Christopher Newport University

Christopher Newport University, or CNU, is a public liberal arts university located in Newport News, Virginia, United States. CNU is the youngest comprehensive university in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The institution is named after Christopher Newport, who was a buccaneer (or privateer) and captain of the Susan Constant, the largest of three ships which carried settlers for the Virginia Company in 1607 on the way to find the settlement at Jamestown in the Virginia Colony, which became the first permanent English settlement in North America.

History
In 1960 the city of Newport News joined together with the Commonwealth of Virginia to create Christopher Newport College (CNC), which opened its doors in 1961 and at the time was located in the old John W. Daniel School building. The college was founded as an extension of the College of William & Mary and offered extension courses that had already been available in the area for some time. In 1964 the college was relocated to its current location, a 75 acre tract of land purchased and donated by the city. In this same year, the college's first permanent building was dedicated as Christopher Newport Hall. In 1971, CNC became a 4 year college however remained an extension of William & Mary until 1977 when it attained its independence. Finally in 1992, the college received university status under the leadership of then president Anthony R. Santoro who oversaw the building of the first residence hall and the original Captain John Smith Library.

In 1996 CNU made plans to move to a more competitive university. Those plans included the expansion of the University property, several new buildings and residence halls, as well as redoing the academic programs and admission process.

Rankings

 * 1999 - No. 2 among regional public liberal arts colleges in the South by U.S News & World Report
 * 2009 - No. 7 nationally "Up-and-coming" liberal arts college in the annual 2009 U.S. News and World Report college rankings.
 * 2011 - No. 4 nationally for "Best colleges for minorities in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)."
 * 2011 - U.S. News and World Report named CNU one of the nation's 'schools to watch.'
 * 2011 - "The Princeton Review has chosen the college for the annual “best colleges” guidebook, The Best 376 Colleges: 2012
 * 2011 - "Top 10 Dorms" in US.
 * 2011 - No. 6 up-and-coming regional university in the South."
 * 2012 - No. 3 up-and-coming regional university in the South.
 * 2012 - No. 8 among top public regional universities in the South, and No. 23 on the overall regional university list for the South.

Academic programs
Christopher Newport University offers a variety of four year bachelors of sciences and bachelors of arts degrees. For a few of these degrees they offer a masters in 5 program which, with an additional year of study, will allow graduation with a masters of science or masters of arts in the selected field. Along with the choice of a major, many students will choose a minor with which to complement their education. They also offer several Pre-professional programs and Certificate programs. The campus academic programs are divided into the Joseph W. Luter III School of Business and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. Each of these departments is broken down further into the academic programs that they offer.

Joseph W. Luter, III College of Business and Leadership
The College of Business is currently located in the Business and Technology Center, locally abbreviated as The BTC Building. In 2005 the school of business was renamed to the Joseph W. Luter III School of Business. The school was renamed after a 5 million dollar donation from the Smithfield Packing Company. In December the Leadership and American Studies Department merged with the School of Business to create the Joseph W Luter III College of Business and Leadership. The College of Business is accredited by the AACSB and offers bachelors degrees in Accounting, Economics, Finance, Management and Marketing. Worldwide, only one in six business schools has AACSB international accreditation.

The Joseph W. Luter, III School of Business scored at the 90th percentile for the 2009-10 academic year in the ETS Major Field Test (MFT) in Business. CNU's economic students regularly compete in the Fed Challenge, sponsored by the Federal Reserve System.

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
The college of Liberal Arts & Sciences is divided into academic departments. Each academic department is primarily associated with a building on campus. Most classes within a department will be located in the associated building as well as faculty offices and other learning resources. The department of Biology, Chemistry, & Environmental Science, generally located Mary Brock Forbes Hall,which opened in fall of 2011, offers bachelors degrees in Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, and, until 2008, Ornamental Horticulture. The Physics, Computer Science & Computer Engineering, or PCSE, department offers several bachelors degree as well as a master in 5 programs. Undergraduate programs include degrees in Computer Engineering, Applied Physics, Computer Science and Information Science. The Information Science program offers several concentrations which include Networking & Communications, Information Systems, and Business Administration. With an extra year of study, a student can graduate with their bachelors in Computer Science or Physics as well as a masters in Applied Physics and Computer Science. Sharing Gosnold Hall with the PCSE Department is the Mathematics Department which offers a degree in Mathematics.

