Dickinson College
Encyclopedia
Dickinson College is a private, residential liberal arts college
in Carlisle, Pennsylvania
. Originally established as a Grammar School in 1773, Dickinson was chartered September 9, 1783, five days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris
, making it the first college to be founded in the newly recognized United States
. Dickinson was founded by Benjamin Rush
, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence
and named in honor of a signer of the Constitution
, John Dickinson
, who was later the President of Pennsylvania. Dickinson College is America's 16th oldest college.
With over 180 full-time faculty members and an enrollment of nearly 2,400 students, Dickinson is known for its curriculum and international education programs. Dickinson sponsors 12 study centers in other countries and its approach to global education has received national recognition from the American Council on Education
and NAFSA: Association of International Educators
. The college was among six institutions profiled in depth by NAFSA for "Outstanding Campus Internationalization" in 2003 The 42% acceptance rate for the Class of 2011 is Dickinson's lowest ever, and the College's nearly 6,000 applications put it amongst the top liberal arts colleges nationwide. In 2007 Dickinson's endowment topped $300 million, more than double its total from ten years before.
Dickinson College is not to be confused with the Dickinson School of Law
, which abuts the campus but has not been associated with the college since the late 19th century. The law school merged with Pennsylvania State University
in 1997, and its students study at both the Carlisle and State College campuses. Dickinson is sometimes mistaken for, yet has no relation to, Fairleigh Dickinson University
, a private university in the state of New Jersey.
and John Montgomery
, were pushing for an expansion of the school into a college. In 1782 Benjamin Rush
, a revolutionary leader and the preeminent physician in the new nation, met in Philadelphia with Montgomery on the porch of prominent businessman and politician William Bingham
to discuss the founding of a frontier college in the town. It was in this conversation that the idea for the college was formed, and "Bingham's Porch" was long a rallying cry at Dickinson.
Dickinson College was chartered by the Pennsylvania legislature on September 9, 1783, six days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris (1783)
ending the American Revolution
, making it the first college founded in the newly recognized nation. Rush intended to name the institution after the President of Pennsylvania John Dickinson
and his wife, originally calling it "John and Mary's College." The name Dickinson College was chosen instead. At the time of its founding its location west of the Susquehanna River
made it the westernmost college in America. For the first meeting of the trustees, held in April 1784, Rush made his first journey to Carlisle. The trustees selected Dr. Charles Nisbet
D.D. a Scottish minister and scholar, to serve as the College's first president. He arrived and began to serve on July 4, 1785 and served faithfully until his unexpected death in 1804.
A combination of financial troubles and faculty dissension led to a college closing from 1816-1821. In 1832, when the trustees were unable to resolve a faculty curriculum dispute, they ordered Dickinson's temporary closure a second time.
The law school dates back to 1833, and became a separate school with in Dickinson in 1890. The Law School separated from Dickinson in 1919. It is now affiliated with Penn State.
Among the 18th century graduates of Dickinson were two U.S. Supreme Court justices, Robert Cooper Grier
and Roger Brooke Taney, who served together on the Court for 18 years.
During the 19th century two famous Dickinson College alumni were important participants in issues which led to the Civil War
. These were James Buchanan
, the 15th President of the United States
, and Roger Brooke Taney, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. It was under Taney's leadership that the Supreme Court issued the Dred Scott v. Sandford
decision, which held that Congress could not prohibit slavery in federal territories. Buchanan threw the full prestige of his administration behind congressional approval of the Lecompton Constitution
in Kansas. In 1863, Confederate forces twice occupied Carlisle and the Dickinson campus.
When George Metzger, class of 1798, died in 1879 he left his land and $25,000 to the town of Carlisle for the purpose of opening a college for women. In 1881, the Metzger Institute, a College for Young Ladies, opened. The college existed separately until 1913, when its building was leased to Dickinson College for the education of women, and the building served as a women's dorm until 1963.
, and the site of the nation's second oldest military base, Carlisle Barracks
, now the home of the U.S. Army War College
. The campus is heavily wooded and characterized by limestone
-clad buildings.
