| Wentworth Institute of Technology | |
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| Motto | Honesty, Energy, Economy, System[1] |
| Established | 1904[2] |
| Type | Private |
| Endowment | $91 Million |
| President | Zorica Pantic |
| Faculty | 134[3] |
| Undergraduates | 3,636 (3,412 full-time)[3] |
| Location | Boston, Mass., USA |
| Campus | Urban, 35 acres[3] |
| Athletics | Division III[4] 14 varsity teams[5] |
| Colors | Black, Gold, and Cardinal Red[4] |
| Mascot | Leopard[4] |
| Website | www.wit.edu |
The Wentworth Institute of Technology (WIT) is an independent, co-educational, technical design and engineering college located in Boston, Massachusetts. Wentworth was founded in 1904 and offers career-focused education through its fifteen bachelor's degree programs in areas such as architecture, computer science, design, engineering, engineering technology, and management.[2] Wentworth Institute of Technology is one of six institutions of higher learning known as The Colleges of the Fenway consortium.
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History
At his death in 1903, Boston businessman Arioch Wentworth left the bulk of his estate, estimated at $7 million in value, for the founding of an industrial school in that city.[6] Accordingly, a board of seven directors incorporated Wentworth Institute on April 5, 1904, as a school "to furnish education in the mechanical arts."[7] The directors spent several years investigating the educational needs of the community, nurtured the endowment -- only $3.5 million after they reached a settlement with Wentworth's daughter Susan, who had contested his will[8][9][10] -- established the campus location in Boston's Back Bay Fens, and hired educator Arthur L. Williston as principal.
September 25, 1911, Wentworth opened its doors as a technical school to 242 students. Quickly the school gained enrollment: by 1919 it had 1,800 students in day and evening programs and a faculty of 45 teachers.[11] During the next three decades Wentworth sculpted itself into one of the finest technical institutes in the country. In 1953 Wentworth named its first president, H. Russell Beatty. Wentworth became a degree-granting institution in 1957, awarding its first associate's degrees, and offered baccalaureate-level degrees starting in 1970. Wentworth changed from an all-commuter college to a residential campus in the 1960s with the addition of several residence halls. The addition of a satellite campus in Plainville, Massachusetts, allowed for a 155-acre (0.63 km2) laboratory; this land was sold in 1999 to developers.
In 1972 the Institute admitted its first women students, with an initial male-female ratio of 353 to 1. As of 2005, women represent 21% of the academic population. In 1975 cooperative education was introduced at Wentworth with 28 mechanical engineering technology students, class of 1977, testing the program for the Institute. Wentworth instructors unionized in 1973 to become part of AFT Local 2403; on October 28, 1977, the teachers of Wentworth went on strike. [1] Before 1977, the lower and upper divisions operated as two separate schools; in that year these two schools merged and Wentworth Institute of Technology was born. With admissions numbers getting higher, Wentworth expanded, acquiring the Ira Allen School building from the city of Boston in 1980 and the former Boston Trade High School in 1983.
Major renovation to the third floor of Annex Hall was done in 1989, spending a million dollars adding studios. Along with this renovation came NAAB accreditation (1991). In 1993, Wentworth introduced a pair of five-year engineering programs (as opposed to engineering technology) into the curriculum: electromechanical engineering and environmental science. In 2002, these programs received initial accreditation from the Engineering Accreditation Commission.
In 2001, Wentworth opened 610 Huntington Avenue, a 473-bed residence hall that officially ended Wentworth's run as predominantly a commuter school.
On June 8, 2005 Zorica Pantic was announced as Wentworth's fourth president. She formally took office August 1, 2005 to be the first female engineer to head an institute of technology. The Inaugural Ceremony was held on April 5, 2006.
Wentworth opened a new 360-bed residence hall at 555 Huntington Avenue in the fall of 2005. The new residence hall features apartment-style suite living.
In November 2009, Wentworth announced that it had become a master's degree-granting institution, with the creation and accreditation of its Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) program.[12]
Academics
Wentworth has seven academic departments: the Department of Applied Mathematics and Sciences; the Department of Architecture; the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environment; the Department of Computer Science and Systems; the Department of Design and Facilities; the Department of Electronics and Mechanical; and the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Management.[13] In total, Wentworth offers bachelor's degrees in fifteen design and engineering majors.[13] In addition, the Institute's co-op program starting in the junior year completes a learning model based on theory classes, practical laboratory and studio work and real work experience with the goal of assuring the student the knowledge and hands-on experience to enter the work force.
