College of Wooster
The College of Wooster is a liberal arts college with fewer than 2000 students located in Wooster, Ohio, in Wayne County, Ohio. Founded in 1866 by the Presbyterian church as the University of Wooster, it was from its creation a co-educational institution. Wooster is a member of the NCAA Div-III North Coast Athletic Conference. Its school colors are black and old gold, and its mascot is the "fighting Scot." Scottish culture is an important part of the school's spirit - its football games, in addition to the standard marching band, features a small pipe band. The school is also a member of The Five Colleges of Ohio and the Great Lakes Colleges Association.
It became racially integrated in the 1880s, became an undergraduate-only college in 1915, and became independent from the church in 1969, although it maintains a loose affiliation with the Presbyterian church, particularly through its cooperation with the Westminster Presbyterian Church, which uses the College's McGaw Chapel for its services.
The College of Wooster is noteworthy for its Independent Study program, under which all students complete a thesis or other significant project in their senior year. The program has received considerable attention from other schools, and other colleges have modeled programs after it. In 2003, the IS program was recognized by US News and World Report as the second best "senior capstone experience" in the US, coming in behind Princeton. Wooster is also notable for its high percentage of international students, the majority of which come from India and Pakistan.
Noteworthy faculty have included Dijana Plestina, who was the first lady of Croatia.
The current president of the college is mathematics professor R. Stanton Hales, former United States singles badminton champion and senior United States singles badminton champion in 2002.
Notable Alumni
- Karl Compton - President of MIT (1908)
- Arthur Compton - 1927 Nobel Prize Winner in Physics (1913)
- Donald L. Kohn - Member of the Board of Govenors of the United States Federal Reserve (1964)
- Timothy Smucker - C.E.O. of J.M. Smucker (1967)
- Vince Cellini - current host on The Golf Channel and former anchor for CNN Sports (1981)