College of Wooster The College of Wooster is a private liberal arts college primarily known for its emphasis on mentored undergraduate research . It has roughly 2 , 000 students and is located in Wooster , Wayne County , Ohio , United States ( approximately south of Cleveland ) . Founded in 1866 by the Presbyterian church as the University of Wooster , it was from its creation a co - educational institution . The school is a member of The Five Colleges of Ohio and the Great Lakes Colleges Association . As of June 30 , 2012 , Wooster ' s endowment stood at approximately $ 232 million . Wooster is one of forty colleges named in Loren Pope ' s influential book " Colleges That Change Lives " , in which he called it his " . . . original best - kept secret in higher education . " It is consistently ranked among the nation ' s top liberal arts colleges , according to U . S . News and World Report . In US News ' " Best Colleges 2013 " , for the 11th year in a row , Wooster is recognized for its “ outstanding ” undergraduate research opportunities and its senior capstone program , known as I . S . Only two schools have been named to both lists in each of the past 11 years : Wooster and Princeton University . History . Founded as The University of Wooster in 1866 by Presbyterians , the institution opened its doors in 1870 with a faculty of five and a student body of thirty men and four women . Wealthy Wooster citizen Ephraim Quinby donated the first , a large oak grove situated on a hilltop overlooking the town . After being founded with the intent to make Wooster open to everyone , the university ' s first Ph . D . was granted to a woman , Annie B . Irish , in 1882 . The first black student , Clarence Allen , began his studies later in the same decade . In the pre - dawn hours of December 11 , 1901 , a fire destroyed the five - story ' Old Main ' building , the centerpiece of the campus . Within two years , it was replaced by several new buildings which ( after substantial renovations within the last 30 years ) remain the primary structures for the classes , labs , and faculty offices . These include Kauke Hall ( the iconic center of campus ) , Scovel , Severance , ( which together form a large courtyard in front of Kauke Hall ) and Taylor Hall . About ten years after the fire and rebuilding , there were eight divisions , including a medical school whose faculty outnumbered those in the college of arts and sciences . However , the university had gradually begun to define itself as a liberal arts institution and , in 1915 , after a bitter dispute between the faculty and the Trustees , chose to become The College of Wooster in order to devote itself entirely to the education of undergraduate students in the liberal arts . The enrollment of the college is kept intentionally small , around 2000 students , to allow for close interaction between faculty and students . In the 1920s , William Jennings Bryan , a prominent Presbyterian layman , attacked the college for its teaching of evolution , which had been championed by president Charles F . Wishart , and called for the General Assembly of the church to cut off funding to the college . But Wishart defeated Bryan for the position of Moderator of the General Assembly , and the college continued to teach evolution . The College has an unusual tree endowment , established in 1987 , which supports tree conservation , maintenance , and a tree replacement program . The Oak Grove , a pleasant green space near the center of campus , plays host to commencement ceremonies each May . Several of the Grove ' s trees are older than the college itself , including a eastern black oak near Galpin Hall that dates to 1681 , as well as a 1766 white oak . Each senior class plants a class tree in the Oak Grove on the day before graduation . Academics . Upon completion of at least 32 courses , students may earn a Bachelor of Arts , Bachelor of Music , or Bachelor of Music Education degree . In addition to the programs listed below , students may design their own major with approval from the registrar and the Provost . Some of the pre - professional programs are cooperative ones in which students spend a certain period of time at the College of Wooster before transferring to accelerated courses at other colleges and universities . Independent Study program . The College of Wooster is especially noteworthy for its Independent Study program , in which all students work one - on - one with a faculty advisor to complete a written thesis or other significant project during the course of the senior year , usually about 50 to 100 pages in length . The student also presents an oral defense of the thesis before a faculty committee . The program , begun in 1947 by Howard Lowry ( the College ' s 7th President ) , has received considerable attention from other colleges and universities , and a number of other institutions have modeled programs after it . In 2003 , the independent study program at Wooster was recognized by " US News and World Report " as the second best ' senior capstone experience ' in the US , behind only Princeton University . Wooster ranks 14th in the United States among independent colleges whose graduates earned Ph . D . ' s between 