Coe College

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Coe College is a private, four-year, liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Founded in 1851, the institution is historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Its current president is James R. Phifer. It is one of the smaller universities to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. It is one of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM).

[edit] History

Coe College claims the shortest name of any American institution of higher education, but the school has actually carried five titles through its history. When the Rev. Williston Jones founded the college in 1851, he called it The School for the Prophets. Cedar Rapids’ first resident minister opened the parlor of his home to a group of young men with the goal of educating them for the ministry to serve churches in the Midwest.

Two years later, while Jones was canvassing churches in the East for money to send three of his students to Eastern seminaries, a Catskills farmer named Daniel Coe stepped forward with a pledge of $1,500 and urged Jones to start his own college in the frontier town of Cedar Rapids.

Legend has it that the $1,500 raised by Coe was brought from New York west, sewed into the petticoat of a lady visitor traveling by stagecoach to Iowa. Coe gave this generous gift with the stipulation that the proposed institute should be "made available for the education of females as well as males." Accordingly, Coe was coeducational from its founding.

With Jones' blessing, the Cedar Rapids Collegiate Institute was incorporated in 1853 by a group of Cedar Rapids leaders chaired by Judge Josephie Doddleberry. They used Daniel Coe's money to purchase two downtown lots for the school and 80 acres of farmland on what was then the edge of town. The farm would evolve into today’s campus.

In 1868, the trustees renamed the school Parsons Seminary in a failed attempt to secure the Lewis Parsons estate. After a period of severe financial difficulties, the institution was reestablished in honor of its original benefactor as the Coe Collegiate Institute in 1875.

T.M Sinclair, founder of the Sinclair Meat Packing Company, played the key financial role in the final step toward the firm establishment of Coe College. Sinclair liquidated all the debt from Parsons Seminary and the Cedar Rapids Collegiate Institute. The Sinclair gift made it practical for the property of the Coe Collegiate Institute - including the original land paid for by Daniel Coe - to be transferred to Coe College with the Iowa Presbyterian Synod to assume major responsibility for the institution.

Coe College has operated continuously since its incorporation under that name on Feb. 2, 1881. From the first, the college was committed to intellectual excellence. It has continued in this tradition ever since.

The compact campus on the east edge of Cedar Rapids grew with many building projects in its early years, including Old Main (1868), Williston Hall (1881), Marshall Hall (1900), the first gymnasium (1904), and the first T.M. Sinclair Memorial Chapel (1911).

In 1907, Coe earned accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Universities. Over the decades, Coe’s reputation as a superior liberal arts college has continued to grow. One recognition of this came in 1949, when Coe was granted a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, a distinction reserved for fewer than five percent of all American colleges and universities.

Central to the educational philosophy of Coe College is the belief that a liberal arts education is the best preparation for life. Students have the opportunity to experience a variety of subjects outside their respective programs of study. Coe offers more than 40 areas of study that cover a range of fields. The college awards the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Music (B.M.), and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.). A Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) may also be earned.

There are a number of factors that contribute to Coe College’s strong academic quality. The key to Coe’s tradition of excellence in academic quality relates directly to small class sizes and the interest shown by professors to make learning a personalized experience. At Coe, the average class size is 16, and the student-faculty ratio is 13:1. Classes are taught by our involved and committed faculty, 95 percent of whom hold the highest degree in their field. This means classes are taught by experienced professionals who have in-depth knowledge of their subjects.

Along with quality instruction from superb faculty, Coe offers an abundance of out-of-class opportunities including student-faculty collaborative research, honors projects and internships, to provide students with a well-rounded experience and solid preparation for the future. Within six months of graduation, 98% of Coe graduates are working or in graduate school.

Since 1989, Coe has nearly doubled in size with the addition of the east campus. New facilities on east side of College Drive include Clark Racquet Center and athletic fields (1989), Clark Alumni House (1993), Nassif Admission House (1999), and four student apartment buildings (Morris House and Schlarbaum House in 2000, Brandt House and Spivey House in 2002).

McCabe Hall (2005), named in honor of former Coe President Joseph E. McCabe houses the offices of the president, dean of faculty, and advancement and alumni relations, making way for the remodeling of Coe’s oldest building, Stuart Hall, and the first significant addition of classroom space since Peterson Hall was built in the 1960s.

[edit] Academics

Coe offers more than 40 majors: Accounting, African-American Studies, American Studies, Art, Asian Studies, Athletic Training, Biochemistry, Biology, Business Administration, Chemistry, Computer Science, Creative Writing, Economics, Education, English, English as a Second Language - ESL, Environmental Science, French, French Studies, Gender Studies, General Science, German, German Studies, History, Historical Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies, Literature, Mathematics, Molecular Biology, Music, Neuroscience, Nursing, Philosophy, Physical Education, Physics, Political Science, Pre-Professional Programs, Psychology, Public, Relations, Religion, Sociology, Spanish, Spanish Studies, Speech, Theatre Arts, Writing and provides the option for students to create their own major under the guidance of faculty members.

