Christopher Newport University
Fall 2013   
In This Issue
U.S. News Rankings
Successes & Accomplishments
Campus Transformation Continues
Fall Athletics
Homecoming 2013
Captains License Plates
CNU Photos
Facebook
cnu_entrance
Christopher Newport's reach and reputation continue to soar as one of America's preeminent liberal arts universities. The 2013-14 academic year is one of continued success and achievement.
U.S. News & World Report Rankings

  

The 2014 rankings of colleges and universities by U.S. News & World Report were published in September. CNU continues to climb in the rankings as our reach and reputation spreads. 
 

CNU is now listed 18th among all regional universities in the South, 7th among public regional universities and once again, named as one of America's "schools to watch" for making "the most promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty, student life, campus or facilities."

 

Please see the remarkable progress that we are making as evidenced by our rankings by U.S. News in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Few schools in America, if any, have come so far so quickly. 

  

U.S. News & World Report Rankings

 
 


2014

 

2013

 

2012

 
 

Ranking

 

Ranking

 

Ranking

 

Best Regional Universities (South)

18

 

23

 

26

 

  

Top Public Regional  
Universities (South) 

7

 

8

 

9

 

 

Successes & Accomplishments

 

We have much to be proud of as evidenced by our many recent accomplishments: 

  

This year we welcomed an outstanding freshman class of 1,275 students. Fully one quarter of the class had a high school GPA above 3.9 and an SAT above 1240, a remarkable achievement. Ninety-two percent of the class are Virginians, 8 percent out-of-state, with minority students comprising 21 percent. The students in the President's Leadership Program constitute 30 percent of the freshman class - 386 students, and 150 students are enrolled in our Honors Program.

  

Luter business students again ranked in the top 10 percent in the nation in the Major Field Test, a nationally normed test taken by thousands of students across the country.

 

For the second straight year, more than 80 percent of our recent graduates report that they are employed full-time or pursuing advanced degrees. Our graduates are attending Harvard, the University of London, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Clemson, Columbia, the University of Chicago,Vanderbilt, and other prestigious schools.

 

Fourteen of our 2013 pre-health graduates are now attending medical school - the most ever for CNU. 

 

This fall we have 267 full-time faculty. When I arrived in 1996, Christopher Newport had 166 full-time professors. We have set a goal to increase that number to 300 to provide the intensive student-faculty relationships and small class sizes that have become the hallmark of CNU and set us apart from most other public universities.

 

We are expanding and enhancing our science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs, and recently introduced two new majors in biochemistry and computational and applied mathematics.

Campus Transformation Continues
Joseph W. Luter, III Hall Lobby

 

Over the past 16 years we have completed nearly $1 billion in capital construction, adding beautiful buildings and 21st-century technology to our campus. Our job is to instruct and inspire, and nothing does that more powerfully than great art and architecture. 

 

This fall we celebrated the opening of Joseph W. Luter, III Hall, the largest academic building on campus. This 135,000-square-foot building houses the Luter School of Business and the Departments of Economics; Leadership and American Studies; Physics, Computer Science and Engineering; Mathematics; Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology; and Communication. 

Luter Hall Trading Room


A state-of-the-art trading room, prominently located adjacent to the lobby, features a stock ticker, Bloomberg software and trading computers. Luter Hall also boasts a boardroom, faculty offices, instructional and research spaces, and cutting-edge technology.

 

Hundreds of upperclass students recently moved into the new Rappahannock River Hall. This 457-bed residence hall features private bedrooms and baths, full kitchens, and a 250-space parking deck. 
 
Rappahannock River Hall
   
 

Construction of the Student Success Center has begun. Completing the Great Lawn, this 80,000-square-foot project replaces the former Administration Building. The Center will offer students one-stop shopping by housing such important service departments as the Offices of Admission, Registrar, Financial Aid, Study Abroad, the Center for Academic Success, President's Leadership Program, Alumni Relations and the Center for Career Planning, among many others.

 
Student Success Center

 

Construction will soon begin on the bell tower that will stand on the edge of the Great Lawn between McMurran Hall and Forbes Hall. The tower will feature the bell from the SS United States, donated to the University by the late Dr. Sarah Forbes, CNU's dear friend and champion. The bell tower will feature a clock on each of the four sides and a carillon, and will allow us to build rich traditions around commencement, athletic victories and other important events.  

Bell Tower

 

The Bell Tower Plaza will also feature an exedra. An exedra is a Greek term that describes a permanent outdoor bench, semicircular in plan and having a high back. It will provide our faculty and students a marvelous seating area for classes and provide a beautiful place to honor the members of our faculty and staff who have served CNU so ably through the years. 

