Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
Encyclopedia
Wheaton College is a four-year, private liberal arts college
with an approximate student body of 1,550. Wheaton's residential campus is located in Norton, Massachusetts
, between Boston, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island
. Founded in 1834 as a female seminary
, it is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women
in the United States
. Wheaton became a women's college
in 1912. The school began admitting men in 1988, after more than 150 years as a female-only institution. Most classes are relatively small: the student-faculty ratio is 10:1 and the average class size is between 15 and 20.
The family called upon noted women's educator Mary Lyon
for assistance in establishing the seminary. Miss Lyon created the first curriculum with the goal that it be equal in quality to those of men's colleges. She also provided the first principal, Eunice Caldwell. Wheaton Female Seminary opened in Norton, Massachusetts on 22 April 1835, with 50 students and three teachers.
Mary Lyon and Eunice Caldwell left Wheaton to open Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in 1837 (now Mount Holyoke College
). Following their departure, Wheaton endured a period of fluctuating enrollment and frequent changes in leadership until 1850, when Caroline Cutler Metcalf was recruited as the new principal. Mrs. Metcalf made the hiring of outstanding faculty her top priority, bringing in educators who encouraged students to discuss ideas rather than to memorize facts. The most notable additions to the faculty were Lucy Larcom
, who introduced the study of English Literature and founded the student literary magazine The Rushlight; and Mary Jane Cragin, who used innovative techniques to teach geometry
and made mathematics
the favorite study of many students.
Mrs. Metcalf retired in 1876. A. Ellen Stanton, a teacher of French
since 1871, served as principal from 1880 to 1897. She led the Seminary during a difficult time, when it faced competition from increasing numbers of public high schools and colleges granting bachelor's degrees to women.
In 1897, at the suggestion of Eliza Baylies Wheaton, the Trustees hired the Reverend Samuel Valentine Cole as the Seminary's first male president. Preparing to seek a charter as a four-year college, Cole began a program of revitalization that included expanding and strengthening the curriculum, increasing the number and quality of the faculty, and adding six new buildings.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
granted Wheaton a college charter in 1912. The Student Government Association was organized to represent the "consensus of opinion of the whole student body", and to encourage individual responsibility, integrity, and self-government. Wheaton received authorization to establish a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in 1932, twenty years after achieving college
status.
President Samuel Valentine Cole died suddenly, following a brief illness, in 1925. During his career as Wheaton President, Cole oversaw the expansion of the campus from three to twenty-seven buildings, the growth of enrollment from 50 to 414, and the establishment of an endowment. On the campus, Cole Memorial Chapel is named after him. Its approximate geographical coordinates are: 41° 58' 2.01" N, 71° 11' 3.51" W.
The Reverend John Edgar Park, who became president in 1926, continued Cole's building program, and saw the College through the Great Depression
, the celebration of its centennial in 1935, and World War II
. He retired in 1944, and was succeeded by Dartmouth College
Professor of History Alexander Howard Meneely. During his tenure, the Trustees voted to expand the size of the college from 525 to 800-1000 students, and construction of "new campus" began in 1957.
President Meneely died in 1961, following a long illness, and was succeeded in 1962 by William C.H. Prentice, a psychology
professor and administrator at Swarthmore College
. In the early 1960s, Wheaton successfully completed its first endowment campaign. The development of new campus continued, and student enrollment grew to 1,200. Wheaton students and faculty joined in nationwide campus protests against United States actions in Indochina in 1970.
In 1975, Wheaton inaugurated its first woman president, Alice Frey Emerson, Dean of Students at the University of Pennsylvania
. During her tenure, Wheaton achieved national recognition as a pioneer in the development of a gender-balanced curriculum. Emerson would go on to receive the Valeria Knapp Award from The College Club of Boston
in 1987 for establishing the Global Awareness Program at Wheaton College. Wheaton celebrated its Sesquicentennial in 1984/85 with a year-long series of symposia, concerts, dance performances, art
and history
exhibits, and an endowment and capital campaign. In 1987, the Trustees voted to admit men to Wheaton. The first coeducational class was enrolled in September 1988.
Dale Rogers Marshall, Academic Dean at Wellesley College, was inaugurated as Wheaton's sixth president in 1992. She led the college in "The Campaign for Wheaton", to build endowed and current funds for faculty development, student scholarships, and academic programs and facilities. Enrollment growth encouraged the construction of the first new residence halls since 1964 (Gebbie, Keefe and Beard residence halls), the improvement of classroom buildings and the renovation and expansion of the college's arts' facilities.
