Ripon College (Wisconsin)

Ripon College is a liberal arts college in Ripon, Wisconsin, USA. As of 2012, Ripon College's student body stood at around 1000, the majority of whom live on campus.

History
Ripon College was founded in 1851, although its first class of students did not enroll until 1853. Ripon's first class, four women, graduated in June, 1867. In 1868 formal ties with Presbyterian and Congregational churches were cut, but Ripon remained somewhat religious for much of its history. During the 19th century students were required to attend two church services each Sunday. The first six presidents of Ripon College had clerical backgrounds, as did the previous president, David Joyce. The college recognized social and academic Greek letter societies in 1924. The Ripon Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa was started by Clark Kuebler, who served as president from 1944 to 1955. The National Forensic League, which is still located in Ripon, Wisconsin, was founded at the college in 1925.

Academics
Ripon is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM), a grouping of private liberal arts schools that share expertise and collaborate on off-campus study programs. The college offers 32 majors, ranging from the arts to the social sciences to the hard sciences to pre-professional programs. Students have one advisor for each major and/or minor, and they meet with these professors at least once each semester.

96% of graduates are employed or in professional school six months after graduation, and the acceptance rate to medical school is twice the national average — 80%.

The Wisconsin Leadership Institute
In 1997, Ripon College entered into a formal agreement with the Wisconsin Leadership Institute (WLI) to collaborate on the production and distribution of learning materials related to the development of leadership skills and values. The headquarters of the WLI had been officially located within the Leadership Studies Program at Ripon College. In 2000, the WLI created the Collaborative Leadership Network (CLN), which is also headquartered within the Leadership Studies Program.

Arts
The college's Rodman Center for the Arts houses the Departments of Art, Music, and Theater. The Art Department manages two gallery spaces, one of which is dedicated to student work and the other to art more broadly. Student work is also shown across campus. Two art works of note in the permanent collection of the college are life-size portraits by Anthony van Dyck of Princess Amalia of the House of Orange and Sir Roger Townshend. The Classics department manages a collection of classical Greek and Roman artifacts, many of which are displayed in the campus library. A sculpture garden is located adjacent to the building. Musical groups on campus include an orchestra, wind band, jazz ensemble, choral group, and drumline.

Free bicycles
For several years, Ripon offered new freshmen the option of receiving a free Trek 820 mountain bike, helmet, and U-lock if they pledged not to bring a car to campus for the entire year. The "velorution" bike program aimed to encourage environmentally-friendly transportation, cut down on traffic, encourage athleticism, and limit the amount of necessary student parking lots in the rural campus. In 2011 the college disbanded the program after funding for the original project expired.

Media

 * Ripon College Days – a bi-weekly campus newspaper, the oldest college newspaper continuously published in Wisconsin
 * WRPN-FM – a campus radio station with continuous broadcasts
 * RCTV – a television production group
 * Parallax – a literary magazine
 * Crimson – yearbook distributed every spring

Greek life
The college has seven residential dormitories with several sororities, including Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Chi Omega, and Kappa Delta. The college has four all-male fraternities including chapters of Sigma Chi, Theta Chi, Phi Delta Theta, and a local fraternity, Phi Kappa Pi, (named Merriman for the college's founding president). Ripon College also has one local co-ed fraternity, Theta Sigma Tau, founded in 1910, the oldest local fraternity on campus. It became co-ed in 1980 after severing ties with Sigma Nu fraternity. Students in all five fraternities live in dormitories on campus, following the recent removal of Phi Kappa Pi from Merriman House. Phi Kappa Pi was relocated to the Quad living area, with the other three fraternities, after the Merriman house was condemned and the board of Trustees determined that all students (unless exempted) should reside in residence halls.

Diversity
People of color compose 10% of the student population. The McNair Scholars program supports first generation college students and African American, Native American, and Hispanic students who wish to attend graduate school. An office of Multicultural and International Student Affairs serves students of color, international students, and gay and lesbian students through mentoring and programming. Student groups that focus on the experiences of racially diverse, culturally diverse, and LGBT students are also active on campus.

Athletics
Ripon athletics teams participate in NCAA Division III as part of the Midwest Conference. Conference competition for men includes: cross-country, football, soccer (fall), basketball (winter), swimming (winter), indoor and outdoor track, baseball, golf, and tennis (spring). Conference competition for women includes: cross-country, golf, soccer, tennis, volleyball (fall), basketball (winter), swimming (winter), indoor and outdoor track, and softball (spring). The Ripon Redhawks Cycling Team competes at the Division II level in the Midwestern Collegiate Cycling Conference (MWCCC), governed by USA Cycling.

