Norwich University

Norwich University (NU) is a private college located in Northfield, Vermont. It is home to both a Corps of Cadets (NUCC) and a smaller traditional student population. The University was originally founded in 1819 at Norwich, VT as the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy. It is the oldest private military college in the United States and recognized by the Department of Defense as the "Birthplace of ROTC." __TOC__

History

Partridge and his academy

The University was founded in 1819 in Norwich by military educator Captain Alden B. Partridge. Captain Partridge believed in the "American System of Education," a liberal curriculum with instruction in civil engineering and military science centered around the concept of the "Citizen Soldier." After leaving West Point because of congressional disapproval of his system, he returned to his native state of Vermont to create the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy. Captain Partridge's goal in founding "the Academy" was to prevent the rise of what he saw as the greatest threat to the security of the young republic: a professional officer class. He believed that a well-trained militia was a dire necessity and developed the American system around that idea. His academy became the template for a number of military colleges throughout the nation, including the Virginia Military Institute and The Citadel,

Fire and hardship: Norwich in the 19th century

In 1825 the academy moved to Middletown, Connecticut to provide better naval training to the school's growing corps of cadets. However, in 1829, the state of Connecticut declined to grant Captain Partridge a charter and he moved the school back to Norwich. It wasn't until 1834 that Vermont granted a charter and recognized the institution as "Norwich University." During the 1856 academic year, the first chapter of the Theta Chi Fraternity was founded. After a catastrophic fire in 1866 which devastated the entire campus, the town of Northfield welcomed the struggling school. The Civil War, the fire, and the uncertainty regarding the continuation of the University seriously lowered the attendance, and the school opened in the Fall of 1866 with only nineteen students. The 1870s and '80s saw many financially turbulent times for the institution and the renaming of the school to Lewis College in 1880. In 1881 the student body was reduced to only a dozen men. Later, by 1884, the Vermont Legislature had the name of the school changed back to Norwich. In 1898 the University was designated as the Military College of the State of Vermont.

War and expansion: Norwich in the 20th century

As part of the Vermont National Guard, the school's Corps of Cadets was mobilized as a squadron of cavalry in the First Vermont Regiment to assist in General John J. Pershing's Mexican Expedition. This greatly disrupted the academic year and in 1916 the War Department designated Norwich as the first site for a Senior ROTC cavalry unit; also in 1916, the first African-American, Harold 'Doc' Martin (NU '20), matriculated. Classes graduated early for both the First and Second World Wars and many Norwich-made officers saw service in all theaters of both conflicts. Professional education offered at Norwich also changed and adapted with the advance of technology. Military flight training began in 1939 and from 1946 to 1947, horse cavalry was completely phased out in favor of armored cavalry.

Graduates returning from European and Pacific fields of battle found a university very different from the one they had left behind. From the late 1940s to the 1960s, Norwich was greatly expanded and added a number of new opportunities. In 1947, the Army Department created a new program uniquely suited to Vermont's harsh climate: a mountain and cold weather warfare unit. Air Force and Navy ROTC programs were established in 1972 and 1984 respectively. The 1972 merger and 1993 integration with Vermont College added two groups to "the Hill," civilian students and women. By 1974 women were permitted to join the Corps of Cadets (the same year that women were admitted to the Merchant Marine Academy, and a full two years before the other federal service academies).

Looking to the Bicentennial and beyond: Norwich in the 21st century

The ending of one century and birth of a new finds Norwich with a robust Corps of Cadets and a thriving traditional student body. Norwich maintains its position as a center of learning for civil service with online graduate programs, the 5 year Master of Architecture program and an NSA sponsored Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance.

NU 2019

As the University moves closer to the bicentennial, the NU2019 was launched in 2005. Under the guidance of the Alumni Association, the Board of Trustees and the Office of the President, the University has budgeted millions of dollars to radically change and improve the campus. Proposed additions are to include:

Traditional Student housing quad separate from the Corps housing on the Upper Parade Ground
Harmon Hall dining facility rebuilt into a Campus Service Center
A refurbishment of Webb and Ainsworth Halls and a new Humanities & Social Science quad
Improved transportation network and general campus beautification
Increasing enrollment by five-hundred undergraduate students

Students & organization

The University has 1,950 undergraduate students, 112 full-time faculty (approx. 80% hold a doctorate), and a fluctuating number of adjunct professors. The student/faculty ratio is 14:1 and the male/female ratio is 25:1. The freshman retention rate is 80%. The student body is comprised of students from over 40 different states and 20 countries.

