University of Delaware
Encyclopedia
The university is organized into seven colleges:
There are also three schools:
The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest of the colleges. The second annual BusinessWeek review of the "Best Undergraduate B-Schools" ranked UD's Lerner College of Business and Economics 29th among the nation's top 58 public university programs and 61st among the 500 schools earning international accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
Accelerated Programs also allow students to earn both bachelor's and master's degrees within a five-year period. Opportunities in the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy exist to acquire a bachelor's in leadership and a master's in public administration. Students may also pursue a bachelor's degree in hotel management and a master's in business administration through a "4+1+1" program where students work for one year between the undergraduate and graduate experiences. Students in the College of Engineering can pursue a bachelor's degree in one of the University's engineering disciplines and a master's in business administration.
The Medical Scholars Program is an opportunity for students who wish to pursue careers in the medical profession. Successful participation in the Medical Scholars Program leads to a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies from the University of Delaware and the M.D. degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia
.
The Ronald McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program is an initiative to prepare low-income, first generation college students and underrepresented students of African American, Latino, and Native American descent for doctoral study. Since its inception at Delaware, the program boasts a 100% placement rate of its scholars in graduate programs across the country.
, Finance
, Management
, Management Information Systems, Marketing
, International Business and Operations Management and Minors in Advertising, Business Administration, Economics, Entrepreneurial Studies, International Business, and Management Information Systems. A Certificate in Business Fundamentals is also offered to non-business majors. As of July 2008, the department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management was moved from the College of Education and Public Policy to Lerner College. Lerner College also offers a degree in Sports Management, which moved from the College of Health Sciences in July 2010.
Graduate degrees offered include Accounting, Management Information Systems, Business Administration, Organizational Effectiveness, and Economics. An Executive MBA is offered at the University's Wilmington campus. Ph.D. offered in Economics.
In 2008 the Lerner College was ranked 60th in the nation in Business Week's Best Undergraduate Business Schools.
In 2009 it was ranked 6th in the Mid-Atlantic
region for its part-time MBA program and 38th in the nation for its part time program.
In addition to advanced work in the area of their specialty, graduate students in the college are expected to think broadly about their work and its implications for society. Courses outside the student's specialty ensure a well-rounded background. In addition to formal course work, students have the opportunity to conduct research on critical earth, ocean, environmental, and atmospheric topics under the guidance of distinguished faculty.
Graduate students can get degrees in: Climatology(Ph.D.); Geography (M.A., M.S. and Ph.D.); Geology (M.S. and Ph.D.); Marine Bioscience (M.S. and Ph.D.); Marine Policy (M.S., M.M.P. and Ph.D.); Oceanography (M.S. and Ph.D.); Ocean Engineering (M.S. and Ph.D.); and Physical Ocean Science and Engineering (M.S. and Ph.D.).
in 1963 and moved to the University of Delaware in 1985. The Center conducts field and survey research on group, organizational and community preparation for,response to, and recovery from natural and technological disasters and other community-wide crises. DRC researchers have carried out systematic studies on a broad range of disaster types, including hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hazardous chemical incidents, and plane crashes. DRC has also done research on civil disturbances and riots, including the 1992 Los Angeles unrest. Staff have conducted nearly 600 field studies since the Center’s inception,traveling to communities throughout the United States and to a number of foreign countries, including Mexico,Canada, Japan, Italy, and Turkey. Faculty members from the University's Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice direct DRC's projects. Professor Sue McNeil is Director. Core Faculty Benigno E. Aguirre, Joanne Nigg and Tricia Wachtendorf. Russell R. Dynes and E. L. Quarantelli, the founding directors of DRC, are Emeritus Professors. The staff also includes postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, undergraduates and research support personnel.
, or DBI, was organized as an academic unit of the University of Delaware in 1999 and moved into dedicated research facilities in 2001. DBI supports a statewide partnership of higher education, industry, medical, and government communities committed to the discovery and application of interdiscplinary knowledge in biotechnology and the life sciences. With some 180 people resident in the DBI facilities, including 20-25 faculty members representing 12 departments, 140 graduate and post-graduate students, and 20 professional staff members, DBI emphasizes a multi-disciplinary approach to life-science research. The core research areas pursued by DBI-affiliated faculty include agriculture, human health, marine environmental genomics, biomaterials, and computational biology/bioinformatics. Research in these and other areas is done in collaboration with faculty at Delaware State University, Delaware Technical and Community College, Wesley College, Christinia Care Health Systems, and Nemours Hospital for Children. One of the primary objectives of the Institute is to provide state-of-the-art research equipment to facilitate life science research and six core instrumentation centers and specialized facilities, each under the direction of an experienced researcher or administrator, is supported at DBI and made available to University researchers.
The student body at the University of Delaware is largely an undergraduate population. The University offers over 135 undergraduate degrees and, due to the number of academic options, many students complete dual degrees as well as double majors and minors. Delaware students have access to work and internship opportunities, world-wide study abroad programs, research and service learning progams.
(FIRE) for infringing on students rights. FIRE argued that residence hall programs, one on ones and floor meetings administered through resident assistant
s forced students into accepting "university-approved ideologies." FIRE specifically criticized programs dealing with issues of sexual identity
, race, and sustainability
. The controversy originated from training programs given to resident assistants that suggested all white people were inherently racist, and because minorities were not in the majority, they could not be racist. The program was suspended on November 1, 2007, with university president Patrick T. Harker quoted as saying, "There are questions about its practices that must be addressed and there are reasons for concern that the actual purpose is not being fulfilled." In May 2008, against some student protest, the University reinstated an amended version of the previous program. The National Association of Scholars
(NAS), an education reform
group, and an early critic of the Residence Life program, called the amended version a repackaging of the original program. Said the NAS: "The submission is essentially a repeat of its predecessor program. Some of the text has been re-worded but its meaning remains unchanged." The program was also criticized by Wall Street Journal commentator Naomi Schaefer Riley. Riley, among other things, criticized loose definitions of environmental sustainability that include "Fair Trade", "Affirmative Action", "Multicultural Competence" and "Domestic Partnerships".
In 1891, prominent Philadelphia architect Frank Furness
designed Recitation Hall.
The recent history of the university has been marked by massive construction projects. North or Laird Campus, formerly home to the Pencader Complex, has been entirely redesigned and renamed Independence Complex. This began with the construction of a Marriott Courtyard run by the HRIM (Hotel Restaurant and Institutional Management) department. Three new residence hall buildings have also been built and named after the three University Alumni who signed the Declaration of Independence, George Read
, Thomas McKean
and James Smith
(who signed for Pennsylvania). The third Delaware signer, Caesar Rodney
, already had a dorm complex named after him on West Campus. A fourth residence hall opened for the Fall of 2008, named Independence Hall; the building is split into East and West wings.
