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Historically Speaking

History

Carleton College was founded by the Minnesota Conference of Congregational Churches, under the name of Northfield College, on November 14, 1866. Preparatory school classes began in September 1867, but it was not until 1870 that the Reverend James W. Strong took office as the first president, the first college class was formed, and the first on-campus building was begun. It was agreed at the outset that after one year formal church control should end, but throughout its formative years, the College received significant support and direction from the Congregational churches. Although it is now autonomous and non-sectarian, the College respects these historical ties and gives continuing recognition to them through membership in the Council for Higher Education of the United Church of Christ.

By the fall of 1871, the name of the College had been changed to honor an early benefactor, William Carleton of Charlestown, Massachusetts, who earlier that year had bestowed a gift of $50,000 on the struggling young college. At the time, it was the largest single contribution ever made to a western college, and it was made unconditionally, with no design that the name of the College should be changed. The College currently has an endowment of $530 million and assets valued at $720 million.

Carleton has always been a coeducational institution. The original graduating class in 1874 was composed of one man and one woman who followed similar academic programs. Carleton's current on-campus enrollment of 1,800 continues to include nearly equal numbers of men and women.

The Purpose of the College

Carleton College strives to provide a liberal education of the highest quality. The goal of such an education is to liberate individuals from the constraints imposed by ignorance or complacency and prepare them broadly to lead rewarding, creative, and useful lives.

At its simplest, a liberal education teaches the basic skills upon which higher achievements rest: to read perceptively, to write and speak clearly, and to think analytically. Carleton draws upon these skills to foster a critical appreciation of our intellectual, aesthetic, and moral heritage and to encourage original thought. A Carleton student not only masters certain information and techniques, but also acquires a sense of curiosity and intellectual adventure, an awareness of method and purpose in a variety of fields, and an affinity for quality and integrity wherever they may be found. Nurtured by dedicated teachers in an environment that rewards growth and questioning, these values prepare students, as former Carleton trustee Martin Trow has written, to "accomplish large and important things in the world, make important discoveries, lead great institutions, influence their nation's laws and government, and add substantially to knowledge." But above all, they prepare one to lead a fully realized life in a diverse and changing world.

To this end, Carleton's curriculum balances a traditional emphasis upon classic fields of study, or disciplines, with a complementary offering of distribution courses, electives, and interdisciplinary programs. The disciplines provide rigor and depth of training, an opportunity to test oneself against a body of knowledge and a repertory of skills that educated women and men have built, over time, into major structures of intellectual inquiry. Interdisciplinary programs not only encourage the application of these skills to questions too complex and subtle to be approached through any one discipline, but also reflect the open textured, dynamic character of the disciplines themselves.

In addition, the College requires that all students, to prepare themselves for lifelong growth and continuing education, must distribute their courses among four divisions of knowledge, take at least one course centrally concerned with the recognition and affirmation of difference, and demonstrate proficiency in English composition and in a second language. For those seeking a still more varied experience, it offers a wide range of opportunities for off-campus study, many of these in foreign countries. Faculty and students alike participate actively in the creative and performing arts and athletics, both of which are integral parts of a Carleton education.

Education, although a profoundly individual experience, prepares one to live fruitfully in society and contribute to its work. The liberal arts at Carleton aim to liberate as fully as possible the whole potential of each student and open the way toward a generous and interesting life.

Accreditation and Affiliations

Accredited by several associations, including the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (since 1913), Carleton offers the Bachelor of Arts degree. Among the academic honor societies with chapters on the campus are Phi Beta Kappa and Mortar Board, scholastic honor societies and Sigma Xi, science honor society.

Carleton is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM).

College Governance

While the Board of Trustees is ultimately responsible for the existence and welfare of the College, most major decisions about policies affecting the nature and operation of the College are made by governance bodies composed of students, faculty, staff, and senior administrative officers. The campus governance system falls naturally into two divisions: educational policy, which is the province of the faculty, and policies concerning the life of the campus at large, which is under the care of an elected College Council. The faculty has the assistance in the making of educational policy of a student-faculty committee, known as the Education and Curriculum Committee (ECC), under the leadership of the Dean of the College. Five faculty and five students join with the Dean and one Associate Dean to make up the ECC. The College Council is chaired by the President of the College, and composed of five faculty, five students, and five staff (three of them senior administrative officers). The Council functions through subcommittees called into being to deal with particular policy issues. The Budget Committee is a permanent subcommittee of the Council and is composed partly of Council members and partly of other students, faculty, and staff elected or selected to that particular service. The implementation of policies regarding student life on campus is the responsibility of the Dean of Students and his or her staff. The Committee on Student Life (CSL), made up of seven students, one faculty member, and two student life staff, advises the Dean of Students in such matters. Many other standing committees exist, with varying memberships, to make policy recommendations and to help administer various areas of the campus.

