Western Connecticut State University
Encyclopedia
Western Connecticut State University (Western, WestConn, or WCSU) is a public university
in Danbury
, Connecticut
. Founded in 1903, WestConn has an arts and sciences curriculum, a business school, and several professional programs including elementary and secondary education, nursing, music performance, and social work. It is also home to The Jane Goodall Center for Excellence in Environmental Studies
.
and surrounding areas. The school's name has changed over the years as it has focused on additional areas of study. First named the Danbury Normal School, in the 1950s it was called the Danbury State Teachers College. It was renamed as Danbury State College in 1959, then Western Connecticut State College in 1967, and finally, in 1983, Western Connecticut State University.
The Midtown Campus is the original campus, located near Downtown Danbury. It is home to the School of Arts and Sciences, School of Professional Studies, and most of the school administration. Housing on this campus include; Fairfield Hall, Litchfield Hall, and Newbury Hall. The Midtown Student center is located on this campus.
The West Side Campus is located on land purchased in the 1970s on the outskirts of Danbury. This 439 acres (1.8 km²) lot is home to the Ancell School of Business
, a nature center, amphitheater, and three residence halls. The West Side also houses the athletic facilities, including the O'Neill Center. On January 23, 2007 the new West Side Campus Center was officially opened. This new facility serves as a student center, meeting, and banquet facility for the West Side Campus.
A major improvement program was started in the mid-1990s to beautify the campus. Several parking lots became green space, and improvements were made to the landscaping. While a significant improvement, the full extent of this beautification is not immediately apparent and will take several years to reach full maturity.
The "WestConn at Waterbury" program is located on the campus of Naugatuck Valley Community College. The program offers undergraduate courses and the Master of Health Administration
(M.H.A.).
4,793 students (including 962 transfer applicants) applied to the University. 2,825 (including 644 transfers) were accepted. Of those 1,262 enrolled in the Fall semester.
Most of the students at WestConn come from the Tri State Area of Connecticut
, New York
and New Jersey
. Nearly all commuter students come from western Connecticut, Putnam
, Dutchess and Westchester Counties in New York.
According to the University, students claiming Connecticut
residency come from 99 of the state's 169 municipalities.
Women comprise 49.5% of the entering class (423 of 855), and members of traditionally underrepresented groups comprise 14.7% of the entering class (123 of 839).
The Student to Faculty ratio for the 2006-2007 academic year is 15.4 to 1 (Total Student FTE divided by Total Faculty FTE).
The Current President of the Student Government Association is Kevin Freyer. The current Vice Presidents are Sheldon Poole, Mark Smith, and Mike Fraser. Bernard Kokinchak is the Student Trustee. Their offices are located in the Midtown Student Center.
The legal clinic
seeks to educate students about their rights and responsibilities through the sharing of information and legal resources, various informational programs and presentations, as well as individualized student counseling. Attorneys counsel and advise students on general legal concerns, consumer complaints, debts and bankruptcy, family law, landlord-tenant issues, wills and probate matters, litigation, criminal matters, administration agency matters (Veterans Administration, e.g.), and small claims.
Established in 1998 the advisor to the legal clinic has been Dr. Harold B. Schramm, Professor of English and Justice and Law Administration.
, 91.7 FM, broadcasts to Connecticut and New York at 3,000 watts. It also streams its broadcasts on the Web at WXCI.org. The radio transmitter is on the west side campus, while the studio is in the main campus student center.
, founded in 1955, and subsidized by the student's activity fees. The Echo is published weekly in tabloid format, though in the past it has been published in broadsheet
format. The Echo launched a new website in 2010, The Echo.
The Echo has an Editorial Board that makes strategic and operational decisions on behalf of the newspaper.
WestConn is a member of the NCAA
Division III and the Eastern College Athletic Conference
and fields teams in baseball, basketball, lacrosse, football, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, and volleyball.
WestConn also fields several nationally competitive club sports on campus including Men's Rugby, Women's Rugby, Dance Team, Cheerleading, and Men's Hockey.
Non-varsity Sports
,
Tau Kappa Epsilon
,
Zeta Beta Tau
; and four sororities: Alpha Delta Pi
,
Delta Gamma Phi,
Kappa Chi Alpha,
Sigma Delta Tau
As of February 2011, none of the Greek fraternities and sororities have an established on-campus house.
. There is also a planetarium
for teaching and public star shows.
The West Side campus houses a large-format thermoelectrically cooled CCD
camera and is specifically used for astrophysical
studies.
The mission of the Archives is to collect and make accessible the WCSU administrative records, faculty papers, university publications, theses
, visual materials, and other media created by the University. It also includes non-WCSU affiliated personal papers, local government
and organizational records, visual materials, map
s, journal
s and other media that document the history of this region. The archival holdings amount to approximately 750 linear feet.
The WCSU Archives' collection is searchable through the use of the CAO (Connecticut Archives Online) or through CONSULS.
, Central
, and Southern Connecticut State University
.
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in Danbury
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. Founded in 1903, WestConn has an arts and sciences curriculum, a business school, and several professional programs including elementary and secondary education, nursing, music performance, and social work. It is also home to The Jane Goodall Center for Excellence in Environmental Studies
The Jane Goodall Center for Excellence in Environmental Studies
The Jane Goodall Center for Excellence in Environmental Studies is a partnership between the Jane Goodall Institute, a private non-profit organization dedicated to wildlife research, education and conservation, and Western Connecticut State University....
.
History
WestConn started as a teachers' college, training the primary and secondary school educators for Connecticut's Fairfield CountyFairfield County, Connecticut
Fairfield County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The county population is 916,829 according to the 2010 Census. There are currently 1,465 people per square mile in the county. It is the most populous county in the State of Connecticut and contains...
and surrounding areas. The school's name has changed over the years as it has focused on additional areas of study. First named the Danbury Normal School, in the 1950s it was called the Danbury State Teachers College. It was renamed as Danbury State College in 1959, then Western Connecticut State College in 1967, and finally, in 1983, Western Connecticut State University.
Schools
- Ancell School of BusinessAncell School of BusinessThe Ancell school of business is the business school at Western Connecticut State University.Nathan S. Ancell, a major benefactor of the university and president of Ethan Allen, was honored with his name in memorial...
- School of Arts and Sciences
- School of Visual and Performing Arts
- School of Professional Studies
- Division of Graduate Studies
Campus
Western Connecticut has two campuses (Midtown and West Side) located three miles apart connected by a campus shuttle service.The Midtown Campus is the original campus, located near Downtown Danbury. It is home to the School of Arts and Sciences, School of Professional Studies, and most of the school administration. Housing on this campus include; Fairfield Hall, Litchfield Hall, and Newbury Hall. The Midtown Student center is located on this campus.
The West Side Campus is located on land purchased in the 1970s on the outskirts of Danbury. This 439 acres (1.8 km²) lot is home to the Ancell School of Business
Ancell School of Business
The Ancell school of business is the business school at Western Connecticut State University.Nathan S. Ancell, a major benefactor of the university and president of Ethan Allen, was honored with his name in memorial...
, a nature center, amphitheater, and three residence halls. The West Side also houses the athletic facilities, including the O'Neill Center. On January 23, 2007 the new West Side Campus Center was officially opened. This new facility serves as a student center, meeting, and banquet facility for the West Side Campus.
A major improvement program was started in the mid-1990s to beautify the campus. Several parking lots became green space, and improvements were made to the landscaping. While a significant improvement, the full extent of this beautification is not immediately apparent and will take several years to reach full maturity.
The "WestConn at Waterbury" program is located on the campus of Naugatuck Valley Community College. The program offers undergraduate courses and the Master of Health Administration
Master of Health Administration
The Master of Health Administration is a master's-level professional degree granted to students who complete a course of study in the knowledge and competencies needed for careers in health administration, involving the management of hospitals and other health services organizations, as well as...
(M.H.A.).
Midtown Campus
- University Hall (Administrative Offices)
- White Hall (Classrooms & Faculty Offices)
- Warner Hall (Classrooms & Faculty Offices)
- Ruth A. Haas Library
- Berkshire Hall (Classrooms, Theatre & Faculty Offices)
- Science Building (Classrooms, Laboratories & Faculty Offices)
- Old Main (Registrar, Fin. Aid, Cashier & Offices)
- Higgins Hall (Classrooms & Faculty Offices)
- Fairfield Hall (Residence Hall)
- Newbury Hall (Residence Hall)
- Litchfield Hall (Residence Hall)
- Student Center
- Alumni Hall (Child Care)
WestSide Campus
- Classroom Building (Classrooms, Robert Young Library & Faculty Offices)
- Campus Center (Student Center & Multi-use facility)
- O'Neill Center (Feldman Arena, Sports Facilities)
- Football Stadium
- Rugby Field
- Football Practice Field
- Softball Field
- Baseball Stadium
- Tennis Facilities
- Pinney Hall (Residence Hall)
- Centennial Hall (Residence Hall)
- Grasso Hall (Residence Hall)
- Observatory
- Ives Concert Park
Student body
As of the Fall of 2006, WestConn has approximately 4,905 full-time undergraduates and 1,584 graduate or part-time students.4,793 students (including 962 transfer applicants) applied to the University. 2,825 (including 644 transfers) were accepted. Of those 1,262 enrolled in the Fall semester.
Most of the students at WestConn come from the Tri State Area of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Nearly all commuter students come from western Connecticut, Putnam
Putnam County, New York
Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the lower Hudson River Valley. Putnam county formed in 1812, when it detached from Dutchess County. , the population was 99,710. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The county seat is the hamlet of Carmel...
, Dutchess and Westchester Counties in New York.
According to the University, students claiming Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
residency come from 99 of the state's 169 municipalities.
Women comprise 49.5% of the entering class (423 of 855), and members of traditionally underrepresented groups comprise 14.7% of the entering class (123 of 839).
The Student to Faculty ratio for the 2006-2007 academic year is 15.4 to 1 (Total Student FTE divided by Total Faculty FTE).
Student Government Association
The Student Government Association (SGA) is the voice of the students, as well as the sole governing body over the Student Activity Fund and student organizations at the university, . The SGA has 3 branches of government: the Legislative Branch, an Executive Branch and the Judicial Branch, elected by the Student Body.The Current President of the Student Government Association is Kevin Freyer. The current Vice Presidents are Sheldon Poole, Mark Smith, and Mike Fraser. Bernard Kokinchak is the Student Trustee. Their offices are located in the Midtown Student Center.
SGA Legal Clinic
Western Connecticut State University is one of the few schools in the US to have a fully funded center to provide legal counseling to students. Funded by the Student Government Association, the center provides students with initial legal counseling and advice. The clinic does not represent students in court but may make referrals for such purposes.The legal clinic
Legal clinic
The phrase legal clinic may refer to any private, nonprofit law practice serving the public interest. In the academic context, these law school clinics provide hands-on experience to law school students and services to various clients. Academic Clinics are usually directed by clinical professors...
seeks to educate students about their rights and responsibilities through the sharing of information and legal resources, various informational programs and presentations, as well as individualized student counseling. Attorneys counsel and advise students on general legal concerns, consumer complaints, debts and bankruptcy, family law, landlord-tenant issues, wills and probate matters, litigation, criminal matters, administration agency matters (Veterans Administration, e.g.), and small claims.
Established in 1998 the advisor to the legal clinic has been Dr. Harold B. Schramm, Professor of English and Justice and Law Administration.
College radio station WXCI
The college radio station, WXCIWXCI
WXCI is a student radio station broadcasting an Educational format. Licensed to Danbury, Connecticut, USA, the station serves the Connecticut and New York college area. The station is currently owned by Western Connecticut State University....
, 91.7 FM, broadcasts to Connecticut and New York at 3,000 watts. It also streams its broadcasts on the Web at WXCI.org. The radio transmitter is on the west side campus, while the studio is in the main campus student center.
The Echo - WCSU Student Newspaper
The Echo is a student-run newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, founded in 1955, and subsidized by the student's activity fees. The Echo is published weekly in tabloid format, though in the past it has been published in broadsheet
Broadsheet
Broadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of material, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
format. The Echo launched a new website in 2010, The Echo.
The Echo has an Editorial Board that makes strategic and operational decisions on behalf of the newspaper.
Athletics
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 and the Eastern College Athletic Conference
Eastern College Athletic Conference
The Eastern College Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference comprising schools that compete in 21 sports . It has 317 member institutions in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, ranging in location from Maine to North Carolina and west to Illinois...
and fields teams in baseball, basketball, lacrosse, football, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, and volleyball.
WestConn also fields several nationally competitive club sports on campus including Men's Rugby, Women's Rugby, Dance Team, Cheerleading, and Men's Hockey.
Venues
Varsity Sports- Field Hockey: Westside Athletic Complex
- Baseball: Athletic fields baseball stadium
- Basketball: Feldman Arena at the O'Neill Center
- Football: Westside Athletic Complex (football stadium, aka WAC)
- Lacrosse(2008 LEC Mens Lax Champs): Westside Athletic Complex
- Women's Lacrosse: Westside Athletic Complex
- Soccer: Westside Athletic Complex
- Softball: Athletic fields softball field
- Swimming: O'Neill Center
- Tennis: O'Neil Center outdoor tennis courts
- Volleyball: Feldman Arena at the O'Neill Center
Non-varsity Sports
- Hockey: Danbury Ice Arena
- Rugby: Athletic practice fields - The Men's Rugby Club was Northeast Div. 2 Champions in 2005 led by seniors Justin Hurgin & Donald Bullock Jr.
Greek life
WestConn's Greek community, first established in 1966 by local Chi Epsilon Sigma Fraternity, is now made up of three fraternities: Sigma ChiSigma 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...