New academic buildings have also been constructed recently. In 2006, the Center For The Arts had its grand opening, with new facilities for the school's music and theater programs. Also in 2006, Jastak-Burgess Hall opened, now home to the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature. In 1998, Gore Hall opened on the Green and connects to Smith Hall via an overpass on South College Avenue. Other recent construction projects include Alfred Lerner Hall (for business) and massive renovations to DuPont Hall, Wolf Hall, and Memorial Hall.
, who was formerly dean of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
. Previous President David P. Roselle
retired at the end of the 2006–2007 academic year. President Roselle had held that post for sixteen years. Prior to Roselle, the President was E.A. Trabant.
Roselle's 2006 salary of $979,571 was the highest of any public university president in the United States (Purdue University President Martin C. Jischke's 2006 salary was second, at $880,950).
university to begin a study abroad
program, which was later adopted by many other institutions. The program began when Professor Raymond Watson Kirkbride took a group of 9 students to Paris, France during the fall semester of 1923. Since this initial trip, the University of Delaware has expanded its study abroad program, which now encompasses over 80 different programs in more than 40 subjects to over 45 countries on all seven continents making it one of the largest programs in the country. As of 2006-2007, approximately 45% of all Delaware undergraduate students take advantage of study abroad experiences prior to completing their baccalaureate degrees.
Delaware's study abroad program offers many options for students. Undergraduates have the option of studying abroad for a five-week winter or summer session, or an entire semester.
. YoUDee is a Blue Hen Chicken
, after the team names and the state bird of Delaware
. YoUDee was the 2002 UCA National Mascot Champion, was elected into the mascot hall of fame in 2006, and was the 2009 UCA Open Division Mascot National Champion.
UD offers 22 varsity sports, which compete in the NCAA
Division-I (FCS for football). Delaware is a member of the Colonial Athletic Association
(CAA) in all sports. Delaware was a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference in football until the 2006 season. Football is the most popular and most successful sport at Delaware. The Fighting Blue Hens football teams have won six national titles, including the 2003 NCAA I-AA Championship. In 2007
, the Delaware Blue Hens were the runners up in the NCAA I-AA National Championship game, but were defeated by (defending champions) Appalachian State. In 2010, the Delaware Blue Hens were again runners up in the National Championship game, losing to Eastern Washington 20-19 after being up 19-0 earlier in the game.
Former head football coaches Bill Murray
, Dave Nelson
and Harold "Tubby" Raymond are College Football Hall of Fame inductees. Delaware is one of only two schools to have three straight head coaches inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (Georgia Tech
is the other). Delaware's only other NCAA National Championship came in 1983 for Women's Division I Lacrosse.
The Blue Hens have won four CAA Championships since joining in 2001: one each for the women's 2004 field hockey team, the 2007 men's lacrosse team, the 2007 women's volleyball team, and the 2010 football team
(shared with William & Mary
). (Unofficially, the women's rowing team has won the CAA title four times since 2001, placing second the other two times.) The 2007 men's lacrosse program reached the final four of the NCAA Tournament
for the first time in its history.
would have their first game against each other, the game being in the first round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. The game was played on November 23, with University of Delaware winning 44-7. Delaware was the victor in the teams' first regular season match-up in September 2009. Future contests are scheduled for 2012-2014.
, a prominent benefactor of the University during the early 20th century.
In addition, the University of Delaware is known for having one of the best marching bands on the east coast, the University of Delaware Fightin' Blue Hen Marching Band. The band ranges from 300 to 350 members every year and can be seen performing at every home football game as well as at various festivals and competitions, including the Collegiate Marching Band Festival
in Allentown, PA. Additionally, the marching band was selected to perform in the 56th Presidential Inaugural Parade in 2009.
In 2006, the new Center for the Arts building opened. This building has a number of recital halls and a large number of practice rooms, most with upright pianos. The practice rooms are locked and cannot be used by students who are not music majors or in an official UD ensemble. The university employs a tiered access system, with larger rooms and rooms with grand pianos being reserved for certain groups of students. In addition the music department also uses their old building, with offices, classrooms, practice rooms, and recital halls. This building has public-access practice rooms with pianos.
In 2004, the University of Delaware Chorale, under the direction of Dr. Paul D. Head and accompanied by Betsy Kent, were invited to perform at the American Choral Directors Association
's International Convention in Los Angeles
. In April 2007, the Chorale won the Grand Prix at the Tallinn International Choral Festival, having scored higher than 40 other choirs from around the world. In 2000, the music department purchased an 18th century Ceruti violin for professor and virtuoso
violinist Xiang Gao
. This investment of nearly $300,000 USD has more than tripled in value. Recently Prof. Gao has been granted use of a Stradivarius Violin.
The University also has a student run radio station, 91.3 WVUD
, as well as several a cappella groups including one all-female, one all-male, and five mixed groups.
magazine. There is over 700 miles (1,126.5 km) of fiber optic cable, which runs throughout the campus.
The university has also been listed on the list of the top 10 most "wireless" universities in the country. Wireless connections are available in all major areas of the university including the library, dining halls, student centers, residence hall lounges (except west Christiana tower), and most classroom buildings.
There are currently four student publications at Delaware: The Review, DEconstruction Magazine, UDress, and the Mainstreet Journal.
The Review is a weekly publication, released in print and online on Tuesdays. It is an independent publication and receives no financial support from the university. It is distributed at several locations across campus, including Morris Library, the Perkins Student Center and the Trabant University Center, as well as various academic buildings and the dining halls. The Reviews office is located at 250 Perkins Student Center, facing Academy Street, and is above the offices of WVUD
. In 2004, it was a National Newspaper Pacemaker Award Finalist, and was also named one of the ten best non-daily college newspapers by the Associated Collegiate Press
. They currently have a print circulation of 10,000.
In 2002, DEconstruction Magazine was formed "to create a forum for student writing that fell outside of journalism or creative writing. Traditionally, DEconstruction focused on an editorial style of writing to discuss everything from politics to pop culture."
UDress magazine is the on-campus fashion magazine which publishes one issue per semester, in conjuncture with fashion events.
The Mainstreet Journal focuses on creative writing.
The student-run, non-commercial, educational radio station
at Delaware broadcasts on 91.3 and uses the call letters WVUD
, which the University purchased from the University of Dayton in the 1980s. Although not its intended call letter pronunciation, 'VUD has taken on the slogan "the Voice of the University of Delaware." They are licensed by the city of Newark, Delaware
and broadcasts with a power of 1,000 watt
s 24 hours a day with its offices and studios located in the Perkins Student Center.