Wheaton's Board of Trustees appointed Ronald A. Crutcher at the seventh president of Wheaton College on March 23, 2004. President Crutcher came to Wheaton from Miami University
in Oxford, Ohio
, where he served as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and professor of music
.
to philosophy
, political science
to computer science
, art history
to theater, English
to economics
. The course selection is extended further through the college's cross-registration programs with Brown University
and nine local colleges involved in SACHEM (Southeastern Association for Cooperation in Higher Education in Massachusetts). Wheaton also offers dual-degree programs, enabling its undergraduates to begin graduate-level study in studio art
, communications
, engineering
, business
, theology
and optometry
.
A unique part of the Wheaton curriculum http://www.wheatoncollege.edu/Catalog/Contents/LiberalArts/ requires students to complete "connections" which approach a variety of topics from the perspectives of different disciplines. During their Wheaton career, students must take either three linked courses or two sets of two-course connections. These courses are intended to encourage students to explore and think beyond their primary academic interests http://www.wheatoncollege.edu/Catalog/CONX/. For instance, the Connection entitled "Communication through Art and Mathematics" links Arts 298 (Graphic Design I) with Math 127 (Advertising Math). Although students may complete one of the numerous pre-designed connections, students are encouraged to consider finding and declaring their own.
Foundations courses focus on writing, quantitative analysis, foreign language
study and non-Western perspectives. In their first semester at Wheaton, all freshmen take a First Year Seminar in which they explore contemporary issues and gain academic skills needed for college-level study. The Major concentration and elective courses are also central to the Wheaton Curriculum, which culminates in a senior capstone experience—a thesis, research project, seminar or creative project.
system originally instituted in 1921 and is one of a select number of schools to use it in both academic and social settings. Incoming freshmen learn about the code and discuss it during Orientation, before signing the matriculation book.
The current Wheaton Honor Code reads: As members of the Wheaton Community, we commit ourselves to act honestly, responsibly, and above all, with honor and integrity in all areas of campus life. We are accountable for all that we say and write. We are responsible for the academic integrity of our work. We pledge that we will not misrepresent our work nor give or receive unauthorized aid. We commit ourselves to behave in a manner which demonstrates concern for the personal dignity, rights and freedoms of all members of the community. We are respectful of college property and the property of others. We will not tolerate a lack of respect for these values.
As part of the honor code, most tests and exams are not proctored by professors and students are often allowed to leave the testing location to complete the exam elsewhere. In 2003, through student and faculty cooperation, it was decided that students would write I have abided by the Wheaton Honor Code in this work and sign their name on all work handed in.
Students in violation of the honor code are expected to report themselves to either a professor, the Dean of Students, or the Chair of the College Hearing Board. Students who witness and/or are aware of violations, are expected to confront the violator and encourage them to report themselves, before they report the violation.
The majority of minor violations are handled by the Residential Life Office, however certain, more serious and/or chronic violations are heard by the College Hearing Board, the judicial branch of the Student Government Association, which comprises four elected students and two appointed faculty members. Students found responsible face sanctions ranging from probation to expulsion.
and elsewhere to explore the arts and cultural offerings of the region.
Wheaton was also home to several popular regional bands that made names for themselves in the college's music scene around Norton and in the Providence/Boston areas. Cavity Sam, Shag, Out of the Basement, Juiceman, 722, Suspect, the infamous Cartman's Pig (which later became Curious Electric), and the legendary Polar Java, all formed at Wheaton.
(NEWMAC). Men's lacrosse competes in the Pilgrim League
. Wheaton's mascot is a Lyon
, named after founding principal Mary Lyons.
The women's track and field program won the NCAA Division III National Championship in Indoor Track and Field for five consecutive years from 1999 to 2003, as well as the 2001, 2002, and 2003 Outdoor Track and Field Championship. The women's outdoor Track and Field team also won the NEWMAC Conference Championship in 2008. In 1975, Deborah Simourian won a share of the AIAW individual collegiate golf championship.
Wheaton has an equally impressive reputation for athletics. It is ranked as one of the top 50 NCAA Division III institutions in the final United States Sports Academy (USSA) Directors' Cup standings. Of 420 schools competing in Division III, Wheaton ranks seventh in New England for an annual program that recognizes the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country. Among 312 scoring institutions, the Wheaton Lyons tallied 338.5 points, placing them at 48th place nationally.
