Christopher Newport University, or CNU, is a public liberal arts university located in Newport News, Virginia, United States. CNU is the youngest comprehensive university in the commonwealth of Virginia. The institution is named after Christopher Newport, who was a buccaneer (or privateer) and captain of the Susan Constant, the largest of three ships which carried settlers for the Virginia Company in 1607, on their way to found Jamestown in the Virginia Colony, which became the first permanent English settlement in North America.
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History
In 1960 the city of Newport News joined together with the Commonwealth of Virginia to create Christopher Newport College (CNC), which opened its doors in 1961 and at the time was located in the old John W. Daniel School building. The college was founded as an extension of the College of William & Mary and offered extension courses that had already been available in the area for some time. In 1964 the college was relocated to its current location, a 75-acre (300,000 m2) tract of land purchased and donated by the city. In this same year, the college's first permanent building was dedicated as Christopher Newport Hall. In 1971, CNC became a four-year college; however, it remained an extension of William & Mary until 1977 when it attained its independence. In 1992, the college became a university under the leadership of President Anthony R. Santoro, who oversaw the building of the first residence hall.
In 1996, CNU made plans to become more competitive. Those plans included the expansion of University property, several new buildings and residence halls, as well as overhauling academic programs and the admission process.
Rankings
- 1999 - No. 2 among regional public liberal arts colleges in the South by U.S. News & World Report
- 2009 - No. 7 nationally "Up-and-coming" liberal arts college in the annual 2009 U.S. News & World Report college rankings.
- 2011 - No. 4 nationally for "Best colleges for minorities in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)."
- 2011 - U.S. News & World Report named CNU one of the nation's 'schools to watch.'
- 2011 - "The Princeton Review chose CNU for the annual "best colleges" guidebook, The Best 376 Colleges: 2012
- 2011 - No. 6 up-and-coming regional university in the South.
- 2012 - No. 3 up-and-coming regional university in the South.
- 2012 - No. 8 among top public regional universities in the South, and No. 23 on the overall regional university list for the South.
- 2013 - No. 7 among top public regional universities in the South, and No. 18 on the overall regional university list for the South.
- 2014 - No. 7 among top public regional universities in the South, and No. 17 on the overall regional university list for the South.
- 2014 - No. 2 up-and-coming regional university in the South.
- 2016 - No. 5 among top public regional universities in the South, and No. 14 on the overall regional university list for the South.
- 2018 - No. 4 among top public regional universities in the South, and No. 11 of the overall regional university list for the South.
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Academic programs
Christopher Newport University offers a variety of four-year bachelor of science and bachelor of arts degrees. Graduate programs in applied physics and computer science, environmental science and teaching are also available in five-year bachelor's to master's, as well as traditional formats. Academic programs are offered through the College of Arts and Humanities, the College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences, and the College of Social Sciences, including the Joseph W. Luter III School of Business.
Joseph W. Luter, III School of Business
The School of Business is accredited by the AACSB and offers bachelor's degrees in Accounting, Finance, Management and Marketing. Worldwide, only one in six business schools has AACSB international accreditation.
The Joseph W. Luter, III School of Business scored at the 90th percentile for the 2009-10 academic year in the ETS Major Field Test (MFT) in Business.
College of Arts and Humanities
CNU's College of Arts and Humanities includes the Departments of English, Fine Art and Art History, History, Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, Music, Philosophy and Religious Studies, and Theater and Dance. The English Department offers the major in English, with concentrations including literature and writing. The History department offers degrees in History. For languages other than English, the Modern & Classical Languages & Literatures department offers degrees in German, French, Spanish, and classical studies. The department of Philosophy and Religious Studies offers a Bachelor of Arts, and includes religious studies and pre-seminary options for a concentration.
The Psychology and Sociology & Anthropology and Social Work Departments, offer degrees in psychology, social work and sociology. The sociology program also offers options for a concentration with include criminology, anthropology, and general sociology studies.
Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC)
The Army Reserve Officer Training Corps has maintained a strong presence at CNU for several years, offering classroom and field based training. The program is a component of the College of William and Mary's ROTC program, known as the Revolutionary Guard Battalion. It commissions several new US Army second lieutenants each year.
The Department of Fine Art and Art History
The Fine Art Department, located in the back of the Ferguson Center, offers a degree in fine arts with concentrations in art history and studio art.
The Department of Theatre & Dance
The Theatre & Dance Department offers a degree in theater arts with concentrations in acting, arts administration, design/technology, directing/dramatic literature and music/dance. The school also offers a Bachelor of Music degree. This degree can be complemented with concentrations in music education both instrumental and choral, performance and music composition/theory. The music minor option, however, was dropped in 2009.
Student profile
- 44% male, 56% female
- Students from every region in Virginia and 32 other states as well as several foreign countries.
- Average High School GPA is a 3.8 for the 2010-2011 Academic Year.
- Average SAT 1080 Average Math and Reading
- Minority Breakdown
- International Population
Athletics
CNU participates mainly in the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC), having moved from the USA South Athletic Conference in July 2013. The football team remains a USA South associate member because the CAC does not sponsor football. CNU fields a wide variety of college level teams on the Division III level. The Freeman Center houses the basketball, volleyball, and indoor track teams, while the lacrosse, soccer, baseball, softball, and field hockey teams play at a complex called "Captain's Field." The football and outdoor track teams compete at Pomoco Stadium, named for a local car dealership chain. Ratcliffe Hall was expanded in 2012 and now includes various athletic offices as well as the varsity gym. A sailing center is also located close to the campus along the James river.
CNU sports club programs include ice hockey, equestrian, dressage, cycling, fishing, lacrosse, martial arts, rock climbing, rugby, scuba diving, silver storm dance, soccer, swimming, table tennis, tennis, ultimate frisbee, rowing and volleyball.
Sports
Campus
Boundaries
The traditional boundaries of the Christopher Newport University campus have been Warwick Boulevard, Shoe Lane, and Prince Drew Road in Newport News. In recent years, however, the university has "jumped" Warwick Boulevard, buying and demolishing properties in the immediate area to expand. The part of campus that is east of Warwick Boulevard is referred to as "East Campus" and is primarily used to house upper-class students.
Residence halls
Residence halls on campus are usually segregated into the class of student living in them. In the recent years, new policies have been enacted that require all freshman and sophomore students to live in an on campus housing facility, unless they live in the commuting zone. Starting with the class of 2014, all students must live on campus during the junior year in addition to their freshman and sophomore years.
The oldest housing facility on campus is Santoro Hall. Opened in 1992, the hall was named in honor of then President Anthony Santoro and his wife, Carol. This building is directly adjacent to one of the campus dining facilities, the Hiden-Hussey Commons. Santoro Hall, along with the newer York River Hall, is primarily used for freshman housing. York River Hall opened in 2002. This complex, consisting of two buildings (York River East/ York River West), houses over 500 students and is the largest residence hall on campus. Both Santoro and York River Halls are suite-style living residence halls. In each building, pairs of neighboring housing units share a common private restroom. Freshman also live in portions of Potomac River Hall.
Sophomore housing currently consists of James River Hall, opened in 2000, half of Potomac River Hall, opened in 2004, as well as Warwick River Hall, opened in 2012. James River Hall boasts a variety of floor plans, including 4, 5, and 6-person apartments, 4-person suites, and three 15-person Theme Units. Potomac Hall, like York River Hall, is divided into two buildings (North/ South), and consists of suites of two bedrooms, located around a central living room and bath. Warwick River Hall is the newest residence hall on campus and accommodates 447 students in 4, 5, and 6-person suites each with a shared living room and bathroom.
