Miami University
Encyclopedia : M : MI : MIA : Miami University
Miami University, founded in 1809, is the second-oldest university west of the Allegheny Mountains and seventh-oldest public university in the United States. It is located in the college town of Oxford in southwestern Ohio about thirty miles northwest of Cincinnati. The Miami in this school's name refers to the Miami River valley, cut by two medium-sized rivers, the Little Miami River and the Great Miami River, that flow through southwestern Ohio; the rivers were in turn named after the Miami Indians who lived in the area before European settlement. Miami is currently ranked 26th among all public national universities and 66th among all American universities according to U.S. News and World Report. Further, BusinessWeek ranked Miami's Richard T. Farmer School of Business the seventh-best public business school in the nation for undergraduate education.
The school is often referred to as 'Miami of Ohio', particularly among media outlets covering intercollegiate athletics, to avoid confusion with the University of Miami in Florida.
Miami was named one of eight original "Public Ivys" in Richard Moll's 1985 book, The Public Ivys: America's Flagship Undergraduate Colleges. Miami is known as the "Cradle of Coaches" because several prominent football coaches were student/athletes and/or coaches at Miami before achieving greater fame at more prominent college programs or the NFL. Among these coaches were Earl Blaik, Paul Brown, Sid Gillman, Woody Hayes, Ara Parseghian, Weeb Ewbank, Bo Schembechler, Randy Walker, and Ron Zook.
Miami graduated an American President (Benjamin Harrison), putting it in a prestigious category of a league of Presidential alma maters. Miami is only one of four colleges (Stanford, Michigan, and the U.S. Naval Academy) to produce both a U.S. President and a Super Bowl winning quarterback (Ben Roethlisberger). It is also the alma mater of many Ohio Governors and two current U.S. Senators, Mike DeWine (R-OH) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA).
For many years, the athletic teams at Miami were nicknamed Redskins, but in 1997, the nickname was changed to RedHawks. Some controversy surrounded this change and some aspects of the old identity persist. The RedHawks participate in NCAA Division I in all sports (I-A in football). Its primary conference is the Mid-American Conference; its hockey program competes in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Yager Stadium is home to Miami football and Millett Hall to basketball.
Miami is also famous for its School of Education, the McGuffey School, named for Professor William Holmes McGuffey, who taught there and wrote America's most widely used pioneer text books - the McGuffey Readers - while at the school.
History
Miami University was first provided for under the Northwest Ordinance, which would regulate the free states of the Midwest. On May 5, 1792, "the President of the United States was authorized to grant letters patent to John Cleves Symmes and his associates . . . provided that the land grant should include one complete township . . . for the purpose of establishing an academy and other public schools and seminaries of learning. After Ohio became a state in 1803, the State legislature assumed responsibility for making sure that John Cleves Symmes would set aside a township of land for the support of an academy. Such a law was passed by the State legislature April 15, 1803. . . . Finally, on February 17, 1809, the State legislature created Miami University and provided that one complete township in the State of Ohio in the district of Cincinnati was to be vested in Miami University for its use, benefit, and support."[link] This was known as the "College Township".
Miami was chartered by the government, but was considered a private college engaged in classical training. Antebellum Miami University took students from all over the West, and was known as the "Yale of the Early West". It was at one point the 4th largest university in the United States after Harvard, Yale, and Dartmouth. As the East-West rivalries subsided, but the North-South rivalries surged, Miami University split apart at the time of the Civil War. Most graduates volunteered for the Union, more than any other school except the military academies. The majority of those that didn't, primarily from Southern states (such as Jefferson Davis' nephew) volunteered in the Confederate armies. Because its students had left for war, because many alumni and professors died in the War, because the West opened up to other universities, and because Southern families no longer sent their sons to the North for an education, "Old Miami" passed on and Miami University nearly died. The university, unable to pay its huge debts, closed in 1873 and did not reopen until 1885.