Carleton Student Association

Every student is a member of the Carleton Student Association (CSA). Three officers and 18 senators are elected annually to serve as the Senate, CSA's legislative body. The Senate's duties include: the election of student members; creation of ad-hoc subcommittees; the management of the student activities budget; and the appointment of student representatives to standing committees. CSA also works with the Dean of Students Office to address issues of concern to students.

The College: A Statistical Look

Carleton College is a co-educational, residential liberal arts college of modest size with a diverse student body and a distinguished faculty.

Carleton enrolls a significant number of National Merit Scholars, 89 in the class that enrolled in 2005, or about 16 percent of the first-year class. This places Carleton as the top liberal arts school in the country enrolling a high proportion of first-year students as National Merit Scholars.

In terms of educational outcomes, 17 percent of Carleton alumni earned advanced degrees in medicine or law, about 36 percent are employed in business, industry and finance, and 21 percent work in education. According to the most recent survey of business executives by Standard and Poors-McGraw-Hill Financial Services Corp., Carleton is among the top 25 liberal arts colleges in the numbers of graduates who become business executives (president, vice president, chairman, treasurer, senior vice president or corporation secretary). Carleton is second among all liberal arts colleges in graduates who earned PhD's in all fields between 1991 and 2000, the most recent figures analyzed. For the same period, the College is first among liberal arts colleges in graduates who earned PhD's in sciences and mathematics, first in physics and astronomy, first in the numbers of chemistry PhD's, first in PhD's in the geological sciences, fourth in PhD's in the biological sciences, and sixth in mathematics and statistics. Carleton is first among liberal arts colleges in the number of students who have been awarded National Science Foundation fellowships for further study during the past five years.

In 2005–2006, 50 percent of Carleton's 1,936 students came from the Midwest, 17 percent from the West, 19 percent from the East, 7 percent from the South and 7 percent from outside the United States. Approximately 21 percent are African American, Asian/Pacific Islanders, Hispanic, or Native American. 59 percent of Carleton students receive institutional scholarship or grant assistance based on need. In addition, 83 percent of all students have campus jobs, including those not receiving need-based aid. Carleton has 198 full-time faculty and 18 part-time faculty. The student/faculty ratio is 9:1. The average class size is 17; 39 percent of the classes have 13 or fewer students. Each year, students can choose from 1000 courses in 33 majors and several interdisciplinary programs. Approximately 376 Carleton students participate every year in off-campus study programs in 45 countries. 69 percent or 70 percent of students in the most recent graduating class participated in off-campus study for Carleton credit at least once during their undergraduate years.

In accordance with the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, the six-year graduation rate for the class that entered in fall, 1998 is 86.6 percent. Questions related to this report should be directed to Carleton’s Office of Institutional Research at 507-646-4284.

The Campus

What now constitutes 1040 acres of campus, arboretum, and athletic fields started with two ten-acre tracts deeded to the infant college in 1867 by Charles M. Goodsell, a miller, and Charles A. Wheaton, Northfield editor.

Even before a class was held, the trustees authorized the executive committee "to enclose the grounds and improve the same by cultivation and planting trees." This concern for the students' environment is still an important aspect of the Carleton experience.

As of today, Willis Hall has been joined by 44 others on campus, including 12 academic facilities, nine on-campus residence halls, nine student apartment houses, four recreation and athletic facilities, a library, a chapel, an observatory and a campus center. The College also offers 26 off-campus student houses, including 13 cultural or language shared interest houses.

Architectural Heritage

The history of Willis Hall, the oldest building on campus, is typical of many of Carleton's older facilities. While remaining true to their architectural heritage, they have served a variety of needs over the years, evolving -- with the aid of judicious renovations -- to meet the needs of an ever-changing institution.

Willis, for example, started out as an all-purpose building: it contained a men's dormitory, classrooms, offices, and a small chapel. Later, a bookstore and a post office were added. Still later, the building was transformed into a student union. In 1976, it was remodeled again, reverting to an academic building.

The following chronological listing of Carleton's buildings indicates their present function. For information on the history of each, consult Carleton: The First Century by Leal Headley and Merrill Jarchow.

