Western Connecticut State University
Western Connecticut State University (Western, WestConn or WCSU) is a public university in Danbury, Connecticut. Founded in 1903, WestConn has an arts and sciences curriculum, a business school, and several professional programs including elementary and secondary education, nursing, music performance, and social work. It is also home to The Jane Goodall Center for Excellence in Environmental Studies.
History
WestConn started as a teachers' college, training the primary and secondary school educators for Connecticut's Fairfield County and surrounding areas. The school's name has changed over the years as it has focused on additional areas of study. First named the Danbury Normal School, in the 1950s it was called the Danbury State Teachers College. It was renamed as Danbury State College in 1959, then Western Connecticut State College in 1967, and finally, in 1983, Western Connecticut State University.
Structure
Schools
- Ancell School of Business
- School of Arts and Sciences
- School of Visual and Performing Arts
- School of Professional Studies
- Division of Graduate Studies
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Campus
Western has two campuses located five miles apart connected by a campus bus service.
The Midtown Campus is the original campus, located near Downtown Danbury. It is home to the School of Arts and Sciences, School of Professional Studies, and most of the school administration. There are also three housing facilities and the original student center.
The West Side Campus is located on land purchased in the 1970s on the outskirts of Danbury. This lot is home to the Ancell School of Business, a nature center, amphitheater, and three dormitories. The West Side also houses the athletic facilities, including the O'Neill Center. On January 23rd, 2007 the new WestSide Campus Center was officially opened. This new facility serves as a student center, meeting, and banquet facility for the West Side Campus.
A major improvement program was started in the mid-1990s to beautify the campus. Several parking lots became green space, and improvements were made to the landscaping. While a significant improvement, the full extent of this beautification is not immediately apparent and will take several years to reach full maturity.
The "WestConn at Waterbury" program is located on the campus of Naugatuck Valley Community College. The program offers undergraduate courses and the Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.).
Buildings
Midtown Campus
- University Hall (Offices)
- White Hall (Classrooms)
- Warner Hall (Classrooms)
- Ruth A. Haas Library
- Berkshire Hall (Classrooms & Theatre)
- Science Building (Classrooms & Laboratories)
- Old Main (Registrar, Fin. Aid, Cashier & Offices)
- Higgins Hall (Classrooms)
- Fairfield Hall (Dormitory)
- Newbury Hall (Dormitory)
- Litchfield Hall (Dormitory)
- Student Center
- Alumni Hall (Child Care)
WestSide Campus
- Classroom Building (Classrooms & Robert Young Library)
- Campus Center (Student Center & Multi-use facility)
- O'Neill Center (Feldman Arena, Sports Facilities)
- Football Stadium
- Rugby Field
- Football Practice Field
- Softball Field
- Baseball Stadium
- Tennis Facilities
- Pinney Hall (Dormitory)
- Centennial Hall (Dormitory)
- Grasso Hall (Dormitory)
- Observatory
- Ives Concert Park
Student body
As of the Fall of 2006, WestConn has approximately 4,000 full-time undergraduates and 1,900 graduate or part-time students.
4,793 students (including 962 transfer applicants) applied to the University. 2,825 (including 644 transfers) were accepted. Of those 1,262 enrolled in the Fall semester.
Most of the students at WestConn come from Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. Nearly all commuter students come from western Connecticut, Putnam, Dutchess and Westchester Counties in New York.
According to the University, students claiming Connecticut residency come from 99 of the state's 169 municipalities.
Women comprise 49.5% of the entering class (423 of 855), and members of traditionally underrepresented groups comprise 14.7% of the entering class (123 of 839).
The Student to Faculty ratio for the 2006-2007 academic year is 15.4 to 1 (Total Student FTE divided by Total Faculty FTE).
Student Life
Student Government Association
The Student Government Association (SGA) is the sole governing body over the Student Activity Fund and student organizations at the university. The SGA has 3 branches of government: the Legislative Branch, an Executive Branch and the Judicial Branch. The Legislative Branch, known as the Student Senate which consists of six (6) seats per academic school, plus four (4) seats at large. Senators are elected by the student body. The Executive Branch consists of a President, Vice President of Operations, Vice President of Student Relations and Vice President of Finance; the Executive Branch is elected by the student body. The Judicial Branch is composed of a Chief Justice nominated by the President, who must be approved by the Senate, and two justices are elected by the student body.SGA Legal Clinic
Western Connecticut State University is one of the few schools in the US to have a fully funded center to provide legal counseling to students. Funded by the Student Government Association, the center provides students with initial legal counseling and advice. The clinic does not represent students in court but may make referrals for such purposes.