As of January 2010 the Departments of Communication Studies, English, History, Government, Modern and Classical Languages and Literature as well as the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies are located in Lewis Archer McMurran, Jr. Hall. The former McMurran Hall has been demolished. The Government department offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. The History department offers degrees in History. The English Department offers a lone degree in English. Concentrations include Creative Writing, Language Arts, Literature, Technical Writing and Writing. For languages other than English, the Modern & Classical Languages & Literatures department offers degrees in German, French, Spanish, and Classical Studies. The department of Philosophy and Religious Studies offers a Bachelors of Arts, and includes Religious Studies and Pre-Seminary options for a concentration.

The Psychology and Sociology & Anthropology and Socialwork Departments, offer degrees in Psychology, Social Work and Sociology. The sociology program also offers options for a concentration with include Criminology, Anthropology, and General sociology studies. The psychology program is also especially strong, with many students going on to obtain graduate degrees.

Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC)
The Army Reserve Officer Training Corps has maintained a strong presence at CNU for several years, offering classroom and field based training. The program is a component of the College of William and Mary's ROTC prgram, known as the Revolutionary Guard Battalion. It commissions several new US Army second lieutenants each year.

The Department of Fine Art and Art History
The Fine  Art Department, located in the back of the Ferguson Center, offers a degree in Fine Arts with concentrations in Art History and Studio Art.

The Department of Theatre & Dance
The Theatre & Dance Department offers a degree in Theater Arts with concentrations in Acting, Arts Administration, Design/Technology, Directing/Dramatic Literature and Music/Dance. The school also offers a Bachelors of Music degree. This degree can be complemented with concentrations in Music Education both Instrumental and Choral, Performance and Music Composition|Theory. The music minor option, however, was dropped in 2009, as was the Jazz Studies Major.

Student profile

 * 44% male, 56% female
 * Students from every region in Virginia and 32 other states as well as several foreign countries.
 * Average High School GPA is a 3.8 for the 2010-2011 Academic Year.
 * Average SAT 1207 Average Math and Reading
 * Minority Breakdown
 * 7% African American, 2% Asian American or Pacific Islander, 3% Hispanic American, 0.6% Native American
 * 20% of the entering 2009-2010 freshman class are minority students.


 * International Population
 * 0.12% representing 30 other countries

Athletics
CNU participates in the USA South Athletic Conference and fields a wide variety of college level teams on the Division III level.


 * Baseball
 * Cross Country (Men's and Women's)
 * Basketball (Men's and Women's)
 * Cheerleading
 * Field Hockey


 * American football
 * Golf (Men's Only)
 * Lacrosse (Men's and Women's)
 * Sailing
 * Soccer (Men's and Women's)


 * Softball
 * Tennis (Men's and Women's)
 * Track
 * Volleyball

CNU sports club programs include ice hockey, equestrian, dressage, cycling, fishing, lacrosse, martial arts, rock climbing, rugby, scuba diving, silver storm dance, soccer, swimming, table tennis, tennis, ultimate frisbee and volleyball.

Baseball
The Captains baseball team made it to the NCAA World Series and finished 3rd and 2nd in 2002 and 2003 respectively under the coaching of John Harvell. The CNU baseball team has fielded 6 All American Athletes.

Softball
CNU Softball team places 2nd in National Championship. 2011

Basketball
The CNU Men's basketball team holds an impressive .697 percent victory percentage and 13 All-American Athlete honors over its almost 40 years of existence. CNU has also produced an NBA player in Lamont Strothers. The Women's basketball team, started in 1971 sports a slightly lower overall win percentage at .583 and has fielded 7 All-American Athlete honors.

2011 Final Four - Woman's Basketball Division III
Christopher Newport University is participating in its first Final Four in school history - men's or women's - and is looking to expand on its most successful season in program history. The Captains (29-3) reached the NCAA Sweet 16 a year ago, setting a new program mark for victories in a season with 30, but have advanced even further this year with a trip to the national semifinals.