The grammar school which would become Dickinson College in 1783 was founded in 1773 and housed in a small, two-room brick building on Liberty Avenue, near Bedford Street and Pomfret Street. Upon the College's founding the building was expanded and was Dickinson's first home. In 1799 the Penn family sold 7 acres (2.8 ha) on the western edge of Carlisle to the nascent college, on which it has made its home ever since. On June 20 of that year the cornerstone
was laid by John Montgomery
, a founding trustee of the college, for a building on the new land. The twelve-room building burned to the ground on February 3, 1803, just five weeks after opening its doors, and the college returned to its previous accommodations.
Within weeks of the fire, a national fundraising campaign was launched, enticing donations from President Thomas Jefferson
, Secretary of State James Madison
, and Chief Justice John Marshall
and many others. Benjamin Latrobe
, already famous for his work on the Bank of Pennsylvania
and Princeton University
's Nassau Hall
, and soon-to-be Architect of the Capitol
, was chosen to design the new structure. Latrobe's design for the building, now known as "West College," or more fondly as "Old West," featured monumental and classical elements within a simple and subdued academic style. The building was to be capped with a classically inspired cupola
graced by a figure of Triton
, but the local craftsman instead created a mermaid
, which has ever since been a symbol of the college. Latrobe, who donated his services to the college, visited the building for the first time in 1813. The total cost of West College topped $22,000 and, although classes began in 1805, work was not finished until 1822. More than 200 years after its doors opened for the first time, Old West is today the ceremonial heart of the college, as all students march through the open doors during convocation
at the beginning of their freshman year, and march out the same doors to receive their degrees and graduate. Old West also houses the college administration, several classrooms, a computer lab, and the college chapel.
Throughout the 19th century Dickinson expanded across what has now become its main academic quadrangle, known formally as the John Dickinson Campus. Dickinson expanded across College Street to build the Holland Union Building and Waidner-Spahr Library, which along with several dormitories, makes up the Benjamin Rush Campus. Across High Street (U.S. Route 11
) lies the Charles Nisbet Campus, home to the largest grouping of dormitories. The Dickinson School of Law
, part of Penn State, lies directly to the south of the Nisbet Campus. Together these three grass-covered units compose the vast majority of the College's campus, though several outlying buildings surround these main areas. In addition, the College owns playing fields and a large organic farm, both of which are only a short distance from the main campus.
Buildings of note include:
, Dickinson entered the 21st century with renewed energy. Since 2000, Dickinson's acceptance rate has dropped by 20%, SAT
scores have risen by 100 points, and the institutional endowment has more than doubled.
In 2000 Dickinson opened a new science building, Tome Hall, a state-of-the-art interdisciplinary facility to host astronomy, computer science, math, and physics. Tome hosts Dickinson's innovative "Workshop Physics" program and was the first step of a new science complex. Opened in 2008, the LEED Gold certified Rector Science Complex serves as a place of scientific exploration and learning in an environment that is artful and sustainable. Featuring 90000 square feet (8,361.3 m²) of state-of-the-art laboratories, classrooms and research facilities, it houses the departments of biology, chemistry, psychology and interdisciplinary programs in biochemistry & molecular biology and neuroscience. Courses in the emerging fields of bioinformatics—a blend of biology and computer science—and nanotechnology—the applied study of particles the size of molecules—also are taught there. The new science complex was designed to afford learning opportunities outside of the classrooms and labs, and even outside of the building’s walls on the site of the new complex. Dickinson College’s Center for Sustainable Living student residence, known as the “Treehouse,” also achieved a Gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The college is the first in Pennsylvania to receive a Gold rating for a student residence.