The transmitting facilities are located atop the Christiana East Tower residence hall. WVUD is operated by University of Delaware students, a University staff of two, and community members. No prior radio experience is necessary, nor is there a need to enroll in any certain major to become a part of WVUD. The radio station has a variety of programming, featuring both music and talk formats.
Another student magazine, aUDio, was announced in Fall 2007. They aim to be "the University of Delaware's first online music magazine." To celebrate their launch, there was a concert on November 29, 2007, in the Trabant University Center.
STN is the student-run, non-commercial, educational television station
at the University of Delaware. The station broadcasts second-run movies, original student produced content as well as live sports coverage. The initials, STN, originally stood for Shane Thomas Network, later changed to Student Television Network.
. There are over 19 fraternities and 15 sororities (chapters & colonies) in the Interfraternity Council
(IFC), National Panhellenic Conference
(NPC), and National Pan-Hellenic Council
(NPHC). They all coordinate via the Greek Council. All Greek organizations participate in an accreditation process called the Chapter Assessment Program (CAP). CAP ratings award chapters with either a Gold, Silver, Bronze, Satisfactory or Needs Improvement designation. This system is an expansion from the Five Star program of the late 1990s, requiring contributions to community service, philanthropy, university events, diversity education, professional education, a chapter/colony GPA greater than or equal to the all men's or all women's average, and attendance and compliance with numerous other criteria.
Active Fraternities include Delta Tau Delta
, Phi Sigma Kappa
, Kappa Delta Rho
, Alpha Epsilon Pi
, Kappa Sigma
, Sigma Alpha Epsilon
, Alpha Gamma Rho
, Lambda Chi Alpha
, Sigma Pi
, Alpha Phi Alpha
, Phi Beta Sigma
, Sigma Phi Delta
, Delta Sigma Pi
, Phi Gamma Delta
, Iota Phi Theta, Phi Sigma Kappa
, Sigma Chi
, Phi Sigma Pi
, Theta Chi
, Kappa Alpha Psi
, Pi Kappa Phi
, Zeta Beta Tau
, Sigma Nu
and Sigma Phi Epsilon
.
Active Sororities include Alpha Delta Pi
, Alpha Xi Delta
, Gamma Phi Beta
, Alpha Epsilon Phi
, Chi Omega
, Sigma Kappa
, Alpha Phi
, Delta Gamma
, Alpha Sigma Alpha
, and Kappa Alpha Theta
.
found that high-risk drinking at UD exceeded the national norm. On this survey, a majority of students reported binge drinking more than once in a two-week interval. The average consumption for students was nine drinks per week, while 29% reported that they drink on 10 or more occasions per month. Ironically, UD students were found to be more aware of policies, prevention programs, and enforcement risks than the national average.
In 2005, on the Newark campus of the university 1140 students were picked up by the campus police for alcohol-related violations. Of these, 120 led to arrests. These figures are up from previous years, 1062 in 2004 and 1026 in 2003. This represents approximately 6% of the student population. Caution must be used in interpreting these figures; a higher number of reported violations may represent more enforcement, not necessarily more actual violations.
UD has expended considerable effort and financial resources to reduce the drinking problem on campus; in 1991 UD founded the Center for Drug and Alcohol Studies. One of the center's major initiatives is a collaborative plan to reduce irresponsible drinking at UD, called "A Matter of Degree"
Beginning in the fall of 2006, incoming freshman had to complete an online course, AlcoholEdu.
At least one student organization has undertaken the goal of "providing fun activities for those who chose not to drink" and to "promote the idea that one doesn't need alcohol to have a good time."
In 2008, a University of Delaware freshmen died of alcohol poisoning after attending a party hosted by members of the Sigma Alpha Mu
fraternity, where the student was pledging.
- College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
- College of Arts and Sciences
- Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics
- College of Earth, Ocean and Environment
- College of Education and Human Development
- College of Engineering
- College of Health Sciences
There are also three schools:
- School of Education (part of the College of Education & Human Development)
- School of Marine Science and Policy (part of the College of Earth, Ocean & Environment)
- School of Public Policy and Administration (part of the College of Arts & Sciences)
The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest of the colleges. The second annual BusinessWeek review of the "Best Undergraduate B-Schools" ranked UD's Lerner College of Business and Economics 29th among the nation's top 58 public university programs and 61st among the 500 schools earning international accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
Accelerated Programs also allow students to earn both bachelor's and master's degrees within a five-year period. Opportunities in the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy exist to acquire a bachelor's in leadership and a master's in public administration. Students may also pursue a bachelor's degree in hotel management and a master's in business administration through a "4+1+1" program where students work for one year between the undergraduate and graduate experiences. Students in the College of Engineering can pursue a bachelor's degree in one of the University's engineering disciplines and a master's in business administration.
The Medical Scholars Program is an opportunity for students who wish to pursue careers in the medical profession. Successful participation in the Medical Scholars Program leads to a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies from the University of Delaware and the M.D. degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia
Thomas Jefferson University
Thomas Jefferson University is a private health sciences university in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. The university consists of six constituent colleges and schools, Jefferson Medical College, Jefferson College of Graduate Studies, Jefferson School of Health...
.
The Ronald McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program is an initiative to prepare low-income, first generation college students and underrepresented students of African American, Latino, and Native American descent for doctoral study. Since its inception at Delaware, the program boasts a 100% placement rate of its scholars in graduate programs across the country.
Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics
The college offers Baccalaureate degrees in Accounting, EconomicsEconomics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, Finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
, Management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
, Management Information Systems, Marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
, International Business and Operations Management and Minors in Advertising, Business Administration, Economics, Entrepreneurial Studies, International Business, and Management Information Systems. A Certificate in Business Fundamentals is also offered to non-business majors. As of July 2008, the department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management was moved from the College of Education and Public Policy to Lerner College. Lerner College also offers a degree in Sports Management, which moved from the College of Health Sciences in July 2010.
Graduate degrees offered include Accounting, Management Information Systems, Business Administration, Organizational Effectiveness, and Economics. An Executive MBA is offered at the University's Wilmington campus. Ph.D. offered in Economics.
In 2008 the Lerner College was ranked 60th in the nation in Business Week's Best Undergraduate Business Schools.
In 2009 it was ranked 6th in the Mid-Atlantic
Mid-Atlantic States
The Mid-Atlantic states, also called middle Atlantic states or simply the mid Atlantic, form a region of the United States generally located between New England and the South...
region for its part-time MBA program and 38th in the nation for its part time program.