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...
with an approximate student body of 1,550. Wheaton's residential campus is located in Norton, Massachusetts
Norton, Massachusetts
Norton is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, and contains the village of Norton Center. The population was 18,036 at the 2000 census...
, between Boston, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. Founded in 1834 as a female seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
, it is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women
Timeline of women's colleges in the United States
The following is a timeline of women's colleges in the United States. These are institutions of higher education in the United States whose student populations are comprised exclusively or almost exclusively of women. They are often liberal arts colleges...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Wheaton became a women's college
Women's colleges in the United States
Women's colleges in the United States are single-sex U.S. institutions of higher education that exclude or limit males from admission. They are often liberal arts colleges...
in 1912. The school began admitting men in 1988, after more than 150 years as a female-only institution. Most classes are relatively small: the student-faculty ratio is 10:1 and the average class size is between 15 and 20.
History
In 1834, Eliza Wheaton Strong, the daughter of Judge Laban Wheaton, died at the age of thirty-nine. Eliza Baylies Chapin Wheaton, the Judge's daughter-in-law, persuaded him to memorialize his daughter by founding a female seminary.The family called upon noted women's educator Mary Lyon
Mary Lyon
Mary Mason Lyon , surname pronounced , was a pioneer in women's education. She established the Wheaton Female Seminary in Norton, Massachusetts, . Within two years, she raised $15,000 to build the Mount Holyoke School...
for assistance in establishing the seminary. Miss Lyon created the first curriculum with the goal that it be equal in quality to those of men's colleges. She also provided the first principal, Eunice Caldwell. Wheaton Female Seminary opened in Norton, Massachusetts on 22 April 1835, with 50 students and three teachers.
Mary Lyon and Eunice Caldwell left Wheaton to open Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in 1837 (now Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
). Following their departure, Wheaton endured a period of fluctuating enrollment and frequent changes in leadership until 1850, when Caroline Cutler Metcalf was recruited as the new principal. Mrs. Metcalf made the hiring of outstanding faculty her top priority, bringing in educators who encouraged students to discuss ideas rather than to memorize facts. The most notable additions to the faculty were Lucy Larcom
Lucy Larcom
Lucy Larcom was an American poet.-Biography:Larcom was born in Beverly, Massachusetts, in 1824, the ninth of ten children and died in Boston in 1893. She left Beverly, Massachusetts, in 1835 to work cotton mills in Lowell from the ages of 11 to 21. As a mill girl she hoped to earn some extra...
, who introduced the study of English Literature and founded the student literary magazine The Rushlight; and Mary Jane Cragin, who used innovative techniques to teach geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
and made mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
the favorite study of many students.
Mrs. Metcalf retired in 1876. A. Ellen Stanton, a teacher of French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
since 1871, served as principal from 1880 to 1897. She led the Seminary during a difficult time, when it faced competition from increasing numbers of public high schools and colleges granting bachelor's degrees to women.
In 1897, at the suggestion of Eliza Baylies Wheaton, the Trustees hired the Reverend Samuel Valentine Cole as the Seminary's first male president. Preparing to seek a charter as a four-year college, Cole began a program of revitalization that included expanding and strengthening the curriculum, increasing the number and quality of the faculty, and adding six new buildings.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
granted Wheaton a college charter in 1912. The Student Government Association was organized to represent the "consensus of opinion of the whole student body", and to encourage individual responsibility, integrity, and self-government. Wheaton received authorization to establish a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in 1932, twenty years after achieving college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
status.
President Samuel Valentine Cole died suddenly, following a brief illness, in 1925. During his career as Wheaton President, Cole oversaw the expansion of the campus from three to twenty-seven buildings, the growth of enrollment from 50 to 414, and the establishment of an endowment. On the campus, Cole Memorial Chapel is named after him. Its approximate geographical coordinates are: 41° 58' 2.01" N, 71° 11' 3.51" W.
The Reverend John Edgar Park, who became president in 1926, continued Cole's building program, and saw the College through the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the celebration of its centennial in 1935, and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He retired in 1944, and was succeeded by Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
Professor of History Alexander Howard Meneely. During his tenure, the Trustees voted to expand the size of the college from 525 to 800-1000 students, and construction of "new campus" began in 1957.
