and curriculum, enjoying financial stability from steadily increasing enrollment. In the 1970s, new buildings included the Heterick Memorial Library, the Tilton College of Law and Taggart Law Library, the Wesley Center, the Young Building for Philosophy and Religion, the Biggs Engineering Building, the King-Horn Convocation Center, ONU Sports Center, Park Hall, two McIntosh extensions, along with refurbishing the Taft Building, the Wilson Art Center, and the Meyer Hall of Science. Five national honorary societies established chapters on campus, student organizations grew, and intercollegiate athletic teams expanded.^{[citation needed]}

Recent growth

Entrance to ONU College of Law at night

Growth continued under Dr. DeBow Freed through the 1980s and 1990s with additions to the Taggart Law Library, Presser Hall, Dukes Memorial, Wilson Art Building, Biggs Engineering, Heterick Memorial Library, and Meyer Hall of Science, and the construction of the Freed Center for the Performing Arts and a new president’s on-campus home. Under Dr. Kendall Baker, campus additions include Dicke Hall, an expansion of the Robertson-Evans Pharmacy building, and the Dial-Roberson Stadium. Current construction projects include the Mathile Center for the Natural Sciences annex connecting Meyer Hall of Science with the Pharmacy building and a comprehensive renovation of all on-campus housing. In 2008, Ohio Northern University built and opened The Inn at Ohio Northern University, which contains over 70 deluxe guestrooms.^[8]

Technology growth

Starting in the early 1980s, the university provided computer services to a growing segment of the university’s population, expanding from a centralized mainframe to networked personal computers and a computer network. ONU joined OhioLINK and technology revolutionized academic administrative activities and supported classroom activities. With the addition of the Internet, the university began offering its first distance learning courses in the pharmacy program. Today, there are over 1,200 networked computers and Internet access on campus.

ONU in the 21st Century

At the turn of the 21st Century, ONU has emerged as a leading regional university with a distinguished national reputation. The addition of several highly ranked programs, such as the Rule of Law LL.M. Program have given the school international recognition as a leading body of higher learning in the U.S. More recently, the university has commenced a search for a new president with the announcement that Dr. Kendall L. Baker will retire effective August 2011.^[9] On February 4, 2010, ONU announced that its board of trustees approved the nomination of Daniel A. DiBiasio, president of Wilmington College to become the new president of Ohio Northern. DiBiasio will assume his duties starting in the 2011-12 academic year.^[10]

Athletics

Joe Banks, Ohio Northern graduate and coach

ONU students participate in intercollegiate, intramural, and sports clubs in a variety of sports. The ONU Polar Bears compete in the Division III Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). The men's volleyball team participates in the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association in the Great Midwest Men's Volleyball Conference.

• The school mascot is a polar bear named Klondike.^[11]
• The ONU varsity football team defeated Mount Union College in 2005 to snap the Purple Raiders 110-game regular season winning streak.^[12]
• The ONU varsity men's swim team won their 7th straight OAC Conference Championship in 2011.^[13]
• The ONU women's volleyball team continues their NCAA All-Divisions record 33 consecutive winning seasons (1976-present) ^[14]

Men’s intercollegiate teams

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Cross country
• Football
• Golf
• Soccer
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Track & field
• Wrestling

Women’s intercollegiate teams

• Basketball
• Cross country
• Golf
• Soccer
• Softball
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Track & field
• Volleyball

National Honors

• 1993 Men's Basketball NCAA Division III Champions^[15]
• 2001 Men's Basketball NCAA Division III Final Four^[16]
• 1989 Women's Volleyball NCAA Division III Runners-up^[17]
• 2007 Men's Volleyball NIRSA Division II National Champions^[18]
• 2008 Women's Volleyball NCAA Division III Final Four^[19]

Notable alumni

Main article: Ohio Northern University alumni

• Michael K. Allen, former prosecuting attorney for Hamilton County, Ohio.
• Anthony A. Alaimo, jurist
• Joe Banks, long-time college athletics figure in Ohio and Pennsylvania (not to be confused with Joseph Banks Rhine, listed below)
• John C. Bishop, president, CEO, and chairman of Motorists Insurance Group.
• Frank T. Bow, jurist and politician who was honored by naming the Frank T. Bow Federal Building in Canton, Ohio.
• James Cloyd Bowman, a children's book author who received a Newbery Honor in 1938 for Pecos Bill: The Greatest Cowboy of All Time.
• Benjamin Brafman, a prominent criminal defense attorney based in New York.^[20][21][22]
• William J. Brown, former Ohio Attorney General (1971–1983).^[23]
• Anthony J. Celebrezze Sr., an American politician who served as the mayor of Cleveland, Ohio and as a cabinet member in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.
• George Crile, founder of the Cleveland Clinic and inventor of the system for blood transfusion.
• Robert R. Cupp, Ohio Supreme Court Justice.
• Mike DeWine, a politician who served as a U.S. Senator from Ohio between 1995 and 2007.^[24]
• Simeon Davison Fess, a Republican politician a former president of Antioch College.
• Stacey Hairston, former Cleveland Browns player.
• Robert Franklin Jones, graduated with a law degree. Served as Allen County (Ohio) prosecuting attorney, 1935 - 1939. Elected in 1938 to the Seventy-sixth U.S. Congress, and elected for three subsequent terms to Congress, serving from 1939 - 1947. Appointed Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, serving from 1947 - 1952.
• J.E. Keeny, studied music at Ohio Northern. Served as president of Louisiana Tech University, 1908-1926^[25]
• George E. Killian, a sports administrator and a president of the International University Sports Federation.
• Cassius Jackson Keyser, a mathematician.
• Clayton Mathile, former owner of Iams pet food.
• Bruce Mays, Director of Operations for the Dallas Cowboys.
• Melvin (Mel) S. Narol, foremost authority on legal rights of sports officials^[26]
• Bill Peterson, former head football coach at Florida State, Rice University, and with the Houston Oilers.
• Bob Peterson, story artist, animator and voice actor.
• Joseph Banks Rhine, founder of the parapsychology lab at Duke University (not to be confused with Joe Banks, listed above)
• Jamal Robertson, NFL football player.
• Michael B. Smith, President of The Washington Center.
• Baldemar Velasquez, is president of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO.
• John R. Willamowski, appellate court judge and former state representative.
• Laurence Neal Woodworth, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Tax Policy in 1977^[27]
• Jim Wilson (Los Angeles), city council member, studied pharmacy
• Jason Trusnik, NFL football player. Currently plays for the Cleveland Browns.

