Gettysburg College

Gettysburg College is a private, four-year liberal arts college founded in 1832, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States, adjacent to the famous battlefield. Its athletic teams are nicknamed the Bullets. Gettysburg College has about 2,700 students, with roughly equal numbers of men and women. Gettysburg students come from 43 states and 32 countries. In 2012, U.S. News & World Report ranked it 46th among Best Liberal Arts Colleges.

The college is the home of The Gettysburg Review, a literary magazine.

Founding and early roots
Gettysburg College was founded in 1832, as a sister institution for the Lutheran Theological Seminary. Both owe their inception to Thaddeus Stevens, a Radical Republican and abolitionist from Gettysburg. The college's original name was Pennsylvania College; it was founded by Samuel Simon Schmucker. Seven years after Gettysburg College was first founded, it established a medical school, which was located in Philadelphia. The college was forced to close the medical school in 1861, when students from the seceding southern states withdrew to return home, leaving it without adequate revenue.

Battle of Gettysburg
In June 1863, southern Pennsylvania was invaded by Confederate forces during the Gettysburg Campaign. Many local militia forces were formed around the area between Chambersburg and Philadelphia to face the oncoming foe.

Among these units was Gettysburg's 26th Pennsylvania Emergency Militia Regiment (PEMR). Composed mostly of students from the College and Seminary, the 26th PEMR was mustered into service on June 22, 1863. Four days later, the students saw combat just north of town, skirmishing with advanced units of Confederate division commander Jubal A. Early. Casualties were light on both sides, but about 100 of the militiamen were captured and paroled.

During the Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Hall, or Old Dorm, was used as both a signal corps station and field hospital. Penn Hall is an interesting anomaly in the battle. Due to the geographic position it held, it was used by both Confederate and Union troops during the battle for signal work and surgery.

On November 19, 1863, College President Henry Louis Baugher gave the benediction at the ceremony opening the National Soldiers’ Cemetery at Gettysburg; speaking after Abraham Lincoln. Henry Baugher was the president of Gettysburg College from 1850 until his death in 1868.

Relationship with the Eisenhowers
Early in his military career, Dwight D. Eisenhower and his wife, Mamie, lived in a house in Gettysburg that was across the street from the college. Both were fond of the town, so they decided to retire to a working farm adjacent to the battlefield after he left the army. It was there that President Eisenhower recuperated from his 1955 heart attack.

While living in Gettysburg, Eisenhower became involved with Gettysburg College. He served on the Gettysburg College Board of Trustees, and he was given an office, which he used when writing his memoirs. Eisenhower’s old office is now named Eisenhower House and is occupied by Gettysburg College’s office of admissions. Eisenhower’s grandson, David, and his granddaughter Susan continue a certain level of family involvement with the institution.

Today the Eisenhower Institute, a nationally recognized center for leadership and public policy based in Gettysburg and Washington, D.C., is formally recognized as a distinctive program of the college.

Campus
The college is located on a 200 acre campus adjacent to the Gettysburg National Military Park. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is 36 miles (60 km) from Harrisburg, 55 mi from Baltimore, 80 mi from Washington, D.C., 117 mi from Philadelphia, and 212 mi from New York City, and 425 mi from Boston.

The college's main campus is roughly divided in half by Pennsylvania Hall (administration). The northern half contains Eddie Plank Gym, Masters Hall (physics and astronomy), Musselman Library, the College Union Building, the College Dining Center, Briedenbaugh Hall (English and Asian Studies), and several freshman dorms and fraternities. A section of this part of campus known as "Stine Lake" is not actually a lake but rather a quad located outside of the library. Prior to Musselman Library being built in the late 1970s, and due to Gettysburg's wet climate and drainage issues, the quad and library site would be prone to accumulating water, creating a large, muddy "lake" of sorts. Today, however, Stine Lake does not flood, but the name has stuck, to the confusion of first-year students. Additionally, the College Dining Center is known to students and faculty as "Servo," after a now defunct 1980s food service company, Servomation.

