About Opentopia
Opentopia Directory Encyclopedia Tools

University of Arkansas

Encyclopedia : U : UN : UNI : University of Arkansas

 

The University of Arkansas is a public co-educational land-grant university. It is the main (or "flagship") campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in Fayetteville. Founded as Arkansas Industrial University in 1871, its present name was adopted in 1899. It is noted for its agriculture (particularly poultry science)[#endnote_MeatPoultry.com_link] and business programs.[#endnote_dailyheadlines.uark.edu/5292.htm]

The formal name of the campus is University of Arkansas, Fayetteville to distinguish it from its parent system (which is legally called the "University of Arkansas") without using the word "at", which many supporters believe would detract from its status as the system's flagship campus; the other main campuses of the system include "at" in their name. [#endnote_official_name] Some Arkansas laws also call it "University of Arkansas at Fayetteville", only adding to the confusion. However, the website and official logos of the flagship campus, as well as common usage, continue to refer to it as simply the University of Arkansas.

Enrollment for the fall semester of 2005 was 17,821[#endnote_dailyheadlines.uark.edu.875], with 2,948[#endnote_dailyheadlines.uark.edu.876] (17%) being graduate students. The University campus is represented by 130 buildings on 345 acres, and academic programs are in excess of 200. The ratio of students to faculty is 17:1.

Contents

History

Plaque on University of Arkansas campus
Enlarge
Plaque on University of Arkansas campus

The University of Arkansas was founded in 1871, on the site of a former hilltop farm that overlooked the Ozark Mountains (giving it the nickname "The Hill"). The University is considered the "state's flagship institution of higher education" [#endnote_Ark_Economic_Dev] and is the only institution in Arkansas categorized by the Carnegie Foundation as a research institute with "a high level of research."

The University was established under the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act of 1862. The University’s founding also satisfied the provision in the Arkansas Constitution of 1868 that the General Assembly was to "establish and maintain a State University."

Initially, to found the University, $130,000 was raised by the citizens of Washington County. This was in response to the competition created by the Arkansas General Assembly’s Organic Act of 1871, providing for the "location, organization and maintenance of the Arkansas Industrial University with a normal department [i.e., teacher education] therein."

Completed in 1875, Old Main, a two-towered brick building designed in the Second Empire style, was the primary instructional and administrative building. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It housed many of the earliest classes taught at the university. Today, in addition to hosting classes, it contains the restored Giffels Auditorium and historic displays, as well as the administrative offices of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences.

Beginning with the class of 1876, the names of University of Arkansas graduates are inscribed in "Senior Walk," which meanders more than five miles across the entire campus, and is one of a kind nationally. The sidewalks of the university bear the engraved names of everyone who has ever graduated (with any type of degree) from the University. Most recently, the names of all the recipients of honorary degrees were added.

Campuses and academic divisions

Old Main Building on the campus of the University of Arkansas.
Enlarge
Old Main Building on the campus of the University of Arkansas.

Altogether, there are eleven branches and three other units in the University system, including the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock and a branch campus in Pine Bluff. Other branch campuses are in Monticello, Little Rock, and Fort Smith. Additionally, the UA System comprises community college campuses in Hope, Batesville, De Queen, Morrilton, and the Phillips Community College in Helena. Units coming under the UA System include the Criminal Justice Institute, the Arkansas Archaeological Survey, and the Division of Agriculture. The University also maintains the most advanced secondary educational institution in Arkansas, the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Science, and the Arts in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

The following degree-granting academic divisions are located on the Fayetteville campus:

Campus

Several buildings on campus, including the Fine Arts Complex and Carlson Terrace, a campus apartment complex, were designed by Fayetteville native Edward Durrell Stone, who also designed the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The buildings are indicative of Stone's idiosyncratic modern style which included patterns of ornament.

Five buildings of Carlson Terrace have been razed on west side of the College Creek Branch. A new park has been built on that site with grasspave for tailgating prior to Arkansas Razorback home football games. Plans also include revitalizing College Creek Branch.

All computers with internet access on the University's campus have IP addresses beginning with 130.184. Also, all non-dormitory telephone numbers begin with 479-575 and most postal addresses include the zip code 72701.

Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium and other parts of campus appear in the movie The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II

Sports

The Arkansas Razorbacks are the mascot of the University of Arkansas
Enlarge
The Arkansas Razorbacks are the mascot of the University of Arkansas

The mascot for the University of Arkansas is the Razorback, a type of wild boar, and is often referred to as the Hogs (shortened version of Razorbacks). The school competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in Division I of the NCAA. Arkansas enjoys athletic success in many different sports.

