Encyclopedia
Ohio University is a public university located in
Athens, Ohio that is situated on a 1,800 acre campus. Founded in 1804, it is the oldest college in
Ohio and the first in the
Northwest Territory.
Organization
Ohio University has over 300 undergraduate majors as well as master's and doctoral programs, organized into 11 degree granting units:
More than 8,000 students attend Ohio University's five regional campuses:
History
The
Northwest Ordinance of 1787 called for educational institutions as part of the settlement and eventual statehood of the
Northwest Territory: "Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged." In 1797, settlers from
Marietta traveled up the
Hocking River to establish a location for the school, choosing
Athens due to its location directly between
Chillicothe and
Marietta. At first called American Western University, Ohio University was founded on February 18, 1804, a year after
Ohio was admitted to the Union. The first three students enrolled in 1808. Ohio University graduated two students with bachelor's degrees in 1815. The famous E.W. Scripps School of Journalism was established with a grant from the Scripps Foundation. In 1975, Ohio University opened the College of Osteopathic Medicine, which remains the only college in Ohio specializing in osteopathy. Today the university is known for its strong Journalism and Visual Communication programs, as well as its Avionics Engineering Center. The Avionics Engineering Center, the only facility of its kind in the United States, specializes in the research, development, and evaluation of electronic navigation, communication, and surveillance systems. The center, the largest at Ohio University, was established in 1963 to support a unique combination of theoreticians and technical specialists to address navigation issues encountered in air transportation and furnish immediate, practical solutions.
National Acclaim
Ohio University was named by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a Doctoral/High Research Activity institution to reflect its growing number of graduate programs. Other public universities in Ohio with this classification are --
Bowling Green University,
Kent State University,
Miami University, the
University of Akron, the
University of Toledo and
Wright State University. University libraries contain more than 2.4 million bound volumes.
Nationally Competitive Awards
Ohio University has become highly recognized for its student success rate while competing for nationally competitive awards. In 2006, twelve Ohio University students received Fulbright scholarships. Also in 2006, fifteen Ohio University students were recommended to the final round of competition in the Fulbright Program. In 2005, Ohio University had 9 Fulbright Scholars.
Other awards received by recent Ohio University students include the Mitchell Scholarship, the Truman Scholarship,
Morris K. Udall Scholarship, and the
Goldwater Scholarship and Hollings Scholarship, which were won by the same student during the 2005-2006 academic year.
E.W. Scripps School of Journalism
One of the flagship programs of Ohio University, , is in the . The school was named one of the nation's top five programs in a survey conducted by Youngs, Walter & Co., a Chicago-based management consulting firm. The school's graduate program, in 1996, was named among the top ten in U.S. News and World Report's journalism education ranking. Undergraduates select from six sequence options -- advertising management, broadcast news, magazine journalism, news writing & editing, online journalism and public relations.
Athletics
Men's and women's athletics teams at Ohio University are nicknamed the Bobcats, with the school colors being hunter green and white. The Bobcats compete in NCAA Division I as a member of the
Mid-American Conference. In women's lacrosse, Ohio competes in the
American Lacrosse Conference.
The long and storied tradition of Ohio Bobcats
football began in 1894 with an 8-0 loss to
Marietta College. Since that day, the Bobcats have posted a 470-492-48 record over their 112 year existence and a 178-226-12 record over their 60 years in the Mid-American Conference. The Bobcats have won 5 MAC Football Championships in 1953, 1960, 1963, 1967, and 1968. Prior to joining the MAC, the Bobcats won 6 Buckeye Athletic Association Championships in 1929, 1930, 1931, 1935, 1936, and 1938. In 1960, the Bobcats were crowned National Small College Champions after compiling a 10-0 record under Coach Bill Hess. The Bobcats have appeared in two bowl games, losing 14-15 to
West Texas State in the 1962
Sun Bowl and losing 42-49 to
Richmond in 1968. Currently under the helm of head coach
Frank Solich, Ohio football is on the rise to national prominence once again. Frank Solich's first home game as coach of Ohio was a memorable one, as Peden Stadium brought in its largest ever crowd to watch the Bobcats defeat the
Pittsburgh Panthers 16-10.
