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Emory University

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Emory University
File:Emory Shield.gif
MottoCor prudentis possidebit scientiam (The wise heart seeks knowledge, [Proverbs 18:15])
TypePrivate
Established1836
Endowment$4.4 billion
PresidentJames W. Wagner
Undergraduates6,318
Postgraduates5,336
Location
Atlanta
,
Georgia
,
USA
CampusSuburban, 631 acres (2.6 km²)
ColorsBlue and Gold
Mascot
File:Emory Eagle.gif
Emory Eagle
Websitehttp://www.emory.edu

Emory University is a private university in Atlanta, Georgia. It was founded in 1836 and is named after John Emory, a popular bishop of the Georgia Methodist Conference. It is comprised of nine academic divisions including schools of arts and sciences, theology, business, law, medicine, public health, and nursing. In 2006, Emory was ranked 20th among national universities according to U.S. News and World Report and has ranked as high as 9th by the same publication in the past. More recently, the undergraduate business program of its Goizueta Business School was ranked 5th nationally by BusinessWeek in 2006.

Approximately half of its students are enrolled in the undergraduate program and the other half are enrolled in one of Emory University's seven graduate programs. Its nine academic divisions include:

The current president of the university is Dr. James W. Wagner, an engineer who attended the University of Delaware as an undergraduate and received his master's and doctoral degrees from John Hopkins University. Wagner came to Emory in the autumn of 2003, after serving as provost and interim president of Case Western Reserve University.

History

Early days in Oxford, Georgia

In 1833 the Georgia Methodist Conference first contemplated the establishment of a church-sponsored manual labor school, where students would combine farm work with a college preparatory curriculum. In doing so, they planted the seed that became Emory College — and later Emory University.

Events preceding the chartering of Emory College began in 1834. That year, at a meeting of the Georgia Methodist Conference, a preacher known as "Uncle" Allen Turner suggested that Georgia Methodists should have their own college instead of supporting Randolph-Macon in Virginia. On December 18, 1834, the Georgia General Assembly chartered the Georgia Methodists Conference Manual Labor School. In 1835, the school opened in Newton County, with physician and minister Alexander Means as superintendent. During the first year of operation the Board of Trustees, at the urging of Ignatius Alphonso Few, asked the Conference to expand the school into a college. Ignatius Alphonso Few was a Princeton-educated lawyer and skeptic-turned-Methodist who would later be elected the first president of Emory College.

On December 10, 1836, the Georgia General Assembly granted the Georgia Methodist Conference a charter to establish a college to be named for John Emory, a popular bishop who had presided at the 1834 conference but was killed in 1835 from a carriage accident. In 1837, at its first meeting, the Board of Trustees accepted land belonging to establish both a "contemplated college" and a proposed new town of Oxford, Georgia. By 1838, Emory College began admitting students.

For the duration of the nineteenth century, Emory College remained a small institution which offered students both a classical curriculum and professional training. Its students studied four years of Greek, Latin, and mathematics and devoted three years to the English Bible and the sciences of geography, astronomy, and chemistry. In 1875, the first laboratory-based studies for students commenced, alongside a rise of activity by the college's debating societies. Such debates included the justifiability of war, women's suffrage, the morality of slavery, and prohibition.

One of Emory College's most famous alumni from this early period was Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar (II), a native Georgian who graduated from Emory College in 1845. Lamar married the daughter of Augustus Baldwin Longstreet, one of the school's early presidents. Lamar would go on to represent Mississippi in the United States Senate and become the lone Mississippian to have served on the Supreme Court of the United States.

Emory College was closed briefly during the American Civil War. In the autumn of 1861, academic activity almost completely ceased when students left to fight in the conflict. During the war, the college's buildings saw duty both as a Confederate hospital and Union headquarters. Sadly, the school's library and other archives were destroyed. It was not until the summer of 1865 that the campus was able to fully return to its academic functions.

In the autumn of 1866, Emory College reopened its doors with a limited endowment and few students. The first postbellum commencement was held in 1867 and conferred degrees on the class of 1862, most of whom had fought in the war and with some already interred in military graves. In the years following the Civil War, Emory, along with the rest of the South, struggled to overcome financial devastation. A key moment came in 1880, when Emory president Atticus G. Haygood preached a Thanksgiving Day sermon urging southerners to cultivate industrial growth. The printed sermon was read by George I. Seney, a New York banker and Methodist, who responded by giving Emory College $5,000 to repay its debts, $50,000 for construction, and $75,000 to establish a new endowment — enormous sums for the time.