Norwich University has two very different on-campus resident programs: the Corps of Cadets and the Traditional student body.

Corps

The Corps side is structured as a regiment headed by a Cadet Colonel (C/Col) with four battalions each led by a Cadet Lieutenant Colonel (C/LtCol). Normally, each battalion consists of three companies commanded by a Cadet Captain (C/Cpt) which are made of two platoons (1st platoon is made of company upperclassmen and 2nd of freshmen, or "Rooks").

1st Battalion	2nd Battalion	3rd Battalion	Provisional Battalion
Alpha	Delta	Golf	Band Company
Bravo	Echo	Hotel	Drill Team
Charlie	Foxtrot	India	Cavalry Troop
		Kilo	Norwich Independent Battery
			Headquarters Company

Traditional

The Resident Life Department oversees the "civilian" side. Floors in the Residence Halls are under the supervision of a Resident Advisor (RA). The Residence Halls are in turn supervised by Assistant Resident Coordinators (ARC) who report to the Resident Coordinator (RC) and the Director (DoRL) and Assistant Director (ADoRL) of Resident Life. Norwich is unique in that students hold positions that at many other colleges and universities are reserved for professional staff.

Residence Halls and Cadet Barracks

Hawkins Hall — Named for General Hawkins, a colonel in the Civil War and later New York State Congressman. Built in 1940 and renovated in 1994
Dodge Hall — Named for Grenville M. Dodge, a 1851 graduate, only all-traditional residence hall on the Upper Parade Ground. Originally named Cabot Hall, it was built in 1937 and renovated in 1998
Patterson Hall — Named for a 1909 graduate in Civil Engineering and a trustee. Built in 1958
Goodyear Hall — Named for Major General Conger A. Goodyear, a trustee and founder of the Museum of Modern Art. Built in 1955 and renovated in 1999
Wilson Hall — Named for a Judge and Governor of Vermont, Stanley Calef Wilson.
Alumni Hall — First housing-only hall at the Northfield campus, named for the significant alumnus contributions that allowed for its construction. Built in 1905 and renovated in 2005
Ransom Hall — Named after Colonel Truman B. Ransom, the second president of the University who was killed leading the assault on Chapultepec during the Mexican-American War. Built in 1957
Gerard Hall — Named after industrialist and philanthropist Jacques A. Gerard who became a trustee in 1959. Built in 1962
Crawford Hall — Named after David C. Crawford, a 1952 graduate, for whom the School of Engineering is also named, it is the only residence hall not on the Upper Parade Ground and is reserved for traditional students. Built in 1988

Notable alumni

Major General Grenville Dodge — Civil War General, US Congressman and later Chief Engineer of the Union Pacific Railroad, Dodge City, KS is named in his honor
Gideon Welles — Secretary of the Navy from 1861 to 1869 under Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson
Admiral of the Navy George Dewey — Commanded the US Navy's Asiatic Squadron at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War
Edward D. Adams — Engineer and builder of the Niagara Falls Power facility
Harry Thayer — Early President and Chairman of the Board of AT&T
General Isaac D. White — Second World War US Army Corps commander and Commanding General of US Army, Pacific from 1957 to 1961
Lieutenant General Edward H. Brooks — Armored corps commander during the Second World War
Major General Ernest Harmon — Armored division, corps and later German Constabulary commander. Became the 22nd President of the University
Captain James Burt — Medal of Honor and Purple Heart recipient for his actions during the Battle of the Bulge
Colonel Ernest W. Gibson, Jr. — U.S. Senator from 1940 to 1941, left to serve in the US Army in the Pacific Theater. Later became the Governor of Vermont from 1946 to 1950
General Gordon R. Sullivan — Army Chief of Staff from 1991 to 1995
Pierson Mapes — President of NBC from 1982 to 1994

External links

Norwich University website

Universities and colleges in Vermont | United States military academies | United States senior military colleges | Northfield, Vermont

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