Westminster College, Pennsylvania

Infobox University


name=Westminster College
established=1852
type=Private
president=
city=New Wilmington
state=Pennsylvania
country=United States
undergrad= 1,450fact|date=April 2008
campus=Small Town
colors=Blue and White
mascot=Titans
website= [http://www.westminster.edu www.westminster.edu]

Westminster College is a liberal arts college located in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1852, it is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Overview

Westminster is located in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, a relatively small town convert|50|mi|km north of Pittsburgh and convert|80|mi|km south of Erie and Cleveland on a convert|300|acre|km2|sing=on campus.

Westminster formed as a result of a meeting on Jan. 21, 1852, between the Ohio and Shenango Presbyteries who desired to create a college that endorsed the values of Christianity while at the same time focusing on the emotional, educational, and social development of its students.

Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College is ranked 15th among liberal arts colleges, according to the Washington Monthly 2007 Annual College Guide. Westminster is a national leader in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Guide to America’s Best Colleges, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of “The Best 366 Colleges” and “Best in the Northeast” by The Princeton Review, and was recognized by the Templeton Guide as a “Character Building College.” It has been rated by U.S. News and World Report as one of America's Best Colleges, is on the Princeton Review's 351 Best Colleges list, and has been called a "character building college" by the Templeton Guide; it is important to note that Westminster College, is not following the boycott of the college and university rankings that many other institutions are doing, including the group of liberal arts colleges known as the Annapolis Group, even though it is a liberal arts college itself.

Nearly 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty while choosing from 41 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa., campus.

Quick Facts

Westminster is a coeducational, liberal arts college related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) through the Synod of the Trinity.

Location: Westminster is located in New Wilmington, Pa., a quaint residential community. convert|65|mi|km north of Pittsburgh, convert|80|mi|km south of Erie, and convert|85|mi|km southeast of Cleveland.

Campus: Over 300 tree lined acres - 22 buildings, several athletic fields, 10 tennis courts, convert|100|acre|km2|sing=on outdoor laboratory and Brittain Lake.

Students: 1,450 undergraduates, 200 graduate students 42% men, 58% women.

Faculty: 92% of the faculty hold terminal degrees.

Student/Faculty Ratio: 13:1

Accreditation: Westminster is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

East Central Colleges: Westminster is a charter member of the East Central Colleges Consortium, which maintains an office in Washington, D.C.

Libraries: McGill Library and J.S. Mack Science Library contain more than 224,000 volumes and provide facilities for individual study.

Religious Life: Optional weekly worship services, Sunday Vespers and Catholic Liturgy. Habitat for Humanity is the largest student organization on campus.

Curriculum and Calendar: 2 semester calendar (fall and spring), opportunities to travel during winter break, month of May internships.

Degrees: 39 majors, 6 pre professional programs
* 3 undergraduate degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Music
* Master of Education: degrees in English, History, and Certification as a Reading Specialist, Secondary School Guidance Counselor, Elementary Principal, School Superintendent, and Supervision (Ohio only).

Housing Facilities: 10 residential housing options
* 7 - female halls including the newly renovated Thompson House
* 2 - male halls
* 1 - transitional living townhouse complex (The newly constructed Berlin Village)
* Housing is guaranteed for all 4 years.
* Each of the national fraternities also has a house with residence facilities.

Student Activities: 85 clubs and organizations, 5 national fraternities & 5 national sororities

Westminster College is a national leader in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News 2008 Guide to America's Best Colleges. Westminster is tied for seventh among Liberal Arts Colleges, and in the top ten in the country in graduation rate performance. Westminster College's 78% graduation rate was 15% higher than predicted. Of the 339 students who entered the College in the Fall 2000 semester, 68% graduated within four years, 77% graduated within 5 years of matriculation.

