University of Bridgeport

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University of Bridgeport
Established: 1927
Type: Private
President: Neil Albert Salonen
Faculty: 200
Undergraduates: 1,791
Postgraduates: 2,961
Location: Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA
Campus: Urban 50 acres
Athletics: 11 varsity sports teams
7 women's; 4 men's
Mascot: Purple Knight
Website: www.bridgeport.edu

University of Bridgeport is a private, non-sectarian university in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. Its campus is located in South Bridgeport on Long Island Sound. The University offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs. The University has one of the six accredited naturopathic medical schools. The University of Bridgeport has one of the most diverse student bodies of any university in the United States: 16% of its undergraduate students come from overseas.[1]

In 1992 the University of Bridgeport was financially bailed out by an organization founded by Sun Myung Moon in exchange for control of the board of directors.[2]

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Junior college to full university

The Junior College of Connecticut was founded in 1927. Founding President Everett Cortright saw the institution as a place that would afford expanded learning opportunities for local Connecticut youth. It was the first junior college chartered in the Northeastern United States. A major influence on Bridgeport and on the University's early development was made by P. T. Barnum.[3]

The college was named the University of Bridgeport in 1947 by an act of the Connecticut Legislature. The University began awarding master's degrees in 1951. Under the leadership of President James Halsey, the University began to expand its influence internationally and was one of the early American universities to attract a significant contingency of international students. Its first doctoral degree program, Educational Leadership, was added in 1979. In 1991, the College of Chiropractic was established, the first chiropractic school in the United States affiliated with a university.

[edit] Expansion and decline

The University experienced some of its most rapid growth in the 1960s and 1970s during a time when it drew veterans and boomers seeking higher education. At one point the university had an enrollment of over 9000 students.[4] In the 1980s the University experienced a decline in student enrollment as the number of veterans and boomers waned, and the university's attempted firing of 50 tenured faculty and plan for a 30% wage cutback for the others[5] led in 1991-92 to the university enduring the longest faculty strike in the history of American higher education and incurring significant debt.

[edit] PWPA and the Unification Church

When the University was faced with these severe financial problems, its Board of Trustees opted to accept support from the Professors World Peace Academy (PWPA), an intercultural organization of scholars founded by Sun Myung Moon that receives funds from the Unification Church. The University received more than $110 million in support from the organization in a 1992 agreement that put a 60% majority of PWPA members on the board.[6] Dr. Edwin G. Eigel, Jr. (1932-2008) was allowed to continue as president, and served until 1995. He was succeed by holocaust theologian and former PWPA president Dr. Richard Rubenstein who served from 1995-1999.[7] Neil Albert Salonen is the University's current president; he served as President of the Unification Church of America from 1973 to 1980, and as Chairman of the International Cultural Foundation prior to assuming the Presidency.[8] In June 2003 PWPA subsidies came to an end, the University's finances no longer requiring subsidy support.[9]

[edit] Growth of degree programs

Its first doctoral degree program, Educational Leadership, was added in 1979. In 1991, the College of Chiropractic was established, the first chiropractic school in the United States affiliated with a university. In 1996, the College of Naturopathic Medicine was established, and in 2006 a Ph.D. degree program in Computer Science and Engineering was added.

[edit] Developments in the student profile

University of Bridgeport enrollment has grown from 1,383 students in 1992 to more than 4,700 in Fall 2007. The profile of the students has changed over the last several years because of sharpened recruitment strategies. The school reduced the amount of scholarships for international undergraduate students and focused on admitting domestic students, especially those interested in career-oriented and yet global educations.

[edit] Safety issues

The University received the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Award for maintaining a consistently safe campus. At orientation, all incoming students are given a "personal alarm locator" that alerts campus public saftey should students press a "panic button."

The University also has a record high rate of 'off-campus crime' perpetrated on its students. The security lapse around the university has allowed a number of gun shooting and mugging incidents, especially on the international student community. In spite of the high police alert, incidents like robberies and muggings are common around the campus. This has drastically affected the number of international student applications to the university.