College of Arts and Sciences
Through the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Delaware students can choose from a vast array of concentrations. They can choose from programs in visual and performing arts, social sciences, natural sciences and many more.College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment
The College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment (CEOE), through the Department of Geography, the Department of Geological Sciences, and the School of Marine Science and Policy, offers undergraduate and graduate degree options for students to undertake. Undergraduates can major in Coastal and Marine Geoscience, Earth Science Education, Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, Geography, Geography Education, Geology, Marine Science/Marine Biology, Paleobiology. Undergraduates can minor in Coastal and Marine Geoscience, Geography, Geology, or Marine Studies.In addition to advanced work in the area of their specialty, graduate students in the college are expected to think broadly about their work and its implications for society. Courses outside the student's specialty ensure a well-rounded background. In addition to formal course work, students have the opportunity to conduct research on critical earth, ocean, environmental, and atmospheric topics under the guidance of distinguished faculty.
Graduate students can get degrees in: Climatology(Ph.D.); Geography (M.A., M.S. and Ph.D.); Geology (M.S. and Ph.D.); Marine Bioscience (M.S. and Ph.D.); Marine Policy (M.S., M.M.P. and Ph.D.); Oceanography (M.S. and Ph.D.); Ocean Engineering (M.S. and Ph.D.); and Physical Ocean Science and Engineering (M.S. and Ph.D.).
Disaster Research Center
The Disaster Research Center, or DRC, was the first social science research center in the world devoted to the study of disasters. It was established at Ohio State UniversityOhio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
in 1963 and moved to the University of Delaware in 1985. The Center conducts field and survey research on group, organizational and community preparation for,response to, and recovery from natural and technological disasters and other community-wide crises. DRC researchers have carried out systematic studies on a broad range of disaster types, including hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hazardous chemical incidents, and plane crashes. DRC has also done research on civil disturbances and riots, including the 1992 Los Angeles unrest. Staff have conducted nearly 600 field studies since the Center’s inception,traveling to communities throughout the United States and to a number of foreign countries, including Mexico,Canada, Japan, Italy, and Turkey. Faculty members from the University's Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice direct DRC's projects. Professor Sue McNeil is Director. Core Faculty Benigno E. Aguirre, Joanne Nigg and Tricia Wachtendorf. Russell R. Dynes and E. L. Quarantelli, the founding directors of DRC, are Emeritus Professors. The staff also includes postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, undergraduates and research support personnel.
Delaware Biotechnology Institute
The Delaware Biotechnology InstituteDelaware Biotechnology Institute
The Delaware Biotechnology Institute at the University of Delaware is a partnership among government, academia and industry to help establish the First State as a center of excellence in biotechnology and the life sciences...
, or DBI, was organized as an academic unit of the University of Delaware in 1999 and moved into dedicated research facilities in 2001. DBI supports a statewide partnership of higher education, industry, medical, and government communities committed to the discovery and application of interdiscplinary knowledge in biotechnology and the life sciences. With some 180 people resident in the DBI facilities, including 20-25 faculty members representing 12 departments, 140 graduate and post-graduate students, and 20 professional staff members, DBI emphasizes a multi-disciplinary approach to life-science research. The core research areas pursued by DBI-affiliated faculty include agriculture, human health, marine environmental genomics, biomaterials, and computational biology/bioinformatics. Research in these and other areas is done in collaboration with faculty at Delaware State University, Delaware Technical and Community College, Wesley College, Christinia Care Health Systems, and Nemours Hospital for Children. One of the primary objectives of the Institute is to provide state-of-the-art research equipment to facilitate life science research and six core instrumentation centers and specialized facilities, each under the direction of an experienced researcher or administrator, is supported at DBI and made available to University researchers.
Delaware Environmental Institute
The Delaware Environmental Institute (DENIN) launched October 23, 2009. DENIN is charged with conducting research and promoting and coordinating knowledge partnerships that integrate environmental science, engineering and policy. http://denin.udel.eduUniversity of Delaware Energy Institute
The University of Delaware Energy Institute (DEI) was inaugurated September 19, 2008. DEI has been selected to receive a $3 million a year grant for advanced solar research.Students and admissions
| University of Delaware Admissions Statistics (2014) | |
|---|---|
| Applicants | 26,491 |
| Acceptance Rate | 42% out of state, 66% (DE) |
| First Year Students | 1,183 (DE), 2,235 out of state |
| High School GPA | 3.38–3.91 |
| SAT Range, ACT | 1800–2000, 27 |
| Freshman Class Size | 3,418 |
| Number of Study Abroad Locations | 35+ |
| Undergraduate Colleges | 7 |
| Academic Offerings | 125 majors, 75 minors |
| Undergraduate Student-Faculty Ratio | 12:1 |
The student body at the University of Delaware is largely an undergraduate population. The University offers over 135 undergraduate degrees and, due to the number of academic options, many students complete dual degrees as well as double majors and minors. Delaware students have access to work and internship opportunities, world-wide study abroad programs, research and service learning progams.
Residence Life controversy
In October 2007, the Office of Residence Life's diversity program was criticized by several students, and faculty as well as the Foundation for Individual Rights in EducationFoundation for Individual Rights in Education
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education is a non-profit group founded in 1999 and focused on civil liberties in academia in the United States...
(FIRE) for infringing on students rights. FIRE argued that residence hall programs, one on ones and floor meetings administered through resident assistant
Resident assistant
A resident assistant , commonly shortened to RA is a trained peer leader who supervises those living in a residence hall or group housing facility...
s forced students into accepting "university-approved ideologies." FIRE specifically criticized programs dealing with issues of sexual identity
Sexual identity
Sexual identity is a term that, like sex, has two distinctively different meanings. One describes an identity roughly based on sexual orientation, the other an identity based on sexual characteristics, which is not socially based but based on biology, a concept related to, but different from,...
, race, and sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
. The controversy originated from training programs given to resident assistants that suggested all white people were inherently racist, and because minorities were not in the majority, they could not be racist. The program was suspended on November 1, 2007, with university president Patrick T. Harker quoted as saying, "There are questions about its practices that must be addressed and there are reasons for concern that the actual purpose is not being fulfilled." In May 2008, against some student protest, the University reinstated an amended version of the previous program. The National Association of Scholars
National Association of Scholars
The National Association of Scholars is a non-profit organization in the United States that opposes multiculturalism and affirmative action and seeks to counter what it considers a "liberal bias" in academia...
