Lake Forest College
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| Lake Forest College | |
|---|---|
| Motto: | Natura et Scientia Amore |
| Established | 1857 |
| Type: | Liberal Arts School |
| Endowment: | $76,700,000 |
| President: | Stephen D. Schutt |
| Provost: | Janet McCracken |
| Faculty: | 117 |
| Students: | 1,427 |
| Location | Lake Forest, Illinois, USA |
| Campus: | 107-acre residential campus |
| Colors: | Red & Black |
| Nickname: | Foresters |
| Mascot: | Boomer the Black Bear |
| Affiliations: | Midwest Conference |
| Website: | www.lakeforest.edu |
Lake Forest College, founded in 1857, is a liberal arts college located in Lake Forest, Illinois. The college has over 1,400 students, about 40% of whom come from the state of Illinois. The remainder of the student body represents 45 other states and 65 additional countries. [1] The college is referred to as "Chicago's National Liberal Arts College," as it is located 30 miles north of Chicago.
The College's current Chair of the Board of Trustees is financier Peter G. Schiff, a graduate of the class of 1974. [2] The current President is Stephen D. Schutt, who believes strongly in the liberal-arts education: "In a rapidly changing world, better than any other kind of education I can think of, an education in the liberal arts teaches students how to be adaptable ... liberal arts are preparation for life." [3]
Lake Forest College is located at 555 North Sheridan Road, Lake Forest, Illinois, 60045 USA
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[edit] History
Lake Forest was founded in 1857 by Reverend Robert W. Patterson as a Presbyterian (though it now maintains no religious affiliation) alternative to the Methodist Northwestern University in Evanston. After stopping the train heading north from Chicago, Patterson and his fellow Chicago Presbyterians decided to establish a town and university upon the highest bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. (The area directly north of present-day Lake Forest is, coincidentally, Lake Bluff.) St. Louis architect Almerin Hotchkiss was hired to design the town of Lake Forest with a university park at its center. Hotchkiss used the ravines and forest as guidelines to create a layout that seemed consistent with the natural boundaries and paths. Lake Forest Academy, the first stage in the development of the university, began in 1858, while collegiate-level courses began in 1860. By the mid-1860s the fruits of this university-park vision were realized as a small New England-style village had been established with an academy building, a Presbyterian church and several homes. For a short time, the college was known as Lind University, for the man who had given $80,000 to launch the university. But, by 1865, the name reverted the Lake Forest University. The next large step forward for the college came in 1876 when Mary Eveline Smith Farwell launched Lake Forest College, a division of the university, under the leadership of the Reverend Patterson. In 1878, College Hall (now Young Hall) was built following a fire that destroyed the former hotel being used for classes.
The Reverend James Gore King McClure arrived in Lake Forest in 1881 as the pastor of the Presbyterian Church. Under his influence over the next 50 years, the College experienced a large transition "from a pluralistic graduate and professional emphasis to a singular undergraduate liberal arts focus," says Lake Forest College Archivist Art Miller, who co-wrote 30 Miles North: A History of Lake Forest College, Its Town, and Its City of Chicago. [4] During this time, the College's theater group, the Garrick Players, and two of its publications - the yearbook, and student newspaper, The Stentor - were formed. By the 1920s, the College has broken connections with the Academy and its only focus was the liberal arts. Following World War II, the College experience further growth, taking control of what is now South Campus and constructing the Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse.
During the 1950s, the College redefined its relationship with the Presbyterian Church, which led to a more diverse faculty. And, in 1960, William Graham Cole, from Williams College, took over as president and brought with him Eastern faculty and students, further diversifying the campus. During his time as president, in 1965, the College's name was officially changed to Lake Forest College. [5]
[edit] Presidents
- Reverend Daniel Gregory, 1878-1886
- Reverend William C. Roberts, 1886-1892
- Dr. John M. Coulter, 1893-1896
- Reverend James Gore King McClure, 1897-1901
- Richard D. Harlan, 1901-1906
- John S. Nollen, 1907-1917
- Herbert M. Moore, 1920-1942
- Ernest Johnson, 1942-1959
- William Graham Cole, 1960-1970
- Eugene Hotchkiss III, 1970-1993
- David Spadafora, 1993-2001
- Stephen D. Schutt, 2001-present
[edit] Faculty
With a student-to-professor ratio of 12:1, Lake Forest offers opportunities for close association with professors. Unlike other colleges, Lake Forest may boast that no classes are taught by teaching assistants. Ninety-eight percent of the faculty hold a doctorate or equivalent degree. [6] At the end of every semester, students fill out questionnaires surveying their professors' abilities. The surveys are then returned to the Dean of the Faculty to determine, among other things, tenure. According to the Peterson's college guide, "At the core of the College stands its distinguished faculty of excellent teachers and accomplished scholars." [7]
Notable professors include:
- Robert Archambeau
- Michael Ebner
- Carol Gayle
- Kent Grote
- Janet McCracken
- Ronald Miller
- Ahmad Sadri
- Davis Schneiderman
- Stephen D. Schutt
- David Spadafora
- Ghada Talhami
- David Boden
- William B. Martin
[edit] Academics
The College offers 20 departmental majors: art, biology, business, chemistry, communications, computer science, economics, education, English, French, history, mathematics, music, philosophy, physics, politics, psychology, sociology and anthropology, Spanish, and theater. Students can also develop their own area of study by working with a faculty advisor and completing a thesis or creative project as part of the independent scholar program. Some recent examples include: "Experimental Theatre and Performance," "Trade Liberalization in Poorer Latin America," and "Religion-Applied Spirituality." The College also offers pre-health and pre-law programs with faculty support, course suggestions, and testing advice. [8] Recent graduates have gone on to graduate school at Harvard, Northwestern, Columbia, Princeton, Stanford and several other well-known institutions. [9] Large employers of alumni include Abbott Laboratories, Bank One, Federal Reserve of Chicago, and SBC Communications.
