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University of Bridgeport |
| University of Bridgeport | |
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| Established: | 1927 |
| Type: | Private |
| President: | Neil Albert Salonen |
| Faculty: | 200 |
| Undergraduates: | 1,791 |
| Postgraduates: | 2,961 |
| Location: | Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA |
| Campus: | Urban 50 acres |
| Athletics: | 11 varsity sports teams 7 women's; 4 men's |
| Mascot: | Purple Knight |
| Website: | www.bridgeport.edu |
University of Bridgeport is a private, non-sectarian university located on Long Island Sound in the South Bridgeport section of Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. The University offers a broad range of standard, accredited, college and graduate level, art, science and professional degrees departments. It was the first American university offering the standard array of accredited programs to also offer an alternative medicine program, which are usually stand alone programs. And the University has not just one alternative medical programs, but three. (It may still be the only accredited U.S. university to offer alternative medicine programs.) The University of Bridgeport has a diverse student body: 16% of undergraduate students come from overseas,1 and according to U.S. News and World Report, the University is the most diverse student body of any U.S. institution.
Founder and first President Everett Cortright created the Junior College of Connecticut in 1927 to expand the academic opportunities for local Connecticut youth. It was the first junior college chartered in the Northeastern United States.
The school broadened its curriculum, and developed baccalaureate programs. The legislature of Connecticut acknowledged the school's growth by renaming the institution "University of Bridgeport" in 1947. The school began awarding master's degrees in 1951. Under President James Halsey, the university was among the first American universities to enroll a significant number of international students. The University offered its first doctoral degree program, Educational Leadership, in 1979. Bridgeport became the first accredited American university arts, sciences and professional studies to include a school of Acupuncture, Chiropractic, and Naturopathic Medicine. The school of Naturopathy is one of the six accredited naturopathic medical schools.
The University grew rapidly in the 1960s by capitalizing on the increased number of people seeking to attend a U.S. college resulting from the baby boom, Vietnam War veterans eligible for a higher education under the G.I. Bill, and international students who wanted to attend college in the United States. Enrollment peaked at 9100 students in 19692. Enrollment declined in the 1970s and 1980s after the waves of baby boom and Vietnam era veterans eligible for the G.I. Bill declined. By 1990, the University had tuition, room and board fees to $18,000 per year, but the school's reputation had not improved. More than a third of the 50 campus buildings were empty. To cut costs, the university decided to terminate 50 tenured faculty, and asked the other faculty to accept a 30% wage cut3. This led to the longest faculty strike in the history of American higher education. Dr. Greenwood, the president at the time, quit abruptly. Standard & Poor's found that the university was in technical default on a $10.2 million loan from a consortium of local banks since it had not complied with loan conditions. They added that the University had exhausted its unrestricted funds, so they lowered the University's bond rating. Borrowing money became expensive and nearly impossible.
Enrollment fell to 1,300 in 1991. The Board of Governors of the State Department of Higher Education, hereafter "the Board", found the university in non-compliance with several standards that year. Accreditation was granted for just 2 years, far less than the standard 4 or 5 years. The University was warned that it must comply with certain standard during this time, or face loss of accreditation. Debt rose to over $22 million in 1991-92. Trustees agreed to give control of the University to an affiliate of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church, the Professors World Peace Academy (PWPA), in exchange for investing $50.5 million in the university.4 (The PWPA received about 90% of its funding from the Unification Church at the time.) Soon after the PWPA got involved, the Board evaluated the school for accreditation again. The Board was concerned that the PWPA might interfere with the academic freedom at the school, and called on the University trustees to create an independent, self-governing panel to oversee the school's operation to assure academic freedom. University trustees complied, but some of the Board was still concerned about the PWPA and academic freedom. So the Board rewarded the institution for making progress, but accredited the University for just 30 months; far less than the standard 4 or 5 years accreditation, but longer than the previous 2 year accreditation.
After the PWPA assumed control of the University, the trustees retained the president at the time, Dr. Edwin G. Eigel, Jr. (1932-2008). Eigel served as president till 1995. He was succeeded by holocaust theologian and former PWPA president Dr. Richard Rubenstein, who served from 1995-1999.5 Neil Albert Salonen was the Chairman of the University's Board of Trustees when he was chosen to serve as ninth University president in 1999. Salonen had earned a Baccalaureate degree, but no PhD or professional degree. Salonen acknowledged that he did not hold an advanced degree, and that this was a departure for a university president. He argued that there is a trend of in higher education of hiring people with management experience as university presidents. He has managed several Unification Church related organizations, serving as President of the Unification Church of America from 1973 to 1980, and as Chairman of the International Cultural Foundation prior to becoming the chief executive of the university.6
The University of Bridgeport became solvent in 2003, so the PWPA ceased subsidizing the school.7
The University of Bridgeport inaugurated its first doctoral program, Educational Leadership in 1979, and added a Ph.D. degree program in Computer Science and Engineering in 2006. Two terminal, professional, alternative medicine programs in Chiropractic and Naturopathic Medicine were established in 1991 and 1996 respectively.
University of Bridgeport enrollment grew from 1,383 students in 1992 to over 4,700 in Fall 2007. The university's student recruitment practices have changed. The amount of scholarship assistance available for international undergraduate students has decreased and the University focuses on admitting more domestic students, especially those interested in career-oriented global educations.
