Albright College
Encyclopedia
Albright College is a private, co-ed, liberal arts college
affiliated with the United Methodist Church
. It was founded in 1856 and is located in Reading, Pennsylvania
, United States
.
and Bachelor of Science
degrees, as well as a Master of Arts
and Master of Science
degrees in education. The college also offers accelerated degree programs.
With a student/faculty ratio of 12:1, Albright College enrolls some 1,660 undergraduates in traditional programs, about 600 students in accelerated degree programs in nine locations and about 100 students in the master’s program in education.
Albright's hallmarks are connecting fields of learning, collaborative teaching and learning, and a flexible curriculum that allows students to create an individualized education. In 2011, more than half of students have a dual, combined or interdisciplinary concentration, with as many as 200 different combination in a given year.
For the entering class of 2012, Albright received more than 7,000 applications for a spot the class of approximately 500 students. Albright does not require applicants to take the SAT or submit SAT scores: submission of these scores is optional.
The decades since have seen the creation of interdisciplinary programs such as child and family studies, environmental studies, optical physics (the only such program nationwide at a small college), and three Johnson Centers for Interdisciplinary Studies. In addition to 11 interdisciplinary areas of concentration such as psychobiology, biochemistry, crime & justice, and Latin American studies, there are a number of combined concentrations, for example, music business.
. Albright's football team was ranked #24 in the country in the 2008 USA Today Division III preseason poll and followed this accolade by sharing a MAC Championship and winning the ECAC Bowl Championship. In 2009, the football program made it to the NCAA National Quarterfinals and finished with a 11-2 record, the most wins in program history. Additionally, both its swim teams have a reputable name in Division III swimming, with the women's team being conference championships four years in a row. Albright men swimmers have also achieved NCAA provisional cuts over the years.
Clarence Lester "Biggie" Munn got his first head coaching job at Albright College in Reading, Pa. in 1935. He held the position for two seasons. He is most notable for coaching at Michigan State University (MSU) from 1947-1953. He then became MSU's athletic director and held that position for 18 years (1953-1971).
William "Lone Star" Dietz
was the Director of Athletics and Head Football Coach at Albright from 1937-1942. Dietz led the football team to their first undefeated season in 1937. He previously lead Washington State to 1916 Rose Bowl victory. In the NFL, Dietz had coached the Boston "Redskins" (1933-1934), the forerunner of the Washington Redskins
. Dietz is in the Albright College Athletic Hall of Fame.
In 1948, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore
(UMES) and Albright College played the first intercollegiate football game between an Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) institution and a majority-white institution.
Dr. Wilbur G. Renken was Athletic Director and basketball head coach for a remarkable 38 consecutive seasons. A highly regarded figure in collegiate athletics in general and specifically basketball, Dr Renken was the President of the United States Olympic Basketball Team Selection Committee for the 1976 Olympic games.
Fight to win for Albright,
Knock them in for Albright,
And bring us the victory.
Wake another score, boys,
Wipe them in their gore, boys,
For Albright and victory.
Onward, onward, battle with the foe,
Forward, forward, the Red and White must go,
Fight to win for Albright,
Knock them in for Albright,
You must win the victory. FIGHT!
Go Albright Lions, Go!
is a student-operated college radio station
serving the Berks County and Reading, Pennsylvania
, area. The station broadcasts at 91.3 MHz on the FM
dial at 219 watts and is owned and operated by Albright College. WXAC is the only local station that provides Spanish-language programming to Berks County, with about 50 hours per week hosted by volunteer DJs from the local community.
It should also be noted that in 1994, Craig Fass (1996), Brian Turtle (1995), and Mike Ginelli (1995) invented the game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon
.
Liberal arts colleges in the United States
Liberal arts colleges in the United States are certain undergraduate institutions of higher education in the United States. The Encyclopædia Britannica Concise offers a definition of the liberal arts as a "college or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing general...
affiliated with the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
. It was founded in 1856 and is located in Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Overview
Albright College is a private college that offers a liberal arts curriculum with an interdisciplinary focus. Albright College is accredited by the Middle States Association, and offers Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degrees, as well as a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
and Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degrees in education. The college also offers accelerated degree programs.
With a student/faculty ratio of 12:1, Albright College enrolls some 1,660 undergraduates in traditional programs, about 600 students in accelerated degree programs in nine locations and about 100 students in the master’s program in education.
