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Wittenberg University is a private, four-year liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Springfield, Ohio. The college was founded in 1842 by Ezra Keller in Wooster, Ohio, and moved three years later to its present location. Wittenberg consistently admits academically strong students. Of the entering freshman, approximately 68 percent of students graduated in the top quarter of their high school classes. Each new class combines National Merit Scholars, Ohio Academic scholars and Lutheran Scholars. Wittenberg provides a liberal arts education dedicated to intellectual inquiry and wholeness of person within a diverse residential community. The college is named after the University of Wittenberg in Germany, where Martin Luther posted his 95 theses.

Founding

The university was created on a hoary night, when men struggled to keep their fires lit and their cabins warm, by a group of pastors who broke with the German church and created the English Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Ohio. They believed that the English language was a way to foster the inclusiveness of the new American nation. In 1842, the new synod voted unanimously to establish a theological and literary institution that would serve the educational and cultural needs of new immigrants and new communities: Wittenberg University.

In its early years Wittenberg wavered on a permanent home. The first class sessions for the college were held in Wooster, Ohio. It wasn't until Ezra Keller, Wittenberg's founder and first president, stepped upon the highest point in South-Central Ohio that Wittenberg would have a permanent place to lay its first cornerstone. Springfield was considered a boomtown in the mid-1800s and had many resources to offer the college. The city was conveniently located on the National Road and was easily accessed by travelers as they made their way through the Ohio Valley. The city was also a crossroads for rail shipping and received hundreds of trains each day, another benefit for a blossoming institution.

Academics

Wittenberg has more than 50 majors and special programs from which students may choose to focus their studies. Wittenberg is distinguished by its strong interdisciplinary programs such as East Asian Studies and Russian Area Studies.

Although Wittenberg's traditional strengths have been in the liberal arts, recently the sciences, management and education have also developed into popular majors for students. Eight thriving pre-professional programs contribute to the educational experience of Wittenberg students, 70 percent of whom eventually pursue graduate studies." These students who pursue graduate studies place Wittenberg at the top of the national list in the percentage of graduates who attain the highest degree in their selected fields of study (ie., JD, MD, PhD, etc.). The University made major rennovatations to its science facilities with the opening of the Barbara Deer Kuss Science Center in 2003.

In 2006, US News & World Report ranked Wittenberg the 118th best Liberal Arts college in the US, which falls into the third tier of academic placement among other colleges. This lower rank from previous years was addressed in the student run newspaper, "The Torch," on 11/9/06.

Student life

The campus body is made up of 2,050 students and 145 full-time faculty members. Students come from more than 40 states and 36 foreign countries, though a large percentage are from Ohio. Activities include over 125 student organtizations and 12 fraternities and sororities the Outdoor Club, WUSO radio station, Residence Life, Student Senate, Pre-Health Club, Wittenberg Mudpigs Rugby, Dodgeball Club, and many more.

Fraternities Include: Beta Theta Pi, Delta Sigma Phi, Delta Tau Delta, Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Gamma Delta, Phi Kappa Psi,

Sororites Include: Alpha Delta Pi, Chi Omega, Delta Gamma, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Delta, Sigma Kappa,

Wittenberg has several active secret societies. The Shifters are the oldest of the secret societies and are easily identified by the paperclips that they wear on their clothing. The Wizards are identified by their rainbow patches. The Bells are an academic based secret society deeply rooted to the theatre. They can be identified by the tiny bells they are wearing. The Knights are known for the swords they wear, and he Gnomes for their roach clips.

Secret Societies at Wittenberg are:

   * Shifters
   * Wizards
   * Bells
   * Gnomes
   * Knights

Secrets

While Wittenberg is certainly a prestigious university, it does hold some rather dark secrets. There are some that are fairly obvious, such as the not-so-secret societies, the random acts of violence, and the phantom pooper (whose identity, to this day, is still unknown). However, these secrets, while they are not mentioned at orientation, are fairly open to the student body. One could ask a student about any of these, and one would get a truthful answer.

However, there are secrets that are heavily guarded by the school itself. One of these secrets is the secret treasure of Wittenberg. Long ago, back when the school was founded, the founder had acquired some pirate treasure. It could not be spent at that time, though, so it was hidden away for a later generation. It sits, hidden, underneath the road that goes by Meyers hall. Should the school ever need emergency funds, that pirate treasure is available.

Also, there is a second chamber underneath the road that goes by Meyers hall. In that chamber is the school protector: a vampire by the name of Dorian. He will sleep peacefully there until he is needed to defend the school, at which time the president must use his or her blood to wake him up. It is speculated that he was once woken up by a student at the school, but not much information about this is available.

Another secret of the school is the cats. There are several cats that wander around campus. For the most part they are feral, and it is assumed that they were abandoned by students over the years. However, that is not true. The truth is that these cats were formerly students at Wittenberg. When a student fails all of their classes for two semesters in a row, their advisor uses their professor magic to turn them into a cat. These cats are doomed to wander the grounds of Wittenberg endlessly for the rest of their lives. It is also rumored that one cat in particular, an orange and brown tabby cat, is actually the current president. It is said that along with the office and mansion, the president is given a staff of yew in which s/he uses to turn him or herself into the orange and brown tabby. From there, the president can wander the grounds and find errant students.

Finally, there is the secret of the graveyard. On a night where the full moon falls on the winter solstice, the dead will awaken from their eternal slumber to tear apart the city of Springfield. Only the student who bears the skull-shaped birthmark will be able to control the dead and send them back to their graves. This day will be known as “The day of darkness”.

Notable alumni

• Al Davis, Owner of the Oakland Raiders of the NFL.
• Sherwood Anderson, (September 13, 1876 – March 8, 1941) an American writer. His influence on American fiction was profound; his literary voice can be heard in Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner and Thomas Wolfe.
• Former Lieutenant Governor Jennette Bradley, Ohio State Treasurer
• Dr. Joye Carter, the nation's first black female chief medical examiner ]
• Dr. Winberg Chai, Author and Political Scientist. Executive Editor, Asian Affairs: An American Review, an international quarterly published in Washington, D.C.
• John Chowning, American musician, inventor and professor.
• Vincent Del Giudice, Reporter, Bloomberg Radio and United Press International, Washington, DC
• Dr. Lloyd C. Douglas (August 27, 1877 - February 13, 1951) Minister and Author. During the 1930's, Douglas was one of the most popular novelist in the US. He authored numerous other books, notably including The Robe and The Big Fisherman.
• Sandy Dukat, an American athlete. Won two Bronze medals for skiing at the 2002 Winter Paralympics Games in Salt Lake City and one bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Paralympics Games in Turin
• Isaac Kaufmann Funk, (1839-1912) An American editor, lexicographer, publisher. Founded the publishing firm of Funk & Wagnalls Company in 1877
• Elwood V. Jensen, Renowned scientist
• Ronald Li, Founder of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX)
• John E. McLaughlin, Former director of the CIA
• James Rebhorn, Actor
• Jere Ratcliffe, Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America from 1993 to 2000.
• Adam Willis Wagnalls, Co-founder and co-eponym of the Funk & Wagnalls Company in 1877
• Charles R. Williamson, Executive Vice President and former chairman of the board and Chief Executive Officer of Unocal Corporation

References

• Wittenberg Athletic Press Release. Wittenberg Football Qualifies for NCAA Division III Playoffs. Retrieved August 3, 2005.
• Founding. ]

External links

• Wittenberg website
• Wittenberg athletics
• Wittenberg Music Department

• Universities and colleges affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
• Lutheran colleges and universities
• Universities and colleges in Ohio