With the help of alumni and Ohio legislators, "New Miami" was restarted as a coeducational school of education and liberal arts. Although Ohio State University had been launched in the interim, Miami University gained a fair share of Ohio students by the 1890s, and by the 1950s had massively grown. The rural Oxford campus with Georgian architecture is considered to be similar to Thomas Jefferson's University of Virginia campus and one of the most beautiful in the U.S; Robert Frost once called it "the prettiest campus there ever was." [link]
Several women's colleges in Oxford were associated with or effectively merged with Miami University including Oxford College and the Western College for Women (now the Western College Program), a daughter school of Mount Holyoke. Miami University was coeducational long before most schools in the Ivy League. Miami has been a non-sectarian school as were other pioneer universities in the Midwest, though its early leaders were often Presbyterians. Miami University's current enrollment is approximately 15,000 undergraduates and 1,400 graduate students. In addition to its Oxford campus, Miami has additional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown, Ohio, and a European Center in Luxembourg.
Miami University is known around the Greek World for the Miami Triad, three fraternities founded in the 19th century that spread throughout the United States, and is called "Mother of Fraternities." These were Beta Theta Pi (1839), Sigma Chi (1855), and Phi Delta Theta (1848). The Delta Zeta sorority was also founded at Miami University in 1902 as was the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity in 1906. Alpha Delta Phi was the first fraternity to arrive on campus in 1833.
The Oxford campus has become the first major public school in the United States to abolish tuition differentials between state residents and nonresidents. This effort was undertaken to make Miami more affordable to moderate-income families in Ohio by giving the university more flexibility in the disbursement of state funds. As of the 2004–05 academic year, all students pay tuition of over $19,000 per year, although Ohio residents are guaranteed scholarships of $10,000, or more depending upon financial need, extraordinary ability, talent in mathematics or science, or declared interest in teaching. [link]
Campuses
- [Miami University | Oxford Ohio]
- [Miami University | Hamilton Ohio]
- [Miami University | Middletown Ohio]
- [Miami University Dolibois European Center | Luxembourg]
Divisions
- [School of Fine Arts]
- Richard T. Farmer School of Business
- [College of Arts & Science]
- [School of Engineering and Applied Sciences]
- [McGuffey School of Education and Allied Professions]
- [Graduate School]
Alma Mater
[Miami Glee Club singing the Miami Alma Mater]
Old Miami from thy hillcrest,
Thou hast watched the decades roll,
While thy sons have quested from thee,
Sturdy hearted, pure of soul.
Old Miami! New Miami!
Days of old and days to be;
Weave the story of thy glory,
Our Miami, here's to thee!
Presidents of Miami
- Robert Hamilton Bishop, 1824-1841
- George Junkin, 1841-1844
- Erasmus D. MacMaster, 1845-1849
- William C. Anderson, 1849-1854
- Orange Nash Stoddard, 1854 (pro tempore)
- John W. Hall, 1854-1866
- Robert B. Stanton, 1866-1871
- Andrew Dousa Hepburn, 1871-1873 (pro tempore; later considered to be regular)
- Robert W. McFarland, 1885-1888 (pro tempore; later considered to be regular)
- Ethelbert D. Warfield, 1888-1891
- William Oxley Thompson, 1891-1899
- David Stanton Tappan, 1899-1902
- Guy Potter Benton, 1902-1911
- Edgar Ewing Brandon, 1909-1910 (acting), 1927-1928 (acting)
- Raymond M. Hughes, 1911-1913 (acting), 1913-1927
- Alfred H. Upham, 1928-1945
- Aldelphus K. Morris, 1945-1946 (acting)
- Ernest H. Hahne, 1946-1952
- John D. Millett, 1953-1964
- Charles Ray Wilson, 1964-1965 (acting)
- Phillip R. Shriver, 1965-1981
- Paul G. Pearson, 1981-1992
- Paul G. Risser, 1993-1995
- Anne Hopkins, December 1995-July 1996 (acting)
- Dr. James C. Garland, 1996-June 2006
- Dr. David C. Hodge, July 2006 - Present
Mission statement
The mission of Miami University is to preserve, add to, evaluate, and transmit the accumulated knowledge of the centuries; to develop critical thinking, extend the frontiers of knowledge, and serve society; and to provide an environment conducive to effective and inspired teaching and learning, promote professional development of faculty, and encourage scholarly research and creativity of faculty and students.