,
Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon is a college fraternity founded on January 10, 1899 at Illinois Wesleyan University with chapters in the United States, and Canada, and affiliation with a German fraternity system known as the Corps of the Weinheimer Senioren Convent...
,
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...
; and four sororities: 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...
,
Delta Gamma Phi,
Kappa Chi Alpha,
Sigma Delta Tau
As of February 2011, none of the Greek fraternities and sororities have an established on-campus house.
Debate Society
The Roger Sherman Debate Society participates in tournaments sanctioned by the Cross Examination Debate Association. The team competes in the North East Conference. Western is the only university in Connecticut that offers a policy debate team.Notable alumni
- Chris RhodesChris RhodesChris Rhodes is a trombone player from New Haven, Connecticut best known for playing trombone in several notable ska bands including Spring Heeled Jack USA, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Bim Skala Bim and The Toasters as well as Connecticut funk band, Boogie Chillin'...
, Trombone player and member of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. - Mike Sembos, rhythm guitar/keyboard player for the band The Alternate RoutesThe Alternate RoutesThe Alternate Routes are an American rock band out of Bridgeport, Connecticut formed by Tim Warren and Eric Donnelly in 2002 while studying at Fairfield University....
. - Fred NorrisFred NorrisEric Fred Norris is an American radio personality known for being the longest-tenured staff member of The Howard Stern Show aside from Stern himself...
, radio personality and writer for The Howard Stern Show - Jodi RellJodi RellMary Jodi Rell is a Republican politician and was the 87th Governor of the U.S. state of Connecticut from 2004 until 2011. She was the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut under Governor John G. Rowland, who resigned during a corruption investigation. Rell is Connecticut's second female Governor,...
, (attended, but did not graduate), Governor of Connecticut from 2004-2011. - Eric BassrielDirt E. DutchEric Bassriel, better known as Dirt E. Dutch, is an American hip hop artist from Danbury, Connecticut. He is a longtime host and producer for IndieFeed, a notable independent music network featured on iTunes. He is also a member of the record label Little Ax Media, and CT hip hop coalition the...
, Producer and host for IndieFeed. - Thurston MooreThurston MooreThurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label...
, (attended, but did not graduate), Musician, Sonic YouthSonic YouthSonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
.
Noteworthy Faculty
The following faculty are noteworthy for their published works or field work or both.- Kevin GutzmanKevin GutzmanKevin R. Constantine Gutzman is an American historian, Constitutional scholar notable for having written The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution. He is a professor of the Department of History and Non-Western Cultures at Western Connecticut State University. He is an outspoken critic of...
, History & Non-Western Cultures
Astronomical Facilities
WestConn houses two observatories, one public and one for undergraduate and graduate students and faculty. The Midtown observatory is located on the top of The Science Building. It is used for both students and on public viewing nights. The telescope has a 6-inch refractor and an 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopeTelescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
. There is also a planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
for teaching and public star shows.
The West Side campus houses a large-format thermoelectrically cooled CCD
Charge-coupled device
A charge-coupled device is a device for the movement of electrical charge, usually from within the device to an area where the charge can be manipulated, for example conversion into a digital value. This is achieved by "shifting" the signals between stages within the device one at a time...
camera and is specifically used for astrophysical
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
studies.
Library archive collections
The Archives and Special Collections Library at WestConn is the archival repository for the historical records of the university and is a significant repository for collections relating to the history of the Danbury and greater western Connecticut area.The mission of the Archives is to collect and make accessible the WCSU administrative records, faculty papers, university publications, theses
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
, visual materials, and other media created by the University. It also includes non-WCSU affiliated personal papers, local government
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
and organizational records, visual materials, map
Map
A map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, regions, and themes....
s, journal
Diary
A diary is a record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. A personal diary may include a person's experiences, and/or thoughts or feelings, including comment on current events outside the writer's direct experience. Someone...
s and other media that document the history of this region. The archival holdings amount to approximately 750 linear feet.
The WCSU Archives' collection is searchable through the use of the CAO (Connecticut Archives Online) or through CONSULS.
Other schools in the Connecticut State University system
Its three sister schools are EasternEastern Connecticut State University
Eastern Connecticut State University is a public, coeducational liberal arts university and is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. Eastern is located in Willimantic, Connecticut on . Founded in 1889, it is the second-oldest campus in the Connecticut State University System...
, Central
Central Connecticut State University
Central Connecticut State University is a state university in New Britain, Connecticut, United States.The school was moved to its present campus in 1922...
, and Southern Connecticut State University
Southern Connecticut State University
Southern Connecticut State University is one of four state universities in Connecticut, and is located in the West Rock neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut...
.