Hampden-Sydney College

Hampden-Sydney College is a liberal arts college for men located in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia. Founded in 1775, it is one of only five men's colleges remaining in the country. For more than two centuries, Hampden-Sydney College has been dedicated to the formation of “good men and good citizens in an atmosphere of sound learning.”

Overview

Hampden-Sydney College requires that its students pursue a rigorous traditional liberal arts curriculum and become proficient in the written and oral expression of the English language. The College believes that an undergraduate education is not just the basis for a profession or career but preparation for life in any profession or career.

Hampden-Sydney is a college for men. As such, the College remains aware of the learning and developmental differences in gender, rather than trying to erase them. The scientific and educational establishment accepts that men and women learn differently. The single-sex institution is in a position to tailor the classroom experience to one pattern of learning. It is a matter of both teaching and learning efficiency as well as effectiveness. We believe that the single-sex classroom, in addition to being free of social tensions, provides young men with a learning experience uniquely suited to and wholly focused on their needs, and the result is a higher level of engagement, participation, and understanding.

The John Brooks Fuqua Computing Center, established in 1979, is the center of an extensive network of fiber optics that links every residence hall, classroom, and faculty and administrative office. Every member of the academic community has access to the Internet. Recognizing its importance, Hampden-Sydney strives to integrate advanced technology into both teaching and learning.

With an enrollment of over 1000 students, Hampden-Sydney draws from thirty states and several foreign countries. The College enrolls young men of character and ability who will benefit from a rigorous and traditional liberal arts curriculum. Students heartily participate in activities that teach teamwork, such as intercollegiate and intramural athletics, publications, theater productions, social fraternities, and student government. Graduates have a history of success in a broad spectrum of professions and occupations.

History

Classes at Hampden-Sydney began in temporary wooden structures on November 10, 1775, on the eve of the American War of Independence. The College has been in continuous operation since that date, and despite the difficult and financially-strapped first years resulting from the Revolutionary War, the College survived with sufficient viability to be granted a charter by the Virginia General Assembly in 1783 – the oldest private charter in the South.

Hampden-Sydney College derives its name from John Hampden (1594–1643) and Algernon Sydney (1622–1683). Hampden lost his life in the battle of Chalgrove Field during the English Civil War. Sydney, who wrote Discourses Concerning Government, was beheaded by order of Charles II following a failed attempt to overthrow the king. These proponents of religious and civil liberties were much admired by the founders of the College, all of whom were active supporters of the cause of American independence.

The College, long noted for its beauty, has expanded from its original small cluster of buildings on 100 acres (0.4 km²) to a campus of nearly 700 acres (2.8 km²) with numerous Federal-style buildings. Part of the campus is designated a National Historic Preservation Zone. Construction of a new library and new fine arts facility is planned.

Facts

• Classes began November 10, 1775. Hampden-Sydney has been in continuous operation since that date.
• The oldest private charter in the South; the 10th oldest institution of higher education in the Nation.
• William Henry Harrison, 9th President of the United States, was a member of the Class of 1791.
• The parent institution of both the Medical College of Virginia and Union Theological Seminary (Presbyterian).
• Chapters of Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa.
• Enrollment 1082 men; one of three all-male colleges in the United States.
• Students come from 30 states and several foreign countries.
• Most popular majors: economics, history, and political science.
• Student-Faculty ratio of 11 to 1.
• 95% of full professors hold doctorates.
• Basketball and lacrosse are regular NCAA Division III national tournament contenders.
• Half the graduates attend graduate school within five years.
• Endowment per student ranks Hampden-Sydney in the top quarter of colleges and universities in the country.

External link

• Hampden-Sydney College, Virginia