Emory College remained small and financially limited for the next thirty years. Its enrollment peaked at about 400 students. Nonetheless, Emory College produced several notable graduates during this transitional era. Alben W. Barkley went on to represent Kentucky in both the United States House of Representatives and the Senate before becoming — at age 71 in 1949 — the oldest Vice-President of the United States in history. Thomas M. Rivers became one of the nation's premier virologists at the Johns Hopkins University Medical School, investigating encephalitis and smallpox and later leading the National Science Foundation's quest for a polio vaccine. Dumas Malone went on to become the head of Harvard University Press, one of the nation's leading academic publishers, and completed a Pulitzer Prize-winning six-volume study of Thomas Jefferson when he was past 90 years of age.

Move to Atlanta

Candler Library

In 1913, Bishop Warren A. Candler, a former Emory College president, persuaded the General Conference of United Methodist Church to make Emory the nucleus of a new university. At the same time, Emory began its long-standing association with The Coca-Cola Company, as the bishop's brother was Asa Griggs Candler. Asa had become wealthy from promoting the popular soft drink and agreed to endow the school with one million dollars. He also convinced the school's administration to move to Atlanta. The Candler family provided a hilly 75 acres (304,000 m²) in the new emerging Druid Hills neighborhood northeast of downtown Atlanta in DeKalb County. For Asa's generosity, the new campus library at the east end of the quadrangle — recently restored to its original 1920's look — was named after him.

In light of these developments, Emory College was rechartered by DeKalb County on January 25, 1915, as Emory University, which explains both the dates 1836 and 1915 sometimes featured on the school's seal. Henry Hornbostel was chosen to design many of the buildings on Emory University's new campus. His designs incorporated local stone and materials in the Georgia marble and red terracotta tile of the structures, which established the institution's unique architectural character. Emory University first opened its theology and law schools on the new campus quadrangle.

In 1919, Emory College moved from Oxford to Atlanta. Emory University later added graduate, business, medical, public health, nursing, and dental schools. The Emory Dental School has since been closed. Doctoral studies at Emory University were established in 1946, and the school has continued to strengthen its graduate and professional schools since. In 1949, Alben Barkley returned to Emory to receive an honorary LLD degree and give the commencement address, the first Emory event to be televised.

Expansion since 1950

Formerly an all-male school, in 1953 Emory University opened its doors to women. Sororities soon followed, and first appeared in 1959. In 1962, in the midst of the American Civil Rights Movement, Emory University embraced the initiative to end racial restrictions when it asked the courts to declare portions of the Georgia statutes unconstitutional. Previously, Georgia law denied tax-exempt status to private universities with racially integrated student bodies. The Georgia Supreme Court ruled in Emory's favor and Emory became officially racially integrated.

In the 1970's, Emory University embarked on an ambitious building program, substantially improving its facilities. New concrete brutalist structures appeared, including the Robert W. Woodruff Library in 1969, the Sanford S. Atwood Chemistry Center in 1974, the Goodrich C. White Hall in 1977, and the Paul Rudolph-designed William R. Cannon Chapel in 1982. Spurred on by the recent expansion of Emory University, Robert W. Woodruff — president of the Coca-Cola Company -- and his brother George presented the institution with a gift of $105 million in 1979. This was largely in Coca-Cola stock and represented the largest one-time endowment gift to a university in United States history.

An important factor in the university's growth over the last two decades has been its location on the outskirts of Atlanta. The 631-acre Emory campus in the historic Druid Hills neighborhood shares the Clifton Corridor with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Cancer Society. A few miles away is the Carter Center. Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, winner of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, occasionally visits classes and lectures students.

Aerial view of the Emory Quad
This file may be deleted after 2006-07-22.

The latest additions to the Emory campus include the Rollins School of Public Health, the O. Wayne Rollins Research Center, the Michael C. Carlos Museum (designed by Michael Graves), the Roberto C. Goizueta Business School, the Whitehead Biomedical Research Building, the Mathematics and Science Center, the Donna and Marvin Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, a recent expansion to the business school that was completed in 2005, as well as the continuous expansion of Emory University Hospital. Emory has approximately 19,200 employees (including 2,700 faculty).

Emory's five libraries have also seen enormous growth over the 1990s as they increased their holdings to more than 2.7 million volumes. The Special Collections Department of Woodruff Library houses the papers of the British poet Ted Hughes, as well as an extensive Irish collection (W. B. Yeats, Lady Gregory, Maud Gonne, and several contemporary Irish writers). Emory's Special Collections also has concentrations on southern imprints and writers (James Dickey, Alfred Uhry, and certain papers of Huey Long, for example), and a growing concentration of African American papers, including the work of activist Malcolm X and the recently acquired Hatch/Billops Collection.

The Michael C. Carlos Museum houses a permanent collection of some 18,000 objects, including art from Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Near East, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Oceania as well as European and American prints and drawings ranging from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. Twenty-nine galleries are maintained for permanent collections, and eight galleries present special exhibitions from all periods.