Environmental efforts

• In the 2006–07 academic year, in an effort to reduce wasted resources the university instituted a printing policy, whereby each student was allocated $30 to use throughout the year. The cost of printing one page is four cents.
• As of 2009, approximately 30% of the campus uses geothermal heating and cooling.
• In 2010, three 220 feet tall wind turbines were constructed. Each turbine generates 400 kilowatts of power and the three turbines will meet five to ten percent of the University's electricity needs.

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. Archived from the original on 2010-02-23. http://www.webcitation.org/5nl1Xn3CM. Retrieved March 8, 2010. 
2. ^ "America’s Best Colleges 2007:Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelor's (Midwest): Top Schools". http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/t1ccbach_mw_brief.php. Retrieved January 1, 2007. 
3. ^ "Ohio Northern University at universities.com". http://www.universities.com/On-Campus/Ohio_Northern_University.html. Retrieved 21 August 2006. 
4. ^ "History of the ONU Pettit College of Law". Archived from the original on 2 September 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060902031016/http://www.law.onu.edu/catalog/history.htm. Retrieved 21 August 2006. 
5. ^ Digital Repository of Dr. King's visit to ONU, including original audio file, press releases, and transcript of his speech.^{[dead link]}
6. ^ - Excerpts of Dr. King's ONU Speech regarding the Bootstrapping Myth
7. ^ http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/home/pages?page=http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/kingweb/publications/inventory/inv_11.htm Stanford University, Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute - Inventory of Dr. King's Speeches in 1968
8. ^ "The Inn at Ohio Northern University". http://innatonu.com/. Retrieved July 6, 2010. 
9. ^ President of Ohio Northern University Announces Retirement.
10. ^ Daniel DiBiasio named new president of Ohio Northern University.
11. ^ "Ohio Northern University Student Senate: " A New Bear in Town"". http://studentsenate.onu.edu/?p=news&a=newbear. 
12. ^ "USA Today.com: Mount Union's 110-game regular season winning streak snapped". 2005-10-24. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/games/2005-10-23-mount-union_x.htm. Retrieved 2010-05-20. 
13. ^ [1]
14. ^ Volleyball | Ohio Northern University
15. ^ D3hoops.com: 1993 Men's NCAA Tournament Results^{[dead link]}
16. ^ The 2001 Division III men's tournament^{[dead link]}
17. ^ Athletics | Ohio Northern University
18. ^ http://www.onu.edu/org/mensvb/^{[dead link]}
19. ^ No. 2 Emory snaps No. 8 Volleyball's 27-match winning streak in five-set marathon to advance to NCAA Championship Finals | Ohio Northern University
20. ^ Little Big Man
21. ^ http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/benjamin_brafman/index.html],[http://asp.usatoday.com/community/tags/topic.aspx?req=tag&tag=Benjamin%20Brafman
22. ^ Benjamin Brafman^{[dead link]}
23. ^ "Ohio Attorney General - William J. Brown". Archived from the original on 19 May 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080519214041/http://www.ag.state.oh.us/about/past_ags/william_j_brown.asp. Retrieved 27 August 2008. 
24. ^ Mike DeWine - Congresspedia
25. ^ "Keeny, John Ephraim". Louisiana Historical Association, A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography (lahistory.org). http://www.lahistory.org/site28.php. Retrieved December 27, 2010. 
26. ^ CONTENTdm Collection : Compound Object Viewer
27. ^ "TAXES: Taking Aim at a 'Disgrace'". Time. 1977-07-04. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,945778-2,00.html. Retrieved 2010-05-20. 

External links

• Official site
• ONU Sports
• Polar Bears in the Pros
• Ohio Athletic Conference.
• President Lehr memoirs
• Ohio Northern - Official YouTube Channel
• Ohio Northern University - TWITTER feed
• Facebook - Ohio Northern University

Coordinates: 40°46′01″N 83°49′30″W / 40.76686°N 83.82491°W / 40.76686; -83.82491