President Meneely died in 1961, following a long illness, and was succeeded in 1962 by William C.H. Prentice, a psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
professor and administrator at Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
. In the early 1960s, Wheaton successfully completed its first endowment campaign. The development of new campus continued, and student enrollment grew to 1,200. Wheaton students and faculty joined in nationwide campus protests against United States actions in Indochina in 1970.
In 1975, Wheaton inaugurated its first woman president, Alice Frey Emerson, Dean of Students at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. During her tenure, Wheaton achieved national recognition as a pioneer in the development of a gender-balanced curriculum. Emerson would go on to receive the Valeria Knapp Award from The College Club of Boston
The College Club of Boston
The College Club of Boston is a private membership organization founded in 1890 as the first women's college club in the United States. Located in the historic Back Bay of Boston, Massachusetts at 44 Commonwealth Avenue, the College Club was established by nineteen college educated women whose...
in 1987 for establishing the Global Awareness Program at Wheaton College. Wheaton celebrated its Sesquicentennial in 1984/85 with a year-long series of symposia, concerts, dance performances, art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
and history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
exhibits, and an endowment and capital campaign. In 1987, the Trustees voted to admit men to Wheaton. The first coeducational class was enrolled in September 1988.
Dale Rogers Marshall, Academic Dean at Wellesley College, was inaugurated as Wheaton's sixth president in 1992. She led the college in "The Campaign for Wheaton", to build endowed and current funds for faculty development, student scholarships, and academic programs and facilities. Enrollment growth encouraged the construction of the first new residence halls since 1964 (Gebbie, Keefe and Beard residence halls), the improvement of classroom buildings and the renovation and expansion of the college's arts' facilities.
Wheaton's Board of Trustees appointed Ronald A. Crutcher at the seventh president of Wheaton College on March 23, 2004. President Crutcher came to Wheaton from Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
in Oxford, Ohio
Oxford, Ohio
Oxford is a city in northwestern Butler County, Ohio, United States, in the southwestern portion of the state. It lies in Oxford Township, originally called the College Township. The population was 21,943 at the 2000 census. This college town was founded as a home for Miami University. Oxford...
, where he served as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and professor of music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
.
Presidents
The following is a list of Wheaton College presidents with the years of their presidential tenures.- Rev. Dr. Samuel Valentine Cole (1912–1925)
- George Thomas Smart, Acting President (1925–1926)
- Rev. Dr. John Edgar Park (1926–1944)
- A. Howard Meneely (1944–1961)
- Elizabeth Stoffregen May, Acting President (1961–1962)
- William Courtney Hamilton Prentice (1962–1975)
- Alice Frey Emerson (1975–1991)
- Hannah Goldberg, Acting President (1991–1992)
- Dale Rogers Marshall (1992–2004)
- Ronald Crutcher (2004–present)
Curriculum
Wheaton offers a liberal arts education leading to a bachelor of arts degree in more than 36 majors and 50 minors. Students are permitted to work with faculty members to design self-declared majors, if they wish. Students choose from over 600 courses in subjects from physicsPhysics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
to philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
to computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, art history
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
to theater, English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
to economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
. The course selection is extended further through the college's cross-registration programs with Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
and nine local colleges involved in SACHEM (Southeastern Association for Cooperation in Higher Education in Massachusetts). Wheaton also offers dual-degree programs, enabling its undergraduates to begin graduate-level study in studio art
Studio art
Studio art is made of art and studio, and the term has several implications depending on the context used. The term encompasses all art forms, be they performing or visual.-Definition:...
, communications
Communication studies
Communication Studies is an academic field that deals with processes of communication, commonly defined as the sharing of symbols over distances in space and time. Hence, communication studies encompasses a wide range of topics and contexts ranging from face-to-face conversation to speeches to mass...
, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
, theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and optometry
Optometry
Optometry is a health care profession concerned with eyes and related structures, as well as vision, visual systems, and vision information processing in humans. Optometrists, or Doctors of Optometry, are state licensed medical professionals trained to prescribe and fit lenses to improve vision,...
.
A unique part of the Wheaton curriculum http://www.wheatoncollege.edu/Catalog/Contents/LiberalArts/ requires students to complete "connections" which approach a variety of topics from the perspectives of different disciplines. During their Wheaton career, students must take either three linked courses or two sets of two-course connections. These courses are intended to encourage students to explore and think beyond their primary academic interests http://www.wheatoncollege.edu/Catalog/CONX/. For instance, the Connection entitled "Communication through Art and Mathematics" links Arts 298 (Graphic Design I) with Math 127 (Advertising Math). Although students may complete one of the numerous pre-designed connections, students are encouraged to consider finding and declaring their own.