Dickinson is also at the forefront of campus environmental sustainability. In the Sustainable Endowments Institute's 2010 green report card Dickinson was one of only 15 schools to receive an A-, the highest grade possible. Dickinson also was named a Sierra magazine “Cool“ School" in its Comprehensive Guide to the Most Eco-Enlightened U.S. Colleges: Live (Green) and Learn and the college’s commitment to making study of the environment and sustainability a defining characteristic of a Dickinson education landed it at the top of The Princeton Review’s 2010 Green Honor Roll. The College buys 100% of its energy from wind power, has solar panels on campus, owns and operates an organic garden and farm, and has signed the American Colleges & Universities Presidents Climate Commitment.
Under President Durden, the number of students who study abroad during their undergraduate years has increased to 58%, and Dickinson has one of the highest number of Fulbright scholars among its alumni.
The Dickinson Red Devils participate in the NCAA Division III Centennial Conference
. The Red Devils sport uniforms of red, white, and black.
Dickinson has 23 varsity sports teams, including baseball and softball, men's and women's soccer, football, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's riding, women's volleyball, and women's field hockey. The College also has a cheerleading squad and dozens of intramural and club sports including ice hockey, men's volleyball, lacrosse, soccer, and ultimate frisbee.
The current football
coach at Dickinson is Darwin Breaux
, who has held the position since 1993.
Arguably Dickinson's most notable football victory is the 1931 defeat of Penn State 10-6 under head coach Joseph McCormick
. The two teams have not met since.
Without a doubt, Dickinson's ultimate athletic achievement is the 1958 Men's Lacrosse Team national title and Roy Taylor Division championship, also defeating Penn State in its final game to clinch the title. The Dickinson lacrosse tradition continues today under Men's Lacrosse Coach Dave Webster whose squad posted a compiled record of 32-5 over the 2010-11 seasons, including a 2-2 NCAA tournament record, with 2 home wins. The 2011 team earned the Red Devils' first men's lacrosse victory against the Gettysburg Bullets since 1975, and ultimately clinched the school's first Centennial Conference title in Men's lacrosse in 2011. The 2010-2011 Centennial Conference Championships, won by Haverford and Dickinson respectively, marked the first time the Championship trophy was traded between anyone but the Gettysburg Bullets or Washington College Shoremen in the Centennial's 17 year history in men's lacrosse.
From 1963 to 1994 Dickinson College hosted the summer training camp for Washington Redskins
NFL football team .
The three Hat Societies at Dickinson College are:
, wrote the Alma Mater, “Noble Dickinsonia” to the tune of "O Christmas Tree". In 1937 the College published a book titled Songs of Dickinson, which contains over 70 works from Dickinson’s past. In 1953 the Men's Glee Club recorded an album of college songs. In 2005-2006, The Octals, Dickinson's all-male a cappella
group, recorded a similar CD.
Liberal arts colleges in the United States
Liberal arts colleges in the United States are certain undergraduate institutions of higher education in the United States. The Encyclopædia Britannica Concise offers a definition of the liberal arts as a "college or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing general...
in Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Carlisle is a borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The name is traditionally pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2010 census, the borough...
. Originally established as a Grammar School in 1773, Dickinson was chartered September 9, 1783, five days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1783)
The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain on the one hand and the United States of America and its allies on the other. The other combatant nations, France, Spain and the Dutch Republic had separate agreements; for details of...
, making it the first college to be founded in the newly recognized United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Dickinson was founded by Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Rush was a Founding Father of the United States. Rush lived in the state of Pennsylvania and was a physician, writer, educator, humanitarian and a Christian Universalist, as well as the founder of Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania....
, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
and named in honor of a signer of the Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
, John Dickinson
John Dickinson (delegate)
John Dickinson was an American lawyer and politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Wilmington, Delaware. He was a militia officer during the American Revolution, a Continental Congressman from Pennsylvania and Delaware, a delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, President of...
, who was later the President of Pennsylvania. Dickinson College is America's 16th oldest college.