Juniors and Seniors living on campus are generally assigned to either East Campus or Rappahannock River Hall. James River Hall also accommodates Juniors and Seniors in apartment style dorms. CNU is currently planning construction on a dedicated upperclassmen residence, to be called "Shenandoah Hall." It is expected to house more than 200 seniors and to open in summer 2020. Starting in 2009, five sororities and four fraternities live in Barclay Apartments, CNU's temporary Greek Village, and any additional fraternities and sororities live in the adjacent townhouses of CNU Landing as of 2012. Completed in 2002, CNU Apartments is a complex of five buildings of three or four stories, housing up to 355 students. These buildings, named after Virginia-born presidents, include Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Harrison, and Monroe. The CNU Village rose to accompany CNU Apartments in 2005, adding room for an additional 398 students in apartment living. Both the apartments and the Village feature 2 to 4 single bedroom apartments with a common living area (full kitchen, living room/dinette, washer and dryer). Below CNU Village, along Warwick Blvd., are a variety of eating establishments including Panera Bread, Moe's Southwest Grill, Subway, 7-11, Sushi & Spice, and Schooners, opened by three local restaurateurs who wanted to fill a void left by the lack of a social outlet on campus.
Dining facilities
The campus has two major dining facilities, Hiden-Hussey Commons and Regattas.
Hiden-Hussey Commons
The first dining facility on campus was originally named Harbour Lights. This all-you-can-eat cafeteria style facility is decorated internally with nautical memorabilia to go along with its name. In 2005 Harbour Lights was renamed to the Hiden-Hussey Commons. Newer students just refer to it as "The Commons." The dining hall was expanded in 2012 to include additional seating, serving lines, and a patio.
Regattas
Regattas Restaurant is the newest dining hall on CNU's campus. Opened in 2002 inside the David Student Union, Regattas shares a similar format to the Hiden-Hussey Commons with the all-you-can-eat cafeteria style. Regattas, however, sports a more up-tempo environment and often features hand made waffle cones for ice cream and custom made omelettes. It is also home to CNU's Mongolian Grill. Regattas began an expansion in 2017.
The David Student Union
The David Student Union (DSU) is a $36 million, 116,000 sq ft (10,800 m2) facility whose construction began in 2003 and opened September 9, 2006. Constructed in a "Neo-Georgian" architectural style, the first floor contains the campus Convenience Store, parallel the DSU dining facilities: The Discovery Bistro, Discovery Cafe, Chick-fil-A, Discovery Pizza, and Regatta's. The campus Bookstore and Convenience Store closed during the Fall 2010 semester in favor of an online bookstore and instead contains a student lounge, admissions office, and apparel store. All on-campus students receive a mailbox and access to a full-service Post Office located on the second floor of the DSU. Four large conference rooms named for past U.S. Presidents are located around a central lobby area at the top of the steps. The Ballroom is also located on the second floor. The building provides offices for Student Life, The Captain's Log, Career Development, International Studies, Academic Advising, and others. Private desks with computers are provided for students as well as quiet study sections and recreational areas. The building was named in honor of William R. and Goldie R. David.
Academic buildings
For the opening of the Spring 2010 semester, Christopher Newport University opened the Lewis Archer McMurran, Jr. Hall. This building has combined timeless neo-Georgian architecture with 21st-century technology. The building is 85,000 square feet and frames the university's Great Lawn on its western side. McMurran Hall houses the Departments of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, History, English, and Government. It boasts a 150-person lecture hall, two 50-person lecture halls, and over 25 other state-of-the-art classrooms.
To the north of McMurran Hall is Ratcliffe Hall, the former home of the Departments of English and Government. Once CNU's gymnasium, the building was renovated to include classroom and office space for students and faculty. Other academic buildings on campus include Gosnold Hall, Forbes Hall, and the Business and Technology Center (BTC Building), located across Prince Drew Lane. Finally, the Ferguson Center for the Arts is home to the Departments of Music and Theater & Dance.
Wingfield Hall, the former home of the Departments of Psychology and Language, was demolished in 2011 to make way for the Joseph W. Luter Hall, home of the school of business.
The Joseph W. Luter, III Hall is the house of the Luter School of Business. The building, following the Neo-Georgian architecture of surrounding new structures, has a new 100-seat tiered lecture hall, 14 traditional classrooms, teachings labs, research labs, faculty offices, and state-of-the-art technology.