The Future

Emory University celebrated its sesquicentennial anniversary in 1986, when it featured a student body of about 8,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Emory is generally considered a shortlist member of the so-called "Southern Ivy League" and consistently ranks among the top universities in the United States. In 2004, Emory University's endowment was ranked 8th in the nation at an estimated $4.4 billion.

Emory University recently completed a strategic planning process in 2005 led by Emory President James W. Wagner, Provost Earl Lewis and Executive Vice President Michael Johns. After broad consultation with the entire Emory community, the comprehensive plan was put forward and approved by the Board of Trustees. The anticipated $3 billion plan will strengthen Emory University's programs in specific areas focused on key themes centered around major world issues.

Organization

Emory College is the undergraduate institution of Emory University located in Atlanta, Georgia with 66 majors, 53 minors, 17 joint concentrations, and 10 interdepartmental programs leading to a bachelor's degree. It enrolls approximately 6,000 undergraduate students. Oxford College of Emory University, located in Oxford, Georgia enrolls about 600 students. Students at Oxford traditionally complete their first two years of their degree at Oxford and then continue on to Emory College on the Atlanta campus to complete their bachelor's degree. Oxford College is known for its rigorius academics, low student-teacher ratios, and close-knit social community.

The Emory Graduate School of Arts and Sciences has degree programs in 26 divisions in which students receive either master's or doctoral degrees. The Candler School of Theology is allied with the United Methodist Church, but enrolls students from many denominations. The Goizueta Business School was ranked 20th nationally by BusinessWeek and 18th by Forbes for their MBA program; the undergraduate program was ranked 5th by BusinessWeek in 2006. The Emory Law School is highly ranked nationally.

The Emory Healthcare System is the largest healthcare provider in Georgia and educates doctors, nurses, and other health professionals. The Emory School of Medicine enrolls approximately 425 medical students, 1,000 residents and fellows, and 350 allied health students. Collaborating with the nearby Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public health organizations, the Rollins School of Public Health has about 700 graduate students. The Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing enrolls approximately 175 undergraduate students and 175 graduate students.

Student life and activities

File:Thompson dooley.jpg
Dooley, the unofficial mascot of Emory University

Traditions at Emory include Dooley, the "Spirit of Emory" and the unofficial mascot of the university. Dooley is a skeleton and is usually dressed in black. The name "Dooley" was given to the unofficial mascot in 1909. Each year in the spring, during Dooley's Week, Dooley roams Emory's campus with a team of bodyguards and lets students out of class with an unscheduled appearance in their classrooms. He typically walks slowly with an exaggerated limp. He adopts the first name and middle initial of the University's current president. As such, Dooley's current full name is James W. Dooley. Dooley's Week culminates with Dooley's Ball, a grand celebration that takes place in the center of campus on McDonough Field held in celebration of Dooley and Emory University.

Fraternities on Emory's campus have existed, officially and unofficially, since 1840. Sororities first came to campus in 1959. For undergraduates, Greek life comprises approximately 30% of the Emory student population, with the Office of Greek Life at Emory University consisting of 12 Fraternities and 13 Sororities. For most students, student life includes involvement in one or more of the 200 campus organizations, which includes a nationally ranked chess team and nationally ranked debate team (the Barkley Forum). According to the school website, about 25% of Emory students volunteer with Volunteer Emory, Emory's umbrella community service group. For the 2004-2005 academic year, undergraduates put in over 5,000 hours of community service, yielding an average of about 51 minutes of community service per student per year. Approximately 40% of students study abroad during their careers at Emory. Over 30% of undergraduates pursue independent research or work with faculty on research projects during their four years at Emory. Emory also has four secret societies — DVS, Ducemus, the Order of Ammon, and the Paladin Society.

After graduation, 42% of undergraduates plan to continue to graduate/professional school; 30% of those pursue an MD; and 20% plan to pursue a JD. Emory College has produced 16 Rhodes Scholars and 10 Marshall Scholars. In terms of class size, two-thirds of all Emory College classes have fewer than 20 students; 7% have more than 50.

Since the 1960s, Emory's student body has become more regionally and ethnically diverse. According to the school's website, more than 50% of its students are from outside the South, with about 30% from either the mid-Atlantic or northeast United States. For the 2009 class of Emory College, 31% identify themselves as a member of one or more minority group. Since the early 1990s, Emory has also been one of a few Southern universities to include sexual orientation in its non-discrimination policy. The school offers benefits to the domestic partners of gay and lesbian students, staff and faculty. In addition, the campus features centers devoted to female students, Jewish students, international students, "multicultural" students, and LGBT students.

Athletics

History

In 1897, Emory College became a pioneer with intramural sports. Emory's "athletics for all" program, which emphasizes the physical and social aspects of student development and learning, in addition to academic pursuits, soon rose to national prominence during the 1920s, prompting many other institutions to emulate it. In 1986, Emory formed the University Athletic Association (UAA) with seven other urban research universities — Carnegie Mellon University, Case Western Reserve University, Johns Hopkins University, New York University, University of Chicago, University of Rochester, and Washington University in St. Louis. Johns Hopkins University no longer participates in the UAA and Brandeis University has since joined. The UAA is sometimes referred to as the "Nerdy Nine" (even though there are now only eight members).

The Emory gymnasium from 1945 was simply a converted World War II airplane hangar, with some renovations and modifications. However, in 1983 it was replaced by the new George W. Woodruff Physical Education Center (WoodPEC for short), built into the side of a hill opposite the old 1949 Alumni Memorial University Center building. By 1985, the Alumni Memorial University Center itself had been extended and remodeled into the R. Howard Dobbs University Center (the DUC for short). Today, the WoodPEC houses racquetball and tennis courts, an outdoor track and field, and a swimming pool.

Modern Emory athletics

Emory's sports teams are called the Eagles. They participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III and the UAA. The eagle mascot of the university is named "Swoop". The previous Emory eagle logo, in use since the 1980s, was redesigned in 2005. To this day, the school fields no football team, prompting students to wear shirts that humorously claim that the Emory football team is "still undefeated".

Emory offers intercollegiate teams for men and women in cross country, swimming, tennis, track and field, basketball, and soccer, as well as golf and baseball for men, and volleyball and softball for women. The teams consistently top the UAA standings and are consistently ranked among the best in NCAA Division III, both regionally and nationally. The men's tennis team finished first in the nation in 2003 and 2006, the women's tennis team finished first in the nation in 1996, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, and the women's swimming and diving team placed first in 2005 and 2006. In 2003 and 2004, Emory finished second in the nation among more than 395 NCAA Division III schools in the NACDA Director's Cup for the best all-around athletic program.

Club sports, recreation, and intramural sports provide additional competitive opportunities. Club teams include crew, rugby, ultimate frisbee, ice hockey, lacrosse, racquetball, volleyball, sailing, and table tennis, among others. Emory's women's crew, women's ultimate frisbee, and men's lacrosse teams have had considerable success and deserve particular note. Intramural sports offered at Emory range from basketball to dodgeball and from wrestling to golf. The student body participates heavily in athletics, with eighty percent of students participating in intercollegiate, club, recreation, or intramural sports during their time at Emory. Many students also participate in the Outdoor Emory Organiztion (OEO) — an organization that sponsors weekend trips of outdoor activities, such as rafting, rock climbing, and hiking.

Notable alumni

File:Emory.jpeg
The Presidential Seal of Emory University

Notable faculty

  • Alan Abramowitz - Alben W. Barkley Professor of Political Science
  • Merle Black - Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Politics and Government
  • Jimmy Carter - University Distinguished Professor since 1982 and former United States President
  • Frans de Waal - Charles Howard Candler Professor of Primate Behavior
  • Richard Ellmann - late Robert Woodruff Professor and preeminent James Joyce scholar
  • James W. Fowler - Charles Howard Candler Professor of Theology and Human Development
  • Sanjay Gupta - Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at Emory and Associate Chief of the Neurosurgery Service at Grady Memorial Hospital; CNN Medical Correspondent
  • Narasimhan Jegadeesh - Dean's Distinguished University Chair in Finance at the Goizueta Business School
  • Harvey Klehr - Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Politics and History
  • Benn Konsynski - George S. Craft Distinguished University Professor of Decision & Information Analysis at the Goizueta Business School
  • Deborah Lipstadt - Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish and Holocaust Studies and Director, Rabbi Donald A. Tam Institute for Jewish Studies
  • Jean-François Lyotard - late Robert Woodruff Professor and prominent French philosopher
  • Harriet Robinson - Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Microbiology and Immunology and Director, Microbiology and Immunology at Yerkes Primate Center
  • Paul Rubin - Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Economics and Law
  • Vaidy Sunderam - Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Computer Science

References

  • "Emory University," New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 1, 2006: http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org.
  • Gleason, Jan. "Emory ranked 9th-best national university by U.S. News & World Report magazine" in Emory Report (Atlanta: Emory Report, 1997), Volume 50 No. 1.
  • Hauk, Gary S. A Legacy of Heart and Mind : Emory since 1836 (Atlanta: Emory University, developed and produced by Bookhouse Group, Inc., 1999).
  • Young, James Harvey. "A Brief History of Emory University," in Emory College Catalog 2003-2005 (Atlanta: Emory University Office of University Publications, 2003), 9-15.

See also

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