Coordinates:
40°00′35.00″N, 75°18′25.98″W
Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college
located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, a
suburb of Philadelphia.
The college was founded in 1833 by area members of the Orthodox Philadelphia
Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) to
ensure an education grounded in Quaker values for their young men. It is the oldest college or university in the United States
with Quaker origins. Although the college no longer has a formal religious affiliation, the Quaker philosophy still influences
campus life. Originally an all-male institution, Haverford began admitting female transfer students in the 1970s, and became
fully co-ed in 1980 when the board of managers came to consensus on a proposal initiated by former president John R. Coleman. The reason for the delay was
not because of a lack of interest in coeducation in prior years, but rather a concern for how such a change would impact
Haverford's relationship with neighboring, all-female Bryn Mawr College. As of 2007,
more than half of Haverford’s students are women. All students at the college are undergraduates, and most live on campus. The enrollment is 1,168 students, as of 2007.
Haverford has been described as “quietly prestigious”, [2] and has been classified as “more selective” by the Carnegie Foundation Classification for Institutions of Higher
Education.[3] It placed ninth in the
U.S. News and World Report rankings of U.S. liberal arts colleges in
both 2006 and 2007, and tenth in 2008.
Haverford is a member of the Tri-College Consortium, which allows students to
register for courses at both Bryn Mawr College and Swarthmore College. Haverford enjoys an especially close and storied relationship, familiarly
referred to by students and professors as “Bi-Co” with sister school, Bryn Mawr. It is also a member of the Quaker Consortium which allows students to cross-register at the College of General Studies (CGS) at
the University of Pennsylvania. Haverford also has a 3-2 engineering program
with Caltech which allows a dual degree from Haverford and
Caltech.
Honor Code
In 1896, the students and faculty of Haverford voted to adopt an Honor Code to govern
academic affairs. Since then, every student has been allowed to schedule his or her own final exams. Take-home examinations are
also common at Haverford. These exams may include strict instructions such as time limits, prohibitions on using assigned texts
or personal notes, and calculator usage. All students are bound to follow these
instructions by the Code.
Originally conceived as a code of academic honesty, the Honor Code had expanded by the 1980s to govern social interactions.
The code does not list specific rules of behavior, but rather outlines a philosophy of trust, concern, and respect for others
that students are expected to follow. When a student (or other community member) feels that another student has broken the Code,
he or she is encouraged not to look the other way but rather to confront the possible offender and engage in a dialogue with him
or her, before taking matters to an Honor Council which can help mediate the dispute. Ideally, many potential violations are
worked out through dialogue (mediated or not) and common understanding.
Student government officers administer the Code, and all academic matters are heard by student juries. More severe matters are
addressed by administrators. Abstracts from cases heard by students and joint administrative-student panels are distributed to
all students by several means, including as print-outs in mailboxes. The trial abstracts are made anonymous by the use of
pseudonyms, which are often characters from entertainment or history.
The student body convenes every semester in a plenary session. At these meetings, the Honor
Code or Student Constitution can be amended, and at Spring Plenary it must be re-ratified by the entire student body.
The Honor Code is touted by the Office of Admissions, and every student is required to sign a pledge agreeing to the Code
prior to matriculation. Unlike Honor Codes at institutions such as the University of
Virginia and Brigham Young University, which are imposed on the students
by the administration, the Haverford Honor Code is entirely student-run. The Code originated by a body of students who felt it
necessary, and current Haverford students administer and amend it every year.
Academics
Haverford offers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor
of Science degrees. Students may choose among 31 majors in the natural sciences, social sciences and the humanities. While
nearly all of the departments are strong, and are complemented and enhanced by the offerings of neighboring Bryn Mawr College,
Haverford’s natural sciences are particularly noteworthy. In the 1950s, Haverford was the first institution in America to teach
modern laboratory biology (molecular biology) to undergraduates. In addition, the only National Academy of Sciences member to
teach at a liberal arts college is Professor Jerry Gollub in the Department of Physics.
In addition to majors and minors, Haverford offers concentrations: Africana studies, biochemistry, biophysics, computer
science, East Asian studies, education, feminist and gender studies, health and society, Latin American and Iberian studies,
mathematical economics, neural and behavioral sciences, and peace studies.
Students may pursue pre-medical, pre-law or pre-business intentions through any major; special advising is offered in these
areas.
Most majors require thesis work of seniors, and students often incorporate their concentrations into the thesis work within
their major.
An additional option is the "3/2 liberal arts and engineering" course of study.[4] This allows students to take three years of liberal arts and science courses at Haverford and then
two years of engineering courses at the California Institute of
Technology.
Campus
The campus is a national arboretum. Its 216 acres contain a nature trail, a
pinetum with 300 different conifers, a duck pond, historic trees of diverse species,
sculpture, as well as flower and Asian gardens.[5] The
buildings on campus are mostly stone and reflect Quaker and colonial design principles. Recent renovations and additions within
the last 5 years include a center for science (The Integrated Natural Science Center, or INSC) and a new athletics center (The
Douglas B. Gardner '83 Integrated Athletic Center). Planned additions in the future include renovations for a larger humanities
center, new performing arts space, a student center and a new dorm to decompress current housing.
Much of the student body (97%) lives on campus, where housing options include apartments, themed houses, and traditional
dormitories. Various options for housing exist, including suites of singles, doubles, and triples. Housing policy is very liberal
and many non-freshman suites are co-ed. In 2000, at the urging of Haverford’s inQUEERy[6], co-ed roommate options were permitted for the first time.
Approximately 75% of faculty live on campus [7], which
is unusually high for liberal arts colleges.
Local attractions within walking distance include Wawa and IHOP. Merion Golf Club and Suburban Square are also located
within walking distance.
Haverford is located on the Main Line about 10 miles west of Philadelphia. The school is connected to center city Philadelphia by the SEPTA R5 commuter rail system and Norristown High Speed Line.
Student life
Activities available at Haverford range from the usual small college options of a cappella
singing group performances, alternative concerts, student film screenings, and improv
comedy, to smaller adventures, such as tag or sardines in the sciences center.
Free music events are often presented in the basement of Lunt (a student dorm), adjacent to the always-popular Lunt Café.
Professional funk, rock, blues, and jazz bands are brought in by the Federation of United Concert Series, a student organization. Student musicians have created a
vibrant musical community on campus, forming a number of bands with eclectic styles. Haverford boasts practice facilities, a
recording studio, and a record label, Black
Squirrel Records, which releases compilation albums that feature Haverford student bands. Students also run their own radio
station, WHRC Radio, which broadcasts
streaming audio.
Student publications include the Bi-College News,
a newspaper in collaboration with students at Bryn Mawr College that serves both
campuses; The Haverford Review, a student
literary magazine; Without a (Noun), the Haverford satire/humor magazine; the Haverford Journal,
an academic journal; and The Record,
the student yearbook.
Many students are involved in volunteering, either on their own or through Haverford's volunteer coordination organization,
Eighth Dimension. Volunteer opportunities are especially plentiful due to Haverford's proximity to Philadelphia. Activism is also
a part of student life, and groups such as the Sexuality and Gender Alliance (SAGA), Students Toward a New Democracy (STAND),
Amnesty International, College Republicans, and College
Democrats have a presence on campus. The student body is overwhelmingly politically liberal, but is not without its vocal
conservative elements. High value is placed in listening to many sides without disrespect or vitriol, in spirit with the Honor
Code.
The college has regular college-sponsored events, such as a "Screw-Your-Roommate" Dance, where roommates set each other up on
blind dates. [1] Haverford has
no fraternities or sororities, but Drinker House is considered to be the closest
resemblance to one on campus.
In 2002, a group of students founded a computing club called FIG (a recursive
acronym for FIG Is Good). Services provided by FIG include the college's student portal, Go!, server space for students, and an online discussion forum called the Go! Boards. Amid controversy, the boards have become a
major venue for discussion on campus as well as providing a popular method of procrastination.
Of the nation's 357 "best" colleges, the Princeton Review ranks Haverford as #6 for Best Overall Undergraduate Experience. In
addition, Haverford, unlike many of its peers, is located within easy travel of a large metropolitan center and the opportunities
that Philadelphia offers.
Princeton Review placed Haverford on several other lists for the 2007 year. On
the list for "Best Overall Academic Experience for Undergraduates," Haverford ranks #8; "School Runs Like Butter," #17, "The
Toughest to Get Into," #20, "Best Quality Of Life," #14, "Happiest Students," #16. [8]
Athletics
Haverford College competes at the NCAA Division III level in the Centennial Conference.
The men's and women's track and field and cross country teams are perennial powerhouses in their division. Both the men's cross country and
outdoor track and field teams have won the last 14 Centennial Conference championships. The women's team has captured the last
three Conference titles. In 1997, Karl Paranya '97 became the first (and only) Division III
athlete to run a four-minute mile, clocking 3:57.6. The history of Haverford track also includes
former team captain Philip Noel-Baker '08, who later captained Great
Britain's "Chariots of Fire" Olympic team upon which the movie is based.
The men's soccer team, the nation's oldest, won the first intercollegiate soccer
match in 1905, beating Harvard College. It is also of interest to note that Harvard's
team was founded by Haverford alumni in graduate school.
Haverford boasts the only varsity cricket team in the United States, and ESPN Magazine has
called Haverford "the epicenter of Philadelphia's cricket craze".[9] The team, which was started in 1833, is generally accepted as the first cricket club exclusively for
Americans.[10]
Haverford has a strong rivalry with the University of Pennsylvania's club
team. The first match in this series was played in 1864 and is believed to be the 3rd oldest intercollegiate game in America
after the 1852 Harvard-Yale crew and 1859 Amherst-Williams baseball contests.
The first intercollegiate basketball game played east of the Mississippi River occurred in Ryan Gym in 1895 between Haverford
and Temple University.
The fencing team has competed since the early 1930s and is a member of both the Middle
Atlantic Collegiate Fencing Association (MACFA) and the National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association (NIWFA). Recently
retired coach, David Littell, fenced in the 1988 olympics in Seoul, South Korea. In 2007, the
Haverford Fencing team fenced an undefeated MACFA season (a school record) and won its third championship. Other championships
were won in 1983 and 2004. The current Haverford Coach is Chris Spencer, formally head coach of Mount Holyoke College.
Notable people
-
Haverford is a smaller college and has a smaller alumni population than its peers. Because expansion occurred in the 1980s,
most of Haverford's alumni are still quite young. Despite this, as of 2005, Haverford alumni boast 4 Nobel Prizes, 19 Rhodes Scholarships, 10 Marshall Scholarships, 9 Henry Luce Fellowships, 48
Watson Fellowships, 1 George Mitchell
Fellowship, 2 Carnegie Endowment Junior Fellowships, 13 All
Americans, and 17 NCAA Post-graduate winners. Since
March 1961, over 138 Haverford alumni have served in 64 developing countries as
Peace Corps Volunteers.
References
External links
Further reading
- Haverford College Alumni
Association. A History of Haverford College For the First Sixty Years of Its Existence. Philadelphia, Pa: Porter &
Coates, 1892.
- Jones, Rufus Matthew.
Haverford College: A History and Interpretation. New York: Macmillan, 1933.
- Kannerstein, Gregory, ed.
The Spirit and the Intellect: Haverford College 1883-1983. Haverford, Pa.: Haverford College, 1983.
- Langlieb, David M. Haverford College Off the Record. Pittsburgh, Pa: College Prowler, 2005.
- Sharpless, Isaac. The Story
of a Small College. Philadelphia, Pa: The John C. Winston Company, 1918.
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