Foundations courses focus on writing, quantitative analysis, foreign language
Foreign language
A foreign language is a language indigenous to another country. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e. an English speaker living in Japan can say that Japanese is a foreign language to him or her...
study and non-Western perspectives. In their first semester at Wheaton, all freshmen take a First Year Seminar in which they explore contemporary issues and gain academic skills needed for college-level study. The Major concentration and elective courses are also central to the Wheaton Curriculum, which culminates in a senior capstone experience—a thesis, research project, seminar or creative project.
Honor code
Wheaton uses an honor codeHonor code
An honour code or honour system is a set of rules or principles governing a community based on a set of rules or ideals that define what constitutes honorable behavior within that community. The use of an honor code depends on the idea that people can be trusted to act honorably...
system originally instituted in 1921 and is one of a select number of schools to use it in both academic and social settings. Incoming freshmen learn about the code and discuss it during Orientation, before signing the matriculation book.
The current Wheaton Honor Code reads: As members of the Wheaton Community, we commit ourselves to act honestly, responsibly, and above all, with honor and integrity in all areas of campus life. We are accountable for all that we say and write. We are responsible for the academic integrity of our work. We pledge that we will not misrepresent our work nor give or receive unauthorized aid. We commit ourselves to behave in a manner which demonstrates concern for the personal dignity, rights and freedoms of all members of the community. We are respectful of college property and the property of others. We will not tolerate a lack of respect for these values.
As part of the honor code, most tests and exams are not proctored by professors and students are often allowed to leave the testing location to complete the exam elsewhere. In 2003, through student and faculty cooperation, it was decided that students would write I have abided by the Wheaton Honor Code in this work and sign their name on all work handed in.
Students in violation of the honor code are expected to report themselves to either a professor, the Dean of Students, or the Chair of the College Hearing Board. Students who witness and/or are aware of violations, are expected to confront the violator and encourage them to report themselves, before they report the violation.
The majority of minor violations are handled by the Residential Life Office, however certain, more serious and/or chronic violations are heard by the College Hearing Board, the judicial branch of the Student Government Association, which comprises four elected students and two appointed faculty members. Students found responsible face sanctions ranging from probation to expulsion.
Arts
The renovation and expansion of Wheaton's arts facilities (Watson and Mars Arts and Humanities) in 2000 set the stage for the Evelyn Danzig Haas '39 Visiting Artists Program. Launched in 2003, the program brings distinguished writers, musicians, actors, directors, dancers and artists to campus for short-term residencies to share their work through lectures, master classes, concerts and exhibitions. Arts in the City complements the visiting artists program by taking students and faculty members on trips to Boston, ProvidenceProvidence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
and elsewhere to explore the arts and cultural offerings of the region.
Wheaton was also home to several popular regional bands that made names for themselves in the college's music scene around Norton and in the Providence/Boston areas. Cavity Sam, Shag, Out of the Basement, Juiceman, 722, Suspect, the infamous Cartman's Pig (which later became Curious Electric), and the legendary Polar Java, all formed at Wheaton.
Athletics
Students can participate in intramural activities, club sports, and intercollegiate teams. Wheaton fields 21 intercollegiate teams for men and women, including Men's Intercollegiate Baseball, Women's Softball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Lacrosse, Men's and Women's Soccer, Men's and Women's Indoor Track, Men's and Women's Outdoor Track, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Men's and Women's Swimming, Women's Volleyball and Women's Synchronized swimming. The school's teams play within the NCAA Division III and in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic ConferenceNew England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA’s Division III...
(NEWMAC). Men's lacrosse competes in the Pilgrim League
Pilgrim League
The Pilgrim Lacrosse League is an NCAA Division III men's college lacrosse conference that has member schools in Massachusetts.-Members:The member schools are:* Babson College* Clark University* Massachusetts Institute of Technology...
. Wheaton's mascot is a Lyon
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
, named after founding principal Mary Lyons.
The women's track and field program won the NCAA Division III National Championship in Indoor Track and Field for five consecutive years from 1999 to 2003, as well as the 2001, 2002, and 2003 Outdoor Track and Field Championship. The women's outdoor Track and Field team also won the NEWMAC Conference Championship in 2008. In 1975, Deborah Simourian won a share of the AIAW individual collegiate golf championship.
