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| Established: | 1967 WRC: 1826 CIT: 1880 |
| Type: | Private university |
| Endowment: | US $1.91 billion (2008) |
| President: | Barbara R. Snyder |
| Faculty: | 2,400 full-time |
| Undergraduates: | 4,186 |
| Postgraduates: | 5,766 |
| Location: | Cleveland, OH, U.S. |
| Campus: | Urban, 155 acres (0.63 km2) |
| Colors: | Case Blue (PMS 294), White and Case Grey (PMS 7545) |
| Mascot: | Spartan |
| Athletics: | NCAA Division III UAA 19 varsity teams |
| Website: | www.case.edu |
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Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio. It was created in 1967 by the federation of Case Institute of Technology (founded in 1880 by philanthropist Leonard Case Jr.) and Western Reserve University (founded in 1826 in the area that was once the Connecticut Western Reserve).
Case is the largest independent research university in the state of Ohio and has earned a reputation of being one of the most highly regarded institutions of higher learning in the United States. The University is distinguished by its strengths in education, research, service, and experiential learning and offers nationally and internationally recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Sciences.
As of 2004, the university had approximately 3,700 undergraduates and 5,700 graduate and professional students. According to US News and World Report 2005 rankings, Case's Undergraduate Program is ranked #1 in Ohio and #35 among national universities, with Harvard and Princeton sharing the #1 spot. Furthermore, the university ranks #12 among private universities receiving the most federal research funding and spends nearly $1 million a day on research.
The university is approximately five miles (8 km) east of downtown Cleveland in University Circle, a 550 acre (2.2 km²) area containing numerous educational, medical, and cultural institutions. Case has a number of programs taught in conjunction with nearby institutions, including the Cleveland Institute of Music , the Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and the Cleveland Play House. For transportation, in addition to the Cleveland RTA, which is made available to students through a mandatory $25 per semester fee, Case has its own fleet of shuttle busses which are better known as "greenies."
Case was the site of the famous Michelson-Morley interferometer experiment, conducted in 1887 by A. A. Michelson of Case Institute of Technology and E. W. Morley of Western Reserve University. This experiment proved the non-existence of ether and gave circumstantial evidence to substantiate Einstein's Theory of Relativity.
On October 5 2004, Case hosted the Vice Presidential debate between Dick Cheney and John Edwards.
Organization
The university in its present form consists of ten schools:
- College of Arts and Sciences
- School of Dental Medicine
- Case School of Engineering
- School of Law
- Weatherhead School of Management
- School of Medicine
- Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
- Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
- Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing
- Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences
- School of Graduate Studies
Rankings
Case Western Reserve University's endowment ranks at #30 among all U.S. colleges and universities. The university comes in at #18 for largest endowment growth over the past 20 years, experiencing an increase of 393% in that time (See: List of U.S. colleges and universities by endowment). The university finished the 2007 fiscal year with a $20 million operating deficit, with plans to balance its budget by 2011. A $127,000 surplus was produced in the 2008 fiscal year, far ahead of schedule. However, the 2009 budget again projects a shortfall in excess of $7 million.
According to U.S. News & World Report's 2008 rankings, Case's undergraduate program is ranked #1 in Ohio and #41 among national universities. It is most highly regarded for its medical school (currently ranked #23 and #51 for research and primary care, respectively, in US News rankings) and Biomedical Engineering department, which ranks at #7 among undergraduate and graduate biomedical engineering programs.
In 2006, The Times ranked Case 26th in the US and 60th worldwide.
Among national universities, the 2006 US News rankings placed the Weatherhead School of Management undergraduate program at #29 with the Case School of Engineering undergraduate school taking the #39 spot. In 2004, the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences was ranked #11. When last ranked in 2006, the graduate program at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing came in at #5. In the 2008 rankings, Case was listed at #22 for Best Value institutions, which are defined as colleges which offer a quality education for a low cost when taking into account scholarships and financial aid awards. In 2009, the Financial Times ranked the Weatherhead School of Management doctoral program 18th internationally and the Organizational Behavior department 3rd internationally.
A release of medical school rankings from the National Institutes of Health shows that Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and its affiliates has attained an overall institutional ranking of 12th among the nation’s 122 medical schools.
The National Science Foundation has ranked Research and Development Expenditures for Case at #34 among all US colleges and universities. Furthermore, Case ranks at #32 for Federal Obligations to support Science and Engineering Growth and Development.
The Advocate ranked Case Western Reserve University one of the top 100 LGBT-friendly universities, evidence of the University's improvements in diversity standards over the past decade and welcoming more LGBT students and families into the community.
Campus
The university is approximately five miles (8 km) east of downtown Cleveland in University Circle, a 550 acre (220 ha) area containing numerous educational, medical, and cultural institutions. Case has a number of programs taught in conjunction with nearby institutions, including the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Cleveland Institute of Art, the Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the Western Reserve Historical Society, and the Cleveland Play House.
There are two main transportation options for students: For on- and near-campus transportation, Case Western Reserve University has a fleet of shuttle buses known as "Greenies"; for longer trips, students may use the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) bus and rail system. Each undergraduate student receives an unlimited RTA pass, which is paid for via a mandatory $25 fee per semester.
Case Western Reserve University does not manage its parking lots, requiring students, faculty, and staff to purchase permits from University Circle Incorporated. The rates vary between approximately $30 and $120 per month, with multi-year waiting lists on the most popular lots.[citation needed]
The university owns parking garages, one by the Village at 115th and the other near the Veale Athletic Center. Permits for these two lots are purchased from Case Western Reserve University, and cost about $600 per year, excluding the summer.
Students
As of 2005[update], the university had 4,186 undergraduate students and 5,766 graduate and professional students. The undergraduate student body hails from all 50 states and 82 countries.
Student life
Unless students are living with a relative within forty miles of the university, Case Western Reserve University requires first and second year students to live in on-campus housing. Meal plan participation is also mandatory for first year students and sophomores, with some exceptions made for religious and medical reasons. New housing for underclassmen, along with a "Greek village" bringing all the college's fraternities and sororities together with the other undergraduates, is slated to be constructed in the future.
The residence halls are divided into two areas, one featuring suite-style rooms for second-year students and upperclassmen and the other featuring double and single rooms for first year students. Both have gigabit ethernet network access and the wired network is one of the fastest that exists. A wireless campus network is also available anywhere on campus, also ranked one of the fastest by Intel in 2005. Buildings are organized into "colleges," grouping together students of similar ages and creating a sense of ownership and hall pride. New housing, known as the Village at 115, was opened in fall 2005 for upperclassmen, which features one to nine person, "apartment-style" residence halls that come with air conditioning, full kitchen area, and full-sized beds.
Residence Life at Case Western Reserve University has a recent history of being liberal in its policies, including allowing co-ed suites (an option offered to non-freshman students, when requested and agreed upon by all occupants of a suite) and some co-ed floors for freshmen, as well as a three-day guest policy. Pets are allowed except for dogs, cats, ferrets, and a few other small mammals, but requests are granted discussion.
Graduate students are not offered housing.
A campus shuttle runs to Coventry Village, a shopping district in neighboring Cleveland Heights. Cleveland's Little Italy is within walking distance. The Legacy Village, Severance Center, and Shaker Square shopping centers are all within driving distance or accessible by RTA.
First year experience
First year students are grouped into one of three residential colleges that are overseen by first year coordinators. The Mistletoe, Juniper, and Magnolia residential colleges were established when the "First Year Experience" system was introduced, and Cedar was created in the fall of 2005 to accommodate a large influx of new students. The residential colleges plan events together and are run by college councils that take student input and use it to plan social and community service-oriented activities.
In the fall of 2007, Magnolia was integrated into Mistletoe. The areas of focus for each college – Cedar: visual and performing arts; Mistletoe: service leadership; and Juniper: multiculturalism – remain the same.
Greek system
Nearly a third of the campus undergraduates are in a fraternity or sorority. There are 9 sororities, one sororal colony, and 18 fraternities. Recently semi-recognition has been given to a colony of Omega Tau Zeta. During the Fall of 2006, Sigma Alpha Epsilon was removed from the Case Western Reserve University campus due to legal issues. In the Spring of 2007, Phi Gamma Delta returned to the Case Western Reserve University Greek life. With the fall 2007 semester, Sigma Alpha Mu returned to Case and a new sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, joined the Greek community.
Events
On October 5, 2004, Case hosted the Vice Presidential debate between Dick Cheney and John Edwards.
Each year, the university holds an Ohio regional Science Olympiad Tournament for Divisions B and C.
Sports, clubs, and traditions
Varsity athletics
Case Western Reserve University has been a member of the University Athletic Association (UAA) since the early nineties. The conference participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division III. The university offers 10 men's sports and nine women's sports. Two of the teams attained unprecedented success in the fall of 2006, with the women's cross country team winning the Great Lakes regional championship for the first time, and the men's soccer team earning its first-ever NCAA tournament bid.
The Case Men's Soccer team finished their 2006 season with a 17–2–2 record and a UAA championship. The team reached the Sweet 16 in their first ever NCAA Division III tournament appearance and concluded the season ranked 12th in the nation.
The Case Women's Cross Country Team finished the 2006 season with a UAA Championship, and a bid to the NCAA Championship. The Lady Spartans finished 10th in the nation. The team's 2007 season culminated in a 6th place finish at the NCAA national championship.
The Case football team finished the 2007 season with the school's first UAA Championship in football and one playoff win. Case football had another undefeated regular season in 2008 but lost in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Traditions
The Hudson Relays is an annual tradition at Case Western Reserve University that occurs on the last weekend before finals every spring semester. It is a relay race between teams drawn from each class year. The race is a distance of 26 miles (42 km). Originally, the race was run from Hudson, Ohio, the original site of Western Reserve University, to the present location of the school in University Circle. Since the mid-1980s, the race has been run entirely in the University Circle area. University tradition is that if a class wins the relay for each of its four years, the team will be rewarded with a champagne and steak dinner with the President of the university. The most recent class to achieve this was the class of 2006. The winning class for each year is carved on a boulder located behind Adelbert Hall.
Springfest is a day-long concert and student group festival which occurs later the same day of Hudson Relays. The University Program Board brings in several bands and a beer garden, student groups set up booths to entertain the student body, and various inflatable carnival-style attractions are brought in to add to the theoretically festive atmosphere. Occasionally, due to adverse weather conditions, the festival must be moved indoors, usually to Thwing Center or Adelbert Gym.
Halloween at the Farm is a tradition established in the fall of 2002. Halloween at the Farm takes place at the Squire Valleevue Farm in Hunting Valley, Ohio. Students, their families, and faculty are invited to enjoy games, a bonfire, an open air concert, and hay rides. Organized by the members of the Class Officer Collective, HatF is one of the biggest events of the year.
Since 1974, the Film Society of Case Western Reserve University has held a science fiction marathon. The film festival has a very large crowd that enjoys food and over 30 hours of non-stop movies including modern, classic, and surprise science fiction films.
Notable students, alumni and faculty
Case Alumni Association
The Case Alumni Association (CAA) is one of the oldest independent alumni organization in the United States, having been organized in 1885. Membership in the Association is conferred upon all graduates of the Case School of Applied Sciences, Case Institute of Technology, Case School of Engineering, and the mathematics and science departments within the College of Arts and Sciences. Those who have attended any of the above institutions for at least one semester are considered members of the association.
CAA recently expanded its reach by establishing chapters ("Case Clubs") in various U.S. cities, including Washington, D.C., Silicon Valley, San Diego, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Boston.[13]
Research
Following is a partial list of major contributions made by faculty, staff, and students at Case:
- Case was the site of the famous Michelson-Morley interferometer experiment, conducted in 1887 by Albert Abraham Michelson of Case Institute of Technology and E. W. Morley of Western Reserve University. This experiment proved the non-existence of the ether and gave circumstantial evidence to substantiate Einstein's special theory of relativity (Profs. Albert A. Michelson and Edward W. Morley, 1887).
- Albert Abraham Michelson, who became the first American to win a Nobel Prize in science, taught at Case Institute of Technology. He won the prize in Physics in 1907.
- Discovered the atomic weight of oxygen, the basis for calculating the weights of all other elements (Prof. Morley, 1895).
- Performed the first full X-ray of the human body—on himself (Prof. Dayton C. Miller, 1896).
- Performed the first modern blood transfusion using a coupling device to connect blood vessels (Dr. George W. Crile, 1905).
- Pioneered chlorination of drinking water to eradicate the source of typhoid bacilli (Dr. Roger G. Perkins, 1912).
- Developed simulated milk formula for infants (Dr. Henry J. Gerstenberger,1915).
- Pioneered surgical treatment of coronary artery disease (Dr. Claude S. Beck, 1935).
- Developed the first heart-lung machine to be used during open heart surgery (Dr. Frederick S. Cross, 1950s).
- Performed the first successful lifesaving defibrillation of the human heart (Dr. Beck, 1947) and developed the method of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) (Dr. Beck, 1952).
- Detected for the first-time neutrinos created by cosmic ray collisions with the earth's atmosphere and developed innovative particle detectors (Prof. Frederick Reines, 1965). Case had selected Prof. Reines as chairman of the physics department based on Reines's work in first detecting neutrinos emitted from a nuclear reactor—work for which Reines in 1995 shared the Nobel Prize.
- Pioneered the materials science of polymers with the creation of first comprehensive polymer science and engineering department at a major U.S. university (Eric Baer, 1967).
- Developed a test for infants to identify mental retardation within one year of birth (Prof. Joseph F. Fagan, 1987).
- Created the first artificial human chromosomes, opening the door to more detailed study of human genetics and potentially offering a new approach to gene therapy. (Prof. Huntington F. Willard of the School of Medicine and University Hospitals of Cleveland, in collaboration with colleagues at Athersys, Inc., 1997).
- Pioneered Local Loop Unbundling in Africa. He also chaired the Local Loop Unbundling Committee on behalf of the South African Government (Prof. Tshilidzi Marwala).
In 2007, a team from Case participated in the DARPA Urban Challenge with a robotic car named DEXTER. Team Case placed as one of 36 semi-finalists. Dexter was the only car in the race without any seating for humans, and the only one to be built from the ground up as a robot car.
Today, the university operates several facilities off campus for scientific research. One notable example of this is the Warner and Swasey Observatory at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona.
Music
WRUW-FM is the campus radio station of Case Western Reserve University. Its motto "More Music, Fewer Hits" can be seen adorning the rear bumpers of many vehicles in the area. WRUW broadcasts at a power of 15,000 watts and covers most of Northeast Ohio 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
WRUW is staffed by CWRU students and community volunteers. The station's format can be classified as non-commercial "variety."
CWRU is also home to several performing ensembles, including a cappella groups such as the Case Men's Glee Club, Case in Point, Speakeasy, Dhamakapella, Bigger Than A Breadbox, and Solstice.
Computing
Case had the first ABET-accredited program in computer engineering.
In 1968, the university formed a private company, Chi Corporation, to provide computer time to both it and other customers. Initially this was on a Univac 1108 (replacing the preceding UNIVAC 1107), 36 bit, one's complement machine. The company was sold in 1977 to Robert G. Benson in Beachwood, Ohio.
