Carleton College Carleton College is an independent non - sectarian , coeducation al , liberal arts college in Northfield , Minnesota , USA . The college enrolls 2 , 055 undergraduate students , and employs 220 full - time faculty members . In its 2013 edition of college rankings , " U . S . News and World Report " ranked Carleton College the 8th best liberal arts college in the United States and ranked Carleton number two for undergraduate teaching at a national liberal arts college . History . The school was founded on May 3 , 1866 , by the Minnesota Conference of Congregational Church es as Northfield College . Two local businessmen , Charles Augustus Wheaton and Charles M . Goodsell , each donated of land for the first campus . The first students enrolled in fall 1867 . In 1870 , the first college president , James Strong , traveled to the East Coast to raise funds for the college . On his way from visiting William Carleton of Charlestown , Massachusetts , Strong was badly injured by a train . Impressed by Strong ' s survival , Carleton donated US $ 50 , 000 to the fledgling institution in 1871 , and the Board of Trustees renamed the school in his honor . The college graduated its first class in 1874 . The first two graduates , James J . Dow and Myra A . Brown , married each other later that year . On September 7 , 1876 , the James - Younger Gang , led by outlaw Jesse James , attempted to rob the First National Bank of Northfield . Joseph Lee Heywood , Carleton ' s Treasurer , was acting cashier at the bank that day . He was shot and killed for refusing to open the safe . Carleton later named a library fund after Heywood , and the Heywood Society is the name for a group of donors who have named Carleton in their wills . In its early years under the presidency of James Strong , Carleton reflected the theological conservatism of its Minnesota Congregational founders . In 1903 , modernist religious influences were brought when William Sallmon , a Yale Divinity School graduate , was hired as college president . Sallmon was opposed by conservative faculty members , who forced him out by 1908 . After Sallmon left , the trustees hired Donald J . Cowling , another theologically liberal Yale Divinity School graduate , as his successor . In 1916 , under Cowling ' s leadership , Carleton began an official affiliation with the Minnesota Baptist Convention . It lasted until 1928 , when the Baptists severed the relationship as a result of fundamentalist opposition to Carleton ' s liberalism , including the college ' s support for teaching about evolution . Non - denominational for a number of years , in 1964 Carleton abolished its requirement for weekly attendance at some religious or spiritual meeting . In 1927 , students founded the first student - run pub in the nation , The Cave . Located in the basement of Evans Hall , it continues to host live music shows and other events several times each week . In 1942 , Carleton purchased land in Stanton , about east of campus , to use for flight training . During World War II , several classes of male students went through air basic training at the college . Since being sold by the college in 1944 , the Stanton Airfield has been operated for commercial use . The world premiere production of Bertolt Brecht ' s play " The Caucasian Chalk Circle " was performed in 1948 at Carleton ' s Nourse Little Theater . In 1963 the Reformed Druids of North America was founded by students at Carleton , initially as an excuse to avoid attending the then - required weekly chapel service . Later the group conducted legitimate spiritual exploration . Meetings continue to be held in the Carleton College Cowling Arboretum . The popular early computer game , " The Oregon Trail " , was created and refined by students at Carleton in 1971 . President Bill Clinton gave the last commencement address of his administration at Carleton , on June 10 , 2000 . Academics . Carleton College is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools . The next on - site review for this accreditation will be in 2018 - 19 . Rankings . Academically , Carleton has been nationally recognized as a leading undergraduate institution . It is consistently ranked in the " U . S . News & World Report " college rankings as one of the top ten U . S . liberal arts schools . In the 2013 " U . S . News & World Report " annual ranking , Carleton College is the 8th best liberal arts college in the United States and ranked 2nd for best undergraduate teaching among liberal arts colleges . In the " Forbes " magazine ranking of American colleges , which combines liberal arts colleges and national research universities , the College is ranked 31st . Among liberal arts colleges only , Carleton ranks 17th in the survey . " Kiplinger ' s Personal Finance " places Carleton at 19th in its 2012 ranking of best value liberal arts colleges in the United States . Carleton College is part of the Annapolis Group , which has issued a group statement asking members not to participate in ranking surveys . President Robert Oden stated on September 7 , 2007 , " We commit not to mention ' U . S . News ' or similar rankings in any of our new publications , since such lists mislead the public into thinking that the complexities of American higher education can be reduced to one number . " Carleton participates in the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities ( NAICU ) ' s University and College Accountability Network ( U - CAN ) , a co - operative effort on the part of colleges to provide data for school comparison on a variety of bases . Admissions and selectivity . For the class of 2016 ( enrolled fall 2012 ) , Carleton received 5 , 856 applications and accepted 1 , 496 ( 25 . 