Miami's primary concern is its students. This concern is reflected in a broad array of efforts to develop the potential of each student. The University endeavors to individualize the educational experience. It provides personal and professional guidance; and, it offers opportunities for its students to achieve understanding and appreciation not only of their own culture but of the cultures of others as well. Selected undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs of quality should be offered with the expectation of students achieving a high level of competence and understanding and developing a personal value system. Since the legislation creating Miami University stated that a leading mission of the University was to promote "good education, virtue, religion, and morality," the University has been striving to emphasize the supreme importance of dealing with problems related to values.
Miami is committed to serve the community, state, and nation. It offers access to higher education, including continuing education, for those who can benefit from it, at a reasonable cost, without regard for race, creed, sex, or age. It educates men and women for responsible, informed citizenship, as well as for meaningful employment. It provides both disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to the pursuit of knowledge and to the solving of problems. It sponsors a wide range of cultural and educational activities which have significance beyond the campus and the local community.[link]
Athletics
Miami University has a rich history of intercollegiate athletics and today fields a Division I (I-A for football) athletic program in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Division. There are men's sports teams for baseball, basketball, cross country, football, ice hockey, swimming and diving, and track and field. For women, Miami offers basketball, cross country, field hockey, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, volleyball, synchronized ice skating, track and field, and tennis. Miami is well known among the sports world for its reputation as the Cradle of Coaches and is one of only 13 schools in the nation to have a Division 1-A football team as well as Divsion 1 basketball and hockey team.
Miami historically has had some of the highest graduation rates of student-athletes in the NCAA, second only to Navy. Football and Ice Hockey are the most popular according to the student body. Miami is a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). Fred C. Yager Stadium is the main football facility on the Oxford campus.
Miami has two college sports rivalries; one with the University of Cincinnati called the 'Battle for the Victory Bell' and another with Ohio Bobcats called the 'Battle of the Bricks'.
Miami and the University of Cincinnati square off each fall for the famed Victory Bell. The original bell hung in Miami's Harrison Hall (Old Main) near the site of the first football game in 1888 and was used to ring in Miami victories. The traveling trophy tradition began in the 1890's when some Cincinnati fans "borrowed" the bell. The bell went to the winner of the annual game for the next 40 years until it mysteriously disappeared in the 1930's. The original bell reappeared in 1946 and is on display in the lobby of the Murstein Alumni Center in Oxford. The current trophy is a replica of the original bell and is kept in the possession of the winning team each year. One side of the bell is painted red and black and shows Cincinnati's victories while the other side is red and white and shows Miami's victories. Miami leads the series 59-44-7 and has won three of the last four games.
The Miami-Cincinnati series ranks fifth on the list of the most played rivalries in college football and the oldest rivalry west of the Allegheny Mountains. Of the more than 30 rivalries that include at least 89 games, none are older than Miami vs. Cincinnati.
The Battle of the Bricks is an annual all-sports rivalry competition between the Ohio Bobcats and the Miami RedHawks athletic programs. The name "Battle of the Bricks" evolved from each school's reputation of a pristine campus of red brick buildings. Each varsity athletic competition in which the Bobcats and RedHawks meet including tournament play is counted as part of the years series record. At the conclusion of each academic year, the school with the most varsity wins takes the trophy back to their campus for the following year.
In August 2005, a new fan group was started by Miami students called Red Alert.
