Drew University
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Template:Infobox University Drew University is a small, private university located in Madison, New Jersey.
Originally established as the Drew Theological Seminary in 1867, the university later expanded to include an undergraduate liberal arts curriculum in 1928 and commenced a program of graduate studies in 1955. Nicknamed the "University in the Forest" because of the relative serenity of its wooded 186 acres (753,000 m²) to the school's suburban surroundings, Drew University currently has 1536 undergraduate and 882 graduate students.
While Drew is loosely affiliated with the United Methodist Church, it makes no religious demands on its students.
Contents |
History
In 1867, Daniel Drew (1797-1879), a financier and railroad tycoon, endowed his antebellum estate in Madison for the purpose of establishing the Drew Theological Seminary. To this day, the Theological Seminary continues to graduate candidates for service in the ministry; however, the institution grew to include a liberal arts curriculum.
The College admitted its first class of 12 students in 1928, after the trustees of the Drew Theological Seminary voted to accept a gift of $1.5 million from Arthur and Leonard Baldwin to build and endow a College, and to change the name of the institution to Drew University. In 1955, a Graduate School became the third of the university's degree granting entities.
From its beginnings, the College has honored its founders' wish that it be ecumenical in its choice of faculty and students. The Baldwins also asked that the new institution be named Brothers College in recognition of their extra ordinary relationship. The name was later changed to the College of Liberal Arts, but its major academic building still bears the College's original name.
In its early years, Drew provided educational opportunities for women, through enrollment in religious classes. However, for a brief time, Drew became an all-male institution, during the 1930's until 1942.
During the Second World War, the draft threatened to take too many of Drew's students and the college of liberal arts responded by enrolling both women and US Navy recruits, through a V-12 program. At this time, Drew became coeducational. Image:Tkean.jpg. During the 1970's, the College also established, with generous assistance from the Mellon Foundation, a now widely imitated freshman seminar program. It allows first-year students to participate, with faculty who also serve as their academic advisers, in intensive study of a topic of mutual interest.
Interdisciplinary study became a focus of the curriculum as well, with the creation of majors in behavioral studies, and Russian studies, and minors in such fields as American studies, arts administration, business management, and writing.
Thomas H. Kean (b. 1935), former Governor of New Jersey (1982-1990) and Co-Chairman of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, was Drew's president for 15 years before he stepped down in May 2005. Robert Weisbuch, former President of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, became Drew's 11th president in July 2005.
During his tenure as president, Kean has succeeded in adding new faculty in African, Asian, Russian, and Islamic studies, significantly increased opportunities for students to study abroad, increased applications from prospective students, nearly tripled the school's endowment, and committed more than $60 million to construction of new buildings and renovation of older buildings—principally student residence halls.
Drew University is home to the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, and the Methodist Archives.
Academics
Undergraduate
Drew University offers programs leading to the traditional undergraduate degree of Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) through its College of Liberal Arts.
Today, Drew students fulfill a general education program distinguished by a flexibility that allows students to shape their individual academic programs to serve their own needs and interests, while developing the lifelong skills and values that a liberal arts education provides. Students also undertake academic programs that further emphasize depth, independent research, and experiential and collaborative teaming. To fulfill the required minor in the general education program, students may choose from many disciplinary and interdisciplinary offerings, or design a self-created minor subject to faculty approval.
The College of Liberal Arts provides major concentrations in 27 academic areas, including: Anthropology, Art, Behavioral Science, Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Classics, Computer Science, Economics, English, French, German, History, Mathematics, Mathematics & Computer Science, Music, Neurosciences (includes psychobiology), Pan-African Studies,Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Russian, Sociology, Spanish, Theatre Arts, Women's Studies.
Minor concentrations are available in all areas that offer majors except neuroscience, behavioral science and the joint mathematics and computer science program. In addition, the college offers these interdisciplinary minors: , American Studies, Archaeology, Arts Administration and Museology, Asian Studies, Business Management, Business, Society, and Culture, Comparative Literature, Chinese, Environmental Studies, European Studies, Humanities, Holocaust Studies, Jewish Studies, Latin American Studies, Linguistic Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Western Heritage, and Writing.