[edit] Off-campus study
Many students take advantage of the College's international study options, including its own internship programs in Paris, France, and Santiago, Chile; the Ancient Civilizations Program in Greece and Turkey; and its Beijing program of Asian studies. Through the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, the school also offers programs in Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, England, India, Italy, Japan, Russia, and Tanzania.
[edit] Rankings
- As of 2007, Lake Forest College is a member of The Princeton Review's 361 Best Colleges, appears on the lists of Best Midwestern Colleges and the Best Value Colleges, and ranks 6th in the country for Students Happy with Financial Aid [1]
- Lake Forest College was ranked as 95th in a list of the top liberal arts colleges in the country by US News & World Report for its America's Best Colleges 2007 Edition. [2]
[edit] Student Life
[edit] Publications and Media
There are four regular publications on campus:
- The Stentor, the official student-run weekly newspaper, which also publishes The Chive
- Tusitala, a yearly literary magazine
- Collage, which features works primarily written in foreign languages
- Eukaryon, an award-winning scientific journal
- WMXM, the student-run radio station
[edit] Greek Life
[edit] Sororities
- There are currently four NPC sororities, Alpha Phi, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, and Kappa Alpha Theta, and one traditionally Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha.
[edit] Fraternities
- With the official removal of Delta Kappa Epsilon in May of 2007, there is only one official fraternity on campus, Delta Chi, although there remain on campus student members of DKE, Kappa Sigma, which has its charter taken in 2005, and Phi Pi Epsilon, a local fraternity that was asked to cease actions in 2006.
[edit] Athletics
Lake Forest competes in Division III and offers 17 varsity sports, nine women's (basketball, cross country, handball, ice hockey, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, and volleyball) and eight men's (basketball, cross country, football, handball, ice hockey, soccer, swimming and diving, and tennis). The handball teams have won 30 national championships and have received national media attention.[10]
[edit] Notable alumni
- Marsha E. Barnes, diplomat, former U.S. Ambassador to Suriname
- Nate Berkus, interior designer and decorator
- Herbert Block, political cartoonist and three-time Pulitzer Prize winner [11]
- Blair Butler, G4 host, comedy writer
- Jacqueline Carey, bestselling fantasy author
- Allan Carr, producer of the movie Grease
- Andrea Day, reporter at WNYW-FOX 5 New York
- James C. Foster, chairman and chief executive officer of Charles River Laboratories, Inc.
- Susan Garrett, Illinois State Senator 29th District
- Steve Goodman, folk singer
- Ed Janus, independent audio producer, interviewer, and journalist
- Philip Klinkner, political scientist
- Michael Lane, maritime judge
- Peg Lautenschlager, former Attorney General of Wisconsin
- Colin McComb, game designer
- Trevor Kampmann, artist, producer for Cat Power, theme music for CNN's Anderson Cooper 360
- Blaise A. F. Mibeck, research scientist
- Diana Nyad, distance swimmer and sports commentator
- Lloyd John Ogilvie, former United States Senate Chaplain
- Nicholas J. Pritzker, Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Hyatt Development Corporation
- Penelope Rosemont, surrealist artist and writer
- James Edward Stewart III, test pilot
- Casey Urlacher, professional football player
- Gerald Vizenor, Native American writer, activist, academic and literary critic, began his teaching career at Lake Forest
- Richard Widmark, popular post-WWII era actor, "the face of film noir" [12]
[edit] References
- ^ "About Us" Lake Forest College Web site
- ^ "Trustees" on College's Web site
- ^ "President" on College's Web site
- ^ ISBN 978-0963818966
- ^ "History of the College" on College's Web site
- ^ Peterson's Four-Year Colleges 2008. Fern Oram, ed., Peterson's 2007, p. 1723. ISBN 9780768924008
- ^ Peterson's p. 1722
- ^ "Departments and Programs" on College's Web site
- ^ Owens, Eric and Tom Meltzer. America's Best Value Colleges, Random House, New York. 2006. p. 219. and Lake Forest College Common Data Set
- ^ Little Lake Forest Goes Mano a Mano With the Big Guys, New York Times, Feb. 14, 2007. Accessed Jan. 2, 2008.
- ^ Owens, p.219.
- ^ Owens, p. 219.
[edit] External links
[edit] Additional readings
- Ebner, Michael H. "North Shore Town and Gown," Chicago History, Summer 2007, pp.4-29
- Schultze, Franz, Rosemary Cowler & Arthur H. Miller. Thirty Miles North: A History of Lake Forest College, Its Town, and Its City of Chicago. Lake Forest College, 2000. ISBN 0963818961
| Lake Forest College | |
|---|---|
| Campus |
Donnelly & Lee Library • Center for Chicago Programs • Durand Art Institute • Hotchkiss Hall • Lily Reid Holt Memorial Chapel • Lois Hall • Moore Hall • Young Hall |
| History |
Museum of Holography • Notable Faculty and Alumni |
| Sports and Traditions |
Foresters • Homecoming • Midwest Conference • Steven Galovich Memorial Symposium |
| Student Organizations |
Forester Fanatics • Red & Black • The Stentor • WMXM |
Midwest Conference |
|---|
| Beloit • Carroll • Grinnell • Illinois College • Knox • Lake Forest • Lawrence • Monmouth • Ripon • St. Norbert |
Northern Collegiate Hockey Association |
|---|
| Lake Forest College • St. Norbert College • St. Scholastica • UW-Eau Claire • UW-River Falls • UW-Stevens Point • UW-Stout • UW-Superior |
