Western Connecticut State University

Western Connecticut State University (WCSU or WestConn) is a public university in Danbury, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1903 as a teacher's college and is part of the Connecticut State University System. WCSU consists of four schools: the Ancell School of Business, the Macricostas School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Professional Studies, and the School of Visual and Performing Arts. The university offers 38 bachelor's and one associate degree programs, 15 master's degree programs, and two doctoral programs. WCSU is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). WCSU is home to the Jane Goodall Center for Excellence in Environmental Studies, which is the result of a partnership between WCSU and the Jane Goodall Institute (a private non-profit organization that promotes research, education and wildlife conservation). The university's Westside campus houses the Ives Concert Park, one of the premier performance venues in the area. Western Connecticut State University is part of the Little East Conference and Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference in NCAA Division III. WCSU has 14 varsity sports. Students from New York and New Jersey residents pay in-state tuition; students from New England pay reduced rates because of WCSU's participation in the New England Board of Higher Education's Regional Student Program. History Founding and growth Western Connecticut State University was established in 1903, as the "Danbury State Normal School", per an act by the Connecticut General Assembly. The school was founded as a normal school, designed to train school teachers, the fourth such school in Connecticut. Its initial campus was located on a tract of land totaling 3 acres (1.2 ha) along White Street, donated by Alexander M. White. Classes began the following year, with an initial enrollment of 41 students. The costs of tuition and textbooks were covered by the state, although boarding costs were not. The school's first graduation was held in 1906. Within several years, the school began holding "demonstration sessions" at "model schools" located on its campus. The number of enrollments climbed to 362 students by 1912. The school changed its name twice in the 1930s: it became the "Danbury Unit of the Teachers College of Connecticut" in 1933 and then the "Danbury State Teachers College" in 1937. The college was renamed "Danbury State College" in 1959, alongside the establishment of a four-year liberal arts degree program. The school was renamed to "Western Connecticut State College" in 1967. In 1974, groundbreaking began on construction work for the college's Westside Campus. In 1979, the state withdrew funding for construction of the campus, leading to student protests. The Westside Campus' classroom building opened in 1982. The school was finally renamed to "Western Connecticut State University" in 1983. In 2011, governance of the university was transferred to the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities system. WXCI In 1952, an extracurricular radio program called The Radio Workshop was organized, going by the call sign WDTC. In 1968, WCSU's radio station, WXCI (91.7 FM), then going by the call sign WCST and broadcasting with AM transmission, was established. In 1973 WCST was switched from AM to FM transmission, obtained an FCC license for FM transmission, was renamed WXCI, and went on air under that call sign. In the early 1980s, WXCI became one of the first FM stations to focus on alternative rock. Throughout the 80s the station was instrumental in promoting the work of a number of contemporary bands and musicians. While the station is perhaps best known for popularizing the English band Duran Duran in the United States, it also helped to familiarize the American audience with other projects and musicians from Great Britain, such as Elvis Costello and Culture Club. It popularized among residents of the Northeastern U.S. the West Coast punk group Black Flag and the Georgia-based R.E.M., while also providing greater listenership to New York City's Talking Heads. Thurston Moore, a founding member of Sonic Youth, attended WCSU for a quarter during the fall of 1976, though he left afterward. Jane Goodall Institute and environmental projects In 1995, the Jane Goodall Center for Excellence in Environmental Studies (JGC) was founded on campus. The center is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to environmental stewardship and conservation, and wildlife education and research, being the result of a partnership between Western and the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI). Since the center's founding, its namesake, primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall, has visited Western on at least a dozen occasions to give lectures on the issue of ecology. The center has also hosted a number of seminars and public talks by other environmentalist speakers at the university: Notably, Smithsonian ethnobotanist Mark Plotkin and veteran ecologist Thomas Lovejoy spoke at the university in 1998, and in 2013 ocean conservationist Fabien Cousteau presented a public seminar on campus. In 2005, Western was established by JGI as a "National Center for University Roots and Shoots"; this resulted in the institution of the eponymous student environmental club, a chapter of the international Roots & Shoots (also known as Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots), on campus. Roots & Shoots is a subsidiary organization of JGI, and its WCSU chapter is one of only several based in the United States. The club's office, located in the Midtown campus's White Hall, remained the first of its kind between 2005 and 2012; afterwards, the organization's international headquarters was established at JGI's head office in Washington, D.C. Roots & Shoots serves as, according to the university and the JGC, "a regional and national office of excellence in training university students, faculty and administrators to develop programs for K–12 and college students in local, regional and global conservation." Significant visitors and lectures The university was visited by former President Bill Clinton in 2005 and by the 14th Dalai Lama in 2012. Structure Schools Campus WCSU has two campuses, Midtown and Westside, both located in Danbury. The campuses are three miles (5 kilometres (3.1 mi) apart and connected by a university shuttle service. The Midtown Campus is the original campus, located on White Street near downtown Danbury and the Main Street Historic District. It is home to the Macricostas School of Arts and Sciences, School of Professional Studies, and most of the university's administration. Dormitories on this campus include Fairfield Hall, Litchfield Hall, and Newbury Hall. The Midtown student center is located on this campus. In 2018, the fully renovated Higgins Hall reopened. Higgins Hall features the MSAS Dean's offices. The Westside Campus is located on land purchased in 1969 on the outskirts of Danbury. This 439-acre (1.78 km2) lot is home to the Ancell School of Business, the School of Visual and Performing Arts, the Westside Nature Preserve, an amphitheater and three residence halls. Westside also houses athletic facilities, including the William O'Neill Athletic and Convocation Center (completed in 1995), and the Westside Athletic Complex (completed in 2003), as well as an observatory with a 20-inch Ritchy-Chretien telescope and a 20-foot planetarium dome. On January 23, 2007, the Westside Campus Center was officially opened. This new facility serves as a student center, meeting and banquet facility for the Westside Campus. In August 2014, the Westside Campus saw the opening of the new Visual and Performing Arts Center, a comprehensive arts building with Theatre Arts, Music and Visual Arts wings. A major improvement program was started in the mid-1990s to beautify the campus. Several parking lots became green space, and improvements were made to the landscaping. In April 2013, startup of a newly installed fuel cell power unit for the Science Building on the university's Midtown Campus began. The PureCell System, provided by ClearEdge Power, supports the university to reap significant energy cost savings and enhanced electricity and heating efficiencies. The Midtown Campus Science Building was the first state-funded building project to seek LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Visual and Performing Arts Center as well as Centennial Hall also obtained LEED certification. In 2014, WCSU installed four EV (electric vehicle) charging stations, two on each campus. These charging stations are available to both students and the public, free of charge. The university is a participant in EV Connecticut Electric Vehicle Charging Solutions program. The "WestConn at Waterbury" program is located on the campus of Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury, Connecticut. The program offers completion courses for a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in management or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), as well as a Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.). Buildings Midtown Campus Westside Campus Student body As of Fall 2020, WCSU has an enrollment of 3,849 full-time and 791 part-time undergraduate students and 68 full-time and 538 part-time graduate students. Most WCSU students come from the tri-state area comprising Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. Nearly all commuter students come from western Connecticut and Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester counties in New York. According to the university, students claiming Connecticut residency come from 99 of the state's 169 municipalities. Women comprise 51.2% of the entering class, and members of historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups comprise 44.2% of the entering class. The student-to-faculty ratio as of Fall 2020 is 12 to 1 (total student FTE divided by total faculty FTE). Student life Western Connecticut State University currently has over 75 student clubs and organizations. In 2008, the Western Marketing Association was renamed to the Marketing Club. The Roger Sherman Debate Society participates in policy debate tournaments sanctioned by the Cross Examination Debate Association. The team competes in the North East Conference as well as the national circuit. WCSU is the only university in Connecticut that offers a policy debate team. Resources Academic resources for students include the Academic Advisement Center, Academic Testing Center, Career Success Center, First Year Program, Student Technology Training Center, Libraries and various tutoring centers. Resources for faculty include the Office of Sponsored Research and Administrative Services, Instructional Technology Services, Academic Planning Calendar and the Faculty Development & Research Funds. Communications Radio station The college's radio station, WXCI, broadcasts at 91.7 FM to Connecticut and New York at 3,000 watts. It also streams its broadcasts on the internet. WXCI's radio transmitter is located on the westside campus, while its studio is in the main campus (Midtown) student center. Student newspaper The Echo is the university's student newspaper, founded in 1955, and subsidized by the students' activity fees. It has an editorial board which makes strategic and operational decisions on behalf of the newspaper. The Echo is published weekly in tabloid format, though in the past it has been published in broadsheet format. The Echo launched a new website, echo.wcsu.edu, in 2012. Athletics Western Connecticut State University teams (nicknamed the Wolves) compete at the NCAA Division III level, with the football team also competing in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), and is a member of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and the Little East Conference (LEC). The university offers intercollegiate competition in 19 sports: men's baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, track & field, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, and swimming and diving; and women's basketball, cross country, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis and volleyball. Through the athletic training staff and university physician, WCSU provides health care to student athletes participating in intercollegiate sports. WCSU offers competition at the club level in six sports: cheerleading, dance team, ice hockey, men's rugby, track & field, ultimate frisbee and powerlifting. The university also offers a variety of intramural activities depending on the semester as well as group exercise classes, a fitness zone and access to the O’Neill Center pool. Sports venues Varsity Non-varsity Rugby: athletic practice fields Mascot The original Western Connecticut State mascot was an Indian. A mascot committee formed to find a less offensive name in 1974 recommended changing the mascot to the Colonials, "a name that our teams can carry with respect....". The official mascot became Chuck the Colonial, a man in a blue Tricorne hat. Following the murder of George Floyd and pressure from alumni and students in June 2020, the university announced the formation of a committee to determine the fate of the mascot and the Colonials nickname and decided to no longer use these. On April 19, 2022, the university announced that they would be changing their mascot name to the Wolves. Notable people Alumni Gorman Bechard, film director and screenwriter Evan R. Bernstein, community activist Mark D. Boughton, mayor of Danbury, Connecticut David Cappiello, former Connecticut state senator and businessman Jane K. Cleland, mystery author Christine Cohen, Connecticut state senator Dirt E. Dutch (Eric Bassriel), producer, hip-hop artist, and host for IndieFeed James E. Dyer, Connecticut state representative (d. 2011) Fidelma Healy Eames, Irish politician Markus Gottschlich, Austrian jazz pianist EJ Harrison, professional basketball player Adam Lanza, perpetrator of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting Paul LaPolice, coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Dan L. Miller, Pennsylvania state representative Thurston Moore (attended, but did not graduate), musician, Sonic Youth Joe Moravsky, athlete and meteorologist Merv Mosely, American football player Fred Norris, radio personality and writer for The Howard Stern Show Corey Paris, Connecticut state representative Paul L. Pasqualoni, defensive line coach for the Chicago Bears Lawrence Michael "Mike" Porzio, former Major League Baseball pitcher Jodi Rell (attended, but did not graduate), governor of Connecticut (2004–11) Chris Rhodes, trombone player and member of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones Dana Sawyer, professor of religion and philosophy and writer on religious studies and spirituality David Wilson, Connecticut state representative Mr. Scott Wright, professional wrestler and bodybuilder Faculty Patricia E. Cladis (d. 2017), Chinese-born Canadian American physicist and researcher, specialist in liquid crystal physics Assistant professor of physics (taught 1963–1964) Jimmy Greene, jazz saxophonist, gospel musician, producer Assistant professor of music (teaching 2012–present) Coordinator of jazz studies Mary Ann Lamb, Broadway theatre performer Adjunct instructor of musical theatre Elizabeth Parkinson, Broadway theatre performer Adjunct instructor of musical theatre Sal Salvador (d. 1999), bebop and jazz guitarist, music educator and instructor Deborah Weisz, jazz composer, trombonist, and musician; performer alongside Frank Sinatra 1987–1994 Adjunct instructor of music Scott Wise, Broadway theatre performer, Tony Award winner Adjunct instructor of musical theatre Meteorology program/Weather Center WCSU has the only bachelor's degree program in meteorology in southern New England. It is part of the Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Meteorology. The program prepares students for graduate studies in meteorology and earth sciences and provides the necessary coursework for employment with the National Weather Service. It also contains an option in broadcast meteorology. The Science Building on the Midtown campus houses the Meteorological Studies and Weather Center (MSWC), which provides forecasting services for industrial and media clients, and conducts forensic climatological and meteorological studies. The MSWC also contains a TV studio, forecast center, and research area, supporting the meteorology program. Astronomical facilities WCSU houses two observatories, one public and one for undergraduate and graduate students and faculty. The Midtown observatory is located on the top of the Science Building. It is used for both students and on public viewing nights. The telescope has a 6-inch (150 mm) refractor and an 8-inch (200 mm) Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. There is also a planetarium for teaching and public star shows. The West Side campus houses a large-format thermoelectrically cooled CCD camera and is specifically used for astrophysical studies. Library archive collections The Archives and Special Collections Library at WCSU is the archival repository for the historical records of the university and is a significant repository for collections relating to the history of the Danbury and greater western Connecticut area. The mission of the Archives is to collect and make accessible the WCSU administrative records, faculty papers, university publications, theses, visual materials, and other media created by the university. It also includes non-WCSU affiliated personal papers, local government and organizational records, visual materials, maps, journals and other media that document the history of this region. The WCSU Archives also administers CT's Archives Online which searches archival materials around the state. WCSU's archival holdings amount to approximately 1800 linear feet. Notes References External links Official website Athletics website