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Wittenberg University, located in Springfield, Ohio, is a private, four-year liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The college was founded in 1842 by Ezra Keller in Wooster, Ohio, and moved three years later to its present location. Of the entering freshman, approximately 65 percent of students graduated in the top fifth of their high school classes. Wittenberg provides a liberal arts education dedicated to intellectual inquiry and wholeness of person within a diverse residential community. The college is named after the University of Wittenberg in Germany, where Martin Luther posted his 95 theses.

History

Wittenberg was created by a group of pastors who broke with the German church and created the English Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Ohio. They believed that the English language was a way to foster the inclusiveness of the new American nation. In 1842, the new synod voted unanimously to establish a theological and literary institution that would serve the educational and cultural needs of new immigrants and new communities: Wittenberg University.

In its early years Wittenberg wavered on a permanent home. The first class sessions for the college were held in Wooster, Ohio. It wasn't until Ezra Keller, Wittenberg's founder and first president, stepped upon the highest point in South-Central Ohio that Wittenberg would have a permanent place to lay its first cornerstone. Springfield was considered a boomtown in the mid-1800s and had many resources to offer the college. The city was conveniently located on the National Road and was easily accessed by travelers as they made their way through the Ohio Valley. The city was also a crossroads for rail shipping and received hundreds of trains each day, another benefit for a blossoming institution.

Academics

Wittenberg has more than 50 majors and special programs from which students may choose to focus their studies. Wittenberg is distinguished by its strong interdisciplinary programs such as East Asian Studies and Russian Area Studies.

Although Wittenberg's traditional strengths have been in the liberal arts, recently the sciences, management and education have also developed into popular majors for students. Eight thriving pre-professional programs contribute to the educational experience of Wittenberg students, 70 percent of whom eventually pursue graduate studies." These students who pursue graduate studies place Wittenberg at the top of the national list in the percentage of graduates who attain the highest degree in their selected fields of study (JD, MD, PhD, etc.). The University made major renovations to its science facilities with the opening of the Barbara Deer Kuss Science Center in 2003. In 2006, US News & World Report ranked Wittenberg the 118th best Liberal Arts college in the US. This lower rank from previous years was addressed in the student run newspaper, "The Torch," on 11/9/06.

Student life

The campus body is made up of 1,950 students and 195 full-time faculty members. Students come from more than 37 states and 23 foreign countries.

Activities that Wittenberg offers include 12 fraternities and sororities as well as over 150 student organizations. Activities include Student Senate, Anime Club, Chemistry Club, Body Beautiful Club, Chinese Dragon Dance Team, Cigar Club, Colleges Against Cancer/Relay for Life, College Democrats, College Republicans, Comic Book Club, Wittenberg Student Dance Company (WSDC), Wittenberg Dance Team, Dodgeball Club, East Asian Studies Club, Gay-Straight Alliance, Habitat for Humanity, Intramural Sports, Martial Arts Club, New York Times Discussion Group, Outdoor Club, Pep Band, POWER (Parliament of the Wittenberg Environmental Revolution), Pre-Health Club, Residence Life, Role-Playing Guild, Ski Club, Society of Physics Students, Student Global AIDS Campaign, Swing Dance Club, Union Board, Wittenberg Art League, Wittenberg Rugby, WUSO radio station, Younglife, and many more. More information about Wittenberg's Student Activities can be found at the Student Activity Website:

Wittenberg is also special in that it has a very old secret society. The "Shifters" have been around for a long time and there is much speculation to their activities. They are easily identified by the paper clips worn on their clothing, usually around the collar of their shirts.

Fraternities include:

• Beta Theta Pi
• Delta Sigma Phi (Beta Iota Chapter, 1932)
• Delta Tau Delta
• Lambda Chi Alpha
• Phi Gamma Delta
• Phi Kappa Psi

Sororities include:

• Alpha Delta Pi
• Chi Omega
• Delta Gamma
• Gamma Phi Beta
• Kappa Delta
• Sigma Kappa

Notable faculty

• Charles Chatfield - Awarded the 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Peace History Society (PHS). Author of several books and articles on the subject of peace history, among them An American Ordeal: The Antiwar Movement of the Vietnam Era, a book co-written with Charles DeBenedetti that won the prestigious Kuehl Prize in 1991.
• Horton Hobbs - Professor of Biology, recipient of the prestigious Cardinal Award from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR)
• Dr. James Huffman - Professor Emeritus of History
• Dr. Stanley L. Mickel
• Dr. Yu, Bin Professor of Political Science

Notable alumni

• Stephen Michael Abbott (STEVE ABBOTT), actor
• Sherwood Anderson (September 13, 1876 – March 8, 1941), an American writer. His influence on American fiction was profound; his literary voice can be heard in Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and Thomas Wolfe.
• Former Lieutenant Governor Jennette Bradley, Ohio State Treasurer
• Dr. Joyce Carter, the nation's first black female chief medical examiner .
• Dr. Winberg Chai, author and political scientist. Executive Editor, Asian Affairs: An American Review, an international quarterly published in Washington, D.C.
• John Chowning, American musician, inventor and professor.
• Dr. Lloyd C. Douglas (August 27, 1877 - February 13, 1951), minister and author. During the 1930s, Douglas was one of the most popular novelists in the US. He wrote numerous other books, notably The Robe and The Big Fisherman."
• Sandy Dukat, an American athlete. Won two bronze medals for skiing at the 2002 Winter Paralympics Games in Salt Lake City and one bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Paralympics Games in Turin.
• Isaac Kaufmann Funk (1839-1912) An American editor, lexicographer, publisher. Founded the publishing firm of Funk & Wagnalls Company in 1877.
• Elwood V. Jensen, renowned scientist.
• H.O. Hirt, founder of the Erie Insurance Group.
• Ho Pak Kong, Chairman of Lotus International, Ltd.
• Ron Lancaster, famed CFL quarterback
• Ronald Li, Founder of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) - faced crimial charges in connection with stealing money.
• John E. McLaughlin, former director of the CIA.
• James Rebhorn, actor.
• Jere Ratcliffe, Chief Scout Executive of Boy Scouts of America, from 1993 to 2000.
• Dr. H. Philip Stahl, Scientist. Senior Optical Physicist at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL and is a leading authority in optical metrology and phase-measuring interferometry.
• Adam Willis Wagnalls, co-founder of the Funk & Wagnalls Company, in 1877.
• Walter L. Weaver (April 1, 1851 - May 26, 1909), a U.S. Representative from Ohio.
• Charles R. Williamson, Executive Vice President and former chairman of the board and Chief Executive Officer of Unocal Corporation.
• Dr. John R. Aughenbaugh, Founder and Dentition Studies Director of the Dr. Neemond Society.

References

• Wittenberg Athletic Press Release. Wittenberg Football Qualifies for NCAA Division III Playoffs. Retrieved August 3, 2005.
• The founding of Wittenberg University

External links

• Wittenberg Homepage
• Wittenberg Athletics
• Wittenberg Music Department
• Virtual Tour

1. "Spheres of Success". Wittenberg Magazine Online. Retrieved 2007-09-30.
2. "Some Education". Wittenberg Magazine Online. Retrieved 2007-09-30.

• Universities and colleges affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
• Universities and colleges in Ohio