Hampden-Sydney College

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hampden-Sydney College
Motto:	Γνώσεσθε τὴν αλήθειαν Gnôsesthe tên Alêtheian (Greek: "Ye Shall Know the Truth")
Established:	1775
Type:	Private men's college
Endowment:	US $142.4 Million
President:	Walter M. Bortz III
Provost:	Earl Fleck
Faculty:	128
Undergraduates:	1,120
Location:	Hampden-Sydney, VA, USA
Campus:	Rural, 1,200 acres (4.86 km²)
Colors:	Garnet and Gray
Nickname:	Tigers
Athletics:	NCAA Division III, ODAC, 8 varsity teams
Website:	www.hsc.edu

Hampden-Sydney College is a liberal arts college for men located in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia. Founded in 1775, Hampden-Sydney is the oldest private charter in the South, as well as the 10th oldest institution of higher education and one of only three four-year, all-men's liberal arts colleges in the United States.

[edit] Overview

Hampden-Sydney enrolls 1,106 students from thirty states and several foreign countries. The College enrolls young men of character and ability who will benefit from a rigorous and traditional liberal arts curriculum.

Along with Wabash College and Morehouse College, Hampden-Sydney is one of only three remaining traditional all-male colleges. The school's mission is to "form good men and good citizens in an atmosphere of sound learning." As such, Hampden-Sydney has one of the strictest Honor Codes of any college or university. Upon entering as a student, each man pledges that he will not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate those who do while he is a student at Hampden-Sydney. The pledge takes place during a solemn ceremony after a lecture by the school's President and Dean of Students. This simply-worded code of behavior applies to the students on or off campus. Though it is strict, the justice system is student-run, allowing for a true trial of peers, adjudicated by a court of students that is both thorough and compassionate to both the college and their fellow students.

Every student must prepare for and pass the Rhetoric Proficiency Exam, a three-hour essay that is graded upon coherence of argument, quality of argument, style in which the argument is presented, and grammatical correctness. To prepare, the college requires each student to pass three Rhetoric classes that are usually taken the first two semesters a student is at Hampden-Sydney. After graduating, many alumni have stated that the Rhetoric Program was the most valuable aspect in the Hampden-Sydney education.

[edit] History

Classes at Hampden-Sydney began in temporary wooden structures on November 10, 1775, in the first year of the American War of Independence. The College has been in continuous operation since that date, meaning that college has operated under the British, Confederate, and United States flags. In fact, classes have only been canceled twice: for a Civil War skirmish on campus, and a hurricane that knocked a tree into a dormitory building.

Despite the difficult and financially-strapped first years resulting from the Revolutionary War, the College survived with sufficient viability to be granted a charter by the Virginia General Assembly in 1783 – the oldest private charter in the South.

Hampden-Sydney College derives its name from John Hampden (1594-1643) and Algernon Sidney (1622-1683). Hampden lost his life in the battle of Chalgrove Field during the English Civil War. Sydney, who wrote "Discourses Concerning Government," was beheaded by order of Charles II following a failed attempt to overthrow the king. The college was founded by alumni and people affiliated with Princeton University. These proponents of religious and civil liberties were much admired by the founders of the College, all of whom were active supporters of the cause of American independence. Both Patrick Henry and James Madison were elected trustees in the founding period before classes began.

The college's founder and first president, Rev. Samuel Stanhope Smith, was subsequently the president of the College of New Jersey, which is currently Princeton University. Smith hired many faculty members from the College of New Jersey.

Hampden-Sydney became a thriving college while located in southside Virginia, which led to an expansion of the college. In 1812, the Union Theological Seminary was founded at Hampden-Sydney College. The Seminary was later moved to Richmond, VA and is currently the Union Theological Seminary & Presbyterian School of Christian Education. In 1838, the medical department of Hampden-Sydney College founded the Medical College of Virginia which is now the MCV Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University. During this time, the college constructed new buildings using Federal style architecture. This is the style of architecture still used on the campus.

