North Central College
Encyclopedia
North Central College is a leading liberal arts college providing students at different stages of life and from different ethnic, economic and religious backgrounds with comprehensive educational programs.
North Central has consistently been recognized as a leader in liberal arts studies. In the 2007 through 2010 editions of the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings, North Central College is ranked in the top 20 "Regional Universities (Midwest)," as well as among "America's Best Colleges." U.S. News says North Central is No. 6 among "Best College: Undergraduate Teaching at Regional Universities (Midwest)." North Central also is one of Kaplan's "320 Most Interesting Colleges."
. Classes were first held on November 11 of that year. On February 15, 1864, the Board of Trustees changed the name of the school to North-Western College. The college moved to Naperville in 1870. The name was again changed in 1926 to North Central College.
, in tradition of the bird's habitance in Illinois. The school competes in NCAA Division III and the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
(CCIW). It sponsors 22 sports and has won 28 national championships - 24 NCAA and 4 NAIA - and North Central athletes have won 111 individual national championships http://northcentralcardinals.com/index.aspx. The total of number national championships puts the college eighth on the all time list for most national championships. North Central is the only school in the CCIW to win a national championship in four (4) different sports. And since joining the CCIW, North Central has won 164 conference titles along with 14 CCIW postseason tournament titles.
North Central College was a member of the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
from 1927-1937.
The college is best known for its Men's Track and Field and Cross Country teams, which have won 22 national championships. For the 2009-2010 school year, the men's cross country and indoor/outdoor track teams swept the NCAA Division III Championships. North Central is only the second school in Division III history to accomplish this feat http://northcentralcardinals.com/news/2010/5/29/MTEN_0529104400.aspx. During the 2010-2011 school year, the men's indoor and outdoor track teams repeated as national champions, and the cross country team was the national runner-up. The campus has also hosted past NCAA
Division III national events.
Men's Varsity Sports
Baseball
Basketball
Cross Country
Football
Golf
Soccer
Swimming
Tennis
Track and Field (Indoor/Outdoor)
Wrestling
Women's Varsity Sports
Basketball
Cross Country
Golf
Lacrosse
Soccer
Softball
Swimming
Tennis
Track and Field (Indoor/Outdoor)
Volleyball
Athletic Facilities
Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, which seats 5,500, was completed in 1999, while the Jay and Dot Buikema track was resurfaced in 1997 and a Safeplay Plus artificial playing surface was installed in 2002.
The Stadium has hosted numerous high-profile events, including the Illinois high school boys and girls soccer state finals and the Wes Spencer Crosstown Classic, the annual showdown between Naperville North and Naperville Central high schools. It also served as the temporary home of the Chicago Fire for two seasons while Chicago's Soldier Field was reconstructed. In summer 2009, the stadium hosted an outdoor concert by the band Lifehouse.
North Central College’s baseball facility, Zimmerman Stadium, which includes Alumni Field, was dedicated in 1999. The home of Cardinal baseball resembles a professional minor league facility, with permanent seating for 750 fans and a fully enclosed and wireless pressbox. The facility has hosted the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association summer state tournament and Major League Baseball’s RBI World Series and Area Code tryouts.
Cardinal softball plays at Shanower Family Field. In April 2002, the field was dedicated to honor the family of Don Shanower, beloved professor emeritus of speech communication and theatre and enthusiastic softball fan. The dedication took on added meaning after the Shanower’s son Dan, a commander in the U.S. Navy, was among the victims of the terrorist attack on the Pentagon. The field has been host to an NCAA III regional tournament and was part of Major League Baseball’s RBI World Series.
Merner Field House is home to Cardinal indoor sports except track and field, with 2,000 seats in Gregory Arena for the basketball and volleyball teams. On the second floor of Merner Field House is Nichols Gymnasium, home to the North Central College wrestling team. The College’s swimming pool is also located in the Field House.
The "Res/Rec Center" opened in fall 2009. This combination residential hall and 91000 square feet (8,454.2 m²) recreational center also contains a regulation NCAA 200-meter running track and is home to the Cardinal indoor track team. The Res/Rec Center has won national acclaim due to its environmentally conscious design. The facility, with its innovative geothermal heating and cooling system and other sustainability features, is eligible for LEED Silver Certification http://northcentralcollege.edu/x48631.xml.