Reputation
Wheaton College is consistently ranked amongst the top liberal arts colleges by various publications. For 2011, a national collective of guidance counselors ranked Wheaton among the top 50 liberal arts colleges in the country, while U.S. News & World Report ranked it 59th in Best Liberal Arts Colleges. The Princeton Review also recognizes Wheaton as a standout Northeastern college and as one of the 373 best colleges in the United States, while College Prowler ranks Wheaton as one of the top 114 schools in academics. Since 2000, over 130 prestigious scholarships have gone to Wheaton students, including 3 Rhodes Scholarships. In 2011 Newsweek/The Daily Beast placed Wheaton in the 25 Brainiac Schools in the country. Number 19 to be exact, over both Columbia and VassarWheaton has an equally impressive reputation for athletics. It is ranked as one of the top 50 NCAA Division III institutions in the final United States Sports Academy (USSA) Directors' Cup standings. Of 420 schools competing in Division III, Wheaton ranks seventh in New England for an annual program that recognizes the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country. Among 312 scoring institutions, the Wheaton Lyons tallied 338.5 points, placing them at 48th place nationally.
Publications and media
- Wheaton Quarterly: College magazine http://www.wheatoncollege.edu/Quarterly/;
- The Wheaton Wire: Weekly student newspaper http://www.thewheatonwire.com/;
- Nike: college yearbook;
- Rushlight: Student arts & literary magazine;
- Midnight Oil: Student literary magazine;
- The Underwire: Alternative/underground newspaper; {??-2004}
- WCCS: free-format student-run radio station http://wccs.wheatoncollege.edu
Films
The following films have been filmed, at least in part, on the Wheaton campus or feature Wheaton students.- Soul ManSoul Man (film)Soul Man is a comedy film made in 1986 about a man who undergoes racial transformation with pills to qualify for a Black only scholarship at Harvard Law School. It stars C. Thomas Howell, Rae Dawn Chong, Arye Gross, James Earl Jones, Leslie Nielsen, James B...
(1986) - Prozac Nation (film)Prozac Nation (film)Prozac Nation is a 2001 American drama film directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg, starring Christina Ricci, Jason Biggs and Anne Heche. . It is based on an autobiography of the same name by Elizabeth Wurtzel, which describes Wurtzel's experiences with major depression...
(2001) - Mona Lisa SmileMona Lisa SmileMona Lisa Smile is a 2003 romantic drama film produced by Revolution Studios and Columbia Pictures in association with Red Om Films Productions, directed by Mike Newell, written by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal, and starring Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Julia Stiles...
(2003)
Notable alumni
- Mary Ellen AveryMary Ellen AveryMary Ellen Avery is an American pediatrician. In the 1950s, Dr. Avery's pioneering research efforts helped lead to the discovery of the main cause of respiratory distress syndrome in premature babies: her identification of surfactant led to the development of replacement therapy for premature...
, 1948 - pediatric physician and researcher - Elaine Meryl Brown, 1977 - novelist and HBO executive
- Chris DenorfiaChris DenorfiaChristopher Anthony Denorfia is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the San Diego Padres.-Early life:...
, 2002 - San Diego PadresSan Diego PadresThe San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
outfielder - Diane FarrellDiane FarrellDiane Farrell is an American politician who was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Connecticut's 4th congressional district in 2004 and 2006....
, 1977 - Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress from Connecticut Fourth DistrictConnecticut's 4th congressional districtConnecticut's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the southwestern part of the state, the district is largely suburban and consists of Bridgeport, the largest city in the state, and Stamford.... - Jean FritzJean FritzJean Guttery Fritz, born November 16, 1915, is an American children's author and biographer.-Life:Jean Fritz was born to American missionaries in Hankow, China, where she lived until she was thirteen. She was an only child . Growing up, Fritz kept a journal about her days in China with Lin Nai-Nai...
, 1937 - Newbery Honor-winning author of children's books - Robie HarrisRobie HarrisRobie H. Harris is an author, specializing in books for children. She was born in Buffalo, New York, and currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts...
, 1962 - children's book author - Emily Susan HartwellEmily Susan HartwellEmily Susan Hartwell was a Congregational Christian educational missionary and philanthropist in Foochow, China under the American Board of Foreign Missions.-Life:Miss Emily S. Hartwell was the daughter of Lucy E...