Fall Athletics

 

This year Christopher Newport began competing in the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) for all sports except football.We join schools that mirror our academic quality and commitment to athletic excellence, and look forward to building rich rivalries with these outstanding institutions.

 

Field Hockey

After going 18-0 during an undefeated regular season, the Captains beat both Centre College and Catholic University in the NCAA Tournament, and have advanced to the Final Four for the first time in program history. The Captains play 11 a.m. on Friday, November 22 against Bowdoin College at the Virginia Beach Sports Complex.  If they win, they will play in the championship game Sunday in Norfolk. 

Volleyball

The Captains completed their first year in the Capital Athletic Conference with a perfect 10-0 record. They extended their unbeaten streak against league opponents to 129 consecutive games while winning their first ever CAC Championship. CNU defeated Cabrini College in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. 

 

Women's Soccer

The Captains completed a successful season by advancing to the NCAA Tournament. CNU finished the season with a record of 14-4-2. The team was led by senior Emma O'Reilly, who broke Captains records for career goals and career points this year, becoming the first CNU women's soccer player to eclipse the 100-point plateau. 

 

Cross Country

Congratulations to the women's cross country team on winning CNU's first ever Capital Athletic Conference championship. The men's team finished second in the highly competitive conference. Both teams competed in the NCAA South/Southeast regional, and Jessica McClelland, Aaron Zook and J.J. LaPointe earned all-region honors.

 

Football

Led by a strong defense, the Captains opened the year 3-0 for the first time in program history defeating 16th-ranked Salisbury 17-10 in the season opener, Hampden-Sydney 17-7 in week two, then defeating Shenandoah 34-6. The Captains finished the season 8-2 by beating Ferrum, 58-12. The season ending effort set a new school record for points scored in a game. This year, the Captains have played in front of the two largest crowds in POMOCO Stadium history, and the 6,675 fans at the Hampden-Sydney game set a new school record.

 

Men's Soccer

Led by first team All-American and reigning conference Player of the Year Jalon Brown, men's soccer completed the team's first season in the Capital Athletic Conference with a record of 13-5-2. Brown led the league in goals scored with 14, assists with nine and total scoring with 37 points.

 

Visit CNUSports.com for more information and team schedules.

 Homecoming 2013!
  

 

The energy and excitement of our alumni and students brought the campus alive during Homecoming weekend, November 8-10. 

 

The weekend kicked off on Friday as more than 100 alumni and friends participated in our annual Captains Choice Golf Classic at Kingsmill Resort.

 

During Midnight Madness over 2,000 students filled The Freeman Center and showed their Captain spirit in friendly competition before meeting this season's basketball teams.

 

 

  

The annual golf cart parade has become a pre-kickoff favorite, as student organizations decorate and display golf carts to demonstrate their CNU pride.  

5,222 enthusiastic fans cheered the football team on to a 24-7 victory over Averett.  

(L-R) Paul Trible and Rosemary Trible, Rich Charles, Marissa Welch, Austin Farinholt, John Hopke

Catholic Campus Ministries has established our newest alumni chapter, and we presented the group's charter during halftime.

 

 

The highlight of an eventful halftime was the selection of Zach Walsman and Kelsey Fleshman as this year's Homecoming king and queen.  Congratulations to all the nominees.

   

We were also proud to honor the following alumni:
  
2013 Alumni Achievement Award
Paul Darden '74 and Dr.Katherine (Outten) Koehl '03
  
2013 Distinguished Alumni Service Award
Vicki (Aston) Vawter '93

2013 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year 
Jon Waters '91
 
2013 Distinguished Young Alumnus of the Year
Nicholas Leonard '10 
(L-R) Rich Charles, Nicholas Leonard, Paul Darden, Vicki Vawter, Dr. Katherine Koehl, Jon Waters, Rosemary and Paul Trible


Homecoming provides the perfect opportunity to reflect on the past, enjoy the present and embrace our future.

Thanks to all who joined us for this memorable weekend.   
 Captains License Plates
P trib plate
  
Christopher Newport license plates are available through the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The new plate is part of the DMV's revenue-sharing program. After the sale of the first 1,000 qualifying plates, $15 of the $25 fee will be transferred to CNU to directly support scholarships for Virginia students. Show your CNU spirit and contribute to this worthy cause. For more information and to order your plates, visit the DMV online.
  
CNU Photos
  
To share our campus spirit with you, each newsletter includes a link to a photo gallery featuring images of recent exciting events and campus life. Enjoy!