The legal clinic seeks to educate students about their rights and responsibilities through the sharing of information and legal resources, various informational programs and presentations, as well as individualized student counseling. Attorneys counsel and advise students on general legal concerns, consumer complaints, debts and bankruptcy, family law, landlord-tenant issues, wills and probate matters, litigation, criminal matters, administration agency matters (Veterans Administration, e.g.), and small claims.
Established in 1998 the advisor to the legal clinic has been Dr. Harold B. Schramm, Professor of English and Justice and Law Administration.
College radio station WXCI
The college radio station, WXCI, 91.7 FM, broadcasts to Connecticut and New York at 3,000 watts. It also streams its broadcasts on the Web.
The Echo - WCSU Student Newspaper
The Echo is a student-run newspaper, founded in 1955, and subsidized by student fees and advertising income. The Echo is published weekly in tabloid format, though in the past it has been published in broadsheet format.
Athletics
WestConn is a member of the NCAA Division III and the Eastern College Athletic Conference and fields teams in baseball, basketball, lacrosse, football, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, and volleyball.
WestConn also fields several nationally competitive club sports on campus including Men's Rugby, Women's Rugby, Dance Team, Cheerleading, and Men's Hockey.
Venues
Varsity Sports
- Baseball: Athletic fields baseball stadium
- Basketball: Feldman Arena at the O'Neill Center
- Football: Westside Athletic Complex (football stadium, aka WAC)
- Lacrosse: Westside Athletic Complex
- Soccer: Westside Athletic Complex
- Softball: Athletic fields softball field
- Swimming: O'Neill Center
- Tennis: O'Neil Center outdoor tennis courts
- Volleyball: Feldman Arena at the O'Neill Center
Non-varsity Sports
- Hockey: Danbury Ice Arena
- Rugby: Athletic practice fields
Greek Life
WestConn's Greek community, first established in 1986, is made up of three fraternities: Sigma Chi, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Zeta Beta Tau, and three sororities: Alpha Delta Pi, Delta Gamma Phi, and Kappa Chi Alpha. As of October 2008, none of the Greek fraternities and sororities have an established on-campus house.
Debate Society
The Roger Sherman Debate Society participates in tournaments sanctioned by the Cross Examination Debate Association. The team competes in the North East Conference.
Noteworthy Faculty
The following faculty are noteworthy for their published works or field work or both.
- Rock Brynner, Political Science
- Bruce Collins, Finance, Equity Derivatives
- Ronald Drozdenko, Marketing, Marketing Databases
- Rob Eisenson, Physics, Astronomy, and Meteorology, Broadcast Meteorology
- Wynn Gadkar-Wilcox, History & Non Western Cultures
- Patti Ivry, Social Work
- Kathleen "Casey" Jordan, Justice and Law, Criminology
- Christopher Kukk, Social Sciences, Policy
- Tara Kuther, Psychology, Adolescent Development
- Frederick Maidment, Management, Human Resources and Entrepreneurship
- R. Averell Manes, Social Sciences, Conflict Resolution
- Harold Schramm, Justice and Law, Legal Studies and Law
- Ted Schwartz, Justice and Law, Forensic Science
- Marie Wright, MIS, Information Security
Meteorology Program and Weather Center
WestConn is currently the only school, college or university in the state of Connecticut to offer a degree in meteorology. Currently, students can enter the Bachelor of Science in Meteorology program and choose from two different track options - Theoretical Meteorology or Operational Meteorology and Weathercasting.The student population of meteorology majors increased strongly for the 2006-07 academic year with nearly 30 new meteorology students entering. The program has particular strength in broadcast meteorology. They are the only meteorology program in the country to have a full-time faculty member who is an American Meteorological Society Certified Broadcast Meteorologist(CBM). The program has strong internship affiliations with several of the top network-affiliated TV news stations in Connecticut.
WestConn hosted the first Tri-State Weather Conference on October 7th, 2006. The keynote speakers were Dr. Louis W. Uccellini of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction and former Weather Channel's winter weather expert Paul Kocin.
The university's Weather Center, directed by Dr. Albert Owino, is located in the midtown campus. Gary Lessor, the assistant director of the Weather Center, along with a staff of student meteorologists, produce weather forecasts for local media outlets and businesses. The Weather Center also distributes information via its website
Astronomical Facilities
WestConn houses two observatories, one public and one for undergraduate and graduate students and faculty. The Midtown observatory is located on the top of Higgins Hall. It is used for both students and on public viewing nights. The telescope has a 6-inch refractor and an 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. There is also a planetarium for teaching and public star shows.The West Side campus houses a large-format thermoelectrically cooled CCD camera and is specifically used for astrophysical studies.
Other schools in the Connecticut State University system
Its three sister schools are Eastern, Central, and Southern Connecticut State University.
External links
References
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Tuesday October 07, 2008 at 07:41:13 PDT (GMT -0700)
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