The Mary Brock Forbes Integrated Science Building is a 156,000 sq ft academic hall situated on the north edge of the great lawn, and houses the College of Natural and Behavioral Science as well as the Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science and Psychology departments. It also includes spaces for students to interact, 50 faculty offices, a large lecture hall, 50 classrooms, research labs, and state-of-the-art technology.
The Paul and Rosemary Trible Library
The university's library, renamed for Rosemary and Paul S. Trible, Jr., had a multimillion-dollar addition completed in early 2008. The new 110,000-square-foot (10,000 m2) facility houses most of its collection in the original section. The new library was dedicated January 24, 2008, and fully opened at the start of the Spring 2008 semester. The Trible Library boasts a new Einstein's Cafe, a 24-hour study lounge, and an IT help desk.
In early 2009, the Mariners' Museum Library relocated to the Trible Library, providing students and the community with convenient access to the largest maritime history collection in the Western Hemisphere. The Paul and Rosemary Trible Library was slated for another expansion in 2014 which would add another floor to the back portion of the facility. Due to the renovations, the Mariner's Museum library will remain closed through Fall 2017.
Ferguson Center for the Arts
In 1996 the university acquired the Ferguson High School building and property, which was adjacent to campus. This building was used for classrooms until it was extensively renovated to become the Ferguson Center for the Arts, which opened in fall of 2005. Many features of the original high school, which was located between what is now the concert hall and the music and theatre hall, can still be seen throughout the current building. It houses a 1,725-seat concert hall which is acoustically engineered so that anyone on stage can be heard from any seat without a microphone, A 453-seat music and theatre hall, and a 200-seat studio theatre. It also contains two art galleries, a dance studio, and several classrooms.
Pope Chapel
Opened in early 2013, the Pope Chapel, named for Larry Pope of Smithfield Foods, is a 14,000 square foot gathering place for various on campus religious organizations located at the campus entrance across from York River Hall and the Trible Library.
Christopher Newport Hall
In the fall of 2015 a new administration building was opened and named Christopher Newport Hall. The 81,000 square foot structure houses the Office of Admission, Office of the Registrar, Financial Aid, Housing, the Center for Academic Success, the President's Leadership Program and the Center for Career Planning, among others. The $42 million facility serves as a new landmark on campus and is at the head of the Great Lawn opposite Lewis Archer McMurran, Jr. Hall. In May 2015, towards the end of construction, Newport Hall served as the backdrop for commencement ceremonies.
Student life
The Captain's Log
The Captain's Log is a student run organization that acts as the official newspaper of Christopher Newport University.
Currents
Currents is CNU's completely student-run literary magazine. Students from all disciplines may submit poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, playwriting, and lyrics. Currents is also CNU's oldest on-campus organization.
Greek life
Greek life at Christopher Newport has grown in the recent years to include seven North-American Interfraternity Conference listed fraternities, seven National Panhellenic Conference listed sororities and fourNPHC listed Greek organizations.
Other fraternities
- Alpha Chi (National Honor Society)
- Alpha Kappa Psi co-ed professional business fraternity
- Alpha Phi Omega co-ed service fraternity
- Alpha Psi Omega co-ed honorary theater fraternity
- Beta Gamma Sigma (Business Honor Society)
- Beta Beta Beta (Biological Honor Society)
- Eta Sigma Phi (Classics Honor Society)
- Gamma Sigma Epsilon (Chemistry Honor Society)
- Kappa Pi (Honorary Art Fraternity) Zeta Alpha Tau Chapter
- Lambda Pi Eta (Communications Honor Society), Sigma Kappa Chapter
- Nu Kappa Epsilon (Music Service Sorority), Beta Chapter
- Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK, Leadership Honor Society)
- Phi Alpha (Social Work Honor Society), Chi Kappa Chapter
- Phi Alpha Delta (PAD, Professional Pre-Law Fraternity)
- Phi Alpha Theta (History Honor Society), Alpha Zeta Mu Chapter
- Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia men's social music fraternity
- Phi Sigma Tau (Philosophy Honor Society)
- Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science Honor Society)
- Pi Kappa Lambda co-ed honorary fraternity in music
- Pi Mu Epsilon (Mathematics Society)
- Psi Chi (Psychology Honor Society)
- Sigma Alpha Iota women's music sorority
- Kappa Kappa Psi Co-Ed Honorary music fraternity
- Sigma Alpha Omega (Christian Sorority)
- Sigma Tau Delta (English Honor Society), Iota Omicron Chapter
- Theta Alpha Kappa (National Honor Society in Religion and/or Theology)
- Upsilon Pi Epsilon (Honor Society for the Computing and Information Disciplines)
Notable alumni
- William Lamont Strothers (BA, '91); NBA player, Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks
- Robin Abbott (BA, '98); Virginia House of Delegates.