Wentworth is a technology-oriented college; all of the residence hall rooms and suites have hard-wired high speed internet access, and all incoming freshman receive a laptop as part of the institute's Laptop initiative which aims to provide all students with the right tools and skills to succeed in their learning experience. Depending on the student's major, a student will receive an appropriately equipped Apple Macbook Pro or a Lenovo Thinkpad to work in and out of class. The program, started in 2004, guarantees that all students have the adequate software for all courses and are capable of accomplishing all projects assigned.
Departments and Majors
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- Department of Applied Mathematics and Sciences
- Department of Architecture
- Department of Civil, Construction, and Environment
- Department of Computer Science and Systems
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- Department of Design and Facilities
- Department of Electronics and Mechanical
- Department of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Management
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Cooperative education
As a fundamental part of Wentworth education, the Institute requires students to complete at least two cooperative education semesters in work placements. These can take place anywhere in the world and are always related to the career major of the student with the idea that the practical application of theory taught and experimented with in classes and studios or labs will augment the college education and prepare students for postgraduate work or further study.
By the end of the two mandatory co-op semesters, the student can now be competitive in a job application due to the months of experience prior to graduation. This combined with laboratory and class work should form students capable of achieving interesting projects once they have graduated.
Center for Community & Learning Partnerships
The center seeks partnerships that address neighborhood concerns while enhancing the educational and professional environment at Wentworth Institute of Technology. [14]
Areas of Focus
While not inclusive of all projects or initiatives, these areas make up the bulk of Wentworth’s community learning priorities. These categories represent the critical community issues and Wentworth’s strengths.[14]
- Digital Divide: Computer & Information Technology
- Sustainable Development: Design/Build
- Social Enterprise: Management
- Adaptive & Green Technology: Engineering & Design
- College Access & Success
Campus
The Wentworth campus spreads over 35 acres (140,000 m2) in the Fenway, an urban neighborhood of Boston.[3] It consists primarily of 15 buildings for administrative and faculty offices, classrooms, laboratories, a library, and athletic facilities. The main buildings are on Huntington Avenue.
The MBTA Green Line provides light-rail mass transit service at two stations. The institute's neighbors include Massachusetts College of Art, Northeastern University, several other institutions of higher learning, and the Museum of Fine Arts.
Students enrolled for full-time study live in one of eight dormitories located near the main buildings. Baker Hall is the home of the First-Year Experience (FYE), where incoming students have the chance to socialize in a more extensive way due to the closeness among rooms. Other residences include Evans Way/Tudbury halls, 610 Huntington Avenue, 555 Huntington Avenue, Louis Prang/Vancouver Street apartments and Edwards/Rogers halls for upperclassmen.
Student body
Most Wentworth students are US citizens or permanent residents. The Institute also attracts international students from Asia, Latin America and Europe. Most of them opt for on-campus housing, creating a large community of students in a single area.
Due to the historic predominance of males in fields of engineering and architecture, a larger portion of the whole student body is made up of male students. To counter this, the Institute has a greater appreciation for women applicants and has in their organization, a number of programs and areas dedicated to women only. The resources for women include the Women's Center, a designated lounge area where women can go and relax, have dinner and study, the Woman to Woman Program and the Society of Women Engineers. More women entering fields such as architecture and engineering is also naturally leading to more female applicants. As a result, over the past two years, a significant number of female applicants has been seen, making the way to a 50-50 gender student body.
Enrollment
Total enrollment: 3,636 undergraduate (3,412 full-time)[3]
- Men: 76.4%
- Women: 23.6%
Ethnicity:
- Non-resident alien: 3.0%
- Black non-Hispanic: 4.1%
- American Indian or Alaskan Native: 0.1%
- Asian or Pacific Islander: 4.7%
- Hispanic: 3.4%
- White non-Hispanic: 75.5%
- Unknown: 9.2%
Athletics
Wentworth's athletics programs include 15 varsity, two club and six intramural sports, making emphasis in both men's and women's sports.
Wentworth's athletic program competes as a Division III member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), as well as holding memberships in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) and Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).
Since 1989 the Leopards have captured 16 conference championships in the sports of baseball, men's basketball, hockey, golf, men's soccer, and men's tennis. In addition, Wentworth has earned an invitation to the NCAA Division III Tournament six times (1997, 2007 men's basketball; 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 ice hockey) in the last 10 years, as well as earning ECAC Tournament bids in baseball, men¹s basketball, hockey, lacrosse, men¹s soccer, and women¹s soccer over the course of the last 12 years.
A multi-purpose athletic field, a gift from Myles Sweeney '28 and his wife, Eugenia, opened in 1996. Sweeney Field is located in front of the main building of the institute. Since 1996, the men's and women's soccer teams have enjoyed a combined home record of 81-27-2 (75% wins).
Individual student-athletes have garnered numerous all-league, rookie of the year, and player of the year honors throughout Wentworth's history, with four student-athletes earning five Verizon/CoSIDA Academic honors within the last 11 years.
Wentworth's finest Flag Football team, The Shockers, went on to dominate the Colleges of the Fenway Men's Flag Football Championship in 2009.
Student clubs and organizations
- National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) NSBE/WIT
- Phi Sigma Pi National Honors Fraternity
- Wentworth Student Government (WSG)
- Wentworth Internet Radio Experience (WIRE)
- Wentworth Events Board (WEB)
- American Institute of Architecture Students WIT Chapter and Wentworth Architecture Club (AIAS+WAC)
- Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers WIT Chapter (SHPE @ WIT)
- Wentworth Environmental Club (Green Team)
- American Society of Civil Engineers (WIT Chapter)
- Mechanical Contractors Association of America (WIT Chapter)
- Student Association of Interior Designers (SAID)
Notable alumni
- Luther Blount (MC&TD '37), entrepreneur, prolific inventor
- George Chamillard (IE '58), former chairman and CEO of Teradyne, Inc.[15]
- Russell Colley (MC&TD '18), prolific inventor, NASA engineer, inventor of silver nylon space suit used in first manned space flight
- Joe Lauzon (BCNS '06), mixed martial artist
- David Lovering (EET '82), musician, drummer for the Pixies
- Stephen F. Lynch (CMW '88), U.S. Representative from Massachusetts
- Robert H. Swanson, Jr. (PET '59), founder and chairman of Linear Technology[16]
- John A. Volpe (AC '30), Governor of Massachusetts, United States Secretary of Transportation, namesake of the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
External links
References
- ^ http://www.wit.edu/about/mission.html
- ^ a b http://www.wit.edu/about.html
- ^ a b c d e http://www.wit.edu/about/facts.html
- ^ a b c http://www.wit.edu/athletics/wit_athletics/general_information.html
- ^ http://www.wit.edu/about/points_of_pride.html
- ^ New York Times, "Millions To Found School", March 23, 1903.
- ^ Olin, Wm. M. (1904-04-05). "Charter of the Wentworth Institute" (JPG). Commonwealth of Massachusetts. http://www.wit.edu/images/history/05-1904-charter-POP.jpg. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
- ^ New York Times, "Millionaire Left Two Wills", March 24, 1903
- ^ New York Times, "Contest for Boston Fortune", December 1, 1903
- ^ "Wentworth Institute of Technology History". 2006. Archived from the original on 2009-03-02. http://www.webcitation.org/5eyw4I5Dd.
- ^ Porter Sargent, The Handbook of Private Schools (1919), p. 297
- ^ http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wentworth-becomes-masters-degree-granting-institution-69954472.html
- ^ a b http://www.wit.edu/prospective/academics/overview.html
- ^ a b "Center for community and Learnig Partnerships". Wentworth Institute. 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-01-23. http://www.webcitation.org/5e2AEG3pN.
- ^ http://www.northeastern.edu/magazine/0109/ceo.html
- ^ http://www.wit.edu/WITnews/2007/2007-05-14_commencement.asp
Coordinates: 42°20′12″N 71°05′42″W / 42.336611°N 71.095019°W
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