The southern half of the main campus includes McKnight Hall (languages), Glatfelter Hall (economics, management, political science, mathematics, and others), Schmucker Hall (art and music), Kline Theater, and several fraternities. Over the last half-century, the campus has expanded considerably to include land to the east of North Washington Street and to the west of the traditional campus. Since approximately 96% of students live on campus, most of this additional land is dedicated to housing. It also includes the college chapel, the admissions building, a large gymnasium and field house complex, and several athletics fields. The college has also purchased or leased a large number of buildings for student housing, including residences on Washington Street, Carlisle Street, Middle Street, Stratton Street, and others.

Library
Musselman Library houses the college collection of books, journals, videos, sound recordings, online publications, rare books, manuscripts, and digital collections. An online catalog, MUSCAT, provides a gateway to all library materials and is accessible through any computer terminal connected to the college network. In addition, the building contains a media theater, computer lab, and media production center. Musselman Library is open around the clock when classes are in session. The library operates 24 hours a day on weekdays and selected hours during the weekends. In order to help facilitate late night studying, the library provides free coffee, tea, and hot chocolate at midnight to patrons who bring their own mugs.

Technology
Full network capabilities in all campus buildings and each residence hall room. Students have access to more than 1,300 computers and a complex system of workstations and laboratories. Wireless connectivity is available across 97% of the campus (the other 3% being the practice fields) and in all of the residence halls.

Organization
As an independent institution, the college operates under a charter granted in 1832 by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The College is governed by a 39-member board of trustees comprising leaders from a range of professions and walks of life. Thirty of the College’s trustees are graduates of Gettysburg.

On the student level, adjudication of academic disputes takes place through an Honor Commission, which holds hearings in which students are given a chance to have their say on charges brought against them.

The Academic Honor Code has been in effect since 1957, and recently has been updated to fit better with today's technology.

Academic Programs

 * Majors:
 * Anthropology, Art History, Art Studio, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biology, Chemistry, Classical Studies, Computer Science, Economics, English, Environmental Studies, French, German Studies, Globalization Studies, Greek, Health Sciences, History,, International Relations and Affairs, Italian Studies, Japanese Studies, Latin, Management, Mathematics, Music, Music Education, Music Performance, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Public Policy, Religious Studies, Sociology, Spanish, Spanish & Latin American Studies, Theatre, Women Gender & Sexuality Studies


 * Special Interest Programs (Minors):
 * Africana Studies, American Studies, Asian Studies, Civil War Era Studies, Comparative Literature, East Asian Studies, Education (elementary and secondary, with certification), Global/Area Studies, International Affairs Concentration, Law, Ethics, and Society, Neuroscience, Writing, Film Studies, Judaic Studies, Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, Peace and Justice Studies

Greek Organizations
Fraternities: Alpha Chi Rho, Alpha Tau Omega, Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Delta Theta, Phi Gamma Delta, Phi Sigma Kappa, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Chi, Sigma Nu

Sororities: Alpha Delta Pi, Chi Omega, Delta Gamma, Gamma Phi Beta, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Sigma Gamma Rho, Zeta Phi Beta

Service Fraternity: Alpha Phi Omega

Women's Music Fraternity: Sigma Alpha Iota

Past Greek Organizations on Campus: Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Xi Delta, Chi Phi, Kappa Delta Rho, Rho Beta (local), Sigma Kappa, Theta Chi, Phi Beta Sigma, Phi Kappa Psi, Phi Kappa Rho (local), Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Zeta Psi

Students can only rush as sophomores.

Student Media
"The Gettysburgian" (Campus Print Newspaper), The Forum (www.gburgforum.com, the independent online news source), Channel 34 Gburg TV (Campus Television Station), WZBT 91.1 (Campus Radio Station), The Spectrum (College yearbook).

Every year, the media groups on campus work together to host a journalism and media conference entitled Speak Up, Write Out, bringing in members of the world, national, and local media to speak in panels open to students of Gettysburg and other nearby colleges.