Famous Miami Alumni
Recognition
Miami University is currently ranked 26th among all 614 public colleges and universities in the United States according to U.S. News & World Report based on academic quality. The Fiske Guide To Colleges rates Miami with 4.5 stars out of a possible 5 and cites it as a "rising star among state universities". In 2006, Kiplinger ranked Miami 38th among all American public four-year universities for "top flight academics and affordable costs", the top ranking of an Ohio college. In 2003, The Wall Street Journal named Miami a "feeder school" and ranked it 22nd among public universities in their article titled "Want to go to Harvard Law?"[link]
The Kaplan-Newsweek College Catelog calls Miami a "hidden treasure-terrific schools that deserve more national attention". Miami is among an elite set of institutions that produced a Rhodes Scholar, Truman Scholar, and Goldwater Scholar in the same year. Other such institutions are Harvard University, Yale University, Duke University, Princeton University, Syracuse University, and the University of Washington. Because of academic reputation, Miami hosts one of the biggest collegiate career fairs attracting over 350 employers and a 2004 internal study revealed the primary reason students attended Miami was because of academic reputation.
In 2003, Miami was recognized by the Truman Scholarship Foundation as an honor institution for producing Truman Scholars. The only Ohio college, Miami shares this title with other elite programs like Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Duke University, Harvard University, Princeton University, Stanford University, and Yale University.
In 2004, Miami's Alpha Chapter of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity was named the best undergraduate fraternity chapter by the North-American Interfraternity Conference. The National Association for College and University Food Services distinguished Miami with five awards as one of the best campus food services.
In 2006, Business Week released their official rankings of the top undergraduate business schools in the United States and Miami's Richard T. Farmer School of Business ranked 17th among all American universities and 7th among all public universities. The business school is endowed by Richard T. Farmer, founder and chairman of the Cintas Corporation and one of the wealthiest men in Ohio.
Notable Campus Features
- Phi Delta Theta Gates
- Beta Theta Pi Bell Tower
- The Upham Arch
- The Tri-Delt Sundial
- McCracken Hall and Central Quad
- Pulley Bell Tower
Closing of Western College Program
On June 23, 2006 the Board of Trustees passed a controversial decision to [remove the Western College Program] as a separate college within Miami University. This, his final decision as Miami University president, Dr. James C. Garland moved along with the Board of Trustees in favor of transforming the historic Western College campus into an enlarged university honors program. Critics argue that the process lacked transparency and political agendas were an influencing factor.[[Citing sources citation needed]]
Originally founded in the early 19th century as the Western College for Women by westward travelers from Mount Holyoke College, the girls college functioned for over 100 years until financial difficulties forced the Western College For Women into near bankrupcy. Through a partnership between Miami University and the Western College for Women, Miami agreed to purchase the Western College For Women and promised to preserve its unique character. It operated it as the School For Interdisciplinary Studies for over thirty years up until 2006 when Miami University removed it as an academic division within the university.
Historic Landmarks
- William Holmes McGuffey Museum, a National Historic Landmark
- DeWitt Cabin listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- Elliott and Stoddard Halls, oldest dormitories in use in Ohio
- Lorenzo Langstroth Cottage, a National Historic Landmark
Trivia
- The 1991 film Little Man Tate with Jodie Foster was largely filmed on the Oxford campus.
- The replacement value of just the buildings alone on the Oxford campus is valued at $1.3 billion (2005)
- Miami's first two residence halls, Elliott and Stoddard Halls, are modelled after Yale University's Connecticut Hall built in 1750. They were originally named North and South Halls.
- Over the years, Miami has absorbed two women's colleges located in Oxford: Oxford College and Western College for Women. During the 19th Century there were as many as five colleges in Oxford.
- Miami University owns and operates a regional airport just west of Oxford to accommodate visitors, prospective families, and usage of the university airplane.
References
- Bert S. Barlow, W.H. Todhunter, Stephen D. Cone, Joseph J. Pater, and Frederick Schneider, eds. Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio. Hamilton, Ohio: B.F. Bowen, 1905.
External links
- [Official school website]
- [Official athletics site]
- [The Miami Years], by Walter Havighurst
- [Miami Student Newspaper]
- [Miami University Associated Student Government]
- [Miami University Alumni Association]
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