Athletics

The Westminster Titans compete in NCAA Division III athletics. Before moving to the NCAA, Westminster competed in the NAIA for several years. The Titans are a member of the Presidents' Athletic Conference, and compete in:

Baseball

* 2005 PAC Champions

Men's basketball

* 2007 NCAA Tournament Participant
* Ranked second in the nation in 3-pointers per game and third in scoring in NCAA Division III in 2004-05
* 2003-04 PAC Champions and ECAC playoff participant
* 17 national playoff appearances
* 23 20-win seasons
* 78 winning seasons in 103 years

Women's basketball

* 2005 and 2007 NCAA Division III Tournament participant
* 2004-05 PAC Champions

Men's cross country

Women's cross country

Football

* 6-time national champions (1970, '76, '77, '88, '89, '94)
* 11 undefeated regular seasons
* 9 national championship game appearances
* 17 national playoff appearances
* 47 winning seasons in past 57 years
* 51 non-losing seasons in past 57 years
* 73% winning percentage since 1952 (387-138-10)

Men's golf

* Three-time PAC champions (2003-05)
* Placed 16th nationally at 2005 NCAA Division III Championships
* Jordan Flaim - Ranked #1 Nationally 2006-2008

Women's golf

* Two-time PAC champions (2004-05)

Men's soccer

* PAC Champion (2002, 2006)
* NCAA Division III Tournament (2002, 2004)
* ECAC South Region Tournament (2006 - 2007)

Women's soccer

* PAC Champion (2002-04, 06-07)
* NCAA Division III Tournament (2002-05, 07)
* School-record 17 wins in 2005
* 8 consecutive winning seasons

oftball

* 2005 PAC Champions
* 2005 and 2007 ECAC South Region Tournament participant
* 23 winning seasons in past 25 years

Men's swimming

* Four-time PAC Champions (2003, 05-07)
* Finished 20th in nation in NCAA Division III in 2007
* 22 consecutive non-losing seasons since 1986
* Three national champions

Women's swimming

* Four-time PAC Champions (2003, '04, '06, '07)
* Two swimmers qualified for nationals in 2007
* One national champion

Men's tennis

* 13 conference titles since 1983

Women's tennis

* Six winning seasons in past seven years
* 10 conference titles since 1983
* Ten wins in 2007 tied team record for wins in a season

Men's track and field

Women's track and field

Volleyball

* 2007 NCAA Division III Tournament
* 2002, 2007 PAC Champions
* 2002, 2006 ECAC South Region Tournament
* 2001 ECAC Tournament Champions
* 17 winning seasons in past 20 years

Publications

* "Westminster College Magazine" - a quarterly magazine detailing on-campus and alumni activities
* "Westminster Weekly" - a weekly e-mail to alumni, parents, students and other subscribers, containing announcements and press releases

Student Organizations

Student Government Association

The Student Government Association (SGA) exists primarily for governing and providing entertainment for the student body. As a prerequisite for executive council, committee chairs, and senators, students must have a GPA of 2.0. Overall, SGA serves as a connection between the students and the faculty and administration. [ [http://www.westminster.edu/sga Westminster College Website] ] President- Ashley Carnahan 2008 - 2009

Student-produced Publications

* "The Holcad" - weekly student-run newspaper
* "Argo" - student-run yearbook
* "Scrawl" - student-run yearly literary magazine

Greek Life

The five social fraternities each have their own off campus house which junior and senior class brothers can live in. Each of the five sororities have there own respective hall in a sorority dorm building on campus that sisters can live in if they chose.

Fraternities

* Phi Kappa Tau
* Alpha Sigma Phi
* Theta Chi
* Sigma Nu
* Sigma Phi Epsilon

Sororities

* Phi Mu
* Kappa Delta
* Sigma Kappa
* Alpha Gamma Delta
* Zeta Tau Alpha

Community Service

* Alpha Phi Omega
* Lambda Sigma

Notable alumni

* Amber Brkich - winner of , married to Rob Mariano
* Thomas C. Cochran - congressman, R-PA, 70th-74th Congresses (1927-1935)
* William N. Johnston - current president of Iowa Wesleyan College since 2002
* Tim Kaiser - producer of Seinfeld and Will & Grace
* James Kennedy - congressman, R-OH, 58th-61st Congresses (1903-1911)
* Andrew J. McKelvey - chairman and CEO of Monster.com (December 1996-October 2006)
* Deborah Platt Majoras - chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (August 2004-2008)
* Samuel Henry Miller - congressman, R-PA, 47th, 48th, and 64th Congresses (1881-1885, 1915-1917)
* Benjamin M. Palmer - first national moderator of the Presbyterian Church, longtime pastor of First Presbyterian Church in New Orleans
* R.C. Sproul - theologian and founder of Ligonier Ministries

References

External links

* [http://www.westminster.edu Official website]
* [http://www.westminster.edu/athletics Official Athletics website]