With over 180 full-time faculty members and an enrollment of nearly 2,400 students, Dickinson is known for its curriculum and international education programs. Dickinson sponsors 12 study centers in other countries and its approach to global education has received national recognition from the American Council on Education
American Council on Education
The American Council on Education is a United States organization, established in 1918, comprising over 1,800 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities and higher education-related associations, organizations, and corporations....
and NAFSA: Association of International Educators
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
NAFSA: Association of International Educators is a non-profit professional organization for professionals in all areas of international education including education abroad advising and administration, international student advising, campus internationalization, admissions, outreach, overseas...
. The college was among six institutions profiled in depth by NAFSA for "Outstanding Campus Internationalization" in 2003 The 42% acceptance rate for the Class of 2011 is Dickinson's lowest ever, and the College's nearly 6,000 applications put it amongst the top liberal arts colleges nationwide. In 2007 Dickinson's endowment topped $300 million, more than double its total from ten years before.
Dickinson College is not to be confused with the Dickinson School of Law
Dickinson School of Law
Penn State University Dickinson School of Law is the law school of The Pennsylvania State University...
, which abuts the campus but has not been associated with the college since the late 19th century. The law school merged with Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
in 1997, and its students study at both the Carlisle and State College campuses. Dickinson is sometimes mistaken for, yet has no relation to, Fairleigh Dickinson University
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university founded as a junior college in 1942. It now has several campuses located in New Jersey, Canada, and the United Kingdom.-Description:...
, a private university in the state of New Jersey.
History
The Carlisle Grammar School was founded in 1773 as a frontier Latin school for the young men in western Pennsylvania. Within years Carlisle's elite, especially James WilsonJames Wilson
James Wilson was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. Wilson was elected twice to the Continental Congress, and was a major force in drafting the United States Constitution...
and John Montgomery
John Montgomery (delegate)
John Montgomery was an Irish-American merchant from Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress for Pennsylvania from 1782 until 1784....
, were pushing for an expansion of the school into a college. In 1782 Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Rush was a Founding Father of the United States. Rush lived in the state of Pennsylvania and was a physician, writer, educator, humanitarian and a Christian Universalist, as well as the founder of Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania....
, a revolutionary leader and the preeminent physician in the new nation, met in Philadelphia with Montgomery on the porch of prominent businessman and politician William Bingham
William Bingham
William Bingham was an American statesman from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a delegate for Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress from 1786 to 1788 and served in the United States Senate from 1795 to 1801...
to discuss the founding of a frontier college in the town. It was in this conversation that the idea for the college was formed, and "Bingham's Porch" was long a rallying cry at Dickinson.
Dickinson College was chartered by the Pennsylvania legislature on September 9, 1783, six days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris (1783)
Treaty of Paris (1783)
The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain on the one hand and the United States of America and its allies on the other. The other combatant nations, France, Spain and the Dutch Republic had separate agreements; for details of...
ending the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, making it the first college founded in the newly recognized nation. Rush intended to name the institution after the President of Pennsylvania John Dickinson
John Dickinson (delegate)
John Dickinson was an American lawyer and politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Wilmington, Delaware. He was a militia officer during the American Revolution, a Continental Congressman from Pennsylvania and Delaware, a delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, President of...
and his wife, originally calling it "John and Mary's College." The name Dickinson College was chosen instead. At the time of its founding its location west of the Susquehanna River
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
made it the westernmost college in America. For the first meeting of the trustees, held in April 1784, Rush made his first journey to Carlisle. The trustees selected Dr. Charles Nisbet
Charles Nisbet
Dr. Charles Nisbet D.D. was born on January 21, 1736 to William and Alison Nisbet. William was a schoolteacher at Long Yester near Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland. By 1754, Charles Nisbet completed studies at both the high school of the university in Edinburgh and had entered Divinity Hall to...
D.D. a Scottish minister and scholar, to serve as the College's first president. He arrived and began to serve on July 4, 1785 and served faithfully until his unexpected death in 1804.
A combination of financial troubles and faculty dissension led to a college closing from 1816-1821. In 1832, when the trustees were unable to resolve a faculty curriculum dispute, they ordered Dickinson's temporary closure a second time.
The law school dates back to 1833, and became a separate school with in Dickinson in 1890. The Law School separated from Dickinson in 1919. It is now affiliated with Penn State.