At the onset of the American Civil War, Hampden-Sydney students formed a company in the Virginia Militia. The Hampden-Sydney students did not see much action but rather were “captured, and...paroled by General George B. McClellan on the condition that they return to their studies."[1]

[edit] Campus

The College has expanded from its original small cluster of buildings on 100 acres (0.4 km²) to a campus of over 1000 acres (4 km²). Prior to February 2006, the college owned 660 acres (2.7 km²). In February 2006, the college purchased 400 acres (1.6 km²) which include a lake and the historic location of the college’s founding. The campus is host to numerous Federal style buildings. Part of the campus has been designated as a National Historic Preservation Zone.

The campus is currently undergoing major construction and renovation. It began in 2004 with the opening of a new Fitness Center in Kirby field house. During the summer of 2005, a new parking lot was constructed behind the alphabet dorms. The original parking lot for the alphabet dorms (directly across College Rd.) was torn out and filled in with dirt and grass. In 2006 the new Hellmuth-Pritzlaff Lacrosse Field was completed.

Lewis C. Everett of Kilmarnock, Virginia, has given Hampden-Sydney College $2.5 million to construct the Lewis C. Everett Stadium. Construction on the 1850-seat facility began in November 2006 and was completed in August 2007. The Everett Stadium replaces the 40-year-old Hundley Stadium adjacent to Fulton Field. The new stadium opened on September 1st, 2007 for the opening football game against Johns Hopkins University.

Most significant of all the construction projects was the new library. Opened in the Summer of 2007, the 85,000-square-foot (7,900 m²) building houses over 245,000 volumes and subscriptions to over 800 journals and periodicals. Fanfare for the new building has spurred many donations, including a map collection of seventeenth and eighteenth century maps (including two Frye-Jefferson Maps), and a collection of twentieth century art that includes a Joan Miro and Salvador Dali.

Currently under construction is a major addition of Gammon Gymnasium, which sits adjacent to Fulton Field. Future plans include renovations to Eggleston Hall (the former library) and Winston Hall.

Every building on campus that predates 1960 has been changed from the design of the original architect and from the purpose of the original benefactors.

[edit] Student life

[edit] Demographics

According to the Hampden-Sydney College website, the student body for 2004-05 is 94.1 percent White, 2.7 percent Black, 1.0 percent Hispanic, and 1.7 percent Asian. The majority (63%) of the student body is from Virginia. The rest come from 35 other states and 10 different countries.

[edit] Clubs and organizations

According to the Hampden-Sydney College website, there are over 40 clubs on campus. Each club is run by the students themselves and the clubs come in a large variety. For example, there are political clubs, sports clubs, religious clubs, an FM radio station, a pep band, and multiple social fraternities. There are also volunteer groups such as the local volunteer fire department.

[edit] Athletics

Hampden-Sydney College participates in 8 NCAA-sanctioned sports: Football, Soccer, Cross-Country, Golf, Basketball, Baseball, and Lacrosse. The school is part of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference

On 10 November 2007, Hampden-Sydney played against Randolph-Macon College in the 113th iteration of "The Game" (The oldest small-college rivalry in the South). This game held special implications, as Randolph-Macon entered first in the ODAC with a conference record of 5-0, and Hampden-Sydney entered the game second in the ODAC with a conference record of 4-1. The winner of the game determined the winner of the Conference. The game began with a huge kickoff return by Hampden-Sydney, which led to a touchdown on the offensive drive. Following that, the kickoff team successfully executed an onside kick, and the offense scored a second touchdown, taking a 14-0 lead before Randolph Macon even touched the ball. The final score was 31-13, making Hampden-Sydney the 2007 ODAC Football Champions.

In late February and early March of 2007, the Hampden-Sydney basketball team went on an impressive run that resulted in the school's tenth ODAC championship in Men's Basketball, and its fourth this decade. The Tigers won its first-round NCAA Tournament game against Hood College, but lost in the second round to fellow ODAC foe (and 2007 National Champion) Virginia Wesleyan College.