1920 and 1995 ( according to the Baccalaureate Origins of Doctorate Recipients , 1998 ) . Preparation and completion of the thesis can be time consuming , and led to one view in which a student , writing in the weekly " The Wooster Voice " , suggested that the independent study program be interwoven with career planning as well as applications to graduate schools . Special traditions have been developed surrounding Independent Study . Upon completion , a student receives a yellow button saying ' I did it ! ' as well as the highly coveted Tootsie Roll . The tradition began in 1974 when the registrar at the time , Lee Culp ( also a graduate of the College of Wooster ) , gave out candy along with the buttons one year ; the Tootsie Roll itself was chosen simply because it was cheap to buy in bulk . Beginning in 1989 , buttons were given out to indicate the order in which theses had been handed in . The ' due date , ' or the last day that students can turn in their completed Independent Study project , is the first Monday after spring break . On I . S . Monday , the pipe band strikes up including drums and trumpets , and with the Provost leading the way , the seniors march through the Kauke Arch in a jubilant parade , described by one professor as a " celebration of both scholarship and survival " , ending at Kittredge dining hall , where a celebratory dinner with advisors and college administrators follows . Libraries . The College of Wooster Libraries consists of three branches ( Andrews Library , The Flo K . Gault Library and The Timken Science Library in Frick Hall ) and a music library located at the Scheide Music Center . Andrews Library , the largest library in the system , houses more than 850 , 000 volumes and can accommodate over 500 readers . Andrews Library houses the college ' s Special Collections , media library and the student writing center . The Flo K . Gault Library , built as an addition to Andrews Library in 1995 , primarily serves as a place for class seniors to work on their Independent Study projects . The Gault Library contains carrels devoted to Independent Study for every senior student of the humanities and social sciences . The Timken Science Library in Frick Hall ( 1900 , 1998 ) , which is the oldest branch in the system , served as the original academic library for the college from 1900 to 1962 . After three decades as an art museum the building reopened as the science library in 1998 , with substantial funding from the Timken Foundation of Canton , Ohio , and now primarily serves students in the math and sciences departments . The library provides Independent Study carrels for math and science seniors . Art Museum . The College of Wooster Art Museum was established in the 1930s as a small gallery to facilitate the teaching of art and art research at the college . The current museum was established at the Ebert Art Center in 1997 . The museum houses two small galleries , the Charlene Derge Sussel Art Gallery and the Burton D . Morgan Gallery , as well as storage for the college ' s permanent art collection . The museum ' s encyclopedic collection spans from ancient to contemporary art . Permanent collections include the John Taylor Arms Print Collection - which represents works by Edward Hopper , Winslow Homer , Isabel Bishop , Martin Lewis , James Abbott McNeill Whistler , Albrecht Dürer , Käthe Kollwitz and Félix Bracquemond - the William C . Mithoefer Collection of African Art , Middle Eastern pottery and Chinese decorative art . Student life . Residence Life . The College has 13 residence halls and 23 program houses that students live in , and on - campus living is required . The halls include Andrews Hall , Armington Hall , Babcock Hall , Bissman Hall , Bornhuetter Hall , Compton Hall , Douglass Hall , Gault Manor , Holden Hall , Kenarden Lodge , Luce Hall , Stevenson Hall , and Wagner Hall . International presence . Dr . Elias Compton , former dean of the College , founded the Wooster in India program during the 1930s , which established a sister school relationship with Ewing Christian College in Allahabad , India . Over a forty - year time span , Wooster sent several former students to serve as Head Resident at Ewing while Ewing faculty were brought to Wooster as Ewing Fellows ; a plaque with the names of Ewing Fellows hangs in Babcock Hall . The Wooster in India program helped build this unique bond between Wooster and India that enhanced the exchange of students , ideas and cultures . This international presence affected the entire campus , establishing a tradition which continues to influence the College . Today , approximately six percent of the student body is international in origin , representing more than 30 different countries . The College offers majors in Cultural Area Studies and International Relations , instruction in seven foreign languages and opportunities to study abroad in 60 countries . Fifty - nine percent of Wooster students are from outside of Ohio . Athletics . Wooster ' s athletic history dates back to its first baseball team , in 1880 , which played only one game , losing 12 - 2 to Kenyon College . The football program was established in 1889 ; over its first two seasons , the team won all seven games