Among the 18th century graduates of Dickinson were two U.S. Supreme Court justices, Robert Cooper Grier
Robert Cooper Grier
Robert Cooper Grier , was an American jurist who served on the Supreme Court of the United States.-Early life, education, and career:...
and Roger Brooke Taney, who served together on the Court for 18 years.
During the 19th century two famous Dickinson College alumni were important participants in issues which led to the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. These were James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
, the 15th President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, and Roger Brooke Taney, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. It was under Taney's leadership that the Supreme Court issued the Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott v. Sandford, , also known as the Dred Scott Decision, was a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that people of African descent brought into the United States and held as slaves were not protected by the Constitution and could never be U.S...
decision, which held that Congress could not prohibit slavery in federal territories. Buchanan threw the full prestige of his administration behind congressional approval of the Lecompton Constitution
Lecompton Constitution
The Lecompton Constitution was the second of four proposed constitutions for the state of Kansas . The document was written in response to the anti-slavery position of the 1855 Topeka Constitution of James H. Lane and other free-state advocates...
in Kansas. In 1863, Confederate forces twice occupied Carlisle and the Dickinson campus.
When George Metzger, class of 1798, died in 1879 he left his land and $25,000 to the town of Carlisle for the purpose of opening a college for women. In 1881, the Metzger Institute, a College for Young Ladies, opened. The college existed separately until 1913, when its building was leased to Dickinson College for the education of women, and the building served as a women's dorm until 1963.
Campus
Dickinson College sits on a quiet campus two blocks from the main square in the historic small town of Carlisle, the county seat of Cumberland County, PennsylvaniaCumberland County, Pennsylvania
Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is one of three counties comprising the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 235,406.-History:...
, and the site of the nation's second oldest military base, Carlisle Barracks
Carlisle Barracks
Carlisle Barracks is a United States Army facility located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It is part of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command and is the site of the U.S. Army War College...
, now the home of the U.S. Army War College
U.S. Army War College
The United States Army War College is a United States Army school located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500 acre campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks...
. The campus is heavily wooded and characterized by limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
-clad buildings.
The grammar school which would become Dickinson College in 1783 was founded in 1773 and housed in a small, two-room brick building on Liberty Avenue, near Bedford Street and Pomfret Street. Upon the College's founding the building was expanded and was Dickinson's first home. In 1799 the Penn family sold 7 acres (2.8 ha) on the western edge of Carlisle to the nascent college, on which it has made its home ever since. On June 20 of that year the cornerstone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
was laid by John Montgomery
John Montgomery (delegate)
John Montgomery was an Irish-American merchant from Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress for Pennsylvania from 1782 until 1784....
, a founding trustee of the college, for a building on the new land. The twelve-room building burned to the ground on February 3, 1803, just five weeks after opening its doors, and the college returned to its previous accommodations.
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, Secretary of State James Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
, and Chief Justice John Marshall
John Marshall
John Marshall was the Chief Justice of the United States whose court opinions helped lay the basis for American constitutional law and made the Supreme Court of the United States a coequal branch of government along with the legislative and executive branches...
and many others. Benjamin Latrobe
Benjamin Latrobe
Benjamin Henry Boneval Latrobe was a British-born American neoclassical architect best known for his design of the United States Capitol, along with his work on the Baltimore Basilica, the first Roman Catholic Cathedral in the United States...
, already famous for his work on the Bank of Pennsylvania
Bank of Pennsylvania
The Bank of Pennsylvania was established on July 17, 1780, by Philadelphia merchants to provide funds for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War...
and Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
's Nassau Hall
Nassau Hall
Nassau Hall is the oldest building at Princeton University in the borough of Princeton, New Jersey . At the time it was built in 1754, Nassau Hall was the largest building in colonial New Jersey. Designed originally by Robert Smith, the building was subsequently remodeled by notable American...
