Hartwick College


Hartwick College is a private college in Oneonta, New York. The institution's origin is rooted in the founding of Hartwick Seminary in 1797 through the will of John Christopher Hartwick. In 1927, Hartwick Seminary moved to expand into a four-year college and was offered land by the city of Oneonta to move to Hartwick College's current location. The school has 1,200 undergraduate students from 30 states and 22 countries, 187 faculty members and the student-faculty ratio is 11-1.

History

Hartwick Seminary was founded in 1797 through the will of John Christopher Hartwick, a Lutheran minister from Germany who led several mission congregations of early settlers along the Hudson River and the Mohawk River in what is now upstate New York. His dream of establishing an institution of higher learning became a reality shortly after his death, with the founding of Hartwick Seminary in 1797. In 1816, the New York State Legislature incorporated the new school—the first Lutheran seminary in America—as a classical academy and theological seminary in Hartwick, near Cooperstown. The school moved to its present location in Oneonta in 1928, when Hartwick was incorporated as a four-year college. The land for the campus was donated by the City of Oneonta. Bresee Hall, today the oldest building on campus, was designed by noted architect John Russell Pope and built in 1928. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. The college's ties to the Lutheran Church ended in the 1960s and it now carries no religious affiliation.
In May, 2016, President Margaret L. Drugovich was awarded a new eight-year contract by the Board of Trustees to continue serving as president, which she subsequently accepted.
In July, 2016, the college set a fundraising record by securing more than $34 million through its latest capital campaign, exceeding the original goal of $32 million.

Academics

Hartwick College offers 31 majors and 24 areas of study leading to a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. In addition, it offers 11 minors, pre-professional programs in law, medicine, engineering and allied health professions; and five cooperative programs in engineering, law, business, and physical and occupational therapy. Students can also choose a concentration within their major.
The pre-engineering program at Hartwick has cooperative agreements with both at Columbia University and Clarkson University that allow students to spend three years at Hartwick and two years at one of the other schools studying engineering. Successful completion brings a bachelor's degree from Hartwick and an engineering degree from Clarkson or Columbia.
Hartwick's three-year bachelor's degree program allows qualified students to receive a degree in three years, as opposed to the traditional four. Since its launch in 2009, the program has sparked national interest for cost savings and quality.
The Liberal Arts in Practice curriculum merges traditional liberal arts study, personalized teaching, and experiential learning. Hartwick encourages students to gain real-world experience through internships, volunteer work, and job shadowing. Hartwick assists in networking and job-shadowing programs in career locations such as Boston, New York City, and other local venues
Hartwick College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The American Chemical Society also approved the Bachelor of Science degree program in chemistry.

Three-year bachelor’s degree program

Since 2009, Hartwick has offered a three-year bachelor's degree program, which allows students to receive an undergraduate degree in liberal arts in three years instead of four. This reduces tuition by about 25%. No summer coursework is required, so three-year students can work, intern or travel during summer breaks. There is no required online component, and all courses are taught by Hartwick faculty. Students in the program take on a larger course load in each of their six semesters. Most majors are included in the program.

January term

Every year, about 200-300 Hartwick students participate in 15-23 off-campus courses, taught by Hartwick faculty. Nearly every off-campus program is open to new students. All are open to majors and non-majors, with the exception of Trans-cultural Nursing in Jamaica. There are many scholarships available to support students who choose to study abroad during the college's January Term. Several international study-abroad scholarships are available: the Florence and George Hutman Scholarship, the Dobert Family Scholarship and the Andrew and Betty Anderson Scholarship.

International research

Hartwick offers students two scholarships for international research:
  • The Duffy Family Ambassador Scholarship, which supports students’ educational travel abroad with awards of up to $5,000. Awards go to students with demonstrated financial need who make a strong case for the value of their proposed program abroad.
  • The Emerson Foundation Scholarship, which offers up to $5,000 for international academic internships or directed study.
Scholarships are open to sophomore, junior or senior students of all majors who are pursuing an experience for academic credit.
One of the hallmarks of a Hartwick education is faculty-student collaboration on research. Each year, many student present their work at regional and national conferences.
Every spring, the college hosts a Student Scholar Showcase, a day-long event that highlights student-based research. The event is open to the public.

Rankings

In 2017, U.S. News & World Report ranked Hartwick College 159th in its National Liberal Arts College Rankings. In 2013, U.S. News & World Report also ranked Hartwick 21st among all U.S. colleges and universities for the percentage of students who study abroad.
Hartwick College is ranked 59th for liberal arts colleges on Payscale.com's 2016-17 list of highest-paid graduates.
Business Insider recognized Hartwick as #13 in their 2015 "50 Most Underrated Colleges in America" ranking for graduate earning potential. In 2013, the college also placed #274 out of a list of 501 colleges and universities across the nation in its Complete Ranking Of America's 501 Smartest Colleges.
Forbes Magazine ranked Hartwick # 501 overall in the 2016 Forbes ranking of the best colleges and universities in the nation; public and private colleges and universities included.
In Washington Monthly’s 2019 College Rankings, Hartwick is ranked #130 out of 214 liberal arts colleges in the nation.
Hartwick is also consistently featured in The Fiske Guide to Colleges and it is a Princeton Review Best Northeastern College.

In the media

Hartwick College was mentioned by journalist and scientific writer Malcolm Gladwell in his book David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants as a liberal arts college that offers the same academic rigor and quality of education with similar career outcomes of an ivy league university or elite liberal arts college in the United States, without the competitiveness or admission criteria of these top colleges and universities.