Albright's hallmarks are connecting fields of learning, collaborative teaching and learning, and a flexible curriculum that allows students to create an individualized education. In 2011, more than half of students have a dual, combined or interdisciplinary concentration, with as many as 200 different combination in a given year.
For the entering class of 2012, Albright received more than 7,000 applications for a spot the class of approximately 500 students. Albright does not require applicants to take the SAT or submit SAT scores: submission of these scores is optional.
Curriculum
Albright offers liberal arts and pre-professional programs. The college emphasizes the ability of students to combine fields of learning to create individualized and interdisciplinary majors. Albright has focused on interdiciplinary learning for decades. It created the first undergraduate psychobiology program in the nation in the 1960s. The college also created the first undergraduate biochemistry program in the region.The decades since have seen the creation of interdisciplinary programs such as child and family studies, environmental studies, optical physics (the only such program nationwide at a small college), and three Johnson Centers for Interdisciplinary Studies. In addition to 11 interdisciplinary areas of concentration such as psychobiology, biochemistry, crime & justice, and Latin American studies, there are a number of combined concentrations, for example, music business.
Athletics
Albright College athletic teams compete in the Commonwealth Conference of the Middle Atlantic CorporationMiddle Atlantic Corporation
Founded in 1912, the Middle Atlantic Conferences is an umbrella organization of three athletic conferences which competes in the NCAA's Division III. The 16-member teams are located in the Mid-Atlantic United States....
. Albright's football team was ranked #24 in the country in the 2008 USA Today Division III preseason poll and followed this accolade by sharing a MAC Championship and winning the ECAC Bowl Championship. In 2009, the football program made it to the NCAA National Quarterfinals and finished with a 11-2 record, the most wins in program history. Additionally, both its swim teams have a reputable name in Division III swimming, with the women's team being conference championships four years in a row. Albright men swimmers have also achieved NCAA provisional cuts over the years.
Notable individuals and events
Charles "Pop" Kelchner founded the Men's Basketball team in 1900 and was Athletic director at Albright College for 21 years. He was involved in aspects of major league baseball for over 50 years. Albright College dedicated the baseball field as Kelchner Field in 1952. Branch Rickey gave the dedication speech; with Connie Mack in attendance. Kelchner was a graduate of Lafayette College with two degrees and was proficient in German, French, Italian, Spanish, Classical Latin and Greek. He served as Professor of Languages and Athletic director.Clarence Lester "Biggie" Munn got his first head coaching job at Albright College in Reading, Pa. in 1935. He held the position for two seasons. He is most notable for coaching at Michigan State University (MSU) from 1947-1953. He then became MSU's athletic director and held that position for 18 years (1953-1971).
William "Lone Star" Dietz
William Henry Dietz
William Henry "Lone Star" Dietz was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Washington State University , Purdue University , Louisiana Tech University , University of Wyoming , and Albright College compiling a career college football record of 70–47–6...
was the Director of Athletics and Head Football Coach at Albright from 1937-1942. Dietz led the football team to their first undefeated season in 1937. He previously lead Washington State to 1916 Rose Bowl victory. In the NFL, Dietz had coached the Boston "Redskins" (1933-1934), the forerunner of the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. Dietz is in the Albright College Athletic Hall of Fame.
In 1948, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
University of Maryland Eastern Shore located on 776 acres in Princess Anne, Maryland, United States, is part of the University System of Maryland...
(UMES) and Albright College played the first intercollegiate football game between an Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) institution and a majority-white institution.
Dr. Wilbur G. Renken was Athletic Director and basketball head coach for a remarkable 38 consecutive seasons. A highly regarded figure in collegiate athletics in general and specifically basketball, Dr Renken was the President of the United States Olympic Basketball Team Selection Committee for the 1976 Olympic games.
Fight song
The "Albright Fight Song" is the fight song for Albright College. The lyrics are:Fight to win for Albright,
Knock them in for Albright,
And bring us the victory.
Wake another score, boys,
Wipe them in their gore, boys,
For Albright and victory.
Onward, onward, battle with the foe,
Forward, forward, the Red and White must go,
Fight to win for Albright,
Knock them in for Albright,
You must win the victory. FIGHT!
Go Albright Lions, Go!