, and soon-to-be Architect of the Capitol
Architect of the Capitol
The Architect of the Capitol is the federal agency responsible for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the United States Capitol Complex, and also the head of that agency. The Architect of the Capitol is in the legislative branch and is responsible to the United States...
, was chosen to design the new structure. Latrobe's design for the building, now known as "West College," or more fondly as "Old West," featured monumental and classical elements within a simple and subdued academic style. The building was to be capped with a classically inspired cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
graced by a figure of Triton
Triton (mythology)
Triton is a mythological Greek god, the messenger of the big sea. He is the son of Poseidon, god of the sea, and Amphitrite, goddess of the sea, whose herald he is...
, but the local craftsman instead created a mermaid
Mermaid
A mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head, arms, and torso and the tail of a fish. A male version of a mermaid is known as a "merman" and in general both males and females are known as "merfolk"...
, which has ever since been a symbol of the college. Latrobe, who donated his services to the college, visited the building for the first time in 1813. The total cost of West College topped $22,000 and, although classes began in 1805, work was not finished until 1822. More than 200 years after its doors opened for the first time, Old West is today the ceremonial heart of the college, as all students march through the open doors during convocation
Convocation
A Convocation is a group of people formally assembled for a special purpose.- University use :....
at the beginning of their freshman year, and march out the same doors to receive their degrees and graduate. Old West also houses the college administration, several classrooms, a computer lab, and the college chapel.
Throughout the 19th century Dickinson expanded across what has now become its main academic quadrangle, known formally as the John Dickinson Campus. Dickinson expanded across College Street to build the Holland Union Building and Waidner-Spahr Library, which along with several dormitories, makes up the Benjamin Rush Campus. Across High Street (U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11 is a north–south United States highway extending 1,645 miles across the eastern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 90 in the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge in eastern New Orleans, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at the United...
) lies the Charles Nisbet Campus, home to the largest grouping of dormitories. The Dickinson School of Law
Dickinson School of Law
Penn State University Dickinson School of Law is the law school of The Pennsylvania State University...
, part of Penn State, lies directly to the south of the Nisbet Campus. Together these three grass-covered units compose the vast majority of the College's campus, though several outlying buildings surround these main areas. In addition, the College owns playing fields and a large organic farm, both of which are only a short distance from the main campus.
Buildings of note include:
- Althouse Hall - A science hall opened in 1958, Althouse housed the chemistry department until it moved to the new Rector Science Complex. Since the spring 2010 semester, this building houses the International Business and Management Program as well as the Economics department.
- Bosler Hall - Completed in 1886, the building was Dickinson's first purpose-built library. Today it houses foreign language classes.
- East College - Dickinson's second building, which at one time housed the college president and served as a dormitory and place of instruction. East College also served as ConfederateConfederate States ArmyThe Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
hospital during the Battle of CarlisleBattle of CarlisleThe Battle of Carlisle was an American Civil War skirmish in Pennsylvania on the same day as the Battle of Gettysburg, First Day. Stuart's Confederate cavalry briefly engaged Union militia under Maj. Gen. William F. "Baldy" Smith at Carlisle and set fire to the Carlisle Barracks...
in July 1863. Today East College houses the departments of religion, classical studies, English, and other humanities.
- Denny Hall - Originally completed in 1896 but destroyed by fire in 1904, the current building dates to 1905 and was given in memory of Harmar DennyHarmar DennyHarmar Denny was an American businessman and Anti-Masonic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania....
and his family, several of whom are Dickinson alumni. Denny currently houses the departments of political science, history, anthropology, and archeology, amongst others.
- Holland Union Building (HUB) - Opened in 1964, the HUB is Dickinson's expansive student union, and hosts the cafeteria, snack bar, an organic cafe, student offices and services, and the bookstore.
- Kline Athletic Center - Finished in 1979, the Kline Center is a multipurpose facility that houses many of the varsity and intramural sports that Dickinson offers. In addition, the building features a modern fitness center, pool, indoor track, basketball, squash, and racquetball courts, and a climbing wall.