- Randall Munroe (BS '06) creator of xkcd.
- Chris Richardson; American Idol finalist - Did not graduate
- Sam Ruby; (BA '82); Software Engineer.
- Colleen Doran Cartoonist
- C9 Meteos; or Will Hartman (BA c. 2011) (did not graduate)
- Michael P. Mullin; (BA '04) Virginia House of Delegates Representative for the 93rd District.
Notable faculty
- Philip Dimitrov, former Prime Minister of Bulgaria
- Dr. Jeffrey Bergner, former Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs
CNU Presidents
- H. Wescott Cunningham 1961-1970
- Dr. James C. Windsor 1970-1979
- Dr. Amy Anderson 1979-1987
- Dr. Anthony Santoro 1987-1996
- Paul S. Trible 1996-present
Campus ministries
The campus has several religious organizations. These include Reformed University Fellowship (RUF), InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IV), Young Life, Hillel Club, Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU), Because Christ Matters(BCM), Catholic Campus Ministry, the Canterbury Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Lutheran Student Fellowship, and The Hampton Roads Church Student Fellowship. These organizations are now able to meet and hold events in the Pope Chapel, which opened in early 2013.
WCNU Radio
WCNU Radio is a student-run, non-commercial, web-based radio station.
Notable commencement speakers
- 1971 Mills E. Godwin - Virginia Governor
- 1974 Dr. Wernher von Braun Rocket Scientist/V2 Rocket Developer
- 1975 Shirley Chisholm - US Congressman/First African American woman elected
- 1976 William Ramsey Clark - US Attorney General
- 1978 Chuck Robb - Virginia Governor
- 1978 George S. McGovern - US Senator
- 1980 John Warner - US Senator/US Secretary of Navy
- 1988 L. Douglas Wilder - Virginia Governor
- 1996 John Warner - US Senator
- 1997 Donald Regan - CEO Merrill Lynch/US Treasury Secretary/Reagan Chief of Staff
- 2001 Robert J. Dole - US Senator/1996 Presidential candidate
- 2003 The Honorable J. Harvie Wilkinson, III Judge; US Circuit Court of Appeals
- 2004 George Allen - US Senator/Virginia Governor
- 2006 Ann Compton ABC News White House Correspondent
- 2008 Timothy Kaine - Virginia Governor/Democratic National Chairman
- 2010 Bill Bolling - Virginia Lt. Governor
- 2011 Sam Donaldson - News Journalist
- 2012 Bob McDonnell - 71st Governor of Virginia
- 2014 Frank Wolf - US Congressman
- 2015 Anne Holton - Virginia Secretary of Education/First Lady of Virginia
- 2016 Dr. Christopher B Howard -- President of Robert Morris University in Pennsylvania, Rhodes scholar and Bronze Star recipient
- 2017 Mitchell B. Reiss -- President and CEO of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Former U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland
Sources
- Quarstein, John, V; Rouse, Parke S. Jr. (1996) [1996]. Finneran, Elisa F., ed. Newport News - A Centennial History. Conner, Edward A. (1st ed.). Newport News, Virginia: City of Newport News. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 96-71877.
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