[edit] Greek life

For freshmen, rush begins in the first semester and pledging takes place in the spring. If a freshman chooses not to rush and/or pledge, sophomores and juniors may pledge in the fall or spring. Roughly 33% of the student body is involved in Greek life.

• Kappa Sigma, KΣ
• Sigma Alpha Epsilon, ΣΑΕ
• Phi Gamma Delta, Phi Gam
• Kappa Alpha Order KA
• Sigma Nu, ΣN
• Beta Theta Pi, ΒΘΠ
• Theta Chi, ΘX
• Pi Kappa Alpha, ΠKA
• Sigma Chi, ΣX
• Lambda Chi Alpha, ΛΧΑ
• Alpha Chi Sigma**, AXΣ

• **Note: A professional fraternity for chemistry majors; however Hampden-Sydney's chapter is unique in that biology and physics majors may also pledge.

In addition to the social and professional fraternities listed above, Hampden-Sydney also has chapters of Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa.

[edit] Housing

Freshmen are required to live in one of three dorms that are set aside for freshmen. These dorms are Cushing Hall, the Carpenter Dormitories (X, Y and Z), and the Whitehouse Quadrangle. Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors have the option of living in any of the other dorms that they choose. Although an overwhelming majority of students live on campus or in campus owned housing, the school does permit a small portion of students (usually upperclassmen) to live off-campus. Upperclassman are able to live off campus only if they don't have anywhere else to live.

[edit] Presidents of Hampden-Sydney College

• Samuel Stanhope Smith, 1775–1779
• John Blair Smith, 1779–1789
• Archibald Alexander, 1797–1806
• Moses Hoge, 1807–1820
• Jonathan Peter Cushing, 1821–1835
• Daniel Lynn Carroll, 1835–1838
• William Maxwell, 1838–1845
• Patrick J. Sparrow, 1845–1847
• Lewis Warner Green, 1849–1856
• John Mayo Pleasants Atkinson, 1857–1883
• Richard McIlwaine, 1883–1904
• James Gray McAllister, 1905–1908
• Henry Tucker Graham, 1909–1917
• Joseph DuPuy Eggleston, 1919–1939
• Edward Graham Gammon, 1939–1955
• Joseph Clarke Robert, 1955–1960
• Thomas Edward Gilmer, 1960–1963
• Walter Taylor Reveley II, 1963–1977
• Josiah Bunting III, 1977–1987
• James Richard Leutze, 1987–1990
• Ralph Arthur Rossum, 1991–1992
• Samuel V. Wilson, 1992–2000
• Walter M. Bortz III, 2000—Present

[edit] Notable alumni

This article or section seems to contain embedded lists that may require cleanup. To meet Wikipedia's style guidelines, please help improve this article by: removing items which are not notable, encyclopedic, or helpful from the list(s); incorporating appropriate items into the main body of the article; and discussing this issue on the talk page.

[edit] Arts and entertainment

• William H. Armstrong: teacher, author of the Newbery Medal winning Sounder; Class of 1936.
• David B. Brickhill: video game developer, Senior Technical and Development Director at Electronic Arts for games such as Tiger Woods Golf and Bond: From Russia with Love, Class of 1993.
• Stephen Colbert: comedian, host of The Colbert Report on Comedy Central. (Studied philosophy for two years before transferring to Northwestern University, and graduating in 1986.)
• William Hoffman: author, Tidewater Blood, winner of the O. Henry Prize and the Dashiell Hammett Award, Class of 1949.
• Drew D Kennedy: Country music singer, Class of 2002.
• Thomas Mason: U.S. attorney and actor, Mississippi Burning and Gods and Generals along with parts in numerous TV shows, Class of 1940.
• John Phillips: musician, member of The Mamas and the Papas, attended but did not graduate, Class of ~1956.
• Robert Porterfield: Founder of the Barter Theatre, attended but did not graduate but did get honorary degree of Doctor of Letters for his work in the theatre in 1948.
• Fred V Reed Jr.: Author, "Nekkid in Austin", former staff reporter for The Washington Times and Soldier of Fortune, Class of 1968.
• William Smithers: actor, numerous roles in TV shows and several movies including Dallas, Papillon, Scorpio, Star Trek, etc, attended 1946-1948 before transferring to Catholic University to study acting, Class of 1950.
• Skipp Sudduth: actor, Third Watch, Ronin and numerous TV shows, Class of 1979.