Student life

Hartwick offers student-run activities through more than 60 clubs and organizations that cover a wide variety of topics. The student governing body, Student Senate, oversees the constitutions and budgets of every club. There are a variety of honor societies and a variety of special-interest clubs ranging from academics to extracurricular activities. The Hartwick College Activities Board and SUNY Oneonta's student activities board host the downtown OH Fest street festival/concert each year for families and college students.
Greek Life at Hartwick College is based in a rich history dating back more than 80 years. During this time fraternities and sororities have been a valuable segment of the college experience. Fraternities include: Alpha Sigma Phi, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Phi Mu Alpha, and Kappa Sigma; sororities include: Alpha Omicron Pi, Theta Phi Alpha, local sorority Gamma Phi Delta, and local sorority Phi Sigma Phi.
Many Hartwick class events are organized by the Student Alumni Association, including the OozeFest mud volleyball tournament, freshman sundae, sophomore barbecue, junior pig roast, and senior banquet. The campus newspaper is Hilltops, which is published weekly. Columns include Minds of the Roundtable, Athlete of the Week, The Comic Book Corner, and DSquared. Hartwick also operates a student-run radio station, WRHO 89.7 FM.

Pine Lake Environmental Campus

Hartwick College acquired the Pine Lake Environmental Campus in 1971. Pine Lake provides Hartwick students with opportunities for hands-on research, academic study, and responsible environmental stewardship and self-discovery. It offers a residential alternative to the main campus residence halls.
The campus has 11 buildings on over 300 preserved acres, including eight cabins that are used as student housing during the school year.
The Vaudevillian, an arched building, is used for movies, contra dances, indoor festivals and other events. Science courses that are taught at Pine Lake often use the R.R. Smith Field Station, which has a small classroom area, a computer lab area, and two lab rooms. A shuttle bus transports students to and from Pine Lake, and living at the environmental campus is an option for all full-time Hartwick students.
Many of Hartwick's activities are held at Pine Lake, including the Eco-Art Festival, Pine Lake Day, potluck dinners, Solstice parties, the Bread and Puppet Theater, contra dances, the Awakening freshmen pre-orientation program, the annual chili cook-off, the local food cook-off, photo contests and the Conversations at the Lake discussion series.
Boats and kayaks can be borrowed and used on the lake during warmer months. Pine Lake's facilities also are available to Hartwick staff, faculty, families and guests, as well as public members. There is an extensive trail system around the lake and on the northern side of the road, also called the Upper Tract. The Pine Lake Club installed a disc golf course with nine baskets between the lake and the back field near the Holton Memorial Trail.
Pine Lake sees more than 3,000 visitors a year and is open to the public through membership and summer rentals.

Athletics

Hartwick College's teams are known as the Hawks, its official mascot is Swoop the Hawk, and its colors are Wellesley Blue & White.
The college is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, competing at the Division III level, and is a member of the Empire 8 Conference.
The college discontinued D1 women's water polo in February 2018.
Hartwick's Men's soccer won the NCAA Division I National Title in 1977.

Men's sports

On July 15, 2020, the Empire 8 Conference postponed all fall sports, but will provide conference championships in those sports in Spring 2021.

Notable alumni

  • Scott Adams '79, creator of Dilbert
  • Isaac Newton Arnold 1832, lawyer, politician, abolitionist. Attended Hartwick Seminary.
  • Frederick H. Belden '32, Tenth Episcopal Bishop of Rhode Island
  • John Bluem '74, former professional soccer player, college coach and broadcaster
  • Jason Boltus '09, Quarterback for the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League
  • George Bruno '64, Ambassador to Belize 1994–1997, appointed by President Bill Clinton
  • Mike Burns '93, former professional soccer player
  • Charles D. Cook '56, former New York State senator
  • Peter Daempfle '92, author
  • John Fennelly, CEO of Lionbridge
  • Stephen L. Green '60 Chairman of SL Green Realty Corp, the largest landlord in NYC.
  • Tyler Hemming '07, professional soccer player
  • Harold E. Hyde '33, 10th President of Plymouth State University
  • John W. Johnstone '54, former chairman & chief executive officer of Olin Corp, a Fortune 500 Company.
  • Matt Lawrence, professional soccer player
  • David H. Long '83, CEO of Liberty Mutual Group
  • Dave Lemanczyk, Major League baseball player
  • Johanna Lunn '78, producer/director, Centre East Media, Halifax, Canada
  • Clarence MacGregor, former justice of the New York Supreme Court and United States representative
  • Michael Maren '77, former journalist and current filmmaker.
  • Harold Clark Martin '37, 14th President of Union College
  • Cyrus Mehri '83, noted Washington DC-based anti-discrimination lawyer
  • Nancy Morris '74, former Secretary of the US Securities & Exchange Commission
  • Glenn "Mooch" Myernick '77, professional soccer player and coach
  • Craig Potter '07, professional Scottish footballer
  • John A. Quitman, 10th and 16th Governor of Mississippi, and U.S. Representative from Mississippi; attended Hartwick Seminary.
  • Rory Read '83, COO of Dell
  • Barbara Risser '73, former president, Finger Lakes Community College
  • Andrew Sambrook '00, professional soccer player
  • James L. Seward '73, New York state senator
  • Craig Slaff '82, award-winning aviation artist
  • Nadya Zhexembayeva '01, co-founder and chief reinvention officer, WE EXIST Reinvention Agency