CNU is the top three-point shooting team in the nation, knocking down 44.7% of their trey's this season, led by the nation's leading scorer, Chelsie Schweers. In her swan song season, Schweers has moved into number two all-time in scoring, with over 2,800 career points, and is Division III's all-time leader in three-pointers made, with 411. Schweers has scored 132 points in four NCAA Tournament games, leading the championship with 33.0 points per game, and is threatening the all-time NCAA Tournament record for scoring (162 by Crystal Coleman - Bishop).

Cross country
The CNU Men's Cross Country team holds an impressive historical roster with over 110 first team All-Dixie/USA South Conference awards and 65 All Mason-Dixon Conference awards. The CNU Women's Cross Country team holds over 50 First team All-Dixie/USA South Conference awards and 42 All Mason-Dixon Conference awards. The men's team has also produced 4 All-American athletes with 1 award each.

Football
With most CNU sports having been established for 20 years or more, CNU Football is one of the newest sports. Started in 2001 with Matt Kelchner coaching, the team has made it to the NCAA play-offs 5 out of the last 6 years. The team recently won their NCAA Division III Conference Championship. The Captains were the first team in NCAA history to win a conference title and advance to the NCAA playoffs in their first year of play - and have finished the regular season no lower than second place in the division since.

Track
The CNU track has an impressive historical roster with 62 national championship titles held by 31 different athletes. Also, the track team has received a total of 451 All-American Athlete awards among 89 different athletes.

Men's tennis
The CNU men's tennis team has recently come onto the Division III tennis scene after years in the shadows. The men won the USA South Conference title for the regular season and the Conference Tournament for the first times in almost a decade. The team players had several wins over Division I opponents and sophomore Eddie Glidewell finished in the Top 35 in the Nation. He joined five other players to reach this distinction - Holden Knight, Detlef Schultz, Jason Martin, and Hugh Spain. Coach Rush Cole has also recently set the program's record for most wins and is beginning to make the team a national powerhouse with the help of new assistant coach Worth Richardson.

Field hockey
The women's Field Hockey Team is coached by Carrie Moura. In 2006 the team reached the elite 8 in the NCAA Division III National Tournament, and the Sweet Sixteen in the two years to follow. The team has had four all Americans and numerous all region players.

Other sports clubs
Ice Hockey

The CNU ice hockey team is a club sport at CNU and is a member of the ACHA and BRHC. The CNU Ice Hockey club was formed in the fall of 2004. The team just completed its ninth season of play, finishing with the team's first Conference Championship, defeating Loyola University in overtime. See the CNU Men's Ice Hockey website at:.

CNU FC Soccer

CNU FC officially became a school-recognized club in 2005. It was started by Phill Condrey (President), Steven Mohn (Vice-President), Jason Semko (Secretary), Scott Siclari (Treasurer), and Jeremy Wells. CNU FC

CNU Rugby

The CNU Rugby team was founded as a club sport in the Fall of 2000. They are a member of the Virginia Rugby Union, Division III. And are 2009 DIII State Champs as well as 2012 V.R.U. Champions.

CNU Martial Arts Club

The CNU MAC was established by Skyler Brady in 2009. CNU MAC is a competitive mixed martial arts team that trains in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, wrestling, kickboxing and Muay Thai. The team hosted its first tournament, The Captain's Invitational on October 31, 2010. CNUMAC

Athletic buildings
The Freeman Center houses the basketball, volleyball, and indoor track teams, while the lacrosse, soccer, baseball, softball, and field hockey teams play at a complex called "Captain's Field." The football and outdoor track teams compete at POMOCO Stadium, named for a local car dealership chain. Ratcliffe Hall was expanded in 2012 and now includes various athletic offices as well as the varsity gym.

Boundaries
The traditional boundaries of the Christopher Newport University campus have been Warwick Boulevard, Shoe Lane, and Prince Drew Road in Newport News. In recent years, however, the University has "jumped" Warwick Boulevard, buying and demolishing properties in the immediate area to expand. The part of campus that is east of Warwick Boulevard is referred to as "East Campus" and is primarily used to house upper-class students.

