Babson College is a private business school located in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
History
Babson College was founded by Roger Babson on September 3, 1919, as the Babson Institute. It was renamed "Babson College" in 1969. Believing experience to be the best teacher, Roger Babson favored a curriculum that was a combination of both class work and business training: businessmen made up the majority of the faculty instead of academics, and the institute's curriculum focused more on practical experience and less on lectures. Students worked on group projects and class presentations, observed manufacturing processes during field trips to area factories and businesses, met with managers and executives, and viewed industrial films on Saturday mornings.[1]
Campus
The campus is 350 acres (1.4 km2) in the "Babson Park" section of Wellesley, Massachusetts.[2]
The 25-ton, 28-foot diameter Babson Globe is a notable campus landmark. Built in 1955 by Roger Babson at a cost of $200,000, it originally rotated both on its axis and its base, demonstrating both day and night and the progression of the seasons. It was allowed to deteriorate; the facing tiles fell off in 1984, and by 1988 it had the appearance of a rusty sphere. The Babson administration announced that it would be destroyed, but outraged students, faculty and alumni began a drive to raise money for its restoration. In 1994 the globe itself was refurbished, though it no longer rotates. It was for many years the largest rotating globe in the world and remains one of the largest ever built. (For the largest, see Eartha.)[3][4]
Academics
Babson offers all undergraduates a bachelor of science degree in business administration while the F. W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College offers MBA degrees. Programs are accredited by Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)[5] and the college itself has been regionally accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) since 1950.[6]
Student life
In 2008, there were a total of 3,439 students attending Babson, 1,851 of whom were undergraduates.[7] Student publications include a literary magazine[8] and there are several fraternities and sororities on campus: Alpha Epsilon Pi, Chi Omega, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Sigma Kappa, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Tau Kappa Epsilon, and Theta Chi. Babson College Radio was started in 2001.[9] Housing includes the E-Tower, an alternative housing option for entrepreneur students.[10] Other housing options include the I-Tower[11], the Healthy-Living Tower, the Liberal Arts Tower, and the Green Tower.
Babson's athletic nickname is the "Beavers" and its colors are green and white. Babson has twenty-two varsity sports teams, the majority of which compete in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) as NCAA Division III.[12] In addition, the men's and women's alpine ski teams compete in the Eastern Collegiate Ski Conference (ECSC), the men's ice hockey team competes in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), and the men's lacrosse team competes in the Pilgrim League. The only team that does not compete in a specific conference is the golf program, which competed in the NEWMAC until 2005, when the conference ceased sponsorship of the sport due to lack of participating teams.[citation needed]
Notable alumni
Notes and references
External links