While some critics blame the Campus Security for these incidents, others admit that it is the place, people, and their lack of proper education along with high crime rate and drug addiction responsible for these incidents.[10]

[edit] Degree programs

[edit] The School of Arts and Sciences

  • Biology (B.A., B.S.) With concentrations in:

Chemistry , General Biology, Marine Biology, Pre-Chiropractic Studies, Pre-Dental Studies, Pre-Medical Studies, Pre-Naturopathic Studies, Pre-Veterinary Studies, Zoology.

  • General Studies (B.S.) With concentrations in:

Business Studies, Humanities, Internet Applications, Natural Sciences/Mathematics, Science, Engineering, and Computer-Related Fields, Social Sciences.

  • Graphic Design (B.F.A.)
  • Industrial Design (B.S.) "Winning Top industrial Design awards for the past Decade" starting with Manuel Saez, Cristian Suarez among others.
  • Interior Design (B.S.)
  • Literature and Civilization (B.A.) With concentrations in:

Creative Writing, English, History, Interdisciplinary Studies, Philosophy, Psychology.

  • Mathematics (B.A., B.S.) With concentrations in:

Actuarial Mathematics, Computer Science, Natural Sciences.

  • Music Arts (B.Mus.) With concentrations in:

Jazz Studies, Music Business, Music Education, Music Performance.

[edit] The International College

  • International Political Economy & Diplomacy (B.A.) With concentrations in:

International Relations, International Studies.

  • Mass Communications (B.A.) With concentrations in:

Advertising, Communication Studies, International Communication, Journalism, Public Relations.

  • World Religions (B.A.) With concentrations in:

Conflict Analysis and Mediation, World Religions and Culture, World Religions and Service.

  • Martial Arts Studies (B.A.) With concentrations in:

Criminal Justice, Health Science, Business Track, Mass Communication, Asia Pacific Studies.

  • Social Science (B.A.) With concentrations in:

Political Science, Criminal Justice, Economics, Sociology.

  • Global Peace and Development (M.A.) With concentrations in:

Political Economy and Development, Culture and Conflict Resolution, Global Management.

[edit] English Language Institute

[edit] The School of Business

  • Accounting (B.S.)
  • Business Administration (A.A., B.S.)
  • Computer Applications and Information Systems (B.S.)
  • Fashion Merchandising (A.A., B.S.)
  • Finance (B.S.)
  • International Business (B.S.)
  • Management and Industrial Relations (B.S.)
  • Marketing (B.S.)
  • Business Administration (M.B.A.) With Concentrations in:

Accounting, Bio-Tech Management,Computer Applications and Information Systems (CAIS),Corporate, Government and Information Security, e-Commerce, Entrepreneurship, Environmental and Energy Management, Fashion Merchandising, Finance, Foundations of Doing Business in China, Foundations of Doing Business in India, Global Management, Global Marketing, Global Program and Project Development, Healthcare Management and Administration, Human Resources Management, Information Technology Management, Intellectual Property Management, Management and Operations, Manufacturing Management, New Product Development and Management, Service Management and Engineering, Strategic Sourcing/Outsourcing, Supply Chain Management.

[edit] The School of Education and Human Resources

  • Psychology (B.S.)
  • Human Services (B.S.)
  • Counseling (M.S.) With concentrations in

Community Counseling, Human Resource Development, College Student Personnel, Human Services.

  • Education (M.S.) With concentrations in

Elementary (Grades K-6), Middle Grades with subject specializations in:

       TESOL (four-summer courses, mainly for Taiwanese.)

Biology, Business, Chemistry, Earth Science, English, General Science, Mathematics, History & Social Studies, Physics, Remedial Reading/Language Arts, Music. Secondary with subject specializations in: Biology, Business, Chemistry, Earth Science, English, General Science, Mathematics, History & Social Studies, Physics, Remedial Reading/Language Arts, Music.

  • Master of Science in Instructional Technology (iMSIT)
  • Sixth Year Degree/Diploma/Certificate With concentrations in

Remedial Reading & Remedial Language Arts (Certificate Program), Reading & Language Arts Consultant (Certification Program), Instructional Technology, Elementary Education (Degree Program), Secondary Education (Degree Program), Intermediate Administrator or Supervisor (Diploma/Certification Program).