5 % ) . The number enrolling was 528 ; the yield rate ( the percentage of accepted students who enroll ) was 35 . 3 % . Of the 40 % of entering freshmen who submitted class rank , 80 % were in the top 10 % of their high school classes ; 98 % ranked in the top quarter . The middle 50 % range of SAT scores for enrolled freshmen were 670 - 760 for critical reading , 670 - 760 for math , and 660 - 750 for writing . The middle 50 % range ACT Composite score was 29 - 33 . Carleton experienced a sharp increase in applications for the class of 2017 , resulting in an acceptance rate of only 21 % , making it the most selective year to date . Due to a higher matriculation rate than usual ( 37 % ) , Carleton overenrolled the class of 2017 by about 50 students , for a total of 550 students . The incoming class represents forty - six states . The states with the most entering freshmen are Minnesota ( 92 students ) , California ( 64 students ) , and Illinois ( 52 students ) . Carleton has a strong history of enrolling students who are in the National Merit Scholarship Program , often enrolling more than any other liberal arts college in the country . Its Class of 2016 includes 79 National Merit Scholars ( which includes both Carleton - sponsored and external National Merit Scholars ) . Graduates . Among American liberal arts institutions , Carleton College is a leading source of undergraduate students pursuing doctorates . It has also been recognized for sending a large number of female students to graduate programs in the sciences . Student life . Extracurricular organizations . The school ' s nearly 220 active student organizations include three theatre boards ( coordinating as many as ten productions every term ) , long - form and short - form improv groups and a sketch comedy troupe , seven " a cappella " groups , four choirs , seven specialized instrumental ensembles , five dance interest groups , two auditioned dance companies , a successful Mock Trial team , a nationally competitive debate program , seven recurring student publications , and a student - run KRLX radio station , which employs more than 200 volunteers each term . In 5 of the last 12 years , Carleton College students received the Best Delegation award at the World Model United Nations competition . The College ' s format - free student - run radio station , KRLX , founded in 1947 as KARL , was recently ranked by the " Princeton Review " as one of the nation ' s " Ten Best College Radio Stations " . KRLX broadcasts continually when school is in session . In 2009 two Carleton students founded the only comics magazine at Carleton , the " Carleton Comics Journal " ( now known as the " Carleton Graphic " ) . It releases an issue once every two weeks and has been generally well received by the Carleton community . The school has several a cappella groups . The oldest is the all - male Carleton Singing Knights , which has toured and recorded extensively over its more than 50 - year history . The Knights performed a version of Daft Punk ' s " Harder , Better , Faster , Stronger " . Their video on Youtube has received over 4 million views . It was this cover that prompted a student to make a video for the song , titled " Daft Hands " . The video became an internet sensation ; it has been viewed over 53 million times on Youtube and resulted in the student ' s appearance on " The Ellen DeGeneres Show " for a reprise performance . The Knightingales , one of the all - female groups , are the second oldest a cappella group on campus . They performed on a special radio performance hosted by Garrison Keillor at Dacie Moses House in 2002 . Traditions . Carleton has numerous student traditions . These include painting the college ' s water tower . Notably , a likeness of President Clinton was painted on the tower the night before his commencement speech in 2000 . Early the following morning , college maintenance quickly painted over it . The administration ' s view of this particular phenomenon have changed over time . For liability - related reasons , climbing the water tower is now considered a grave infraction . A bust of Friedrich Schiller , known simply as " Schiller " , has made regular appearances , though briefly , at large campus events . The tradition dates back to 1957 , when two students absconded with the bust from Scoville Library during the process of vacating books from there to the new library . " Schiller " resided in their dorm rooms for a period , only to have the bust taken from them in turn . Possession of the bust escalated into an elaborate competition , which took on a high degree of secrecy and strategy . These days Schiller ' s appearance , accompanied by the shout " Schiller ! " , is a tacit challenge to other students to try to capture the bust . The currently circulating bust of Schiller was retrieved from Puebla , Mexico in the summer of 2003 . In 2006 , students created an online scavenger hunt , made up of a series of complex riddles about Carleton , which led participants to Schiller ' s hidden location . The bust was stolen from the winner of the scavenger hunt . At commencement in 2006 , the holders of the bust arranged for Schiller to " graduate . " When his name was called at the appropriate moment , the bust was pulled from behind the podium and prominently displayed . In March 2010 , the bust of Schiller appeared on " The Colbert Report " . The appearance was organized by custodians of Schiller who contacted Peter Gwinn , a Carleton alumnus who is a writer for the program . The bust also appeared on a Halloween broadcast of " A Prairie Home Companion " on Minnesota Public Radio . Since 1990 , Carleton students have played " Late Night Trivia , " a game show broadcast over the college ' s radio station , KRLX , during the annual Winter Term exam period . Students compete in teams to identify songs and answer questions . Campus . The college campus was created in 1867 with the gifts of two parcels from local businessmen Charles Goodsell and Charles Augustus Wheaton . The campus is on a hill overlooking the Cannon River , at the northeast edge of Northfield . To the north and east are athletic fields and the Cowling Arboretum , which were farm fields in the early years of the college . Open land beyond the Arboretum is still largely devoted to agriculture . The center of campus is an open field called " the Bald Spot , " which is used for ultimate frisbee in the warmer months and flooded for skating and broomball in the winter . Most of the campus buildings constructed before World War II surround the Bald Spot ( the exceptions are Goodsell Observatory and Margaret Evans Hall ) . Campus buildings . Several of Carleton ' s older buildings have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places ( NRHP ) . These include Willis Hall , the first building on campus , which was constructed from 1869 to 1872 . Originally it contained the men ' s dormitory , classrooms , library , and chapel . The building was gutted by fire in 1879 , after which it was entirely rebuilt within the existing stone shell . The original front of the building became the rear entrance with the construction of Severance Hall in 1928 . As new buildings were constructed , academic departments were located in and out of the building . Beginning in 1954 , it was the college student union , until it was replaced in 1979 by the Sayles - Hill Student Center . It now houses the Economics , Political Science , and Educational Studies offices . The college ' s clock bell tower and the main college flagpole , along with the radio tower for KRLX , are located on the roof . Goodsell Observatory , also on the NRHP , was constructed in 1887 and at the time was the largest observatory in the state of Minnesota . It was named for Charles Goodsell , who donated land for the campus . Goodsell Obeservatory replaced the college ' s first one , built in 1877 . That was razed in 1905 to make room for Laird Hall . From the late 19th century to the end of the World War II , Goodsell Observatory kept the time for every major railroad west of the Mississippi River , including Northern Pacific Railway , the Great Northern Railway , the Chicago , Milwaukee , and St . Paul Railroad , and the St . Paul , Minneapolis , and Manitoba railroads . Goodsell served as the headquarters of a state weather service from 1883 to 1886 . Scoville Hall ( originally Scoville Memorial Library ) , completed in 1896 , is on the NRHP . Replaced in function by the Gould Library , it was adapted for use as the cinema and media studies department , the media center , and the academic support center . Four nineteenth - century buildings have been demolished : Gridley Hall ( 1882 ) was the main women ' s dormitory for many years , and was demolished in 1967 for construction of the Music and Drama Center . Williams Hall ( 1880 ) was the college ' s first science building ; it was demolished in 1961 . Seccombe House ( 1880 ) was used for music instruction until 1914 , and was located near the site of the current Skinner Chapel . The first Observatory ( 1878 ) was replaced in 1887 , and the facility was demolished in 1905 to make way for Laird Hall . Skinner Memorial Chapel , completed in 1916 , is on the NRHP . Carleton built a new Recreation Center in 2000 . A full indoor fieldhouse is located above a fitness center , which includes a climbing wall and bouldering wall . In the fall of 2011 , the Weitz Center for Creativity opened up in a renovated middle school . It includes a cinema , a live theater , and is the new home of the Cinema and Media Studies ( CAMS ) department , and the associated recording and production studios . It is also the home of Presentation , Event and Production Services ( PEPS ) . In the fall of 2012 , Evans Hall was refurbished to modernize the internal layout and add more rooms . Cowling Arboretum . The Cowling Arboretum , " the Arb " , was initially created from lands purchased in the 1920s by President Donald J . Cowling . As the college was having difficult financial times , it was first called " Cowling ' s Folly " but later became his legacy . After Carleton Farm was closed , its acreage was added to the Arboretum . Since 1970 acreage has been removed from cultivation in sections . The Arboretum has approximately of restored and remnant forest , Cannon River floodplain , bur oak ( " Quercus macrocarpa " ) savannah , and tallgrass prairie . The Arboretum is divided by Minnesota Highway 19 into the larger Lower Arb to the north ( so called because it includes the Cannon River valley ) and the smaller Upper Arb . Pedestrian trails are located throughout the Arb , as well as the school ' s cross - country running and skiing courses , and a paved mixed - use bicycle / running trail in the Upper Arb . Sustainability . Carleton is committed to environmentally conscious initiatives . In October 2007 , the Sustainable Endowments Institute , a Cambridge , Massachusetts organization , recognized Carleton as a leader in overall college sustainability . In the " College Sustainability Report Card 2008 " , which evaluates the 200 colleges and universities with the largest endowments in the United States and Canada , Carleton received the highest evaluation grade of A - , putting the college in the category of College Sustainability Leader with Dartmouth College , Harvard University , Brown University , Middlebury College , University of Vermont and University of Washington . The Report Card also cited Carleton as an Endowment Sustainability Leader , along with Dartmouth College and Williams College . A wind turbine located near the campus generates the equivalent of approximately 40 percent of Carleton ' s electrical energy use ; it is configured to sell this power back to the local grid for the most efficient use system wide . Over the life of Carleton ’ s turbine , it is estimated that the College will reduce CO2 by 1 . 5 million tons . In late 2011 , Carleton installed a second wind turbine that provides power directly to the campus , providing for an additional 30 to 40 percent of the college ' s electrical energy use . Athletics . Carleton has athletic opportunities for students , including 19 varsity team s , 23 club teams , and dozens of intramural teams ( including 40 separate broomball teams ) forming every term . Carleton competes in NCAA Division III , meaning it offers no athletic scholarship s . Its men ' s and women ' s cross country teams have produced a number of all - Americans and one national championship ( Fellahs ' , 1980 ) . The Men and Women ' s Swimming and Diving program participates in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference ( MIAC ) conference . The football team won the conference championship in 1992 with a 9 - 1 record and received one of 16 bids to the Division III National Championship Tournament . In 2006 , the men ' s basketball team tied the University of St . Thomas for the conference championship and received an at - large bid to the NCAA tournament . In 2007 , the women ' s golf program sent its first individual qualifier to the Division III Women ' s Golf NCAA Tournament . In 2008 , the men ' s soccer team won the conference championship , thereby receiving an automatic NCAA bid . They reached the Sweet 16 of the tournament , marking one of the most successful seasons in Carleton history . The women ' s soccer team won the MIAC Playoffs in 2008 , receiving an automatic NCAA bid . They attained the Elite 8 of the tournament , marking the first time in Carleton sports history . The women ' s soccer team has since won the MIAC regular - season championship twice ( 2010 , 2011 ) and once again revisited the NCAA tournament in 2009 and 2010 , making it through the first - and second round , respectively . In 2012 , the men ' s soccer team won the MIAC regular - season championship and lost the playoff championship in penalty kicks to Gustavus Adolphus College , but still received a bid to the NCAA tournament for only the second time in the history of the program . The Knights , who were ranked as high as 12th nationally throughout the season , hosted the first round but lost the close match . Carleton hosted the only NCAA - sponsored metric football game in 1977 . The game was dubbed the " Liter Bowl " and was measured in meters instead of yards . Carleton lost the game to St . Olaf College by a score of 43 - 0 . The event was the last to fill Carleton ' s Laird Stadium . Club sports . The student - run Ultimate frisbee clubs have had the most competitive success ; most notably , the school ' s top men ' s team , Carleton Ultimate Team ( CUT ) , and women ' s team , Syzygy , are perennial national contenders in the USA Ultimate College Division . CUT has qualified annually for nationals since 1989 , and won the National Championship in 2001 , 2009 , and 2011 . Syzygy has qualified for women ' s nationals all but one year since 1987 , and won the National Championship in 2000 . The other men ' s Ultimate team , the Gods of Plastic , won the 2009 , 2010 , and 2012 Division III National Championship tournaments , and the second women ' s Ultimate team , Eclipse , won Division III nationals in 2011 . In the fall of 2011 , the women ' s rugby team was undefeated in their league and region . This led them on to win Division 3 national playoffs . After winning their league , the team was bumped up to Division 2 , where they will compete in the fall of 2012 . The spring intramural softball league is known as Rotblatt , in honor of baseball player Marvin Rotblatt . Once a year a day - long game , also known as Rotblatt , lasts the same number of innings as the number of years since Carleton ' s founding . In 1997 , " Sports Illustrated " honored Rotblatt in its " Best of Everything " section with the award , " Longest Intramural Event . "