Coe College awards the following degrees:

• Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
• Bachelor of Music (B.M.)
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.)

Coe College also offers the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T)

[edit] Stewart Memorial Library

Stewart Memorial Library houses more that 202,000 books and other materials. There is also a wide variety of artwork displayed in the Stewart Galleries, featuring the paintings of Grant Wood. The library includes carrels, tables, group study rooms, honor thesis study areas, comfortable couches and chairs, microcomputer and non-print media work stations, viewing rooms and a classroom. Also located in the library are two computer labs.

Stewart Memorial Library was renovated and expanded in 1989 through a generous grant from the Hall Foundation. The original building was a gift from Colonel Robert W. Stewart, chairman of the board of Standard Oil company, in 1931.

[edit] National Rankings

Coe is recognized by a variety of widely respected college ranking publications. U.S. News & World Report regularly includes Coe in its "America's Best College's" publication, which ranked Coe tied for 95th among national liberal arts colleges in its 2007 edition. Coe is also included in the latest editions of The Princeton Review's "361 Best Colleges" and "Peterson's Guide to Selective Colleges." Barron's "300 Best Buys in College Education" ranks Coe as "Very Competitive."

[edit] Department of Music

Coe College is known for a strong Department of Music, with a long history of excellence. Approximately one out of every four students participates in music each year. Professor Margie V. Marrs is chair of the Department of Music, which has been accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) since 1962. Performing ensembles include a concert band, concert choir, a chamber choir (known as Crimson & Gold) women's chorale, symphony orchestra, and jazz band. There also is a student-led drumline that operates independently of the music department. The department sponsors chapters of two musically oriented social fraternities, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Mu Phi Epsilon.

[edit] Greek life

Coe has an active Greek social community; four men's fraternities and three women's fraternities (sororities). The groups, all of which are chapters of national organizations, include fraternities Lambda Chi Alpha, Sigma Nu, Phi Kappa Tau and Tau Kappa Epsilon; and sororities Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Sigma Alpha and Delta Delta Delta. At one time, Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity and Alpha Xi Delta and Chi Omega sororities had chapters on campus but they are now defunct.

Coe has recently implemented a Greek Task Force focusing on revising the current Greek system. The Greek Task Force is composed of Greek Students, Greek Alumni, Coe Faculty and Administrators, and non-Greek students.

[edit] Writing Center

Coe's Writing Center is the largest undergraduate writing center in the nation^{[citation needed]}. There are about 65 students on staff for the 2006-2007 academic year. Its director is Dr. Robert L. Marrs, rhetoric professor.

[edit] Campus

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Coe campus has doubled in size in recent years with the addition of new apartment-style residential facilities. The campus features a newly renovated dining hall with multiple food stations, an expanded Stewart Memorial Library, a well-equipped science facility and a modern fine arts center. Coe's oldest building — Stuart Hall — was recently rejuvenated to create nearly 36,000 square feet (3,300 m²) of new and renovated classroom space, laboratories and faculty offices. The renovation has produced a traditional interior look combined with the latest technology and amenities to create an inviting and highly functional academic environment to serve Coe students.

[edit] Notable alumni

• Fran Allison - The "Fran" in the 1950s TV series Kukla, Fran and Ollie
• Michael Boddicker - Grammy winning musician^[1]
• Paul Engle - Founder of the Iowa Writer's Workshop and the International Writer's Workshop, both at the University of Iowa
• Bill Fitch - Head Coach of various NBA teams
• James William Good - US Congressman and Secretary of War
• Fred Hickman - ESPN sportscaster
• Fred Jackson - Running back, Buffalo Bills
• Jason Kottke - Blogger, Designer
• Marv Levy - Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee; former coach for the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. Former general manager for the Bills.
• Mitchell Balzer - COO, Co-Founder of Crescent Solutions, one of the fastest growing companies in the US according to Inc. Magazine. www.crescentsolutions.net
• Curt Menefee - Sportscaster, host of Fox NFL Sunday
• Edward A. Ross - Sociologist
• William Shirer - journalist, author
• Shelby Steele - author, sociologist, political commentator
• Nialle Sylvan - owner of Iowa City's Haunted Bookshop, novelist and essayist
• Chris Funk - guitarist and eclectic instrumentalist for The Decemberists

[edit] Sources

[edit] References

This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of the article are generally not sufficient for a Wikipedia article. Please include more appropriate citations from reliable sources, or discuss the issue on the talk page. This article has been tagged since September 2007.

[edit] External links

• Official site
• Unofficial alumni network

Coordinates: 41°59′16.11″N, 91°39′27.70″W