Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

Infobox University


name = Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
motto =
established = 1871
type = Public
president = William Ruud
city = Shippensburg
state = Pennsylvania
country = USA
undergrad = 6,579 full-time
postgrad = 1,074 full-time
faculty = 302 full time
130 part time
campus = Rural, 200 acres (810,000 m²)
affiliations =NCAA D-II; PSAC
mascot = Raider
endowment = US$17.3 million
website = http://www.ship.edu

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, commonly known as Ship, or SU, is a public university located in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, 40 miles (64 km) west-southwest of Harrisburg. It is one of the 14 state universities that compose the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE).

Shippensburg University is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSACS). The "U.S. News & World Report" again ranked Shippensburg University among the top public universities in the North in its book "America's Best Colleges 2009." In the annual rankings, Shippensburg is tied for 58th among all institutions in the North region. It was named one of the 100 best values among public colleges in "Kiplinger's Personal Finance". Ship was also included in the 2007 edition of The Princeton Review's "The Best Northeastern Colleges."

History

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania was established in 1871 as the Cumberland Valley State Normal School. The school received official approval by the state on February 21, 1873, and was admitted its first class of 217 students on April 15, 1873. In 1917 the school was purchased by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

On June 4, 1926, the school was authorized to grant the bachelor of science in education degree in elementary and junior high education. The school received a charter on October 12, 1926, making it the first normal school in Pennsylvania to become a state teachers college. On June 3, 1927, the State Council of Education authorized the school to change its name to the State Teachers College at Shippensburg.

The business education curriculum was approved on December 3, 1937. On December 8, 1939, Shippensburg State Teachers College became the first teachers college in Pennsylvania and the fourth in the United States to be accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and (Secondary) Schools.

The State Council of Education approved graduate work leading to the master of education degree on January 7, 1959. On January 8, 1960, the name change to Shippensburg State College was authorized.

The arts and sciences curriculum was authorized by the State Council of Education on April 18, 1962, and the bachelor of science in business administration degree program was initiated on September 1, 1967.

On November 12, 1982, the governor of the Commonwealth signed Senate Bill 506 establishing the State System of Higher Education. Shippensburg State College was designated Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania effective July 1, 1983.

In 1985, many of the original historic buildings of the campus, including Old Main, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.cite web| url=http://www.archiplanet.org/wiki/Cumberland_Valley_State_Normal_School_Historic_District| year=2006| title=Cumberland Valley State Normal School Historic District|first=| last=| publisher=archiplanet.org/| accessdate=2007-01-08]

Academics

*52 undergraduate programs are offered in the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education and Human Services, and the John L. Grove College of Business
*8 pre-professional programs are offered, including pre-vet and pre-med in addition to 7 affiliate programs whereby students can earn combined undergraduate and graduate degrees through accelerated programs
*17 programs are offered by the School of Graduate Studies and 3 Post Master's Programs
*Shippensburg is accredited by Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, AACSB International, American Chemical Society, Council on Social Work Education, Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, International Association of Counseling Services, National Council for the Accreditation of Teachers, and Council for Exceptional Children

Colleges

*Arts and Sciences
*Education and Human Services
*John L. Grove College of Business
*School of Academic Programs and Services
*School of Graduate Studies

The Division of Extended Studies also offers a variety of courses, workshops, training sessions, continuing education, and credit and non-credit courses.

Library

The [http://www.ship.edu/%7elibrary/ Ezra Lehman Memorial Library] provides Web access to: its holdings, the holdings of the State Library and 24 other academic libraries, a variety of full text databases, electronic books, and Internet sites. The library collection includes over 2 million items, including bound volumes, microform pieces, periodicals, audiovisual titles, government documents, and University archives. The Information and Computing Technologies Center maintains a campus network with a number of computer labs for student use. Each student at SU receives an email account and access to the Internet.

Athletics

Shippensburg University is an NCAA Division II school and one of fourteen schools to compete in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. The home venue of the universities football and track and field programs is Seth Grove Stadium. The school maintains intercollegiate programs for baseball, basketball (Men & Women), cross country (Men & Women), field hockey, football, lacrosse (Men & Women), soccer (Men & Women), softball, track & field (Men & Women), swimming (Men & Women), tennis (Women), volleyball (Women) and wrestling. Several club sports, such as rugby (Men & Women), Ultimate Frisbee and the inline hockey team, also participate in independent leagues. The team name is the Red Raiders, although there was a rumor they were going to change it due to a new NCAA policy. The team colors are blue and red. The mascot is "Big Red," a red-tail hawk wearing a pirates hat. Shippensburg University has won several regional athletic championships, including the Dixon Trophy in: 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, and 2005 for overall all-conference athletic achievement.cite web| url=http://www.ship.edu/~sid/| year=2007| title=About Shippensburg Athletics|first=| last=| publisher=Shippensburg University| accessdate=2007-02-08]

Notable alumni

*Clyde Barnhart, former Major League Baseball player
*Lieutenant-General William G. Boykin, the United States Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence
*Jeffrey W. Coy, former Pennsylvania state representative, current member state gaming commission
*Rob Davis, former National Football League long-snapper, and current Director of Player Development, Green Bay Packers
*Don Falcone, musician and producer
*General Tommy Franks, former Commander-in-Chief of American occupation forces in Iraq
*Pat Foote, retired US Army Brigadier General
*Jay Garner, former Director of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance for Iraq
*Ron Johnson, former National Football League defensive end, Philadelphia Eagles
*John Kline, Congressman from Minnesota
*Ethan Kilmer, (Attended but transferred to Penn State)current National Football League safety, Cincinnati Bengals
*Dean Koontz, writer of popular fiction
*John Kuhn, current National Football League running back, Green Bay Packers
*Brent Grimes, current National Football League cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons
*General David D. McKiernan, a four-star general in the U.S. Army currently serving as commander of U.S. Army forces in Europe
*Kim Nelson, former CIO of the Environmental Protection Agency and current Executive Director for eGovernment at Microsoft
*Todd Platts, Congressman from Pennsylvania
*Chris Raab aka "Raab Himself", Cast member of Viva La Bam and regular of the CKY crew
*Dennis Reimer, Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1995 to 1999
*Arthur Ringwalt Rupley (1868-1920), U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania (1913-1915)
*Jeanne Shaheen, first woman to be elected governor of New Hampshire (1996 - 2002)
*Steve Spence, former Olympic Marathoner 1992, 1991 World Games Bronze Medalist
*Brig. Gen. Michael C Flowers, former commander, Joint Prisoner of War/ Missing in Action Accounting Command (JPAC)
*Ambassador Dell L. Dailey, Coordinator for Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State

References

External links

* [http://www.ship.edu/ Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania]
* [http://www.shipunderground.com ShipUnderground: Professor, Local Restaurant Reviews]
* [http://education.yahoo.com/college/facts/8629.html Yahoo! Education Profile: Shippensburg University]
* [http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/brief/drglance_3326_brief.php USNews.com: America's Best Colleges]
* [http://webspace.ship.edu/psych/shipcampus.html Campus photos]