Football

The school's men's football team is currently led by Coach Houston Nutt. The team plays its home games either at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, located on the University of Arkansas campus, or at War Memorial Stadium, located in Little Rock.

Basketball

The men's basketball team is coached by Stan Heath and plays home games in Bud Walton Arena on the University of Arkansas campus. The team won the 1994 National Championship under previous coach Nolan Richardson, who left the University in a very controversial move in which he claimed to have been racially discriminated against, although the University claimed he had resigned. This came after Nolan Richardson announced that they could have his job during a press conference.

Baseball

The baseball team, under Dave van Horn reached the 2004 College World Series. The team plays home games in Baum Stadium, which finished several major renovations in 2004.

Track and field

One of the most successful programs in NCAA history, the Arkansas men's track and field teams, led by head coach John McDonnell are the most decorated teams in the athletics department. The program has won 42 national titles in Cross Country and Track & Field. One of its most famous stars is recent graduate Alistair Cragg who competed for Ireland at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece. Other Olympians have included Michael Conley, Daniel Lincoln, Melvin Lister and Matt Hemingway. The team has a home indoor track at the Randal Tyson Track Center and outdoor field at John McDonnell Field, which is under renovation and expected to be finished for the 2006 SEC championships.

Women's Athletics

The women's teams at the University of Arkansas are referred to as the Lady Razorbacks or "Lady'Backs". There are 11 varsity women's sports: basketball, cross country, indoor and outdoor track, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, and volleyball. Among the most successful Lady'Back teams are volleyball, with 11 SEC Western Division titles; cross country with more SEC championships than any member institution; basketball with 17 postseason appearances in 30 years, including the 1998 NCAA Final Four; track and field with six SEC titles and the first back-to-back women's SEC triple crowns; and gymnastics nationally-ranked since the start of the program in 2002 with two (soon three) NCAA appearances. Sprinter Veronica Campbell was the first Lady'Back to win a gold medal in the Olympics.

Traditions

Senior Walk

Senior Walk begins in front of Old Main.
Enlarge
Senior Walk begins in front of Old Main.

The name of every graduating student at the University of Arkansas is carved into one of the concrete walkways or sidewalks on campus. This tradition was started by the 1905 graduating class, who drew their names into the walkway in front of Old Main, the oldest building on campus. Following classes added their names for more than a decade and then the university took over responsibility for adding new classes, as well as adding the names of students who graduated prior to 1905. Through most of the 20th century, the names were impressed in wet cement using brass letters. As the campus grew, and the graduating classes got bigger, the operation became unduly time-consuming. In 1986, the university's physical plant developed a special machine called the "Senior Sand Hog" to etch the thousands of names required each year.[link]

\"Calling the Hogs\"

Fans of the University of Arkansas have been "Calling the Hogs" since the 1920s, when it is said to have begun when a group of farmers attending a game began issuing hog calls to encourage a lagging Razorback football team. The encouragement worked and the attending crowd took notice of the farmers' calling. By the next game, a group of men had organized to cry "Wooo, Pig, Sooie". Since then, this rallying cry has grown to become a traditional school yell that is performed at most home sporting events, and is one of the most well known traditions outside of the University. The length of Woo is a matter of contention. Traditionalists will called for a full eight-second Woo. NOTE: Sooie is not spelled Sooey -- as it infamously was on the cover of Sports Illustrated with UA basketball number one fan former President Bill Clinton. [link]

Calling the hogs is generally accompanied by hand gestures. Fans raise both hands in the air and wave their fingers during the "Woo." They then pump them down on the "Pig" and raise them back up on the "Sooie."

"Calling the Hogs" Lyrics

Woooooooooo, Pig ! Sooie!
Woooooooooo, Pig ! Sooie!
Woooooooooo, Pig ! Sooie!
Razorbacks!!
[link][link]

Alma Mater

The current version of the University of Arkansas Alma Mater was written in 1909 by Brodie Payne, an alumnus of the University of Arkansas. He submitted his song to an ongoing competition that was trying to find a song for the University and won first prize. Henry D. Tovey, who was the director of the Glee Club at that time, set the song to music. In 1931, the University College Song Association in New York reviewed a collection of 500 college tunes, and the University of Arkansas Alma Mater was judged to be one the twenty-five best college songs of the United States.

Alma Mater Lyrics
Pure as the dawn on the brow of thy beauty
Watches thy soul from the mountains of God
Over the Fates of thy children departed
Far from the land where their footsteps have trod.
Beacon of hope in the ways dreary lighted;
Pride of our hearts that are loyal and true;
From those who adore unto one who adores us—
Mother of Mothers, we sing unto you.