Residence halls
Residence halls on campus are usually segregated into the class of student living in them. In the recent years, new policies have been enacted that require all freshman and sophomore students to live in an on campus housing facility, unless they live in the commuting zone. Starting with the class of 2014, all students must live on campus during the junior year in addition to their freshman and sophomore years.

Freshman housing

The oldest housing facility on campus is Santoro Hall which opened in 1992 and was named after Carol and Anthony Santoro. This building is directly adjacent to one of the campus dining facilities, the Hiden-Hussey Commons. Santoro Hall, along with the newer York River Hall, is primarily used for freshman housing. York River Hall was opened for occupancy in 2002. This complex, consisting of two buildings (York River East/ York River West), houses over 500 students and is the largest residence hall on campus. Both Santoro and York River Halls are suite-living residence halls. In each building, pairs of neighboring housing units share a common private restroom. Freshman also live in portions of Potomac River Hall.

Upperclassmen housing

Sophomore housing currently consists of James River Hall, opened in 2000, half of Potomac River Hall, opened in 2004, as well as Warwick River Hall, opened in 2012. James River Hall boasts a variety of floor plans, including 4, 5, and 6-person apartments, 4-person suites, and three 15-person Theme Units. Potomac Hall, like York River Hall, is divided into two buildings (North/ South), and consists of suites of two bedrooms, located around a central living room and bath. Warwick River Hall is the newest residence hall on campus and accommodates 447 students in 4, 5, and 6-person suites each with a shared living room and bathroom.

Juniors and Seniors living on campus are generally assigned to East Campus, the home for all upperclassmen at CNU. Starting in 2009, five sororities and four fraternities live in Barclay Apartments, CNU's temporary Greek Village. Completed in 2002, CNU Apartments is a complex of five buildings of three or four stories, housing up to 355 students. These buildings, named after Virginia-born presidents, include Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Harrison, and Monroe. The CNU Village rose to accompany CNU Apartments in 2005, adding room for an additional 398 students in apartment living. Both the apartments and the Village feature 2 to 4 single bedroom apartments with a common living area (full kitchen, living room/dinette, washer and dryer). Below CNU Village, along Warwick Blvd., are a variety of eating establishments including Panera Bread, Moe's Southwest Grill, Subway, 7-11, Sushi & Spice, and Schooners, opened by three local restaurateurs who wanted to fill a void left by the lack of a social outlet on campus.

Dining facilities
The campus has 2 major dining facilities.

Hiden-Hussey Commons

The first dining facility on campus was originally named Harbour Lights. This all you can eat cafeteria style facility is decorated internally with nautical memorbalia to go along with its name. In 2005 Harbour Lights was renamed to the Hiden-Hussey Commons. Newer students just refer to it as "The Commons." The dining hall was expanded in 2012 to include additional seating, serving lines, and a patio.

Regattas

Regattas Restaurant is the newest dining hall on CNU's campus. Opened in 2002, it shares a similar format to the Hiden-Hussey Commons with the all-you-can-eat cafeteria style but sports a more up-tempo environment with newer chairs and tables and often featuring hand made waffle cones for ice cream and custom made omelettes. It is home to CNU's Mongolian Grill. It is located on the first floor of the new Student Union.

The David Student Union
The David Student Union, or the DSU as it is often called, is a $36 million, 116000 sqft. facility whose construction began in 2003 and opened September 9, 2006. Constructed in a "Neo-Georgian" architectural style, the first floor contains the campus Convenience Store, parallel the DSU dining facilities: The Discovery Bistro, Discovery Cafe, Chick-fil-A, Discovery Pizza, and Regatta's. The campus Bookstore and Convenience Store closed during the Fall 2010 semester in favor of an online bookstore and instead contains a student lounge, admissions office, and apparel store. All on-campus students receive a mailbox and access to a full-service Post Office located on the second floor of the DSU. Four large conference rooms named for past U.S. Presidents are located around a central lobby area at the top of the steps. The Ballroom is also located on the second floor. The building provides offices for Student Life, The Captain's Log, Career Development, International Studies, Academic Advising, and others. Private desks with computers are provided for students as well as quiet study sections and recreational areas. The building was named in honor of William R. and Goldie R. David.