WXAC
Albright's campus radio station, WXAC-FMWXAC
WXAC is a college radio station serving the Reading, Pennsylvania, area. The station broadcasts at 91.3 MHz on the FM dial and is owned and operated by Albright College. WXAC is the only local station that provides Spanish-language programming to Berks County, with about 50 hours per week...
is a student-operated college 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...
serving the Berks County and Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
, area. The station broadcasts at 91.3 MHz on the FM
Frequency modulation
In telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...
dial at 219 watts and is owned and operated by Albright College. WXAC is the only local station that provides Spanish-language programming to Berks County, with about 50 hours per week hosted by volunteer DJs from the local community.
Notable alumni
- Lauren Ashburn, managing editor, USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
Live - Haps BenferHaps BenferHarold A. "Haps" Benfer was an American football and basketball player and college coach and administrator. He was selected as a first-team All-American fullback while playing for Albright College in 1914...
, All-American halfback selected as Albright's greatest athlete - Michael MatzMichael MatzMichael Ray Matz is an American Olympic equestrian rider and horse trainer. He is perhaps most well known for having trained the ill-fated Barbaro to win the 132nd Kentucky Derby in 2006. The previously undefeated colt suffered a career and life ending injury after the start of the Preakness Stakes...
, Hall of fame equestrian, trainer of 2006 Kentucky Derby winner BarbaroBarbaroBarbaro was an American thoroughbred who decisively won the 2006 Kentucky Derby, but shattered his leg two weeks later in the 2006 Preakness Stakes, ending his racing career and eventually leading to his death.... - J.J. DillonJames J. DillonJames J. "J.J." Dillon is a retired American professional wrestler and manager.He is best known for being the strategic leader of the original Four Horsemen that consisted of Nature Boy Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, Arn and Ole Anderson. He is most remembered as a manager in pro wrestling...
(real name: Jim Morrison), professional wrestler, manager, and executive - Leo DisendLeo DisendLeo Disend was a tackle in the National Football League.-Career:Disend played with the Brooklyn Dodgers for two season before playing his final season with the Green Bay Packers. He played at the collegiate level at Albright College.-References:...
, NFL player - Jon DoughJon DoughJon Dough was the stage name of Chester Anuszak , an American pornographic actor who worked steadily from 1985 to 2006.- Early life :...
(real name: Chester Anuszak), pornographic actor and director - F. Wilbur GingrichF. Wilbur GingrichF. Wilbur Gingrich was an educator, scholar of Biblical Greek and Christian layman who spent his entire career working with students at Schuylkill and Albright Colleges. He published many books and articles in his lifetime including the definitive translation of a Greek-English lexicon of the New...
, Greek scholar - Brent Hurley (2001), YouTube co-founder
- Sheryl Davis KohlSheryl Davis KohlSheryl Davis Kohl is an American politician who represented district 34A in the Maryland House of Delegates.-Background:Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Delegate Kohl was appointed by Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich to the Maryland House of Delegates in July 2005 to replace Charles R...
, former member of Maryland House of DelegatesMaryland House of DelegatesThe Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland, and is composed of 141 Delegates elected from 47 districts. The House chamber is located in the state capitol building on State Circle in Annapolis... - Harry Martin (1973), co-anchor of My9 News at 11pm on WWOR-TVWWOR-TVWWOR-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the flagship station of the MyNetworkTV programming service, licensed to Secaucus, New Jersey and serving the Tri-State metropolitan area. WWOR is owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is a sister station to Fox network flagship...
and anchor of Fox 5 News at 6pm on WNYW-TVWNYWWNYW, virtual channel 5 , is the flagship television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in New York City. The station's transmitter is atop the Empire State Building and its studio facilities are located in the Yorkville section of Manhattan... - George "Stormy" Petrol, played professional football for the Providence Steamrollers, coached at University of New Mexico for almost 40 years in four different sports (baseball, swimming, football and golf)
- David Quentin Voigt, baseball historian, author of five books on baseball history (American Baseball), retired professor at Albright College
It should also be noted that in 1994, Craig Fass (1996), Brian Turtle (1995), and Mike Ginelli (1995) invented the game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon
Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon
Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is a trivia game based on the concept of the small world phenomenon and rests on the assumption that any individual involved in the Hollywood, California film industry can be linked through his or her film roles to actor Kevin Bacon within six steps. The name of the game...
.