  • Educational Leadership (Ed.D.)

[edit] The School of Engineering

  • Computer Engineering (B.S.)
  • Computer Science (B.S.)
  • Computer Engineering (M.S.) With Concentrations in:Advanced Applications and Systems Programming, Bio-Medical Engineering, CAD/CAM, Computer and Information Security, Computer Communications and Networking, e-Commerce, Microelectronics and Computer Architecture, Modern Data Base Systems, Robotics and Automation, Signal and Image Processing, Software Engineering, Very Large Scale Integration (VSLI), Wireless and Mobile Communications.
  • Computer Science (M.S.) With Concentrations in: Advanced Applications and Systems Programming, Bio-Medical Engineering, CAD/CAM, Computer and Information Security, Computer Communications and Networking, e-Commerce, Microelectronics and Computer Architecture, Modern Data Base Systems, Robotics and Automation, Signal and Image Processing, Software Engineering, Very Large Scale Integration (VSLI), Wireless and Mobile Communications.
  • Electrical and Electronics Engineering (M.S.) With Concentrations in: Bio-Medical Engineering, Computer Communications and Networking, Environmental and Energy Management, Microelectronics and Computer Architecture, Modern Data Base Systems, Robotics and Automation, Security (IT Security, Biometrics, etc.), Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI), Wireless and Mobile Communications.
  • Mechanical Engineering (M.S.) With Concentrations in: CAD/CAM, Intellectual Property Management, Manufacturing Management, Supply Chain Management, Robotics and Automation.
  • Technology Management (M.S.) With Concentrations in:Accounting, Automation and Robotics, Bio-Tech Management, CAD/CAM, China/India Trade, Computer Communications and Networking Corporate, Government and Information Security & Continuity Management, Environmental and Energy Management, Finance, Global Business, Global Marketing, Global Program and Project Management.
  • Computer Science and Engineering (Ph.D.) Research Areas Available: Computer architecture and VLSI and FPGA; Design, modeling and simulation of embedded and integrated systems; Electromechanical systems prototyping and optimization; Robotics, automation, machine perception and sensing; Software engineering, Web development and computational sciences; Systems and computer security and biometrics; Wireless and mobile computing and networking.

[edit] The Fones School of Dental Hygiene

[edit] Acupuncture Institute

  • Acupuncture (M.S.)

[edit] Nutrition Institute

  • Human Nutrition (M.S.)

[edit] College of Chiropractic

  • Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.)

[edit] College of Naturopathic Medicine

  • Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (N.D.)

[edit] References

  1. ^ US News and World Report, 2007.
  2. ^ Bridgeport U. Closes Deal to Cede Control, The New York Times New York and Region, May 30, 1992.
  3. ^ "Inside the Early University of Bridgeport Community" on the University of Bridgeport web site.
  4. ^ Schaffer, Robert. Illustrated History of Bridgeport. NY: Wislow Publishing, 1992, p. 52.
  5. ^ Davey, Robert. “Moon Over Bridgeport.” Connecticut Magazine (July, 1994), p. 69.
  6. ^ Bridgeport U. Closes Deal to Cede Control, The New York Times New York and Region, May 30, 1992.
  7. ^ Richard Rubenstein: A Brief Biographical Note
  8. ^ Featuring Neil Albert Salonen in The American Chiropractor, July 30, 2005.
  9. ^ As a non-stock, non-profit Connecticut corporation, the University is under the jurisdiction of the State Department of Higher Education and various accrediting agencies, including the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Its mission statement reads as follows: "The University of Bridgeport offers career-oriented undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees and programs for people seeking personal and professional growth. The University promotes academic excellence, personal responsibility, and commitment to service. Distinctive curricula in an international, culturally diverse supportive learning environment prepare graduates for life and leadership in an increasingly interconnected world. The University is independent and non-sectarian."
  10. ^ CT Post. Bridgeport gangs: deadly or troublesome?

[edit] External links

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