Academic buildings
For the opening of the Spring 2010 semester, Christopher Newport University opened the Lewis Archer McMurran, Jr. Hall. This building has combined timeless neo-Georgian architecture with 21st-century technology. The building is 85,000 square feet and frames the university's Great Lawn on its western side. McMurran Hall houses the Departments of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, History, English, and Government. It boasts a 150-person lecture hall, two 50-person lecture halls, and over 25 other state-of-the-art classrooms.

To the north of McMurran Hall is Ratcliffe Hall, the former home of the Departments of English and Government. Once CNU's gymnasium, the building was renovated to include classroom and office space for students and faculty. Other academic buildings on campus include Gosnold Hall, Forbes Hall, and the Business and Technology Center (BTC Building), located across Prince Drew Lane. The BTC Building is the current home of the Joseph W. Luter School of Business faculty and classrooms. Finally, the Ferguson Center for the Arts is home to the Departments of Music and Theater & Dance.

Wingfield Hall, the former home of the Departments of Psychology and Language, was demolished in 2011 to make way for the Joseph W. Luter Hall, home of the school of business.

The Joseph W. Luter, III Hall is the house of the Luter School of Business. The building, following the Neo-Georgian architecture of surrounding new structures, has a new 100-seat tiered lecture hall, 14 traditional classrooms, teachings labs, research labs, faculty offices, and state-of-the-art technology.

The Mary Brock Forbes Integrated Science Building is a 156,000 sq ft academic hall situated on the north edge of the great lawn, and houses the College of Natural and Behavioral Science as well as the Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science and Psychology departments. It also includes spaces for students to interact, 50 faculty offices, a large lecture hall, 50 classrooms, research labs, and state-of-the-art technology.

The Paul and Rosemary Trible Library
The library, renamed for Rosemary and Paul S. Trible, Jr., had a multi-million-dollar addition completed in early 2008. The new 110000 sqft facility houses most of its collection in the original section. The new library was dedicated January 24, 2008 and fully opened at the start of the Spring 2008 semester. The Trible Library boasts a new Einstein's Cafe, a 24-hour study lounge, and IT help desk. The library is topped by a 14-story cupola, which is inaccessible and the highest point in Newport News. The interior of the cupola is also not visible, as there is a three story dome roof inside the building. In early 2009, the Mariners' Museum Library relocated to the Paul and Rosemary Trible library, providing students and the community with convenient access to the largest maritime history collection in the Western Hemisphere. The Trible Library is slated for another expansion in 2014 that would add another floor to the back portion of the library.

Ferguson Center for the Arts
In 1996 the university acquired the Ferguson High School building and property, which was adjacent to campus. This building was used for classrooms until it was extensively renovated to become the Ferguson Center for the Arts, which opened in fall of 2005. Many features of the original high school, which was located between what is now the concert hall and the music and theatre hall, can still be seen throughout the current building. It houses a 1725-seat concert hall which is acoustically engineered so that anyone on stage can be heard from any seat without a microphone, A 453-seat music and theatre hall, and a 200-seat studio theatre. It also contains two art galleries, a dance studio, and several classrooms.

Pope Chapel
Opened in early 2013, the Pope Chapel, named for Larry Pope of Smithfield Foods, is a 14,000 square foot gathering place for various on campus religious organizations located at the campus entrance across from York River Hall and the Trible Library.

Greek life
Greek life at Christopher Newport has grown in the recent years to include 7 North-American Interfraternity Conference listed fraternities, 6 National Panhellenic Conference listed sororities and 3 NPHC listed Greek organizations.

NIC fraternities
 * Kappa Delta Rho
 * Pi Kappa Phi
 * Sigma Phi Epsilon
 * Sigma Tau Gamma
 * Tau Delta Phi
 * Delta Upsilon
 * Psi Upsilon

NPC sororities
 * Alpha Phi
 * Alpha Sigma Alpha
 * Gamma Phi Beta
 * Phi Mu
 * Zeta Tau Alpha
 * Alpha Delta Pi

NPHC listed
 * Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity
 * Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority
 * Delta Sigma Theta sorority
 * Omega Psi Phi fraternity