One of Ohio's most successful varsity sports is its men's
basketball program. The first Ohio basketball game occurred in 1907 when the Bobcats defeated the
Parkersburg YMCA 46-9. Since that day, Ohio has posted a .565 winning percentage over their 99 year history and a .564 winning percentage in their 60 years in the Mid-American Conference. The Bobcats have won 5 Mid-American Conference Tournament titles in 1983, 1985, 1994, and 2005 as well as numerous MAC regular season titles. In addition, Ohio has played in the
NCAA Tournament 11 times, appearing in 1960, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1983, 1985, 1994, and 2005. The Bobcats have been selected for the
National Invitation Tournament 4 times in 1941, 1969, 1986, and 1995, finishing as runner up in 1941. In addition, the Bobcats won the prestigious Pre-Season National Invitation Tournament in 1994. As a result of the long and storied tradition of Ohio Bobcats basketball, the program was ranked 86th in
Street & Smith's 100 Greatest Basketball Programs of All Time.
Ohio's olympic sports programs are also among some of the best in the MAC and in the nation. Ohio's volleyball team has been steadily increasing in popularity. Under the direction of Coach Geoff Carlston, the team has won 3 consecutive Mid-American Conference Titles and made 3 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. In 2005, the team made the "sweet 16" of the NCAA tournament. Ohio's men's and women's swimming and diving teams consistently have won numerous MAC Championships. The Aquatic Center, one of the finest swimming and diving facilities in the league and in the nation, has hosted numerous MAC Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving Tournaments. The Bobcat's wrestling team has a long and storied history and the team has found itself in the national top 25 many times over the years. Recent graduate Jake Percival was a four time All-American. The Ohio baseball program has won numerous MAC titles and made a College World Series appearance in 1970. There have been 18 former Bobcats to make the major leagues, most notably hall of fame third baseman Mike Schmidt.
Ohio's athletic facilities make up another important component of a winning tradition.
Peden Stadium, Ohio's football venue, is one of the best in the conference and the nation. Nicknamed "The Wrigley Field of College Football", the stadium, though small in size, is big in atmosphere and tradition. The Convocation Center, home of Bobcats basketball, volleyball, and wrestling, is also a great facility. The largest basketball arena in the MAC, the Convo's hostile environment has allowed the Bobcats to win over 75% of their games in the facility. The "O-Zone" student cheering section for men's basketball games is among the most recognized in the Mid-American Conference and the nation.
Ohio University is also home to the nationally-acclaimed Ohio University Marching 110 marching band--"The Most Exciting Band in the Land!", which continually draws crowds at the Bobcat football and basketball games. The band's unique use of contemporary popular music, a chair step stop-action marching style, and high-energy choreographed dance breaks has lead the band to perform at many unique venues throughout the years. On October 28, 1976, the Marching 110 became the first marching band in history to perform at
Carnegie Hall. On January 20, 1993, the band performed for
President Clinton's Presidential Inauguration in Washington, DC. The band has also performed at many professional football games and has taken part in the
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2000 and 2005 .
Media
Under the umbrella of , the university operates a number of public FM radio stations. WOUB Athens, WOUC Cambridge, WOUH Chillicothe, WOUL Lancaster, and WOUZ Zanesville broadcast the same programs throughout southeastern Ohio. WOUB-AM is also a public radio station, but the broadcast is limited to Athens and
The Plains, Ohio.
, the University's only student-run radio station, recently celebrated 35 years, and features a Rock Lobster" as its mascot. The station is internet-only and essentially all matters of running the radio station are officiated by elected student executives.
is a
PBS affiliate broadcasting on
WOUB Athens/WOUC Cambridge. In addition to national PBS programs, WOUB features
Newswatch, a nightly news broadcast with professional and student reporters.
The web site, , has been ranked by the National Endowment for the Humanities as one of the best online resources for education in the humanities. Wired for Books is produced at the WOUB Center for Public Media.
The campus newspaper is officially independent of the university and its administration, as is , a product of students in the innovative online journalism major at the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism.