Drew University has made SAT and ACT scores optional for admission, requiring instead "a high school paper graded by a teacher." Drew Makes SATs Optional
Graduate
The Caspersen School of Graduate Studies offers the traditional Master of Arts (M.A.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees. Areas of study include: Biblical Studies, Book History (M.A. only), English Literature, Liturgical Studies, Modern History & Literature, Religion & Society, Theological & Religious Studies, Wesleyan & Methodist Studies, and Women's Studies (M.A. only, Ph.D. concentration). It also offers an innovative interdisciplinary arts and letters program offering Master of Letters (M.Litt.) and Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) degrees as well as a program in Medical Humanities, offering a Certificate of Medical Humanities (C.M.H.), as well as Masters (M.M.H.) and Doctoral degrees (D.M.H.).
The Drew Theological Seminary offers degree programs designed to train candidates for the ministry. While affiliated with the United Methodist Church its programs are open to individuals of all faiths. Degrees offered include the Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Master of Theological Studies (M.T.S.), Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.), and the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.).
This university has been evaluated by some to be less helpful in the realm of financial aid than it might be. It expects academic standards similar to that of Rutgers or Princeton, but with limited financial support for its students.
School Spirit: Traditions and Athletics
Drew University has 15 sports teams in 11 sports, including: Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Equestrian, Fencing, Field Hockey, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, and Tennis. Drew is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association in Division III athletics, and competes with schools the Middle Atlantic Conference, the Eastern College Athletic Conference, the Mid Atlantic Collegiate Fencing Association and the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association. In the fall of 2007, Drew will be joining a new Division III athletic conference with seven other similar schools. Division III institutions may not provide athletic scholarships. The sports teams are known as the Rangers and the university's mascot is the Ranger Bear—a bear who wears a forest ranger's hat.
The schools colors are Lincoln Green and Oxford Blue (originally gold).
The alma mater of Drew University is Amid the tow'ring forest, written by John Barclay, Class of 1936. The lyrics are, as follows:
- Amid the tow'ring forest
- thy halls of learning stand,
- Thy name our purpose to uphold,
- We'll spread through all the land.
- Thy colors ever glorious
- still wave on high so true,
- All hail to Drew forevermore,
- All hail the green and blue.
- N.B.: Due to a change in school colors, the words "true" and "blue" in the last lines replaced the original text of "bold" and "gold" respectively.
Notable alumni
- James Van Der Beek (has not yet graduated) — Actor (star of Dawson's Creek)
- Young-Ho Chun (B.A. and PhD.) — Theologian
- Soon Yi Previn (B.A.) — daughter of noted composer Andre Previn and wife of director Woody Allen
- Jeff Smith (M.Div., Class of 1965) — Minister, cookbook author, host of The Frugal Gourmet
- Peter Scolari (B.A.) — Actor (Bosom Buddies, Newhart)
- Hae Jong Kim (D.Min., 1984), Bishop of the United Methodist Church
- Frank Morales An Episcopal priest and political activist in New York City.
Points of interest
- The Florence and Robert Zuck Arboretum is an arboretum located on the southwest part of the Drew University, 36 Madison Avenue, Madison, New Jersey. The arboretum is open to the public by appointment.
The arboretum was created in 1980 in honor of faculty members Robert and Florence Zuck, and contains a mix of native and introduced trees. Its two small ponds serve as student laboratories. They contain turtles, goldfish, catfish, and muskrats, and are also stops for migrating Canadian geese, ducks, and herons.
See also
External links
- www.drew.edu — Official website of Drew University
- The General Commission on Archives and History for The United Methodist Church (known more familiarly as the Methodist Archives)
- Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (who call Drew University their home)
- Cunningham, John. University in the Forest: The Story of Drew University. (Third edition, 2002). ISBN 0893590177.
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