- Rector Science Complex - Opened in 2008, the new science complex, crowned by Stuart and James halls, joined with Tome Hall to create a completely unified interdisciplinary science campus that houses the departments of biology, chemistry, psychology and interdisciplinary programs in biochemistry, molecular biology and neuroscience. This building is was constructed on the site of James Hall, which formerly housed geology, psychology, and environmental science and was demolished in 2006.
- Stern Center for Global Education - Finished in 1885 and originally known as the Tome Scientific Hall, it was one of the nation's first science-only academic buildings. In 2000, a new science building was completed, itself taking the name Tome Hall. The Stern Center houses the college's global education programs and segments of the international studies, international business and management, and East Asian studies majors.
- Tome Hall - Opened in the year 2000, Tome is the home to physics, astronomy, math, and computer science.
- Waidner-Spahr Library - Opened as the Spahr Library in 1967, the building was a modern home for Dickinson's rapidly expanding collection. In 1997 the building was reopened as the Waidner-Spahr Library, after a massive expansion and renovation project. It houses the library's collection of over 510,000 volumes and 1,600 periodicals, as well as student study space and computer labs.
- Weiss Center - Originally the Alumni Gymnasium, the building which opened in 1929 was dramatically renovated in 1981 and now hosts the College's performing and fine arts departments. The building is also the home to the Trout Gallery http://www.dickinson.edu/trout/, Dickinson's collection of fine arts.
Revitalization initiatives
Under the leadership of President William DurdenWilliam Durden
William G. Durden is the President of Dickinson College. He was a Fulbright scholar and a recipient of the Klingenstein Fellowship from Teacher's College, Columbia University....
, Dickinson entered the 21st century with renewed energy. Since 2000, Dickinson's acceptance rate has dropped by 20%, SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
scores have risen by 100 points, and the institutional endowment has more than doubled.
In 2000 Dickinson opened a new science building, Tome Hall, a state-of-the-art interdisciplinary facility to host astronomy, computer science, math, and physics. Tome hosts Dickinson's innovative "Workshop Physics" program and was the first step of a new science complex. Opened in 2008, the LEED Gold certified Rector Science Complex serves as a place of scientific exploration and learning in an environment that is artful and sustainable. Featuring 90000 square feet (8,361.3 m²) of state-of-the-art laboratories, classrooms and research facilities, it houses the departments of biology, chemistry, psychology and interdisciplinary programs in biochemistry & molecular biology and neuroscience. Courses in the emerging fields of bioinformatics—a blend of biology and computer science—and nanotechnology—the applied study of particles the size of molecules—also are taught there. The new science complex was designed to afford learning opportunities outside of the classrooms and labs, and even outside of the building’s walls on the site of the new complex. Dickinson College’s Center for Sustainable Living student residence, known as the “Treehouse,” also achieved a Gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The college is the first in Pennsylvania to receive a Gold rating for a student residence.
Dickinson is also at the forefront of campus environmental sustainability. In the Sustainable Endowments Institute's 2010 green report card Dickinson was one of only 15 schools to receive an A-, the highest grade possible. Dickinson also was named a Sierra magazine “Cool“ School" in its Comprehensive Guide to the Most Eco-Enlightened U.S. Colleges: Live (Green) and Learn and the college’s commitment to making study of the environment and sustainability a defining characteristic of a Dickinson education landed it at the top of The Princeton Review’s 2010 Green Honor Roll. The College buys 100% of its energy from wind power, has solar panels on campus, owns and operates an organic garden and farm, and has signed the American Colleges & Universities Presidents Climate Commitment.
Under President Durden, the number of students who study abroad during their undergraduate years has increased to 58%, and Dickinson has one of the highest number of Fulbright scholars among its alumni.
Student life
Dickinson has a rich and varied student life with a variety of organizations involved in many different causes and interests. Its programs are geared only toward traditional students of typical college age. There are over a hundred organizations representing different facets of the college.Athletics
Centennial Conference
The Centennial Conference is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member teams are located in Maryland and Pennsylvania....