Presidents of Ohio University
| 20th | Roderick J. McDavis | |
| 19th | Robert Glidden | |
| 18th | Charles J. Ping | |
| 17th | Harry B. Crewson | |
| 16th | Claude R. Sowle | |
| 15th | Vernon Roger Alden | |
| 14th | John Calhoun Baker | |
| 13th | Walter S. Gamertsfelder | |
| 12th | Herman Gerlach James | |
| 11th | Elmer Burritt Bryan | |
| 10th | Alston Ellis | |
| 9th | Isaac Crook | |
| 8th | Charles William Super |
|
| 7th | William Henry Scott | |
| 6th | Solomon Howard | |
| 5th | Alfred Ryors | |
| 4th | William Holmes McGuffey | |
| 3rd | Robert G. Wilson | |
| 2nd | James Irvine | |
| 1st | Jacob Lindley | |
Famous/Distinguished Alumni
...
, music producer
- John Bixler, actor
- Samuel Bigger, Indiana governor, Indiana House of Representatives member, Indiana circuit court judge, Whig Party
- Thom Brennaman, Arizona Diamondbacks Announcer, among other sports
- Dion Byrum, NFL Player, cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Matthew C. Cain, Historian and Voice Actor
- Joseph A. Cicco, Former Vice President of UCI Corporation, Novelist
- Nancy Cartwright, voice of Bart and several other characters on The Simpsons is an Emmy [i] and Peabody [i]-winning American [i] animated [i] ...
- Attended for two years, then transferred. - Chip Cox, NFL Player, Defensive Back for the Detroit Lions
- Bill Cratty, modern dancer and choreographer
- Ross C. DeVol, Economics MA, director of Regional Economics at the Milken Institute
- Jim Dine, pop artist
- Joe Eszterhas, screenwriter
- Thomas Ewing, cabinet member under several U.S. presidents
- Dow Finsterwald, professional golfer; best known for winning the 1958 PGA Championship
|1956||Jack Burke, Jr [i]||||Ted Kroll [i]||3 & 2||Blue Hill Country Club [i]||Boston [i] ...
, one of the
Majors in men's professional golf
...
, comedian, former talk show host
- Leon Harris, news anchor, CNN and WJLA
- William Heyen, critic, poet, editor, educator
- Jenny Holzer, artist
- Brandon Hunter, professional basketball player
- Kamil Idris, current Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization
- Sammy Kaye, celebrated bandleader
- Peter King, writer Sports Illustrated, Journalist HBO
| network_logo = | headquarters = New York, NY [i]
...
's Inside the NFL
- Roger Kline, Ohio District Court of Appeals Judge
- Matt Lauer, co-host of NBC's The Today Show, commonly referred to as The Today Show to avoid ambiguity, is an American [i]...
- Art Lewis, Head Coach of the Cleveland Rams
- Jay Mariotti, sports columnist and TV personality
- Paul Newman, actor - Attended for one year
- Ed O'Neill, Al Bundy on "Married With Children" among other shows and movies, attended university before transferring to Youngstown State University
- Clarence Page, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Chicago Tribune
- Piper Perabo, actress, best known for her work in "Coyote Ugly"
- Barry Peters, sportswriter and short story author best known for Arnie's Test Day
- Edward James Roye
...
, former
president of
Liberia- John Sant’Ambrogio, principal cellist with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra from 1968 to 2005
- Perry Saturn, Former WCW, WWF, ECW Wrestler. Served as an Army Airborne Ranger during Desert Storm.
- Martin Savidge, NBC News Correspondent, and former CNN anchor
- Jenn Schefft, ABC's "The Bachelorette"
- Mike Schmidt, Hall of Fame third baseman
- Don Swaim, CBS Radio Network, journalist
- Walter Tevis, author
- Betty Thomas, actress on Hill Street Blues was a serial police drama [i] that first aired on NBC [i] in 1981 [i] and ran for ...
, film director - Gary Trent, NBA player
- George Voinovich, U.S. Senator, former Ohio governor
- Ty M. Votaw, Executive with PGA, former commissioner of LPGA
- David Wilhelm, Former Chair, Democratic National Committee
- Dave Zastudil, NFL Player, punter for the Cleveland Browns
- Brian Unger, humorist, satirist, original correspondant of The Daily Show
- Bob Brenly, WGN Chicago Cubs Color Analyst, former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball.
- Chuck Swirsky, Toronto Raptors NBA TV broadcaster. Host of the "Chuck Swirsky Show"
References
External links