The campus is bordered by high-crime neighborhoods leading to a number or muggings and other violent crimes on campus and/or against students.8 The school encourages students to be vigilant about personal safety,9 and gives incoming students a personal alarm locator that enables an individual to alert campus public safety to request assistance.10 The University was awarded the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Award for effective use of cutting-edge technology and dramatic reduction of crime on campus.11
According to the 2007 Annual Report:12
Chemistry , General Biology, Marine Biology, Pre-Chiropractic Studies, Pre-Dental Studies, Pre-Medical Studies, Pre-Naturopathic Studies, Pre-Veterinary Studies, Zoology.
Business Studies, Humanities, Internet Applications, Natural Sciences/Mathematics, Science, Engineering, and Computer-Related Fields, Social Sciences.
Creative Writing, English, History, Interdisciplinary Studies, Philosophy, Psychology.
Actuarial Mathematics, Computer Science, Natural Sciences.
Jazz Studies, Music Business, Music Education, Music Performance.
International Relations, International Studies.
Advertising, Communication Studies, International Communication, Journalism, Public Relations.
Conflict Analysis and Mediation, World Religions and Culture, World Religions and Service.
Criminal Justice, Health Science, Business Track, Mass Communication, Asia Pacific Studies.
Political Science, Criminal Justice, Economics, Sociology.
Political Economy and Development, Culture and Conflict Resolution, Global Management.
Accounting, Bio-Tech Management,Computer Applications and Information Systems (CAIS),Corporate, Government and Information Security, e-Commerce, Entrepreneurship, Environmental and Energy Management, Fashion Merchandising, Finance, Foundations of Doing Business in China, Foundations of Doing Business in India, Global Management, Global Marketing, Global Program and Project Development, Healthcare Management and Administration, Human Resources Management, Information Technology Management, Intellectual Property Management, Management and Operations, Manufacturing Management, New Product Development and Management, Service Management and Engineering, Strategic Sourcing/Outsourcing, Supply Chain Management.
Community Counseling, Human Resource Development, College Student Personnel, Human Services.
Elementary (Grades K-6), Middle Grades with subject specializations in: TESOL (four-summer courses, mainly for Taiwanese.), Biology, Business, Chemistry, Earth Science, English, General Science, Mathematics, History & Social Studies, Physics, Remedial Reading/Language Arts, Music. Secondary with subject specializations in: Biology, Business, Chemistry, Earth Science, English, General Science, Mathematics, History & Social Studies, Physics, Remedial Reading/Language Arts, Music.
Remedial Reading & Remedial Language Arts (Certificate Program), Reading & Language Arts Consultant (Certification Program), Instructional Technology, Elementary Education (Degree Program), Secondary Education (Degree Program), Intermediate Administrator or Supervisor (Diploma/Certification Program).
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This section is written like an advertisement. Please help rewrite this section from a neutral point of view. (October 2008) |
The UB School of Engineering (SOE) is a 21st-century, high-tech learning center and hub for people who want to master the latest technologies. UB SOE is also a research and development think tank for new ventures in the emerging world of technology-oriented markets and computer-aided solutions. UB SOE hosts some of the region's most advanced engineering facilities, laboratories and computing environments. The SOE offers undergraduate degrees in Computer Science and an ABET-accredited Computer Engineering degree; in addition to five highly-interdisciplinary Master's degrees in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering and Technology Management. Furthermore, the SOE started recently offering a unique Ph.D. degree in Computer Science and Engineering. The SOE also offers many interdisciplinary graduate certificates and concentrations in some of the most exciting fields like biomedical engineering, computer and information security, mobile computing and wireless networking, robotics and automation, e-commerce, environmental and energy management, intellectual property management, supply chain management and strategic outsourcing, service management and engineering, manufacturing management, IT management, and many others. The School offers its classes weekdays, weekend, evenings and via distance learning. The learning process in the SOE emphasizes hands-on applications in laboratories and industry via a very strong co-op and internship program that students participate in.
The School of Engineering has established very strong relationships with industry in the last few years through an active School of Engineering Industry Advisory Board and intensive networking with local and regional computing, technology and engineering companies.
The graduate Engineering program at UB is currently the largest in the State of Connecticut and one of the 5 largest programs in New England. Through the SOE industry collaborations, very significant research productivity, very well established reputation as one of the premier schools of engineering regionally; in addition to selective student recruiting strategies; the growth of the school and its resources has been phenomenal. The growth in size, reputation, quality and research outcomes is routinely touted in academia and the regional/local industries as one of the most impressive success stories in graduate engineering education in the U.S. in recent history.
The School of Engineering has been able to attract quality students through active recruiting strategies, innovative, interdisciplinary and interactive curricula, efficient advertising and significant faculty participation. It is worth noting that the overall student retention percentage has been approximately 93 % over the past several years.
The SOE has had great successes with recruiting some of the most talented researchers and teachers, who are multi-disciplinary oriented in their approaches to scholarship, as Faculty members in the last several years. 85% percent of the SOE Faculty have been hired within the last 11 years. The SOE is UB's standard-bearer in research and scholarship; with over 250 Faculty refereed publications in the last three years, many academic conference and journal leadership roles, editorial positions, invited keynotes, lectures, colloquia, seminars and workshop presentations, and many other notable Faculty accomplishments at the national and international levels.
Programs:
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