, 1883 - Congregational Christian educational missionary in China - Debbie Jamgochian, 1974 - amateur golf champion, winner of 2007 Senior Women's French Open and 2007 Women's Western Senior Championship
- Trish KarterTrish KarterTrish Karter is an American entrepreneur and the founder of the Dancing Deer Baking Co..-Early life and education:Karter is a graduate of Lyme-Old Lyme High School, Wheaton College, and the Yale School of Management....
, entrepreneur - Catherine KeenerCatherine KeenerCatherine Ann Keener is an American actress. She has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Being John Malkovich and Capote...
, 1983 - Academy Award-nominated actress - Nancy MairsNancy MairsNancy Mairs is an author who writes about diverse topics, including spirituality, women's issues and her experiences living with multiple sclerosis. She was born on July 23, 1943 in Long Beach, California. She grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, however. She received an AB from Wheaton College, and...
, 1964 - poet and essayist - Alexandra Marshall, 1965 - writer
- Ellen MoranEllen MoranEllen Moran is chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Commerce under Secretary Gary Locke. She previously held the position of White House Communications Director. Her predecessor was Kevin Sullivan, who held the position under the Bush administration...
, 1988 - former White House Communications DirectorWhite House Communications DirectorThe White House Director of Communications, also known as Assistant to the President for Communications, is part of the senior staff of the President of the United States, and is responsible for developing and promoting the agenda of the President and leading its media campaign...
, current chief of staffChief of StaffThe title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary LockeGary LockeGary Locke may refer to:*Gary Locke , Chinese American politician; U.S. Secretary of Commerce and former Governor of Washington*Gary Locke *Gary Locke... - Esther NewbergEsther NewbergEsther Newberg is an American literary agent and former aide to Senator Robert F. Kennedy during his 1968 presidential campaign.-Political career:...
, 1963 - literary agent and co-creative director of ICMICM-Organizations:*International Confederation of Midwives* International Creative Management, a talent and literary agency* ICM Research, a polling company ; a subsidiary of Creston plc, a marketing services company registered in England and Wales* ICM Registry LLC, the company that sponsors the .xxx... - Prince Shad Al-Sherif PashaSharif of MeccaThe Sharif of Mecca or Hejaz was the title of the former governors of Hejaz and a traditional steward of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina...
of the Hijaz and Turkey - Barbara RichardsonBarbara RichardsonBarbara Richardson is the wife of Bill Richardson, the former governor of New Mexico and a former Democratic Presidential candidate....
, 1971 - New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
first lady - Catherine Filene ShouseCatherine Filene ShouseCatherine Filene Shouse was a researcher and philanthropist. She graduated in 1918 from Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts. She worked for the Women's Division of the U.S. Employment Service of the Department of Labor, and the Democratic National Committee...
, 1918 - researcher and philanthropist - Lesley StahlLesley StahlLesley Rene Stahl is an American television journalist. Since 1991, she has reported for CBS on 60 Minutes.-Personal life:...
, 1963 - broadcast journalist - Callie ThorneCallie ThorneCalliope "Callie" Thorne is an American actress known for her current role as Dr. Dani Santino on the USA Network series Necessary Roughness...
- actress - Amanda UrbanAmanda UrbanAmanda "Binky" Urban is a literary agent with International Creative Management, Inc.She paved the way for the success of Donna Tartt's first novel, The Secret History, by creating such media hype and buzz for creating a bidding war and demanding a huge advance for a first time novelist...
, 1968 - literary agent and co-creative director of ICMICM-Organizations:*International Confederation of Midwives* International Creative Management, a talent and literary agency* ICM Research, a polling company ; a subsidiary of Creston plc, a marketing services company registered in England and Wales* ICM Registry LLC, the company that sponsors the .xxx... - Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck - King of BhutanBhutanBhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
- Christine Todd WhitmanChristine Todd WhitmanChristine Todd "Christie" Whitman is an American Republican politician and author who served as the 50th Governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001, and was the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the administration of President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003. She was New...
, 1968 - former Governor of New JerseyNew JerseyNew 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...
and former Administrator of the Environmental Protection AgencyAdministrator of the Environmental Protection AgencyThe Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is the head of the United States federal government's Environmental Protection Agency, and is thus responsible for enforcing the nation's Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, as well as numerous other environmental statutes. The Administrator is... - Alex Witchel, 1979 - writer
- Momo Nagano, 1947 - weaver (1925–2010)