Project Logos, under ARPA contract, was begun within the department on a DEC System-10 (later converted to TENEX (BBN) in conjunction with connection to the ARPANET) to develop a computer-aided computer design system. This system consisted in a distributed, networked, graphics environment, a control and data flow designer and logic (both hardware and software) analyzer. Graphics and animation became another departmental focus with the acquisition of an Evans & Sutherland LDS-1, which was hosted by the DEC System-10, and later with the acquisition of the stand alone LDS-2.
Case was one of the earliest universities to be connected to the ARPANET, predecessor to the Internet. ARPANET went online in 1969; Case was connected in January, 1971. Case graduate Ken Biba published the Biba Integrity Model in 1977 and served on the ARPA Working Group that developed the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) used on the Internet.
Case pioneered the early Free-net computer systems, creating the first Free-net, The Cleveland Free-Net, as well as writing the software that drove a majority of those systems, known as FreePort. The Cleveland Free-Net was shut down in late 1999, as it had become obsolete.
It was the first university to have an all-fiber-optic network, in 1989.
At the inaugural meeting in October, 1996, Case was one of the thirty-four charter university members of Internet2.
The university was ranked #1 in Yahoo Internet Life's 1999 Most Wired College list. There was a perception that this award was obtained through partially false or inaccurate information submitted for the survey, and the university did not appear at all on the 2000 Most Wired College list (which included 100 institutions); the numbers reported were much lower than those which had been submitted by Ray Neff in 1999. The university had previously placed #13 in the 1997 poll.
In August 2003, Case joined the Internet Streaming Media Alliance, then one of only two university members.
In September 2003, Case opened 1,230 public wireless access points on the Case campus and University Circle.
Case was one of the founding members of OneCleveland, formed in October 2003.OneCleveland is an "ultra broadband" (gigabit speed) fiber optic network. This network is for the use of organizations in education, research, government, healthcare, arts, culture, and the nonprofit sector in Greater Cleveland.
Case is also known for its Virtual Worlds gaming computer lab, which opened in 2005. The lab has a large network of Alienware PCs equipped with game development software such as the Torque Game Engine and Maya 3D modeling software. Additionally, it contains a number of specialized advanced computing rooms including a medical simulation room, a MIDI instrument music room, a 3D projection "immersion room", a virtual reality research room, and console room, which features video game systems such as Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii. This laboratory can be used by any student in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department, and is heavily used for the Game Development (EECS 290) course.
Popular culture
Severance Hall, adjacent to campus, was also featured in the 1997 film Air Force One. The scene during the opening credits shows a night-time military raid on the presidential palace of the leader of Kazakhstan. Severance Hall was chosen to depict the palace. During the scene, several landmarks of Case Western Reserve University are visible, including the Thwing Center (the student union) and the Dittrick Medical History Center.
In the 1999 film Being John Malkovich, it is mentioned that Floris, played by Mary Kay Place, has "her doctorate in speech impedimentology from Case Western."
The university was featured prominently in the 2006 film The Oh in Ohio. Jack, played by Paul Rudd, becomes romantically involved with Case student Kristin (played by Mischa Barton). In one scene, Jack drops Kristin off at the "Case Biophysics building", which is actually the Peter B. Lewis Building, part of Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management. In this scene, a number of actual Case students were cast as extras, and a few were given minor speaking roles and included in the credits.[citation needed]
Naming controversy
In 2003, the university unveiled a new logo and branding campaign that emphasized the "Case" portion of its name. In 2006, interim university president Gregory Eastwood convened a task group to study reactions to the campaign. The panel's report indicated that it had gone so poorly that "there appear to be serious concerns now about the university's ability to recruit and maintain high-quality faculty, fund-raising and leadership." Also, the logo was derided among the university's community and alumni and throughout northeastern Ohio; critics said it looked like "a fat man with a surfboard."
In 2007, the university's board of trustees approved a shift back to giving equal weight to "Case" and "Western Reserve". A new logo was chosen and implementation began July 1.In an open letter to the university community, interim president Eastwood admitted that "the university had misplaced its own history and traditions."
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