(NAS), an education reform
Education reform
Education reform is the process of improving public education. Small improvements in education theoretically have large social returns, in health, wealth and well-being. Historically, reforms have taken different forms because the motivations of reformers have differed.A continuing motivation has...
group, and an early critic of the Residence Life program, called the amended version a repackaging of the original program. Said the NAS: "The submission is essentially a repeat of its predecessor program. Some of the text has been re-worded but its meaning remains unchanged." The program was also criticized by Wall Street Journal commentator Naomi Schaefer Riley. Riley, among other things, criticized loose definitions of environmental sustainability that include "Fair Trade", "Affirmative Action", "Multicultural Competence" and "Domestic Partnerships".
Architecture
Frank Furness
Frank Heyling Furness was an acclaimed American architect of the Victorian era. He designed more than 600 buildings, most in the Philadelphia area, and is remembered for his eclectic, muscular, often idiosyncratically scaled buildings, and for his influence on the Chicago architect Louis Sullivan...
designed Recitation Hall.
The recent history of the university has been marked by massive construction projects. North or Laird Campus, formerly home to the Pencader Complex, has been entirely redesigned and renamed Independence Complex. This began with the construction of a Marriott Courtyard run by the HRIM (Hotel Restaurant and Institutional Management) department. Three new residence hall buildings have also been built and named after the three University Alumni who signed the Declaration of Independence, George Read
George Read (signer)
George Read was an American lawyer and politician from New Castle in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a Continental Congressman from Delaware, a delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, President of Delaware, and a member of the...
, Thomas McKean
Thomas McKean
Thomas McKean was an American lawyer and politician from New Castle, in New Castle County, Delaware and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During the American Revolution he was a delegate to the Continental Congress where he signed the United States Declaration of Independence and the Articles of...
and James Smith
James Smith (political figure)
James Smith , was a signer to the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Pennsylvania....
(who signed for Pennsylvania). The third Delaware signer, Caesar Rodney
Caesar Rodney
Caesar Rodney was an American lawyer and politician from St. Jones Neck in Dover Hundred, Kent County, Delaware, east of Dover...
, already had a dorm complex named after him on West Campus. A fourth residence hall opened for the Fall of 2008, named Independence Hall; the building is split into East and West wings.
New academic buildings have also been constructed recently. In 2006, the Center For The Arts had its grand opening, with new facilities for the school's music and theater programs. Also in 2006, Jastak-Burgess Hall opened, now home to the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature. In 1998, Gore Hall opened on the Green and connects to Smith Hall via an overpass on South College Avenue. Other recent construction projects include Alfred Lerner Hall (for business) and massive renovations to DuPont Hall, Wolf Hall, and Memorial Hall.
Administration
The University is currently headed by its 26th President Patrick T. HarkerPatrick T. Harker
Patrick Timothy Harker is the President of the University of Delaware. On December 1, 2006, it was announced that Harker had been elected as the 26th President of the University of Delaware and would take office on July 1, 2007. Howard E. Cosgrove, chairman of the university's Board of Trustees,...
, who was formerly dean of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. Previous President David P. Roselle
David Roselle
David Paul Roselle is an American mathematician and academic administrator who served as the ninth President of the University of Kentucky and the 25th President of the University of Delaware.-Early life and family:...
retired at the end of the 2006–2007 academic year. President Roselle had held that post for sixteen years. Prior to Roselle, the President was E.A. Trabant.
Roselle's 2006 salary of $979,571 was the highest of any public university president in the United States (Purdue University President Martin C. Jischke's 2006 salary was second, at $880,950).
Funding
As noted in the Introduction, the University receives funding from a variety of sources as a consequence of its historical origins. Among those sources is the State of Delaware operating budget. In 2006, the proportion of the University's funding coming from this source was 18.6%. , this proportion has decreased to 11.9% as a result of decreasing appropriations.Study abroad
The University of Delaware was the first AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
university to begin a study abroad
Study abroad
Studying abroad is the act of a student pursuing educational opportunities in a country other than one's own. This can include primary, secondary and post-secondary students...
program, which was later adopted by many other institutions. The program began when Professor Raymond Watson Kirkbride took a group of 9 students to Paris, France during the fall semester of 1923. Since this initial trip, the University of Delaware has expanded its study abroad program, which now encompasses over 80 different programs in more than 40 subjects to over 45 countries on all seven continents making it one of the largest programs in the country. As of 2006-2007, approximately 45% of all Delaware undergraduate students take advantage of study abroad experiences prior to completing their baccalaureate degrees.
Delaware's study abroad program offers many options for students. Undergraduates have the option of studying abroad for a five-week winter or summer session, or an entire semester.
Athletics
The athletic teams at Delaware are known as the Fightin' Blue Hens with a mascot named YoUDeeYoUDee
YoUDee is the mascot of the University of Delaware. He is a "fighting Blue Hen" and is named after the state bird of Delaware. According to the University of Delaware, YoUDee's colors are Gold and Blue because his great-great-great-grandfather was awarded the Gold Medal for Valor during the...
. YoUDee is a Blue Hen Chicken
Blue Hen Chicken
The Blue Hen of Delaware is a variety of chicken that was adopted on April 14, 1939, as the state bird of Delaware. The University of Delaware mascot, known as YoUDee, is also modeled after the bird....
, after the team names and the state bird of Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
. YoUDee was the 2002 UCA National Mascot Champion, was elected into the mascot hall of fame in 2006, and was the 2009 UCA Open Division Mascot National Champion.
UD offers 22 varsity sports, which compete in the 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-I (FCS for football). Delaware is a member of the Colonial Athletic Association
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...
(CAA) in all sports. Delaware was a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference in football until the 2006 season. Football is the most popular and most successful sport at Delaware. The Fighting Blue Hens football teams have won six national titles, including the 2003 NCAA I-AA Championship. In 2007
2007 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team
The 2007 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team represented the University of Delaware in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Championship Subdivision college football in its seventh season as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association , and the football program's...
, the Delaware Blue Hens were the runners up in the NCAA I-AA National Championship game, but were defeated by (defending champions) Appalachian State. In 2010, the Delaware Blue Hens were again runners up in the National Championship game, losing to Eastern Washington 20-19 after being up 19-0 earlier in the game.
Former head football coaches Bill Murray
William D. Murray
William D. "Bill" Murray was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at University of Delaware from 1940 to 1942 and from 1946 to 1950 and at Duke University from 1951 to 1965, compiling a career college football record of 142–67–11...
, Dave Nelson
David M. Nelson
David Moir Nelson was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, author, and authority on college football playing rules...
and Harold "Tubby" Raymond are College Football Hall of Fame inductees. Delaware is one of only two schools to have three straight head coaches inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
is the other). Delaware's only other NCAA National Championship came in 1983 for Women's Division I Lacrosse.
The Blue Hens have won four CAA Championships since joining in 2001: one each for the women's 2004 field hockey team, the 2007 men's lacrosse team, the 2007 women's volleyball team, and the 2010 football team
2010 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team
The 2010 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team represented the University of Delaware in the 2010 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Championship Subdivision college football season. They played their home games at Delaware Stadium in Newark, Delaware...
(shared with William & Mary
2010 William & Mary Tribe football team
The 2010 William & Mary Tribe football team represents the College of William & Mary in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Championship Subdivision college football for the 2010 season. William & Mary competes as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association under head...
). (Unofficially, the women's rowing team has won the CAA title four times since 2001, placing second the other two times.) The 2007 men's lacrosse program reached the final four of the NCAA Tournament
2007 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
The 2007 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Tournament was held from May 12 through May 28, 2007. This was the 37th annual Division I NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament...
for the first time in its history.
Intrastate competition
In November 2007, it was announced that the University of Delaware and Delaware State UniversityDelaware State University
Delaware State University , is an American historically black, public university located in Dover, Delaware, and there are two satellite campuses located in Wilmington, Delaware, and Georgetown, Delaware...
would have their first game against each other, the game being in the first round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. The game was played on November 23, with University of Delaware winning 44-7. Delaware was the victor in the teams' first regular season match-up in September 2009. Future contests are scheduled for 2012-2014.
Fight song
"The Delaware Fight Song" first appeared in the Student Handbook in 1933. It was composed by alumnus George F. Kelly (Class of 1915).Music
The University of Delaware has a variety of musical performance opportunities available to students, including a wind ensemble, orchestra, symphonic band. There are also a number of jazz groups available, including two large ensembles, and a smaller group that focus on improvisation. All ensembles are open by audition to all students at the university, and can be taken either for credit or for no credit. The school also has a steel drum ensemble, and an early music ensemble. There are also a variety of choral ensembles, including the University of Delaware Chorale, an all-women's choir, and three choirs, also open to community members, that constitute the Schola Cantorum. The music department's home is the Amy E. Dupont Music Building, named for Amy Elizabeth du PontAmy Elizabeth du Pont
Amy Elizabeth du Pont was a prominent member of the du Pont family of American industrialists. Known as "Miss Amy", she was the youngest daughter of Eugene du Pont; she never married...
, a prominent benefactor of the University during the early 20th century.
In addition, the University of Delaware is known for having one of the best marching bands on the east coast, the University of Delaware Fightin' Blue Hen Marching Band. The band ranges from 300 to 350 members every year and can be seen performing at every home football game as well as at various festivals and competitions, including the Collegiate Marching Band Festival
Collegiate Marching Band Festival
The Collegiate Marching Band Festival, also called the CMBF, is an annual event held in Allentown, Pennsylvania, which showcases college and university marching bands of all sizes and styles from across the Northeastern United States. First held in 1996, the event typically takes places in early...
in Allentown, PA. Additionally, the marching band was selected to perform in the 56th Presidential Inaugural Parade in 2009.
In 2006, the new Center for the Arts building opened. This building has a number of recital halls and a large number of practice rooms, most with upright pianos. The practice rooms are locked and cannot be used by students who are not music majors or in an official UD ensemble. The university employs a tiered access system, with larger rooms and rooms with grand pianos being reserved for certain groups of students. In addition the music department also uses their old building, with offices, classrooms, practice rooms, and recital halls. This building has public-access practice rooms with pianos.
In 2004, the University of Delaware Chorale, under the direction of Dr. Paul D. Head and accompanied by Betsy Kent, were invited to perform at the American Choral Directors Association
American Choral Directors Association
The American Choral Directors Association , headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a non-profit organization with the stated purpose of promoting excellence in the field of choral music...
's International Convention in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. In April 2007, the Chorale won the Grand Prix at the Tallinn International Choral Festival, having scored higher than 40 other choirs from around the world. In 2000, the music department purchased an 18th century Ceruti violin for professor and virtuoso
Virtuoso
A virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the fine arts, at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa...
violinist Xiang Gao
Xiang Gao
Xiang Gao is Chinese violinist.Gao is currently a Professor of Music at the University of Delaware.-References:...
. This investment of nearly $300,000 USD has more than tripled in value. Recently Prof. Gao has been granted use of a Stradivarius Violin.
The University also has a student run radio station, 91.3 WVUD
WVUD
WVUD is a radio station broadcasting a campus radio format. Licensed to Newark, Delaware, USA, the station serves the Wilmington, DE area. The station is currently owned by University of Delaware. The station has obtained a construction permit from the FCC for a power increase to 6,800 watts...
, as well as several a cappella groups including one all-female, one all-male, and five mixed groups.
Technological innovations
In 2000, the University of Delaware was ranked the 2nd most "wired" university in the country by Yahoo! Internet LifeYahoo! Internet Life
Yahoo! Internet Life was a monthly magazine published by Ziff-Davis, which licensed the name from Yahoo!, the well-known web portal and search engine website. It was created and launched by G. Barry Golson, the former executive editor of Playboy and TV Guide.It dealt with the emerging Internet and...
magazine. There is over 700 miles (1,126.5 km) of fiber optic cable, which runs throughout the campus.
The university has also been listed on the list of the top 10 most "wireless" universities in the country. Wireless connections are available in all major areas of the university including the library, dining halls, student centers, residence hall lounges (except west Christiana tower), and most classroom buildings.
Tuition
As of the fall of 2011, tuition for in-state residents will be , while out-of-state students will pay US$27,462. This is a substantial increase (9.6% for in-state and 8.1% for out-of-state) versus 2010 tuition.Media
There are currently four student publications at Delaware: The Review, DEconstruction Magazine, UDress, and the Mainstreet Journal.
The Review is a weekly publication, released in print and online on Tuesdays. It is an independent publication and receives no financial support from the university. It is distributed at several locations across campus, including Morris Library, the Perkins Student Center and the Trabant University Center, as well as various academic buildings and the dining halls. The Reviews office is located at 250 Perkins Student Center, facing Academy Street, and is above the offices of WVUD
WVUD
WVUD is a radio station broadcasting a campus radio format. Licensed to Newark, Delaware, USA, the station serves the Wilmington, DE area. The station is currently owned by University of Delaware. The station has obtained a construction permit from the FCC for a power increase to 6,800 watts...
. In 2004, it was a National Newspaper Pacemaker Award Finalist, and was also named one of the ten best non-daily college newspapers by the Associated Collegiate Press
Associated Collegiate Press
The Associated Collegiate Press is the largest and oldest national membership organization for college student media in the United States. The ACP is a division of the National Scholastic Press Association...
. They currently have a print circulation of 10,000.
In 2002, DEconstruction Magazine was formed "to create a forum for student writing that fell outside of journalism or creative writing. Traditionally, DEconstruction focused on an editorial style of writing to discuss everything from politics to pop culture."
UDress magazine is the on-campus fashion magazine which publishes one issue per semester, in conjuncture with fashion events.
The Mainstreet Journal focuses on creative writing.
The student-run, non-commercial, educational radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
at Delaware broadcasts on 91.3 and uses the call letters WVUD
WVUD
WVUD is a radio station broadcasting a campus radio format. Licensed to Newark, Delaware, USA, the station serves the Wilmington, DE area. The station is currently owned by University of Delaware. The station has obtained a construction permit from the FCC for a power increase to 6,800 watts...
, which the University purchased from the University of Dayton in the 1980s. Although not its intended call letter pronunciation, 'VUD has taken on the slogan "the Voice of the University of Delaware." They are licensed by the city of Newark, Delaware
Newark, Delaware
Newark is an American city in New Castle County, Delaware, west-southwest of Wilmington. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 31,454. Newark is the home of the University of Delaware.- History :...
and broadcasts with a power of 1,000 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s 24 hours a day with its offices and studios located in the Perkins Student Center.
The transmitting facilities are located atop the Christiana East Tower residence hall. WVUD is operated by University of Delaware students, a University staff of two, and community members. No prior radio experience is necessary, nor is there a need to enroll in any certain major to become a part of WVUD. The radio station has a variety of programming, featuring both music and talk formats.
Another student magazine, aUDio, was announced in Fall 2007. They aim to be "the University of Delaware's first online music magazine." To celebrate their launch, there was a concert on November 29, 2007, in the Trabant University Center.
STN is the student-run, non-commercial, educational television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
at the University of Delaware. The station broadcasts second-run movies, original student produced content as well as live sports coverage. The initials, STN, originally stood for Shane Thomas Network, later changed to Student Television Network.
Greek life
Approximately 20% of Delaware's undergraduate population is affiliated with a fraternity or sororityFraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
. There are over 19 fraternities and 15 sororities (chapters & colonies) in the Interfraternity Council
North-American Interfraternity Conference
The North-American Interfraternity Conference , is an association of collegiate men's fraternities that was formally organized in 1910, although it began on November 27, 1909. The power of the organization rests in a House of Delegates where each member fraternity is represented by a single delegate...
(IFC), National Panhellenic Conference
National Panhellenic Conference
The National Panhellenic Conference , founded in 1902, is an umbrella organization for 26 national women's sororities.Each member group is autonomous as a social, Greek-letter society of college women and alumnae...
(NPC), and National Pan-Hellenic Council
National Pan-Hellenic Council
The National Pan-Hellenic Council is a collaborative organization of nine historically African American, international Greek lettered fraternities and sororities. The nine NPHC organizations are sometimes collectively referred to as the "Divine Nine"...
(NPHC). They all coordinate via the Greek Council. All Greek organizations participate in an accreditation process called the Chapter Assessment Program (CAP). CAP ratings award chapters with either a Gold, Silver, Bronze, Satisfactory or Needs Improvement designation. This system is an expansion from the Five Star program of the late 1990s, requiring contributions to community service, philanthropy, university events, diversity education, professional education, a chapter/colony GPA greater than or equal to the all men's or all women's average, and attendance and compliance with numerous other criteria.
Active Fraternities include Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta is a U.S.-based international secret letter college fraternity. Delta Tau Delta was founded in 1858 at Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia, . It currently has around 125 student chapters nationwide, as well as more than 25 regional alumni groups. Its national community service...
, Phi Sigma Kappa
Phi Sigma Kappa
-Phi Sigma Kappa's Creed and Cardinal Principles:The 1934 Convention in Ann Arbor brought more changes for the fraternity. Brother Stewart W. Herman of Gettysburg wrote and presented the Creed, and Brother Ralph Watts of Massachusetts drafted and presented the Cardinal Principles.-World War II:The...
, Kappa Delta Rho
Kappa Delta Rho
Kappa Delta Rho is an American college social fraternity, with 77 chapters spread out over the United States, primarily in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions...
, Alpha Epsilon Pi
Alpha Epsilon Pi
Alpha Epsilon Pi , the Global Jewish college fraternity, has 155 active chapters in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Israel with a membership of over 9,000 undergraduates...
, Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma , commonly nicknamed Kappa Sig, is an international fraternity with currently 282 active chapters and colonies in North America. Kappa Sigma has initiated more than 240,000 men on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Today, the Fraternity has over 175,000 living...
, Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South...
, Alpha Gamma Rho
Alpha Gamma Rho
Alpha Gamma Rho is a social-professional fraternity in the United States, with 75 university chapters including chapter in Mindanao State University, Philippines...
, Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha is one of the largest men's secret general fraternities in North America, having initiated more than 280,000 members and held chapters at more than 300 universities. It is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference and was founded by Warren A. Cole, while he was a...
, Sigma Pi
Sigma Pi
Sigma Pi is an international college secret and social fraternity founded in 1897 at Vincennes University. Sigma Pi International fraternity currently has 127 chapters and 4 colonies in the United States and Canada and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee...
, Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha is the first Inter-Collegiate Black Greek Letter fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations ...
, Phi Beta Sigma
Phi Beta Sigma
Phi Beta Sigma is a predominantly African-American fraternity which was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students. The founders A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse, and Charles I...
, Sigma Phi Delta
Sigma Phi Delta
ΣΦΔ is an international social fraternity of engineers. Billing itself as "The Premier International Fraternity of Engineers", the organization is the only fraternity of its kind that draws its membership exclusively from male engineering students at ABET-accredited colleges and universities, as...
, Delta Sigma Pi
Delta Sigma Pi
ΔΣΠ ' is one of the largest co-ed professional business fraternities. Delta Sigma Pi was founded on November 7, 1907 at the School of Commerce, Accounts and Finance, New York University, New York, New York and is currently headquartered in Oxford, Ohio...
, Phi Gamma Delta
Phi Gamma Delta
The international fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta is a collegiate social fraternity with 120 chapters and 18 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania, in 1848, and its headquarters are located in Lexington, Kentucky, USA...
, Iota Phi Theta, Phi Sigma Kappa
Phi Sigma Kappa
-Phi Sigma Kappa's Creed and Cardinal Principles:The 1934 Convention in Ann Arbor brought more changes for the fraternity. Brother Stewart W. Herman of Gettysburg wrote and presented the Creed, and Brother Ralph Watts of Massachusetts drafted and presented the Cardinal Principles.-World War II:The...
, Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
, Phi Sigma Pi
Phi Sigma Pi
Phi Sigma Pi is a national coeducational honor fraternity based in the United States. The fraternity is a 501 not-for-profit organization incorporated in the state of Pennsylvania, with the purpose of fostering the ideals of scholarship, leadership and fellowship...
, Theta Chi
Theta Chi
Theta Chi Fraternity is an international college fraternity. It was founded on April 10, 1856 as the Theta Chi Society, at Norwich University, Norwich, Vermont, U.S., and was the 21st of the 71 North-American Interfraternity Conference men's fraternities.-Founding and early years at Norwich:Theta...
, Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin...
, Pi Kappa Phi
Pi Kappa Phi
Pi Kappa Phi is an American social fraternity. It was founded by Andrew Alexander Kroeg, Jr., Lawrence Harry Mixson, and Simon Fogarty, Jr. on December 10, 1904 at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina...
, Zeta Beta Tau
Zeta Beta Tau
Zeta Beta Tau was founded in 1898 as the nation's first Jewish fraternity, although it is no longer sectarian. Today the merged Zeta Beta Tau Brotherhood is one of the largest, numbering over 140,000 initiated Brothers, and over 90 chapter locations.-Founding:The Zeta Beta Tau fraternity was...
, Sigma Nu
Sigma Nu
Sigma Nu is an undergraduate, college fraternity with chapters in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Sigma Nu was founded in 1869 by three cadets at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia...
and Sigma Phi Epsilon
Sigma Phi Epsilon
Sigma Phi Epsilon , commonly nicknamed SigEp or SPE, is a social college fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College , and its national headquarters remains in Richmond, Virginia. It was founded on three principles: Virtue,...
.
Active Sororities include Alpha Delta Pi
Alpha Delta Pi
Alpha Delta Pi is a fraternity founded on May 15, 1851 at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. The Executive office for this sorority is located on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia. Alpha Delta Pi is one of the two "Macon Magnolias," a term used to celebrate the bonds it shares with Phi Mu...
, Alpha Xi Delta
Alpha Xi Delta
Alpha Xi Delta is a women's fraternity founded on April 17, 1893 at Lombard College, Galesburg, Illinois. Alpha Xi Delta is one of the oldest women's fraternities as well as one of the ten founding fraternities of the National Panhellenic Conference...
, Gamma Phi Beta
Gamma Phi Beta
Gamma Phi Beta is an international sorority that was founded on November 11, 1874, at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. The term "sorority," meaning sisterhood, was coined for Gamma Phi Beta by Dr. Frank Smalley, a professor at Syracuse University.The four founders are Helen M. Dodge,...
, Alpha Epsilon Phi
Alpha Epsilon Phi
Alpha Epsilon Phi is a sorority and member of the National Panhellenic Conference. It was founded on October 24, 1909 at Barnard College in New York City by seven Jewish women; Helen Phillips Lipman, Ida Beck Carlin, Rose Gerstein Smolin, Augustina "Tina" Hess Solomon, Lee Reiss Liebert, Rose...
, Chi Omega
Chi Omega
Chi Omega is a women's fraternity and the largest member of the National Panhellenic Conference. Chi Omega has 174 active collegiate chapters and over 230 alumnae chapters. Chi Omega's national headquarters is located in Memphis, Tennessee....
, Sigma Kappa
Sigma Kappa
Sigma Kappa is a sorority founded in 1874 at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Sigma Kappa was founded by five women: Mary Caffrey Low Carver, Elizabeth Gorham Hoag, Ida Mabel Fuller Pierce, Frances Elliott Mann Hall and Louise Helen Coburn...
, Alpha Phi
Alpha Phi
Alpha Phi International Women's Fraternity was founded at Syracuse University on September 18, 1872. Alpha Phi currently has 152 active chapters and over 200,000 initiated members. Its celebrated Founders' Day is October 10. It was the third Greek-letter organization founded for women. In Alpha...
, Delta Gamma
Delta Gamma
Delta Gamma is one of the oldest and largest women's fraternities in the United States and Canada, with its Executive Offices based in Columbus, Ohio.-History:...
, Alpha Sigma Alpha
Alpha Sigma Alpha
Alpha Sigma Alpha is a US national sorority founded on November 15, 1901 at the Virginia State Female Normal School in Farmville, Virginia...
, and Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Alpha Theta , also known as Theta, is an international fraternity for women founded on January 27, 1870 at DePauw University, formerly Indiana Asbury...
.
Alcohol abuse
A campus website claims that a 1993 study by the Harvard School of Public HealthHarvard School of Public Health
The Harvard School of Public Health is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Area of the Boston, Massachusetts neighborhood of Mission Hill, which is next to Harvard Medical School. HSPH is considered a significant school focusing on health in the...
found that high-risk drinking at UD exceeded the national norm. On this survey, a majority of students reported binge drinking more than once in a two-week interval. The average consumption for students was nine drinks per week, while 29% reported that they drink on 10 or more occasions per month. Ironically, UD students were found to be more aware of policies, prevention programs, and enforcement risks than the national average.
In 2005, on the Newark campus of the university 1140 students were picked up by the campus police for alcohol-related violations. Of these, 120 led to arrests. These figures are up from previous years, 1062 in 2004 and 1026 in 2003. This represents approximately 6% of the student population. Caution must be used in interpreting these figures; a higher number of reported violations may represent more enforcement, not necessarily more actual violations.
UD has expended considerable effort and financial resources to reduce the drinking problem on campus; in 1991 UD founded the Center for Drug and Alcohol Studies. One of the center's major initiatives is a collaborative plan to reduce irresponsible drinking at UD, called "A Matter of Degree"
Beginning in the fall of 2006, incoming freshman had to complete an online course, AlcoholEdu.
At least one student organization has undertaken the goal of "providing fun activities for those who chose not to drink" and to "promote the idea that one doesn't need alcohol to have a good time."
In 2008, a University of Delaware freshmen died of alcohol poisoning after attending a party hosted by members of the Sigma Alpha Mu
Sigma Alpha Mu
Sigma Alpha Mu , also known as "Sammy", is a college fraternity founded at the City College of New York in 1909. Originally only for Jewish men, Sigma Alpha Mu remained so until 1953, when members from all backgrounds were accepted. Originally headquartered in New York, Sigma Alpha Mu has...
fraternity, where the student was pledging.