Education buildings and offices
The Ripon College Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places.
 * Bartlett Hall – part of the college union and houses student services and student organization offices
 * Carnegie Library Building – downtown building, President and Dean of Faculty's office
 * Collaborative Learning Center – place for students to receive help from mentors on writing, class work, or presentations
 * East Hall – classrooms and faculty offices (the original campus building)
 * Farr Hall – science laboratories, classrooms, and faculty offices
 * Harwood Memorial Union – Great Hall, The Pub, lounges, mail center, radio station (WRPN), and student organization offices
 * Kemper Hall – technology department
 * Lane Library – Ripon College Library and Waitkus Computer Lab
 * S.N. Pickard Commons – bookstore, coffee shop, dining facility
 * Rodman Center for the Performing Arts - theatre, music, and studio art
 * Smith Hall – business and financial aid offices
 * Storzer – full-sized gymnasium, the tartan area, swimming pool, dance studio, locker rooms
 * Todd Wehr Hall – classrooms and faculty offices
 * West Hall – classrooms and faculty offices

Residence halls

 * Campus Apartments – Apartment style living for fourth- and fifth-year students
 * Johnson Hall – Women only and sororities
 * Merriman House – Former fraternity house of Phi Kappa Pi
 * The Quads – Upper-class students and fraternities
 * Anderson Hall – Co-ed; the new residence of Phi Kappa Pi
 * Bovay Hall – Co-ed (contains the fitness center and the Terrace)
 * Brockway Hall – Men Only; the residence of Sigma Chi and Theta Chi fraternities
 * Mapes Hall – Co-ed; the residence of Theta Sigma Tau co-ed fraternity and Phi Delta Theta fraternity
 * Scott Hall – First-year men, upper-class men and women
 * Tri Dorms (Shaler Hall, Evans Hall, Wright Hall) – Mainly first-year women, except for living groups

Food
The main dining hall includes a wide range of options at each meal, including traditional American fare, foreign cuisines, and vegetarian/vegan options. A coffee shop on campus brews Starbucks coffee and makes specialty drinks to order. The Ripon Pub serves snacks, sandwiches, fast food, and along bottled beverages. The Terrace, located inside Bovay (one of the residence halls), is open evenings and serves subs, pizza, snacks, and drinks.

Recognition
The school's volunteerism and community service earned it a place on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for 2009. In 2009, Forbes ranked Ripon 100th on the list of America's 600 best colleges. The school earned an award from The Chronicle of Higher Education as being one of the "Great Colleges to Work For" in the nation, an award given to institutions that are well-managed and where faculty and staff being enthusiastic about their jobs.

Notable alumni

 * Frank L. Anders, Medal of Honor recipient
 * Jack Ankerson, NFL player
 * Dick Bennett, head coach of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix, Wisconsin Badgers, and Washington State Courgars men's basketball teams
 * Emma H. Blair, class of 1872 – editor, translator, and compiler
 * Theodore Brameld, philosopher
 * Dennis Conta, politician and consultant
 * Bernard Darling, NFL player
 * W. R. Davies, second president (1941–1959) of the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire
 * Harrison Ford, actor
 * Justice Michael Gableman, class of 1988 – Wisconsin State Supreme Court Justice 2008-Present
 * George Glennie, NFL player
 * Tubby Howard, NFL player
 * Bruno E. Jacob, founder of the National Forensic League
 * Al Jarreau, class of 1962 – Grammy award-winning musician
 * Harley Sanford Jones – U.S. Air Force general
 * Oscar Hugh La Grange – Union Army general
 * Charlie Mathys – NFL player for the Hammond Pros and Green Bay Packers
 * Lt. Col. James Megellas – member of the 82nd Airborne during World War II
 * Elmer A. Morse – U.S. Representative
 * Orville W. Mosher – Wisconsin State Senator
 * Dick Rehbein – NFL assistant coach
 * Charles Rutkowski – professional football player
 * Ted Scalissi – professional football player
 * Webb Schultz – MLB player
 * Champ Seibold – NFL player for the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Cardinals
 * Wally Sieb – NFL player
 * Dave Smith – professional football player
 * Harry G. Snyder – Wisconsin State Assemblyman and Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge
 * Richard Threlkeld – Television News Correspondent with CBS News and ABC News
 * Spencer Tracy, class of 1924
 * Michael Tinkham, superconductivity physicist, class of 1951
 * Lloyd Wescott – New Jersey agriculturalist and civil servant
 * Cowboy Wheeler – NFL player
 * Jon Wilcox – Wisconsin State Supreme Court Justice from 1992-2007
 * Otto Julius Zobel – inventor of the m-derived filter and the Zobel network

Notable faculty

 * Edward Daniels, geologist
 * David Graham, poet
 * Karen Holbrook, President of Ohio State University
 * Bruno E. Jacob, founder of the National Forensic League
 * Wacław Jędrzejewicz, Polish diplomat
 * Alfred E. Kahn, Chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board
 * Russell Burton Reynolds, U.S. Army Major General
 * Paul N. Siegel, author
 * William Hayes Ward, President of the American Oriental Society