We, with our faces turned high to the Eastward,
Proud of our place in the vanguard of Truth,
Will sing unto thee a new song of thanksgiving—
Honor to God and the Springtime of Youth.
Shout of the victor or tear of the vanquished;
Sunshine or tempest thy heart is e'er true;
Pride of the Hills and the white-laden Lowlands—
Mother of Mothers, we kneel unto you.

Ever the Legions of Sin will assail us,
Ever the Battle in Cities afar;
Still in the depths will thy Spirit eternal
Beckon us on like a piloting Star.
Down in dim years do thy dead children call thee,
Wafted to Sleep while the Springtime was new;
We, of the Present, thy hope of the Future—
Mother of Mothers, we pray unto you.
[link][link]

Fight Song

The current version of the University of Arkansas Fight Song was written in the late 1920s. The fight song is usually played at all home Razorback sporting events. Current head football coach Houston Nutt has established a tradition of singing (along with the Arkansas players) the fight song to the student section following every home football game win.

Arkansas Fight Song Lyrics
Hit that line! Hit that line! Keep on going,
Move that ball right down the field!
Give a cheer. Rah! Rah! Never fear. Rah! Rah!
Arkansas will never yield!
On your toes, Razorbacks, to the finish,
Carry on with all your might!
For it's A-A-R-K-A-N-S-A-S for Arkansas!
Fight! Fight! Fi-i-i-ght!
[link][link]

School Colors and Mascot

The school color of cardinal red was chosen as the official school color by a vote of the student body in 1895. The two color choices were cardinal and heliotrope. White was added as a complementary color at a later date.

The University of Arkansas mascot has not always been the Razorbacks. From 1894, when the football program began, until 1910, the official mascot was the Cardinals. This mascot was chosen primarily because the school color was cardinal red. In 1909, the head football coach Hugo Bezdek gave a speech to a large group of students at the Fayetteville train station, after returning from a 16-0 victory over LSU on October 30, 1909. Coach Bezdek informed the crowd that his team had performed not like football players, but "like a wild band of Razorback hogs." The Razorback, which is characterized by a ridged back and tenacious wild fighting ability, had long been associated with Arkansas. The students loved the comparison, and the nickname became increasingly popular. In 1910, the student body voted to change the official University mascot from the Cardinal to the Razorback.

"Tusk" is the live mascot for University of Arkansas.
Enlarge
"Tusk" is the live mascot for University of Arkansas.

The live mascot tradition dates back to the 1960s and a number of hogs have represented Arkansas through the years. "Tusk I", a 380-pound Russian boar that closely resembles a wild razorback hog, is the current official live mascot. He resides on a local farm and leaves his home to attend all Arkansas home games.

Additionally, the University of Arkansas has a family of uniformed mascots. "Big Red", (also known as the "Fighting Razorback"), is the traditional mascot for the University and attends all athletic events. "Sue E" is the female hog and "Pork Chop" is the kid mascot. "Boss Hog" is a nine-foot inflatable mascot that joined the mascot family during the 1998-99 football season.[link]

Razorback Band

The Razorback band, one of the oldest collegiate bands in the United States, was formed in 1874 as the Cadet Corps Band as part of the military art department. The band participated in all the formalities of the Military Art Department, as well as playing for football games, pageants, and commencement exercises. In 1947, following a steady post World War II growth, the Cadet Corp Band was divided into the three current bands, a football band, a concert band, and an R.O.T.C. band. In 1956, the band adopted the name "Marching Razorbacks".

Clubs and organizations on campus

There are 272 registered student organizations (RSOs) including special interest, religious, international and cultural organizations, honorary and professional service groups, and more.

The university is also home to two radio stations: KUAF, a public radio station and NPR affiliate, and KXUA, an eclectic student-run station.

The University of Arkansas Press is known for publishing works on local and Southern history, including several by the former president Jimmy Carter.

Greek Life

Sororities

Fraternities

Notable alumni

This section does not cite its [Citing sourcesreferences or sources].
You can [WikiProject Fact and Reference Checkhelp] Wikipedia by introducing appropriate citations.''
Admiral Vern Clark is an alumnus of the University of Arkansas.
Enlarge
Admiral Vern Clark is an alumnus of the University of Arkansas.

Notable faculty

Notes

  1. ↑ 
  2. ↑ 
  3. ↑ 
  4. ↑ 
  5. ↑ 
  6. ↑ 

External links

 

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

Search Titles
0123456789
ABCDEFGHIJ
KLMNOPQRST
UVWXYZ?

E-mail this article to:

Personal Message: