TOWSON UNIVERSITY
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'Towson University', often referred to as 'TU' or simply 'Towson' for short, is an American public university located in Towson in Baltimore County, Maryland. It is part of the University System of Maryland.
TU was originally a training school for teachers in Baltimore, and over the years it has expanded and evolved into a 4-year degree granting institution consisting of 8 colleges with over 18,000 students enrolled. Towson is also the second largest public university in Maryland, and still produces the most teachers of any university in the state.
The U.S. News & World Report ranked Towson 40th in the Public Universities-Master’s (North) category for its 2007 America's Best Colleges issue, and 45th in the 2008 issue.[2] [3]
History
Commission of State Normal School
In 1865—the final year of the Civil War—the legislature allocated funds for Maryland’s first teacher-training school, or a normal school. Shortly thereafter, in 1866, the Maryland State Legislature passed a bill to standardize Maryland's school system, and began to build the training facility for the new teachers. Since TU's original mission was to train teachers, it was originally commissioned as the ''Maryland State Normal School'' by its first principal, McFadden Alexander Newell. The first building that the school was housed in was Red Man's Hall in downtown Baltimore with eleven students and three faculty.[4] [5]
Movement and Name Change
In 1872 the school moved to another building, the Athenaeum, to accommodate the growing school body. By then, the school integrated more programs and courses into the curriculum. The new building however proved to be crumbling, including the ceiling falling in on one of the classrooms after classes. So in 1875 the school moved into another building in Baltimore on Mulberry Street, but the building was in such poor condition when they moved, the entire roof began to fall in after the first day of classes. In light of what happened on Mulberry Street and the Athenaeum, the school moved in to a building specifically designed for it on Carrollton and Lafayette streets in Baltimore with its 10-member faculty and 206 students. [4] [5]
The Move to Towson
In 1910, Principal Sarah Richmond began asking the school's alumni and friends to join her campaign for a campus where the school could exist in a more appropriate environment. A committee was formed to search for a suitable location. The president of this committee was J. Charles Linthicum, a graduate who served in the House of Representatives and pushed the bill to make the Star Spangled Banner the national anthem. Also on the committee were Dr. M. Bates Stephens, State Superintendent, and Sarah Richmond, who had become the principal of the Normal School. Their efforts paid off in 1912 when the General Assembly passed a $600,000 bond issue to finance a move. [4] [5]
Stephens Hall, under construction in 1914.
Land was surveyed around Maryland in Roland Park, Lutherville, Mount Washington, Pimlico, Glencoe, and many other areas before Towson was selected.
By the time a location was chosen, the state had recently decreed that new public school teachers must have baccalaureate degrees instead of two-year teaching certificates, and the school retooled its curriculum and changed its name to ''State Teachers College at Towson''. On November 19, 1915, a dedication of the first three buildings was held in Towson. By 1935, it had become a degree-granting institution. In 1963, following expansion of programs in the arts and sciences, its name was changed to ''Towson State College''.
The baby boom generation flocked to college campuses beginning in 1964, and during the next decade Towson State's enrollment leaped from 3,537 to 13,399. To accommodate the explosive growth and build additional facilities, the college purchased more than 200 acres of land from the adjacent Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital.
With the increase in enrollment 1960s and 1970s, the campus saw further expansion with the construction of the Center for the Arts, the University Union, the Residence Tower, Hawkins Hall, the Towson Center, Cook Library and Minnegan Stadium.
Joining the University System
Under the leadership of President James L. Fisher, course offerings and programs also expanded to meet new needs. The state took note and in 1976 changed the school's name to ''Towson State University''. In 1988, TU joined 10 other public institutions in the newly created University of Maryland System.
On July 1, 1997, another name change took effect. Towson dropped the designation "state" from its name and became ''Towson University''. The new name recognized shifts in funding and the development and growth of Towson as a metropolitan university.[4]
Campus Master Plan
As a response to the University System of Maryland’s (USM) desire for Towson University to grow its enrollment, a new Campus Master Plan was developed for the university and approved by the USM, Board of Regents in December 2003. The university found that in the past, it has been guided by master plans that focused inward, resulting in disjointed campus development that was disconnected from the larger Towson community.
The resulting vision for addresses both University System of Maryland requirements and community concerns. It tries to address a lot of issues concerning of academic and student life buildings, as well as roads, parking, utilities and landscapes to support those buildings.[11]
So far it is in the process of completing several construction projects which have panned out into several phases and have a total estimated completion date by mid-2010, which falls into Caret's future vision for Towson, which he calls ''TU:2010''.[12][13]
'COMPLETED COSTRUCTION PROJECTS'
| Name of Project | Cost | Completion Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Third Floor Conference Rooms | $760,000 | August 2006 | Conversion of existing patio space on the third floor of the University Union into conference rooms for use by student organizations. |
| Cook Library Lobby Renovation and Starbucks Cafe | $1 million | September 2006 | Complete renovation of the lobby area to include new inner and outer storefronts with Starbucks Cafe replacing the vending area. |
| Burkshire Marriott Pub | $1 million | January 2007 | The patio outside of Nathan T's at the Burkshire Marriott was enclosed and the interior of Pub Smedley was renovated and expanded to create the newly named University Club. The University Club boasts new interior finishes, bar, and bathrooms. |
| Childcare Center | $4.5 million | January 2007 | Formerly housed in the Lida Lee Tall Education Building, TU's Childcare Center now has its own newly constructed building located on Auburn Drive. |
'FUTURE COSTRUCTION PROJECTS'
| Name of Project | Cost | Estimated Completion Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campus Memorial Garden | $200,000 | Summer 2007 | Construction of a memorial garden between the University Union and the Glen Towers, scheduled for completion summer 2007. The garden will be open to all students, faculty and staff and is designed to provide visitors with a peaceful place where the lives of members of the Towson University community may be remembered and celebrated. |
| Towsontown Garage Expansion | $10.6 million | November 2007 | Expansion of the garage to add 500 parking spaces for use by students, faculty, staff and visitors. Construction is scheduled to begin March 2007 and is targeted for completion November 2007. |
| West Village Housing - Phase I | $36 million | Fall 2008 | Delivery of 668 additional beds in the West Village sector of campus by fall 2008. |
| College of Liberal Arts - Phase I | $51.5 million | April 2009 | Design and construction of the first 100,000 square feet of the 250,000 square feet academic building that will house the College of Liberal Arts. Design is in progress with construction scheduled to begin February 2007 and completion April 2009. |
| Towson Center Arena | $30 million | Spring 2010 | Renovation of interior with upgrades to exterior plazas outside of the arena. Completion of the first phase of construction is scheduled for December 2008 with the second phase scheduled for completion spring 2010. |
Academics
Towson educates undergraduate and graduate students in thirty academic departments which are subdivided into eight colleges:
| Name of College | Dean | Website |
|---|---|---|
| College of Business and Economics | Shohreh A. Kaynama | [1] |
| College of Education | [2] | |
| College of Fine Arts and Communication | Christopher Spicer | [3] |
| College of Health Professions | Charlotte E. Exner | [4] |
| College of Liberal Arts | Terry A. Cooney | [5] |
| Jess and Mildred Fisher College of Science and Mathematics | Gerald W. Intemann | [6] |
| Honors College | [7] | |
| College of Graduate Studies and Research | Chou Lu | [8] |
The university provides 64 undergraduate majors, 37 master's degree programs and 4 doctoral programs.[14] [15] Once students have determined a program of study, they become a member of the academic college administering the program.
As a side note, Towson also has a gerontology program which is one of only 100 undergraduate programs offered in the United States. They're also the only public university in the United States that offers an undergraduate degree in e-Business.
Enrollment
More than 20,000 full-time and part-time students are enrolled in the University. Their numbers include over 800 international students from 100 nations. There are more than 15,000 undergraduates; approximately 13% are minority students. Also, in 2006 Towson achieved more enrollment in its business school than any college in the state of Maryland.[16]
Life at Towson
TU's high rise dorm, the Residence Tower.
Housing
About 77% of the freshman class, and over 3,573 students among all four classes, resides on campus. The University has 14 residence halls, which include apartment complexes, modern high-rise towers, and more traditional two- and three-story residential buildings.:[17]While on campus, students have access to a counseling center, an academic advising center, a health center, and a career center.
An example of a OneCard
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OneCard
Students get access to their meal plan, dorm buildings, and computer labs through the use of their OneCard. They can also go to all of the school sporting events (which are many times free of charge to students) and several on campus events with the use of their card. It also serves dually as identification on campus.
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Transportation
TU has its own on campus shuttle system that operates free of charge to students. The on-campus shuttle travels to most sections of the school, while the off-campus shuttle travels to more remote parts of TU, including some housing complexes (University Village) that students live in that are on the outskirts of the campus.[18]
There is also direct access to the MTA Maryland buses and light rail.
Towson UnPlugged
Towson Unplugged is one of the largest wireless networks in the Baltimore metro area, and spans the campus’ 328 acres (except inside residence halls).
The value of the updated wired network and new wireless network is $3.2 million. Wireless coverage extends across majority of the size of the TU campus and there are 28 academic and administrative buildings that are wireless with approximately 400 access points in those buildings, with each access point having a range of 300 feet.
TU Unplugged uses 802.11 b/g standard Wi-Fi protocols with 11 Mbit/s is the approximate shared connection speed for Towson Unplugged users with 802.11b wireless adapters and 54 Mbit/s is the approximate shared connection speed for Towson Unplugged users with 802.11 g wireless networking.[19]
On April 11, 2007, Baltimore County officials announced that they may provide wireless internet access throughout the county. However, they will first pilot the program in the Towson area, using donated bandwidth from Towson University to send signals to the Towson area. [20]
Buildings and Structures
Main articles: Towson University Buildings and Structures
Campus Lore
The Tiger Statue
Main articles: Towson University Tiger Statue
According to Towerlight the school newspaper, when the Student Government Association first bought the tiger statue that sits outside Cook Library in 1996, the organization hoped to boost school spirit. Instead, it became subject to vandalism and disrepair. In March 2006, after several acts of vandalism, the statue was comepletlely removed from in front of the library.
In September 2006, the Towerlight reported that a new bronze tiger statue had been unveiled as the centerpiece of the university's "Capital Campaign" to raise $50 million dollars. The primary difference between the new statue and previous one is that the new one is made of bronze and all of the legs are on the ground and the tail is wrapped around its legs rather than raised, so it won't get damaged by vandals.[21]
The new statue is outside Stephens Hall and was unveiled on February 8, 2007 where Caret said it would be "visible to passersby on York Road as well as students".[22] [23]
"The Beach"
During the warm months in the Spring and Summer, students will often sunbathe on the grass in front of the Cook Library.
The Mascot
Main articles: Doc (mascot)
Before the 1960’s, the name of the sports teams at Towson were known as the "Towson College Knights". Towson student John Schuerholz pushed for a new mascot, and the tiger was officially adopted in 1962. Now a Towson alumnus, John Schuerholz is the General Manager of the Atlanta Braves, and the baseball complex is named in his honor.[24]
A President's Blog
Towson University is one of the first colleges in the United States to have a president who has his own internet blog[25] and Podcast on Apple's iTunes.[26]
Community Outreach
The Cherry Hill Learning Zone
The initiative is a partnership among the Baltimore City Public School System, Baltimore City government, Towson University and Cherry Hill's community organizations. Together, the programs are trying to rebuild the Cherry Hill neighborhood in southern Baltimore. The program interacts with Cherry Hill’s civic leaders, community organizations and citizens, the Learning Zone hopes to serve as a resource for the academic progress of Cherry Hill’s young residents and improvement of the overall environment in the community.[27][28]
Baltimore Urban Debate League
The Towson Speech and Debate team has close ties with the Baltimore Urban Debate League and often volunteers people from the team and the university to judge and facilitate the running of the tournaments.
The university often acts as a host for league tournaments at least once a year.
Towson also has what they call an ''Urban Debate Scholar'' award that they give to one graduating senior every year. The scholarship pays for full tuition and fees at TU. They also offer varying awards between $2,000 - $4,000 to other graduating seniors.[29]
Adopt-A-Campus
President Caret has also established a program called ''Adopt-A-Campus'', which gives local businesses, organizations and others an opportunity to help beautify the TU campus. Every group will be assigned a certain section of the campus, and will be encouraged to pick up litter and help keep the area clean of trash and debris.[30]
Media and Publications
| Television | Radio | |
|---|---|---|
★ WMJF – The university's student-run TV station [9] | ★ WTMD – The student-run FM Radio station. [10] ★ XTSR – The student-run AM Radio station (formerly 'WTSR') [11] | ★ The Towerlight - Towson's bi-weekly student newspaper.[12] ★ Grub Street Literary and Arts Magazine ★ Philosophical Ideas - The Philosophy Forum's Undergraduate Journal ★ The Prelaw Society Journal |
Student Organizations
TU is home to more than 150 campus organizations and student clubs, fraternities, sororities, social clubs, professional clubs and club sports.
| SGA Affiliated | Cultural Organizations | Recreation and Sport Clubs | Religious Organizations | Community Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
★ Actuary Club ★ American Advertising Federation ★ American College of Health-care Executives ★ American Marketing Association ★ Anime Club ★ Athletic Training Club ★ Campus Greens [13] ★ College Democrats [14] ★ College Libertarians [15] ★ College Republicans ★ Communications Society ★ Computer and Technology Club ★ E-business Association ★ Economics Society [16] ★ English Club ★ Excelsior ★ Financial Management Association ★ Geography Club ★ Mathematics Club ★ Minority Science and Technology ★ National Association of Future Doctors of Audiology ★ National Science Teacher’s Association ★ National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association ★ Nursing Student Association ★ Philosophy Forum [17] ★ Physical Education Majors Club ★ Prelaw Society [18] ★ Psychology Club ★ Public Relations Group ★ Sign-Up Club ★ Society of Physics Students ★ Society of Professional Journalists ★ Speech and Debate Team ★ Sports Management Club ★ Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society ★ Student Council on Family Studies ★ Student Education Association ★ Wall$treet Investors Investment Club [19] | ★ African Diaspora Club ★ Black Student Union ★ Caribbean Students’ Association ★ Chinese Student and Scholarship Association ★ Delta Phi Omega ★ Queer Student Union [20] ★ Filipino Cultural Association ★ International Student Association ★ Japanese Association ★ Latin American Student Organization ★ South Asian Student Association ★ Towson Zionist Organization of America ★ Zeta Sigma Chi Multicultural Sorority | ★ Surf Club ★ Chess Club ★ Dance Team ★ Pom Squad ★ Baseball ★ Badminton, ★ Bowling ★ Cycling ★ Dodgeball ★ Field Hockey ★ Figure Skating ★ Ice Hockey ★ Men's & Women's Lacrosse ★ Martial Arts ★ Outdoor Adventures Unlimited ★ Rock Climbing Contingent ★ Roller Hockey ★ Rugby ★ Men's & Women's Soccer ★ Stunt ★ Tennis ★ Track & Field ★ Men's & Women's Ultimate Frisbee ★ Men's & Women's Volleyball, Wrestling ★ Triple T (Towson’s Tapping Tigers) | ★ Athletes in Action ★ Baptist Student Ministry ★ BASIC ★ Campus Crusade for Christ ★ Collegelife ★ Episcopal Campus Fellowship ★ Gospel Choir(Infinite Praise Ministries) ★ Hillel ★ Korean Campus Ministry ★ Lutheran Student Movement ★ Muslim Student Association ★ Newman Club ★ Reformed University Fellowship ★ University Bible Fellowship | ★ American Red Cross Corps ★ Best Buddies ★ Brotherhood ★ Choice Tutoring ★ Circle K ★ Dance Marathon ★ Habitat for Humanity ★ Proud Athletes Who Serve (PAWS) ★ Project L.O.U. ★ Sisterhood ★ Towson Volunteer Board |
Greek Life
Notable Attendees and Faculty
Main articles: List of Towson University people
See also
Main articles: Towson University articles
★ List of presidents of Towson University
★
External links
★ Towson's Official website
★ ''Towson University'' By Dean Esslinger, Lori Armstrong, Angie Brickhouse
References
1. Towson University school profile
2. Universities-Master's (North): Top Schools 2007
3. Universities-Master's (North): Top Schools 2008
4. Renovations build on history of Towson University
5. Employer Profile
6. Renovations build on history of Towson University
7. Employer Profile
8. Renovations build on history of Towson University
9. Employer Profile
10. Renovations build on history of Towson University
11. Campus Master Plan
12. Video of the campus master Plan
13. TU 2010: Mapping the Future
14. Degree Programs
15. Undergraduate Studies
16. Increased enrollment results in 2,995 undergraduates in CBE for Fall 2006
17. Housing and Residence Life
18. Shuttle Services
19. Towson UnPlugged
20. Towson gets free wireless Internet
21. Tiger Statue Debuts
22. The Future of Towson University
23. Towson's new Tiger built to last
24. The Meaning of a Mascot
25. President Caret's Blog
26. President Caret's Podcast
27. The Cherry Hill Learning Zone
28. Cherry Hill Learning Zone video
29. Scholarship Opportunities
30. Adopt-A-Campus
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