North Central College in 2008 dedicated the $30 million Wentz Concert Hall and Fine Arts Center. Designed by the internationally acclaimed Chicago architectural firm of Loebl, Schlossman and Hackl, Inc., the 57000 square feet (5,295.5 m²) facility was planned and sited with the needs of both the College and the Naperville community in mind. Plans evolved over a 15-year period, driven by explosive growth in the College’s music, theatre and art programs, but also a parallel transformation of the city’s downtown, which has brought more than 50 restaurants, numerous national stores and the first four- and five-story buildings within a few blocks of the North Central campus.
The Concert Hall is named in honor of Dr. Myron Wentz, Class of 1963. Nearly $10 million in gifts from Wentz — a scientist, and entrepreneur and music lover — over the past two years have brought the facility to center stage. (Plans for a new Fine Arts Center were put on hold a decade ago when a devastating flood in Naperville forced the College to turn its attention to its damaged athletic complex instead.)
In addition to Wentz Concert Hall, the Fine Arts Center also features the Madden Theatre, which is a 150-seat “black box” experimental theatre (that can double as a dance studio) as well as a facility to provide much needed music rehearsal space, practice rooms and offices. The center also houses a spacious lobby, a kitchen facility and the Schoenherr Art Gallery (all supportive of major civic gatherings).
Rededication of Meiley-Swallow Hall, the old Grace Evangelical Church at Ellsworth Street and Van Buren Avenue, was a highlight during the 2007 Homecoming weekend. In 2005, the College embraced the opportunity to preserve a part of Naperville and North Central history by acquiring the former Grace Evangelical Church. The 95-year-old structure was erected by the same denomination that founded North Central College and an addition to the College's art and theatre programs. Special features of this building include: nearly 23000 square feet (2,136.8 m²) of space, much-needed art display area, a 225-seat thrust stage theatre, and additional office space.
North Central College has a very strong theatre program. The 2000 production of "The Pirates of Penzance" was selected to perform at Kennedy Center American College Theatre's Region III Festival. Productions of Ken Ludwig's "Moon Over Buffalo" and Schmidt and Jones' musical "Philemon" were both selected to perform at the festival's "Evening of Scenes" in 2004 and 2005. The 2007 production of "Thoroughly Modern Millie" was selected as a Regional Finalist from more than 1,300 productions. The 2009 season featured a stunning production of "Cats," and in 2010 North Central became one of the first college theaters in the nation to stage a production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera."
-FM 89.1, one of the nation's premier college radio stations. At a count of 20, no other college radio station has garnered more Marconi College Radio Awards than WONC.
The Chronicle is the student newspaper of North Central College.
Academics
North Central is a leading liberal arts college providing students at different stages of life and from different ethnic, economic and religious backgrounds with comprehensive educational programs.Recognition
Recently North Central College was named one of the Colleges of Distinction, a list of schools emphasizing student engagement, strong teaching, a vibrant community, and successful outcomes.North Central has consistently been recognized as a leader in liberal arts studies. In the 2007 through 2010 editions of the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings, North Central College is ranked in the top 20 "Regional Universities (Midwest)," as well as among "America's Best Colleges." U.S. News says North Central is No. 6 among "Best College: Undergraduate Teaching at Regional Universities (Midwest)." North Central also is one of Kaplan's "320 Most Interesting Colleges."
History
North Central College was founded in 1861 as Plainfield College in Plainfield, IllinoisPlainfield, Illinois
Plainfield is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2007 special census, the population is 37,334.The Village includes land in Plainfield and Wheatland townships. Part of Plainfield is located in Kendall County...
. Classes were first held on November 11 of that year. On February 15, 1864, the Board of Trustees changed the name of the school to North-Western College. The college moved to Naperville in 1870. The name was again changed in 1926 to North Central College.
Location
Retaining the charm of an early 19th century settlement, Naperville has been ranked among the "Best Places to Live in America" by Money magazine; historic downtown Naperville offers many family-owned shops and fine restaurants; the nearby Illinois Research and Development Corridor provides extraordinary opportunities for student internships; the excitement and cultural riches of Chicago's Loop are a half hour away by train, with a station just blocks from campus.Athletics
North Central College's mascot is the CardinalCardinal (bird)
The Cardinals or Cardinalidae are a family of passerine birds found in North and South America. The South American cardinals in the genus Paroaria are placed in another family, the Thraupidae ....
, in tradition of the bird's habitance in Illinois. The school competes in NCAA Division III and the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin is a college athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Its member teams are located in Illinois and Wisconsin. CCIW schools have won 35 Division III national championships since 1973. The conference was founded in 1946 as the...
(CCIW). It sponsors 22 sports and has won 28 national championships - 24 NCAA and 4 NAIA - and North Central athletes have won 111 individual national championships http://northcentralcardinals.com/index.aspx. The total of number national championships puts the college eighth on the all time list for most national championships. North Central is the only school in the CCIW to win a national championship in four (4) different sports. And since joining the CCIW, North Central has won 164 conference titles along with 14 CCIW postseason tournament titles.
North Central College was a member of the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
The Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference was a college athletic conference that existed from 1908 to 1970 in the United States.-History:...
from 1927-1937.
The college is best known for its Men's Track and Field and Cross Country teams, which have won 22 national championships. For the 2009-2010 school year, the men's cross country and indoor/outdoor track teams swept the NCAA Division III Championships. North Central is only the second school in Division III history to accomplish this feat http://northcentralcardinals.com/news/2010/5/29/MTEN_0529104400.aspx. During the 2010-2011 school year, the men's indoor and outdoor track teams repeated as national champions, and the cross country team was the national runner-up. The campus has also hosted past NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division III national events.
Men's Varsity Sports
Baseball
Basketball
Cross Country
Football
Golf
Soccer
Swimming
Tennis
Track and Field (Indoor/Outdoor)
Wrestling
Women's Varsity Sports
Basketball
Cross Country
Golf
Lacrosse
Soccer
Softball
Swimming
Tennis
Track and Field (Indoor/Outdoor)
Volleyball
Athletic Facilities
Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, which seats 5,500, was completed in 1999, while the Jay and Dot Buikema track was resurfaced in 1997 and a Safeplay Plus artificial playing surface was installed in 2002.
The Stadium has hosted numerous high-profile events, including the Illinois high school boys and girls soccer state finals and the Wes Spencer Crosstown Classic, the annual showdown between Naperville North and Naperville Central high schools. It also served as the temporary home of the Chicago Fire for two seasons while Chicago's Soldier Field was reconstructed. In summer 2009, the stadium hosted an outdoor concert by the band Lifehouse.
North Central College’s baseball facility, Zimmerman Stadium, which includes Alumni Field, was dedicated in 1999. The home of Cardinal baseball resembles a professional minor league facility, with permanent seating for 750 fans and a fully enclosed and wireless pressbox. The facility has hosted the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association summer state tournament and Major League Baseball’s RBI World Series and Area Code tryouts.
Cardinal softball plays at Shanower Family Field. In April 2002, the field was dedicated to honor the family of Don Shanower, beloved professor emeritus of speech communication and theatre and enthusiastic softball fan. The dedication took on added meaning after the Shanower’s son Dan, a commander in the U.S. Navy, was among the victims of the terrorist attack on the Pentagon. The field has been host to an NCAA III regional tournament and was part of Major League Baseball’s RBI World Series.
Merner Field House is home to Cardinal indoor sports except track and field, with 2,000 seats in Gregory Arena for the basketball and volleyball teams. On the second floor of Merner Field House is Nichols Gymnasium, home to the North Central College wrestling team. The College’s swimming pool is also located in the Field House.
The "Res/Rec Center" opened in fall 2009. This combination residential hall and 91000 square feet (8,454.2 m²) recreational center also contains a regulation NCAA 200-meter running track and is home to the Cardinal indoor track team. The Res/Rec Center has won national acclaim due to its environmentally conscious design. The facility, with its innovative geothermal heating and cooling system and other sustainability features, is eligible for LEED Silver Certification http://northcentralcollege.edu/x48631.xml.
Fine arts
Pfeiffer Hall is North Central College's oldest fine arts building. It was built in 1926 and seats 1,050. Only six months after it opened, the Naperville Women's Club performed "Little Women" in Pfeiffer Hall. This structure was also used by the College to show movies. The first "talkie" was shown in 1930. Today Pfeiffer Hall hosts theatrical and dance productions, as well as performances by such artists as Blues Traveler, Leann Rimes and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.North Central College in 2008 dedicated the $30 million Wentz Concert Hall and Fine Arts Center. Designed by the internationally acclaimed Chicago architectural firm of Loebl, Schlossman and Hackl, Inc., the 57000 square feet (5,295.5 m²) facility was planned and sited with the needs of both the College and the Naperville community in mind. Plans evolved over a 15-year period, driven by explosive growth in the College’s music, theatre and art programs, but also a parallel transformation of the city’s downtown, which has brought more than 50 restaurants, numerous national stores and the first four- and five-story buildings within a few blocks of the North Central campus.
The Concert Hall is named in honor of Dr. Myron Wentz, Class of 1963. Nearly $10 million in gifts from Wentz — a scientist, and entrepreneur and music lover — over the past two years have brought the facility to center stage. (Plans for a new Fine Arts Center were put on hold a decade ago when a devastating flood in Naperville forced the College to turn its attention to its damaged athletic complex instead.)
In addition to Wentz Concert Hall, the Fine Arts Center also features the Madden Theatre, which is a 150-seat “black box” experimental theatre (that can double as a dance studio) as well as a facility to provide much needed music rehearsal space, practice rooms and offices. The center also houses a spacious lobby, a kitchen facility and the Schoenherr Art Gallery (all supportive of major civic gatherings).
Rededication of Meiley-Swallow Hall, the old Grace Evangelical Church at Ellsworth Street and Van Buren Avenue, was a highlight during the 2007 Homecoming weekend. In 2005, the College embraced the opportunity to preserve a part of Naperville and North Central history by acquiring the former Grace Evangelical Church. The 95-year-old structure was erected by the same denomination that founded North Central College and an addition to the College's art and theatre programs. Special features of this building include: nearly 23000 square feet (2,136.8 m²) of space, much-needed art display area, a 225-seat thrust stage theatre, and additional office space.
North Central College has a very strong theatre program. The 2000 production of "The Pirates of Penzance" was selected to perform at Kennedy Center American College Theatre's Region III Festival. Productions of Ken Ludwig's "Moon Over Buffalo" and Schmidt and Jones' musical "Philemon" were both selected to perform at the festival's "Evening of Scenes" in 2004 and 2005. The 2007 production of "Thoroughly Modern Millie" was selected as a Regional Finalist from more than 1,300 productions. The 2009 season featured a stunning production of "Cats," and in 2010 North Central became one of the first college theaters in the nation to stage a production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera."
Media
North Central College is home to WONCWONC
WONC is a radio station broadcasting an album-oriented rock format. Licensed to Naperville, Illinois, United States, the station serves the Chicago area. The station is currently owned by North Central College.-History:...
-FM 89.1, one of the nation's premier college radio stations. At a count of 20, no other college radio station has garnered more Marconi College Radio Awards than WONC.
The Chronicle is the student newspaper of North Central College.
Notable alumni
- Esther Benjamin, Director of Global Operations, U.S. Peace Corps
- F.L. Maytag, appliance company founder
- Joe BirkettJoe BirkettJoseph E. Birkett is the DuPage County State’s Attorney and former Republican nominee for Illinois Lieutenant Governor with running-mate Judy Baar Topinka. Birkett has been State’s Attorney since October 1, 1996 when he was appointed to fill the vacancy left by Anthony Peccarelli...
, DuPage County State's Attorney 1996-2010, Illinois Appellate Court judge - James Henry BreastedJames Henry BreastedJames Henry Breasted was an American archaeologist and historian. After completing his PhD at the University of Berlin in 1894, he joined the faculty of the University of Chicago. In 1901 he became director of the Haskell Oriental Museum at the University of Chicago, where he continued to...
, Egyptologist - Alvin C. EurichAlvin C. EurichAlvin Christian Eurich was a 20th Century American educator who is most notable for having served as the first President of the State University of New York from 1949–1951....
, First President of the State University of New YorkState University of New YorkThe State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus... - Dr. Joseph Edward “Ed” Rall, National Institutes of Health researcher, thyroid specialist
- Daniel Ruge, Ronald Reagan's personal physician credited with saving the president's life after an assassination attempt in 1981.
- Mildred Rebstock, scientist who developed synthetic form of the antibiotic chloromycetin
- Dick Blick, 1960 Olympic Gold Medalist in swimming
- Harris W. FawellHarris W. FawellHarris W. Fawell was a Republican member of the Illinois Senate from 1963 to 1977, and was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1968 and 1988. In 1976 Harris W. Fawell ran unsuccessfully for the Illinois Supreme Court. In 1984 he was elected to the U.S...
, Former U.S. RepresentativeUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, Illinois' 13th congressional districtIllinois' 13th congressional districtThe 13th congressional district of Illinois covers the southwest suburbs of Chicago, including portions of Cook, DuPage, and Will counties. Since 1999 it has been represented by Republican Judy Biggert.... - John GianniniJohn GianniniDr. John Giannini is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach of the La Salle University men's basketball team. He was a graduate assistant for the 1988–89 Illinois Fightin' Illini, a Final Four team featuring Kendall Gill, Nick Anderson, Kenny Battle, Stephen Bardo and...
, Head Basketball Coach, LaSalle University - Dennis HastertDennis HastertJohn Dennis "Denny" Hastert was the 59th Speaker of the House serving from 1999 to 2007. He represented as a Republican for twenty years, 1987 to 2007.He is the longest-serving Republican Speaker in history...
, Former U.S. Representative and Speaker of the HouseSpeaker of the United States House of RepresentativesThe Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
(attended, but later graduated from Wheaton CollegeWheaton College (Illinois)Wheaton College is a private, evangelical Protestant liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago in the United States...
). Hastert spoke at the College's graduation in 2004. - Holly Humphrey is a Professor of Medicine and Dean of Medical Education at the Pritzker School of MedicinePritzker School of MedicineThe Pritzker School of Medicine is the M.D. granting unit of the Biological Sciences Division of the University of Chicago. It is located on the University's main campus in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, and matriculated its first class in 1927...
of the University of ChicagoUniversity of ChicagoThe University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890... - John S. StammJohn S. StammJohn Samuel Stamm was an American bishop of the Evangelical Church, elected in 1926.Stamm was born on a Sunday morning , 23 March 1878, a son of Hanz and Mary Stamm...
, was an AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bishopBishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the Evangelical ChurchEvangelical AssociationThe Evangelical Church or Evangelical Association, also known as the Albright Brethren, is a "body of American Christians chiefly of German descent", Arminian in doctrine and theology; in its form of church government, Methodist Episcopal.... - Dr. Myron W. WentzMyron W. WentzMyron W. Wentz founded USANA Health Sciences, Inc. in 1992, and served as Chief Executive Officer and still serves as Chairman of the Board of the company.-Education:...
, Founder and Chairman of the Board USANA Health Sciences - Gordon St. AngeloGordon St. AngeloGordon St. Angelo born in Huntingburg, Indiana, USA is former Democratic Party State Chairman of the state of Indiana and was a prominent politician during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s....
, former State Chairman of the Indiana Democratic PartyIndiana Democratic PartyThe Democratic Party of Indiana is a political party and affiliate of the United States Democratic Party in Indiana. The Indiana Democratic Party also hold three of Indiana's nine Congressional seats...
. - Sherrill MilnesSherrill MilnesSherrill Milnes is an American operatic baritone most famous for his Verdi roles. From 1965 until 1997 he was associated with the Metropolitan Opera....
, American Opera Baritone. Attended North Central College before transferring to Drake University and Northwestern University. Milnes was awarded an honorary doctorate from North Central College in 2006. - Corwin C. GuellCorwin C. Guell-Biography:Guell was born Corwin Carl Guell on December 22, 1909 in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. He was later a resident of Thorp, Wisconsin. In 1932, he married Anna L. Zimmerman. They would have three children. He attended North Central College, Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin...
, WisconsinWisconsinWisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
State Assemblyman - Nick Shepkowski, Producer Extradinairre 670 the Score
- Kevin MannoKevin MannoKevin Matthew Manno is an American television and radio host. Before moving to New York City to host The Seven on MTV, he had a successful radio career with Q101 in Chicago.- Early life :...
, host of MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's show 'The Seven', former on-air personality at WKQX-FM Chicago (Q101) - Gordon Mays, on-air personality at WYSP-FM Philadelphia (94 WYSP).