[edit] Business

• John B Adams, Jr.: CEO of the Martin Agency, Class of 1971.
• Christopher T. Apostle: SVP of Sothebys, Class of 1985.
• W. Charles Blocker Jr: Senior Vice President and Director of Corporate Finance for Gannon International and former Chairman and CEO of Asian Trade Alliance, Inc., Class of 1984.
• Walter Blocker: Board of Governors, American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam and Managing Director of GANNON Vietnam Limited, Class of 1990.
• Rob J. Bonaventura: President of Laidlaw & Company, Class of 1983.
• E. Rhodes Carpenter: founder of the Carpenter Company, Class of 1929.
• George B. Cartledge Jr.: Chairman Grand Home Furnishings, Class of 1963.
• Brad Cary: co-founder and CEO of Emigra Group, Class of 1985.
• James Cook: founder of Aurora Russia Limited, former Chairman of Delta Financial Group, former Chairman and CEO of GE Consumer Finance Russia, Class of 1986.
• Richard F. Cralle Jr.: Owner Green Front Furniture, Class of 1965.
• Michael R. Fitzsimmons: founder & CEO Delivery Agent, Class of 1995.
• Bernard S. Groseclose Jr.: CEO of the South Carolina State Ports Authority, Class of 1975.
• H. Hiter Harris III: co-founder and Managing Director of Harris Williams & Co, Class of 1983.
• David H. Head, Jr.: real estate, President of Head Companies, Class of 1993.
• Sekou H. Kaalund: Senior Vice President and Head of Business Development for JPMorgan Private Equity Fund Services, Class of 1997.
• Gary L. Kessler: CEO of Carey International, Class of 1986.
• Monte Lehmkuler: Senior Managing Director and Head of Equity Trading at FBR Capital Markets, Class of 1988.
• John G. Macfarlane III: COO of Tudor Investment Corp and former Treasurer and Managing Director at Salomon Brothers, Class of 1976.
• L. White Matthews III: former CFO Ecolab, Inc, former EVP of Finance of Union Pacific Corporation, Class of 1967.
• David J. McKittrick: former CFO of Gateway 2000, CFO of Ethanex Energy, Inc, Class of 1967.
• C. Cammack Morton: Real estate developer, CEO of Commercial Properties Development Corporation, Class of 1973.
• Charles C. Mottley: CEO of El Capitan Precious Metals, Inc, Class of 1956.
• Alphonso O'Neil-White: first African-American student, CEO of Health-Now (BlueCross/BlueShield of New York State), Class of 1972.
• Frank W. Roach: CEO of North America for Wolseley plc, Class of 1973.
• Conrad F. Sauer IV: CEO of The C.F. Sauer Company, Class of 1972.
• John G. Scott: CEO of Toter Inc, Class of 1993.
• Warren M. Thompson: business, CEO of Thompson Hospitality Corporation, Class of 1981.
• I. Benjamin Watson: former SVP of Communications and Human Resource at Sprint Corporation, Class of 1971.