. The Red Devils sport uniforms of red, white, and black.
Dickinson has 23 varsity sports teams, including baseball and softball, men's and women's soccer, football, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's riding, women's volleyball, and women's field hockey. The College also has a cheerleading squad and dozens of intramural and club sports including ice hockey, men's volleyball, lacrosse, soccer, and ultimate frisbee.
The current football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
coach at Dickinson is Darwin Breaux
Darwin Breaux
Darwin Breaux is the current head football coach for the Dickinson College Red Devils in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and is the 34th person to take that post . He has held that position for fourteen seasons since 1993. As of 2007, his overall coaching record at Dickinson is 87 wins, 56 losses, and 1...
, who has held the position since 1993.
Arguably Dickinson's most notable football victory is the 1931 defeat of Penn State 10-6 under head coach Joseph McCormick
Joseph McCormick (football coach)
Joseph H. McCormick was the 22nd head football coach for the Dickinson College Red Devils in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He held that position for four seasons, from 1931 until 1934. His overall coaching record at Dickinson was 10 wins, 16 losses, and 6 ties...
. The two teams have not met since.
Without a doubt, Dickinson's ultimate athletic achievement is the 1958 Men's Lacrosse Team national title and Roy Taylor Division championship, also defeating Penn State in its final game to clinch the title. The Dickinson lacrosse tradition continues today under Men's Lacrosse Coach Dave Webster whose squad posted a compiled record of 32-5 over the 2010-11 seasons, including a 2-2 NCAA tournament record, with 2 home wins. The 2011 team earned the Red Devils' first men's lacrosse victory against the Gettysburg Bullets since 1975, and ultimately clinched the school's first Centennial Conference title in Men's lacrosse in 2011. The 2010-2011 Centennial Conference Championships, won by Haverford and Dickinson respectively, marked the first time the Championship trophy was traded between anyone but the Gettysburg Bullets or Washington College Shoremen in the Centennial's 17 year history in men's lacrosse.
From 1963 to 1994 Dickinson College hosted the summer training camp for Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
NFL football team .
Greek organizations
Dickinson College has six recognized fraternities and six recognized sororities.Hat Societies
Dickinson College has three senior "Hat Societies" on its campus. This name is given by the distinctive hats members wear on campus. To gain admittance into a Hat Society, one is "tapped" as a junior by current senior members to then serve as a member during his or her senior year. The induction ceremony is known as a Tapping Ceremony. While membership criteria differs amongst the organizations, overall character and general campus leadership are major requirements for membership in any of the three organizations.The three Hat Societies at Dickinson College are:
- Raven's Claw or "White Hats" - 7 senior men
- The Order of Scroll and Key or "Gray Hats" - 7 senior men
- Wheel and Chain or "Blue Hats" - 10 senior women
School songs
The College’s musical tradition dates back to at least 1858 when the Medal of Honor recipient and author, alumnus Horatio Collins KingHoratio Collins King
Horatio Collins King was a Union Army soldier who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the American Civil War. He also served as a U.S. lawyer, politician and author.-Biography:...
, wrote the Alma Mater, “Noble Dickinsonia” to the tune of "O Christmas Tree". In 1937 the College published a book titled Songs of Dickinson, which contains over 70 works from Dickinson’s past. In 1953 the Men's Glee Club recorded an album of college songs. In 2005-2006, The Octals, Dickinson's all-male a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
group, recorded a similar CD.
Rankings and financial aid
- In 2006, the college was ranked the most physically fit school in America by Men's FitnessMen's FitnessMen's Fitness is a men's magazine published by American Media, Inc and founded in the United States in 1987. The premier issue featured Michael Pare from the television series The Greatest American Hero....
.
- In 2006, Dickinson decided to stop publicizing its ranking in "America's Best Colleges" from U.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
; however, in 2009 rankings Dickinson placed #45 among Liberal Arts Colleges. In May, 2007, Dickinson President William G. Durden joined with other college presidents in asking schools not to participate in the reputation portion of the magazine's survey.