Students and Faculty
Nearly 2,700 students, approximately one-half men and one-half women and representing 40 states and 35 foreign countries, attend the college.

Some 75% of the student body is from outside Pennsylvania.

The Class of 2014 had a 40% acceptance rate, and often competes with comparable schools Dickinson and Franklin & Marshall for applicants.

The college employs 180 full-time faculty, with 100% of the permanent faculty holding a doctorate or highest earned degree in their fields. The student/faculty ratio is 10:1, with an average class size of 18 students. The college hosts one of only 19 chapters of Phi Beta Kappa in Pennsylvania.

Athletics
Twenty-four sports programs, for both men and women, participate in NCAA Division III. Gettysburg has earned the distinction of having the best win/loss record in the Centennial Conference for the past 12 years.

The Gettysburg College women's lacrosse team won the Division III National Championship in 2011. Head football coach Barry Streeter, the winningest coach in school history, is also the longest-tenured coach in the Centennial Conference, having helmed the program since 1979. He is currently tied for 24th on the All-Time Division III wins list.

The college also offers an extensive array of club, intramural, and recreational programs. Twenty-five percent of Gettysburg's students participate in intercollegiate programs, which include twelve sports for men and twelve sports for women. Although the mascot for Gettysburg College is the Bullet, there is no official Bullet mascot at sporting events.

The Center for Athletics, Recreation and Fitness
The College broke ground on the new $25 million athletic center, named the John F. Jaeger Center for Athletics, Recreation and Fitness, on May 30, 2008. The 55,000 foot Center is an upgrade from the former athletic facility, known as the Bream/Wright/Hauser Complex. Bream/Wright/Hauser still exists next to the additions. The Center opened in stages. A dedication ceremony on April 30, 2010 marked its completion. The Center was official named for the 1965 alumus John F. Jaeger on May 4, 2012.

The Center features:
 * A natatorium, complete with eight lanes, four warm-up lanes, and enough space for 350 seated spectators
 * A 10,000 foot weight and cardio room complete with flat-screen TVs
 * Additional spaces for yoga, aerobics, spinning and martial arts classes
 * An upgraded training room with a Hydroworx pool
 * Rock climbing walls
 * A student lounge called "The Dive"

The Center was created in order to provide more opportunities for the high percentage of students who like to maintain their fitness regimens and engage in intramural, club sports programs, and exercise classes. About 25 percent of the student body participates in varsity sports, while over 75 percent are active in intramural sports. More space was needed, and the Center is important to improve life on campus.

John Jaeger, a 1965 Gettysburg College graduate, donated $1.2 million to encourage others to fund the project. Another important donor, Robert Ortenzio, provided the largest single gift by a living person in the history of the College, by giving $2 million.

"Loyalty Song"

 * Fair Gettysburg our Alma Mater, hear us praise thy name,
 * We'll ever lend our hearts and hands to help increase thy fame.
 * The honor of old Gettysburg calls forth our loyalty.
 * So cheer (Rah! Rah!) old G'burg's Bullets on to victory!

However, another rendition exists with a few differences and is the one currently in use:


 * Hail Gettysburg our Alma Mater, help us praise thy name.
 * We'll ever lend our hearts and hands to help increase thy fame.
 * The honor of old Gettysburg calls forth our loyalty,
 * So cheer (Rah! Rah!) our G'burg Bullets on to fight for victory!

In Popular Culture
In the film Remember the Titans, Gettysburg College is the site of the summer football camp. An important scene involves Coach Herman Boone waking the players early to jog to the battlefield, where he delivers a speech on racism. Although the coach specifically mentioned once that Gettysburg College was the site of the camp, a different college was used for filming. The campus depicted in the film displays Gothic Revival architecture, but the actual campus of Gettysburg College is primarily Georgian.