[edit] Education

• John Mayo Pleasants Atkinson: President of Hampden-Sydney College from 1857-1883, Class of 1835.
• Willis Henry Bocock: First dean of The University of Georgia Graduate School, 1910-1928, prominent professor of Classics; Class of 1884.
• John L. Brinkley: Rhodes Scholar, Professor Hampden-Sydney College, Class of 1959.
• Joseph Dupuy Eggleston: president of Virginia Tech, president of Hampden-Sydney College; Class of 1886.
• Landon C. Garland: president of Randolph-Macon College, president of the University of Alabama, and founding Chancellor of Vanderbilt University; Class of 1829.
• John L. Kirkpatrick: President of Davidson College, Class of ~1834.
• Drury Lacy: President of Davidson College, Founder of Peace College; Class of ~1823.
• John Bunyan Shearer: President of Davidson College, Class of ~1855.
• Paul S. Trible Jr.: current president of Christopher Newport University, former U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative from Virginia, Class of 1968.
• Moses Waddel: fifth President of the University of Georgia, 1819-1829. One of the most prominent American educators of his time (many southern leaders studied under Waddel, including John C. Calhoun), class of 1791.

[edit] Law/Politics

• George M. Bibb: Chief Justice of Kentucky, US Senator from Kentucky, US Secretary of the Treasury, Class of 1791.
• Thomas S. Bocock: the Speaker of the Confederate House, Class of 1838.
• Joseph C. Cabell: member of the Virginia General Assembly, Mr. Jefferson's "co-adjutor" in founding The University of Virginia, Class of 1800.
• William H. Cabell: Governor of Virginia; Class of 1789.
• Stokely G. Caldwell, Jr.: law, attorney for NASCAR drivers and sponsors, Class of 1978.
• John Wayles Eppes: United States Representative and Senator; Class of 1786.
• William Branch Giles: member, both houses of Congress, Governor of Virginia; Class of 1791.
• Jim Harrell, North Carolina legislator.
• Ondray T. Harris: law, Director of the Community Relations Service at the Department of Justice, Class of 1989.
• William Henry Harrison: 9th president of the United States, Class of 1791.
• Eugene Hickok: U.S. Under Secretary of Education, Acting Deputy Secretary of Education, former Secretary of Education for Pennsylvania, founding member and former chairman of the Education Leaders Council; Class of 1972.
• Thomas M. Jackson, Jr.: president of the Virginia Board of Education, former member of the Virginia House of Delegates, Class of 1979.
• James M. Jordan Jr.: former campaign manager for presidential candidate John Kerry; Class of 1983.
• Thomas W. Ligon: Maryland delegate, U.S. Representative, Governor of Maryland; Class of 1830.
• Charles V. McPhillips: Partner and Attorney with the Law Firm of Kaufman and Canoles, National Alumni Association President, Class of 1982.
• Harvey B. Morgan: retired pharmacist and member of the Virginia House of Delegates, Class of 1952.
• Rod O'Connor: CEO of the 2004 Democratic National Convention and trustee of X Prize Foundation, Class of 1992.
• William Ballard Preston: U.S. Secretary of Navy, 1849-1850, U.S. House of Representatives, 1847-1849, Author of the "Preston Resolution" - the bill of Virginia's secession. Class 1824.
• Sterling Price: AKA "Old Pap," Governor of Missouri, Major General in Confederate Army, Leader of Confederate Colony in Vera Cruz, Mexico. Class of 1830.
• Roger Atkinson Pryor: U.S. Representative from Virginia, Brigadier General CSA, Justice of the New York Supreme Court; Class of 1845.
• Paul Reiber: Chief Justice of the Vermont State Supreme Court, Class of 1970.
• Alexander Rives: Judge of the Virginia Supreme Court, Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, Class of 1825.
• William Cabell Rives: U.S. Representative from Virginia, U.S. Senator, Minister to France, and a Confederate Representative; attended but did not graduate.
• William Prescott Mills Schwind: attorney, Partner at Fulbright & Jaworski, Class of 1993.
• W. Sydnor Settle: law, retired partner at Simpson Thatcher & Bartlett, Class of 1955.
• Julious P. Smith Jr.: law, CEO of Williams Mullen, Class of 1965.
• William B. Spong, Jr. U.S. Senator from Virginia, Class of 1941.
• Robert Strange: U.S. Senator from North Carolina, author of Eoneguski (called "the first North Carolina novel"), Class of 1814.
• John Leighton Stuart: U.S. Ambassador to China, 1946-1949; President, Yenching University, Beijing, 1919-1946; Class of 1896.
• Paul S. Trible Jr.: former U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative from Virginia, current president of Christopher Newport University, Class of 1968.
• Lee Trinkle: Governor of Virginia 1922-26, Class of 1896.
• Abraham B. Venable: United States representative and senator from Virginia, first president of the First National Bank of Virginia
• James R. Young, North Carolina Insurance Commissioner.
• W. James Young: attorney, Staff Attorney, National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, Inc., Class of 1986.

[edit] Other

• Walter E. Bundy IV: Executive Chef of 5-star restaurant Lemaire, Class of 1990.
• Matt Eversmann: soldier, experience in Mogadishu was basis for character in Black Hawk Down; Class of 1988.
• Devin Galligan: Cancer Survivor and philanthrophist, Founder of "Strain the Brain" to help cancer patients in Nashville, TN Class of 1994 (completed degree at Fordham University).

[edit] Religion

• Robert Lewis Dabney: American Theologian, Chief of Staff for Stonewall Jackson, biographer of Jackson, and Confederate Army Chaplain. Attended from circa 1835-1836, graduated from the University of Virginia.
• A. Heath Light: fourth Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Southwest Virginia, Class of 1951.
• Frank Clayton "Clay" Matthews: Bishop for the Office of Pastoral Development for the Episcopal Church, formerly Suffragan Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, Class of 1970.
• Francis A. Schaeffer: Theologian, Philosopher, Presbyterian pastor; Most famous for writings and establishing the L'Abri community in Switzerland, author of A Christian Manifesto; Class of 1935.

[edit] Science and medicine

• W. Randolph Chitwood Jr., MD: medicine, pioneered robotic cardiac surgery in the US for minimally invasive heart surgery, Class of 1968.
• John Peter Mettauer: medicine, first plastic surgeon in US, Class of 1807.

[edit] Sports

• Timothy Burke : Account Executive of the Tampa Bay Rays, Class 2003
• James C. Hickey III: Member, Fly Fishing Team USA, Class of 1993.
• Bob Humphreys: Pro baseball player, Class of 1958.
• Russell D. Turner: assistant coach of the Golden State Warriors, Class of 1992.

Hampden-Sydney College competes in men's intercollegiate baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, and tennis.

[edit] The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review ranks Hampden-Sydney in their list of "Best 361 Colleges" in the following categories."^[1]:

Hampden-Sydney was also rated as the preppiest school in America according to Lisa Birnbach of [[The Official Preppy Handbook]]. She also described HSC as "THE finishing school for Southern gentlemen".

[edit] Facts

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

This section does not cite any references or sources. (May 2008) Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

• Patrick Henry, believing that “every free state” should promote “useful knowledge amongst its citizens,” helped to create Hampden-Sydney College in Prince Edward County. Six of his sons studied there.
• Mentioned in the novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
• Football stadium shown in the film Foreign Student and documentary Shorty.
• Students receive a copy of "To Manner Born To Manners Bred: A Hip-pocket Guide to Etiquette for the Hampden-Sydney Man."
• The parent institution of Union Theological Seminary (Presbyterian) and The Medical College of Virginia (now Virginia Commonwealth University), located in Richmond, Virginia.
• Student-Faculty ratio of 11 to 1
• 95% of full professors hold doctorates
• Basketball, baseball, and lacrosse teams are regular NCAA Division III national tournament contenders.
• Half the graduates attend graduate school within five years.
• Endowment per student ranks Hampden-Sydney in the top quarter of colleges and universities in the country.
• Union-Philanthropic Literary Society (UPLS), is the oldest student organization at Hampden-Sydney College, and the nation's second-oldest literary and debating society still in existence today. The society was established September 22, 1789 and has been in operation since.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Hampden-Sydney College (VA)
• The Princeton Review's The Best 357 Colleges
• US News and World Report's Americas Best Colleges