Willis Hall 1872 -- economics, educational studies, political science offices, Learning and Teaching Center, classrooms, a seminar room; Goodsell Observatory 1887 -- archaeology laboratory, astronomy, 16-inch visual refractor telescope, 8-inch photographic refractor telescope, astronomy laboratory, environmental and technology studies, linguistics, other faculty offices; Scoville Hall 1896 -- Media Services; Women's Center, Multicultural Affairs Office, Student Support Services, The Write Place and classrooms.

Laird Hall 1905 -- English offices, classrooms, President and Deans' Offices, Registrar's Office, and administrative offices.

Sayles-Hill Campus Center 1910 -- student social, organizational and activity spaces, student post office, snack bar, bookstore, administrative offices, classrooms; renovated in 1979, addition completed in 1988. The Music Hall 1914 -- classrooms, practice rooms, music offices; Skinner Memorial Chapel 1916 -- chapel and offices; Burton Hall 1916 -- residence hall and dining hall; Nourse Hall 1917 -- residence hall, and Nourse Theater.

Leighton Hall 1921 -- religion, history, philosophy, sociology and anthropology offices, classrooms, administrative offices; Davis Hall 1923 -- residence hall, Wellness Center; Evans Hall 1927 -- residence hall; Severance Hall 1927 -- residence hall, Dean of Students Office, Residential Life Office; Laird Stadium 1927 -- locker rooms, weight training area, football game field, eight-lane, 400-meter, all-weather track, and student housing.

Boliou Memorial Art Hall 1949 -- gallery, studios, classrooms, and art and art history department offices, expansion and remodeling completed in 1995.

Laurence McKinley Gould Library 1956 -- 1,036,328 volumes, 1650 journals currently received, access to over 14,000 full-text electronic journals, over 5000 electronic books, over 200 electronic databases, 450 study spaces, 52 public access computers, computer lab, 19 group study rooms, classrooms, and staff offices. A $7.5 million expansion project, completed in 1984, doubled the size of the Library. In 1996 it was renamed the Laurence McKinley Gould Library; Musser Hall 1958 -- residence hall; Myers Hall 1958 -- residence hall.

Olin Hall of Science 1961 -- physics, psychology offices, classrooms, auditorium, and laboratories, renovations completed in 1997; Goodhue Hall 1962 -- residence hall; The West Gymnasium 1964 -- basketball courts, swimming pool, locker rooms and offices of Physical Education, Athletics and Recreation department; Cowling Recreation Center 1965 -- gymnasium, pool, dance studio and offices; Watson Hall 1967 -- residence hall.

The Music and Drama Center 1971 -- concert hall seating 500 and theater seating 460 joined by gallery, ensemble rooms, practice rooms, and dressing rooms. Mudd Hall of Science 1975 -- geology and chemistry offices, laboratories and classrooms; renovations completed in 1997.

Johnson House and Alumni Guest House 1992 -- linked structures, Johnson House contains offices and support space for Admissions, and the Alumni Guest House has guest quarters, a faculty and staff lounge and a meeting room. Center for Mathematics and Computing 1993 -- mathematics and computer science department offices, the Math Skills Center and library, Institutional Technology Services, including three computing laboratories, training room, administrative offices and classrooms. Hulings Hall 1995 -- biology department offices and portions of the psychology department, teaching and research laboratories, and greenhouse.

Recreation Center 2000 -- climbing wall, aerobic/dance studio, fitness center, racquetball courts, and field house with 200 meter indoor track, surrounding four infield courts for volleyball, tennis and basketball.

Language and Dining Center 2001 -- Asian languages, classical languages, German and Russian, romance languages and literatures and Cross-Cultural Studies Offices, The Language Center, classrooms, seminar rooms, 400-seat dining hall.

Student apartment houses 2001 -- nine two- and three-story houses (Brooks, Collier, Colwell, Dixon, Eugster, Hunt, Nason, Owens, and Scott) offer 23 apartments accommodating 100 students.

In order to develop facilities for Carleton College in an environmentally responsible manner, the facilities department follows the Minnesota Sustainable Design Guide in all building renovation and new construction.

The College owns a 1.65 megawatt wind turbine expected to produce more than five million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, which is enough to power approximately 500 houses. Over the life of the turbine, about 100-120 million kilowatt hours of non-polluting energy will be produced. The College is committed to being a more environmentally sustainable campus and committed to using the natural energy flows of the region to contribute to the sustainability of the community.

Maintained by Ann May
Last modified: Monday, 20-Aug-2007 15:16:54 CDT
by Mark F. Heiman, mheiman@carleton.edu