 * Alpha Phi Omega co-ed service fraternity
 * Alpha Kappa Psi co-ed professional business fraternity
 * Alpha Psi Omega co-ed honorary theater fraternity
 * Beta Gamma Sigma (Business Honor Society)
 * Beta Beta Beta (Biological Honor Society)
 * Delta Pi Lambda (CNU Math Society)
 * Eta Sigma Phi (Classics Honor Society)
 * Gamma Sigma Epsilon (Chemistry Honor Society)
 * Kappa Pi (Honorary Art Fraternity) Zeta Alpha Tau Chapter
 * Kappa Sigma (Social Fraternity) Sigma Lambda Chapter
 * Lambda Pi Eta (Communications Honor Society)
 * Nu Kappa Epsilon (Music Service Sorority), Beta Chapter
 * Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK, Leadership Honor Society)
 * Phi Alpha (Social Work Honor Society), Chi Kappa Chapter
 * Phi Alpha Delta (PAD, Professional Pre-Law Fraternity)
 * Phi Alpha Theta (History Honor Society), Alpha Zeta Mu Chapter
 * Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia men's social music fraternity
 * Phi Sigma Tau (Philosophy Honor Society)
 * Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science Honor Society)
 * Pi Kappa Lambda co-ed honorary fraternity in music
 * Psi Chi (Psychology Honor Society)
 * Sigma Alpha Iota women's music sorority
 * Kappa Kappa Psi Co-Ed Honorary music fraternity
 * Sigma Alpha Omega (Christian Sorority)
 * Sigma Tau Delta (English Honor Society), Iota Omicron Chapter
 * Theta Alpha Kappa (National Honor Society in Religion and/or Theology)

Notable alumni

 * William Lamont Strothers (BA, '91); NBA player, Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks
 * Robin Abbott (BA, '98); Virginia House of Delegates.
 * Randall Munroe (BS '06) creator of xkcd.
 * Chris Richardson; American Idol finalist - Did not graduate
 * Sam Ruby; (BA '82); Software Engineer.

Notable faculty

 * Philip Dimitrov, Former Prime Minister of Bulgaria
 * Dr. Jeffrey Bergner, former Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs

CNU Presidents

 * H. Wescott Cunningham 1961-1970
 * Dr. James C. Windsor 1970-1979
 * John E. Anderson 1979-1987
 * Dr. Anthony Santoro 1987-1996
 * Paul S. Trible 1996-Current

Campus ministries
The campus has several religious organizations. These include Reformed University Fellowship (RUF), InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IV), Young Life, Hillel Club, Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU), Because Christ Matters(BCM), Catholic Campus Ministry, the Canterbury Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Lutheran Student Fellowship, and The Hampton Roads Church Student Fellowship. These organizations are now able to meet and hold events in the Pope Chapel, which opened in early 2013.

WCNU
WCNU is an online radio network supported by Christopher Newport University. that operates out of York River Hall.

Notable Commencement Speakers

 * 1971 Mills E. Godwin - Virginia Governor
 * 1974 Dr. Wernher von Braun Rocket Scientist/V2 Rocket Developer
 * 1975 Shirley Chisholm - US Congressman/First African American woman elected
 * 1976 William Ramsey Clark - US Attorney General
 * 1978 Chuck Robb - Virginia Governor
 * 1978 George S. McGovern - US Senator
 * 1980 John Warner - US Senator/US Secretary of Navy
 * 1988 L. Douglas Wilder - Virginia Governor
 * 1996 Mark Warner - US Senator/US Secretary of Navy
 * 1997 Donald Regan - CEO Merrill Lynch/US Treasury Secretary/Reagan Chief of Staff
 * 2001 Robert J. Dole - US Senator/1996 Presidential candidate
 * 2003 The Honorable J. Harvie Wilkinson, III Judge; US Circuit Court of Appeals
 * 2004 George Allen - US Senator/Virginia Governor
 * 2006 Ann Compton ABC News White House Correspondent
 * 2008 Timothy Kaine - Virginia Governor/Democratic National Chairman
 * 2010 Bill Bolling - Virginia Lt. Governor
 * 2011 Sam Donaldson - News Journalist
 * 2012 Bob McDonnell - 71st Governor of Virginia