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Washington & Jefferson College (W&J) is a private, coeducational, liberal arts college located in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, in the town of Washington, Pennsylvania. The college has an enrollment of approximately 1,355 students in the 05-06 academic year. It is noted primarily as a good Pre-Med and Pre-Law institution due its fine liberal arts curriculum and as an excellent preparatory school for graduate level studies in general, but especially in Chemistry, Biology, Economics and History.
History W&J was founded in 1781 and is the oldest institution of higher learning west of the Allegheny Mountains, making it the eleventh oldest in the United States. W&J was originally two distinct schools, Washington College and Jefferson College, which were each founded by Presbyterian ministers seeking to introduce higher education to what was then the American West. In 1865, decreased enrollment due to the Civil War forced Washington College and Jefferson College to combine to form Washington & Jefferson College. The new, combined college traces its roots back to the original Washington College charter, hence the founding date of 1781. The college campus is 51 acres large and its architecture is mostly colonial* in a small rural-town flavored sort of small city, which serves as the county seat. Its highest national sports honor is that the football team, coached by Earle "Greasy" Neale, played in the Rose Bowl Game of 1923. The team played just 11 players for the entire game and started Charles "Pruner" West at QB, a black man, who would become a noted physician. The school played major college football from 1900 to 1935 and is the smallest college to have played in the Rose Bowl. The football team has become a powerhouse in Division III in the last 25 years and is a perennial playoff team. Recent campus improvements Beginning in the late 1990s, W&J embarked upon a massive building campaign. First, the campus' Campus Center was completely renovated, complete with a new "ski lodge" and coffee shop. For student housing, two new apartment-style residence halls were added by the fall of 2004, and more than half a dozen "special interest," colonial-style, duplexes and triplexes were completed by the fall of 2005. The two newest academic buildings are the Howard J. Burnett Center and the Technology Center (formerly known as the "Vilar Technology Center" - see news report about alleged scandal that initiated the name change). These buildings were opened in 2002 and 2004, respectively, and added multiple advanced "smart classrooms", computer labs, and seminar rooms. However, funding issues have prevented completion of the Technology Center's interior; only rooms on the ground, first and second floors are finished. A timetable for completion has not been set. The college also added a modern radio studio and broadcast tower to expand and improve the WNJR student radio station. This once was licensed under the call letters WXJX. Academics W&J follows a different academic schedule than most institutions. The Fall and Spring semesters are somewhat abbreviated in order to accommodate a one-month intersession semester during January. This schedule is referred to as "4-1-4" to indicate that the terms last four months, one month (of intensive study), and four months, respectively. The unusual intersession term was developed to enable students to pursue different opportunities, such as internships or study abroad, and scheduling permitting, it is not infrequently used to accelerate a students pace towards degree requirements, usually to 'unload' one's major study schedule by satisfying off-major requirements during the intersession period. During intersession, professors offer more specialized and elective classes, such as "Politics of the Developing World," basic "Robotics," "Ballroom Dancing," the "Dialogs of Plato," "Literature of J.R.R. Tolkien," or "Vampires & Other Bloodsuckers." Areas of study Majors: Accounting, Art, Art Education, Biochemistry, Biological Physics, Biology, Business Administration, Chemistry, Child Development and Education, Economics, English, French, German, History, Industrial Chemistry and Management, Information Technology Leadership, International Business, Mathematics, Music, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Spanish, Theatre, Thematic Major. Minors: Accounting, Biology, Business Administration, Chemistry, Communication, Economics, Environmental Studies, French, Gender and Women's Studies, German, History, Mathematics, Music, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Physics, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, Spanish, Theatre. Concentrations: Graphic Design, Professional Writing. Pre-Professional and Special Programs: Teacher Certification; Engineering; Entrepreneurial Studies; Mind, Brain, and Behavior; Pre-Health Professions; Pre-Law. Electives: Chinese, Earth and Space Science, Japanese, Physical Education, Russian, Science. Athletics W&J competes in 23 intercollegiate athletics at the NCAA Division III level. W&J's sports teams, named the "Presidents," have experienced great success; W&J has won more than 30 PAC Championships and produced 17 Academic All-American athletes.* W&J also offers variety of intramural sports, and its athletic facilities (including tennis and racquetball courts, swimming pools, and weight facilities) are open to recreational student use. Greek life W&J also has a Greek community consisting of six national fraternities and four national sororities. Approximately 50% of W&J's campus is active in the Greek communities. Phi Gamma Delta and Phi Kappa Psi were both founded at Jefferson College prior to its merger with Washington College. Notable alumni Distinguished alumni include: Trivia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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