Notable alumni

 * J. Michael Bishop, 1989 Nobel Laureate in Medicine for cancer research
 * Rev. David Bittle, first president of Roanoke College, the nation's second oldest Lutheran college after Gettysburg
 * Janet Morgan Riggs, President of Gettysburg College (2009–present)
 * Ruth J. Person, Chancellor of the University of Michigan (Flint Campus).
 * Herman Haupt, American Civil War general who ran the Union military railroad system
 * Carson Kressley, fashion consultant, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
 * George M. Leader, former Governor of Pennsylvania (1955–1959)
 * John S. Rice, former U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands (1961-1964) and President pro tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate (1939-1940)
 * William N. McNair, former mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1934–1936)
 * Ron Paul, M.D., U.S. Congressman from Texas, 1988 Libertarian Party Presidential nominee, as well as 2008 and 2012 Candidate for the Republican Party Presidential nomination
 * James Glenn Beall, former Maryland U.S. Senator.
 * Carol Bellamy, former New York City Council President and former executive director, UNICEF
 * Nathaniel N. Craley, Jr., former U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania (1965–1967)
 * Fred F. Fielding, former (1981–1986, 2007–2009) Counsel to the President, former deputy to the White House counsel (1970–1972), member of 9/11 Commission
 * Bruce S. Gordon, former head of the NAACP (2005–2007)
 * Jeffrey Piccola, Pennsylvania State Senator, former State Senate Majority Whip (2001–2007)
 * Keller E. Rockey, Lieutenant General, United States Marine Corps, commander of the Fifth Marine Division during the Battle of Iwo Jima
 * Owen Roizman, five-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer for films such as The Exorcist, The French Connection and Network
 * Karen Sosnoski, author, radio contributor and filmmaker
 * Edgar Fahs Smith American scientist and provost of the University of Pennsylvania
 * Jerry Spinelli, author, winner of the Newbery Medal for Maniac Magee
 * F. William Sunderman, Physician, Editor, Musician, and Inventor. Medical Director for the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, N.M. [
 * Charles A. Willoughby, Chief of Intelligence on General Douglas MacArthur's staff during World War II, member of Military Intelligence Hall of Fame
 * George Winter, former Major League Baseball player
 * John Bosley Ziegler who discovered Dianabol and pioneered the use of steroids in sport.
 * John Yovicsin, NFL football player, coach at Gettysburg, and coach at Harvard
 * David Hartman, first blind person to graduate from medical school in the United States
 * Ron Warner, class of 1962, two-time All-American (1961, 1962) basketball player
 * Stephanie Sellars, writer, actor, and filmmaker
 * Eddie Plank, MLB Hall of Fame pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics. (Plank was not technically an alumnus since he was not a student, but he pitched for his local college's baseball team.)

Civil War History activities
Due to its close relationship to a crucial battle in the American Civil War, Gettysburg College hosts a number of activities and awards:


 * Pennsylvania Hall, located in the center of campus, was occupied by both Union and Confederate forces during the Battle of Gettysburg. Today, a Civil War era-style flag (for the year 1863) flies above the building, which was used as a lookout position and a field hospital during the battle.


 * In 1982, professor and historian Gabor Boritt founded the Civil War Institute, which hosts annual seminars and tours on Civil War themes. Scholarships are granted to high school students and history teachers to attend the week-long summer event.


 * Since 1998, the Gettysburg Semester, a semester-long immersion in Civil War academic study has been offered.


 * Gettysburg College students may elect to pursue a unique interdisciplinary minor in Civil War Era Studies. Requirements include a general introduction course about the Civil War and a capstone senior-level seminar.  Students must also select four classes of at least two disciplines.  Some of the classes offered include (but are not limited to): military history, Economics of the American South, Civil War Literature, films about the Civil War, and Gender Ideology in the Civil War.


 * The Lincoln Prize has been awarded annually since 1991 for the best non-fiction historical work of the year on the Civil War.


 * Starting in 2005, the Michael Shaara Prize has been awarded for excellence in Civil War fiction. (Shaara was the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about the Battle of Gettysburg, The Killer Angels.)