it played , by a total score of 306 - 4 . Included was a 64 - 0 victory at Ohio State on November 1 , 1890 , in the Buckeyes ' first - ever home football game . Shortly thereafter , intercollegiate sports were banned by the College President . After varsity athletics returned in 1901 , Wooster became an early member of the Ohio Athletic Conference ( OAC ) . In 1983 , Wooster ( along with the rest of the Ohio Five ) broke away from the OAC to form the North Coast Athletic Conference ( NCAC ) . The NCAC , which competes at the non - scholarship Division III level of the NCAA , was founded primarily on the principle of offering women equal opportunity to participate in varsity sports . In its first season of competition , 1984 – 85 , the NCAC sponsored 21 sports , eleven for men and ten for women . Women ' s softball was added in 1998 , and women ' s golf in 2010 , giving the NCAC its current 23 sports . Wooster fields varsity athletic teams in all 23 of these sports . Scottish Heritage . Wooster ' s school colors are black and old gold , and its mascot is the ' Fighting Scot . ' Early Wooster teams were known as the Presbyterians , or unofficially as the ' Presbyterian Steamroller , ' due to the football team ' s success . In 1939 , a large donation from alumnus Birt Babcock funded the purchase of kilts for the marching band , in the yellow - and - black MacLeod tartan , which had no particular significance , except that it matched the school colors . Scottish culture eventually became an important part of the school ' s heritage ; today , the football games feature a Scottish pipe band with Highland dancers in addition to a traditional marching band , with all three groups clad in the MacLeod tartan . Baseball . The baseball team has made five appearances in the NCAA Division III World Series , including a second - place finish in 2009 . The Scots lost the national championship final game to St . Thomas ( Minnesota ) , 3 - 2 in 12 innings . Wooster has made seven consecutive appearances in the NCAA baseball tournament , and 20 times overall , under head coach Tim Pettorini , who has led the Scots since 1982 . Pettorini has guided the Scots to nearly 1 , 000 victories , placing him in the all - time top ten among D - III baseball coaches . The Scots have also won a conference - record thirteen NCAC championships , including the 2010 title , in the league ' s 27 seasons . Prior to Pettorini ' s tenure , Bob Morgan led the Scots to the NCAA tournament in each of his final five seasons , giving Wooster a total of 25 appearances since the event began in 1976 . During the first decade of the 21st century , the Scots had a record of 372 - 98 , winning more games than any other team in Division III , and were second in winning percentage over that span , trailing only St . Scholastica . The team has had six All - Americans in the last two seasons . In 2009 , pitcher Justin McDowell , designated hitter Matt Groezinger , pitcher Mark Miller and outfielder Sean Karpen in 2009 were all honored , while shortstop Greg Van Horn and second baseman Matthew Johnson were named All - Americans in 2010 . Following his graduation , Johnson signed with the Toronto Blue Jays organization , and is currently playing in their minor - league system . Basketball . In 24 seasons at Wooster , head men ' s basketball coach Steve Moore has won over 500 games , and has the highest winning percentage among all coaches in the history of NCAA Division III men ' s basketball . His teams have won 16 NCAC regular - season championships ( including seven in a row from 2005 to 2011 ) and 14 NCAC Tournament titles ( the most recent in 2011 ) . Since 1991 , the Scots have made 19 appearances in the NCAA Men ' s Division III Basketball Championship , more than any other school during that span , failing to earn a berth only in 1994 and 2002 . The team reached the Final Four of the NCAA D - III Tournament in 2003 , 2007 , and 2011 . The 2011 team set a school record for victories , with a record of 31 - 3 , and reached the national championship game before falling to St . Thomas ( Minnesota ) . The 2003 team was close behind at 30 - 3 , with center Bryan Nelson named D - III Men ' s Basketball Player of the Year . Home games are contested in the 3 , 400 - seat Timken Gym , which is often filled to capacity for big games , including the rivalry contest with Wittenberg University and post - season tournaments . Since 2000 , the Scots have been in the top ten in D - III basketball attendance every year , ranking 2nd in 2010 - 11 with over 2 , 000 fans per home game . Football . The football team ' s greatest success occurred between 1916 and 1934 ; during this era , Wooster had a record of 118 - 31 - 12 , and won four outright OAC championships . The 1934 title would be the Scots ' last outright conference championship for 70 years , with only a pair of shared conference titles ( 1959 OAC and 1997 NCAC ) during that time . In 2004 , the team recorded a perfect 10 - 0 regular season and won its first outright NCAC conference championship , as well as its first NCAA D - III football tournament game . From 1995 through 2008 , Wooster ' s record is 99 - 43 , making this the most successful era since World War II . The 2008 Scots had a record of 8 - 2 , placing second in the NCAC and narrowly missing an NCAA playoff berth . With over 3 , 100 fans per home game , Wooster ranked in the top 25 in D - III football attendance . In 2009 , lights and artificial turf were added to the Scots ' 4 , 500 - seat John Papp stadium . The first - ever nighttime football game at Wooster was played on October 10 , 2009 , against Case Western Reserve University , with Case retaining the Baird Brothers Trophy by virtue of a 53 - 32 victory over the Scots . Other sports . In addition to baseball and men ' s basketball , two other Wooster teams earning NCAA Tournament berths during the 2009 - 10 academic year . The women ' s field hockey and women ' s lacrosse teams each won their second consecutive NCAC championships , earning automatic bids to their national NCAA D - III tournaments . This was the sixth conference title of the decade for the women ' s lacrosse team . The only national championship won by a Wooster athletic team came in 1975 , when the men ' s golf team won the NCAA D - III title . Academic All - Americans . Since 2000 , there have been 18 Scots named Academic All - Americans by CoSIDA , in the College division , which includes NCAA Division II and Division III institutions , as well as NAIA schools , a total of over 1000 colleges . During the 2010 - 11 academic year , Paige Piper ( 3 . 91 , biochemistry and molecular biology , women ' s soccer 3rd team ) and Erin Plews - Ogan ( 4 . 00 , anthropology , women ' s cross - country / track 3rd team ) were selected . During the prior year , Wooster had three student - athletes so honored , each of whom were named to an Academic All - American team for two consecutive years before graduating , including Chantal Koechli , ( 3 . 97 , biochemistry and molecular biology , women ' s soccer 1st team ) , Jay Keener ( 3 . 94 , chemistry men ' s soccer , 1st team ) , and Ryan Story ( 4 . 00 , biochemistry and molecular biology , men ' s lacrosse , an " at - large " honoree ) . Both Koechli and Story are now attending medical school , while Keener is working for ABSMaterials , Inc . , a company founded by chemistry professor Dr . Paul L . Edmiston . Performing arts . Wooster is the home of the Ohio Light Opera , an enterprise founded within the college in 1979 , but not part of the college curriculum . It is the only professional company in the United States entirely devoted to operetta . OLO performs the entire Gilbert & Sullivan repertoire , but also regularly revives rarely performed continental works of the 19th and early 20th centuries . Over the years , the Company has produced eighty different operettas . Wooster ' s large performing ensembles include The Wooster Symphony Orchestra , founded in 1915 by Daniel Parmelee , then Professor of Violin at the college . The orchestra currently is the second - oldest orchestra in continuous performance in the state of Ohio . Additional large ensembles include the Scot Symphonic and Marching Bands , the Wooster Chorus , and the Wooster Jazz Ensemble . Wooster has an active on - campus pipe band . Officially called the College of Wooster Pipe Band , members perform at many official on - campus events such as commencement , sports games ( football , basketball , swim meets , and sometimes lacrosse games ) and many spontaneous student - run events . During the spring season they perform and compete at a grade 3 level , having won prizes at the Scots wi ' Shotts event in Cleveland hosted by the local Lochaber Pipe Band . The Pipe Band also placed first in the grade 3 contest at the 2009 Toronto Indoor Highland Games . Wooster was the only American band competing . In 2007 , Wooster ' s theatre production of ' Nocturne ' was invited to perform at the Kennedy Center ' s American College Theatre Festival in Washington , D . C . Wooster ' s production was one of four shows chosen from a field of approximately 400 entries . Student activities and clubs . The College of Wooster has over one hundred student organizations , from the Jenny Investment Club , which allows students to invest real money for the College as they learn about the stock market , to Common Grounds , a student - run coffee shop and house program offering ' an alternative atmosphere to the partying scene ' for the College community . There are currently ten active Greek groups at the College of Wooster , six sororities and four fraternities . Called " clubs " and " sections " , these groups are not affiliated with national Greek organizations , and approximately fifteen percent of the student body participates . The college has a wide variety of student - run media . " The Wooster Voice " is the weekly student newspaper with a newly launched website , and has been published continuously since 1886 ( see list of college newspapers ) , while WCWS ( WOO 91 ) is the college radio station . " The Goliard " is the annual literary magazine . Each year , English professor Daniel Bourne also publishes an international literary magazine called " Artful Dodge " . Additionally , the English Department has classes every two years on journalism and magazine writing ; these students create and publish a newspaper and a magazine respectively .