Wagner College is a private, national liberal arts college in the New York City borough of Staten Island, New York. Founded in 1883 and with a current enrollment of approximately 2,200 students, Wagner is known for its academic program, the Wagner Plan for the Practical Liberal Arts. The college is regionally accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
History
Wagner College was founded in 1883 in Rochester, New York, as the Lutheran Proseminary of Rochester to train Lutheran ministers. Its six-year curriculum was modeled on the German gymnasium. In 1886, it was renamed Wagner Memorial Lutheran College after a building in Rochester was purchased for its use by John G. Wagner in memory of his son.
The college moved to the 38-acre (15Â ha) former Cunard estate on Grymes Hill, Staten Island, in 1918. Westwood, the Cunard mansion which dates from 1851, is extant (now Cunard Hall) as is the neighboring former hotel annex that was built in 1905 (initially named North Hall and is now Reynolds House). The college soon expanded to 57 acres (23Â ha) after it acquired the neighboring Jacob Vanderbilt estate in 1922. In the 1920s, the curriculum began to move toward an American-style curriculum which was solidified when the state of New York granted the college degree-granting status in 1928. The college admitted women in 1933 and introduced graduate programs in 1951. The college expanded further when it purchased the W.G. Ward estate in 1949 (current site of Wagner College Stadium), and again in 1993, when the college acquired the adjacent property of the former Augustinian Academy, which has largely remained wooded greenspace and athletic fields. The college now occupies 105 acres (42Â ha) on the hill and has commanding views of New York harbor, the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, Downtown Brooklyn, and lower Manhattan.
In the early 1960s, the Wagner College Writer's Conference hosted several prominent writers, including Edward Albee, Kay Boyle, and Kenneth Koch.
Campus
Prominent buildings include Main Hall (1930) and Parker Hall (1923) built in the collegiate Gothic style. A group of modern buildings built in the 1960s include the Student Union (1970), Megerle Science Building (1968), and the Spiro Communication Center (1968). The Horrmann Library (1961) contains over 200,000 volumes and holds the collection and personal papers of poet Edwin Markham. 67% of the undergraduates live in one of four residence halls. The Spiro Sports Center (1999) was the most recent major addition, until early 2010 when the college opened Foundation Hall, a residence hall for upperclassmen.
In 2007 it was announced that a new academic building is under development for construction on the site of the former Augustinian High School. It will be a state-of-the-art facility that will house the business, nursing, and education departments. It will also house new and state-of-the-art classrooms. The project is now in the final planning stages.
Union Art Gallery
The Union Art Gallery at Wagner College features works from students, faculty and alumni. Located on the main floor of the college union building, the Union Art Gallery serves as a space for visiting artists to directly engage with the student body in this one room gallery.
Admission and tuition
Undergraduate admissions to Wagner College are classified as "more selective" by US News & World Report and The Princeton Review, making admission into Wagner College competitive. The average incoming high school grade point average is 3.45. About 97% of incoming students graduate in the top half of their classes. The average incoming SAT score for critical reading is: 530â€"640, math: 530â€"650, writing: 520â€"650. The average incoming ACT score is between 25 and 28. Important admissions factors are class rank, rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, application essay, extracurricular activities, recommendations, and standardized test scores.
Tuition, room and board for full-time undergraduate students (9 units) during the 2015â€"2016 academic year was $55,030. About 87% of students receive financial aid. Wagner College offers various academic and athletic scholarships.
Athletics
Wagner College offers athletic scholarships and competes at the NCAA Division I level in all intercollegiate athletics (football competes at the NCAA Division I FCS (Formerly I-AA) level). Wagner is a full-time member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) along with Bryant University, Central Connecticut State University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Long Island University, Mount Saint Mary's University, Quinnipiac University, Robert Morris University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Francis College, and Saint Francis University. Wagner is the seventh smallest college in the country that participates in NCAA Division I athletics and the third smallest in the NEC. Men's varsity intercollegiate teams are fielded in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, tennis, and track & field. Men's water polo starts in fall 2016. Women's varsity intercollegiate teams are fielded in basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field, and water polo. The men's ice hockey team participates in an active club sport schedule. On March 12, 2009, Wagner announced the discontinuation of the men's wrestling and women's volleyball programs.
The women's water polo and men's basketball teams are Wagner's most popular and prestigious athletic programs. Walt Hameline, in 29 years as the Director of Athletics and Head Football Coach at Wagner, won the school's only National Championship with a 19â€"3 victory over the University of Dayton in the 1987 NCAA Division III Championship game, also known as the 1987 Stagg Bowl. He was named NCAA Division III Coach of the Year in 1987. Hameline's 204â€"122â€"2 (.624) career record ranks in the top 10 among all Division I-FCS coaches in the United States.
Notable Wagner coaches of the past include former Brooklyn Nets coach and current ESPN analyst P.J. Carlesimo (Head Basketball Coach 1976â€"1982), former Marquette University and Wagner Head Coach Mike Deane who is currently an Assistant Men's Basketball Coach at James Madison University, Jim Lee Howell (Head Football Coach 1947â€"1953), and current Mississippi State University Head Football Coach Dan Mullen (Assistant Football Coach 1994â€"1995). The football team's home venue is Wagner College Stadium, while the basketball team plays its home games at the Spiro Sports Center.
The Wagner College Athletic Department has been cited by the US News & World Report for having the 15th best graduation rate in intercollegiate athletics amongst more than 300 Division I colleges. Wagner also captured its second straight Northeast Conference Institutional Academic Award (Highest Student-Athlete GPA) for the 2007â€"08 athletic/academic seasons with an average GPA of 3.186 in 19 sports.
Photos
Notable alumni
- Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States (Received Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree)
- Tiffany Andrade, Miss New Jersey USA 2008 and 2nd runner-up at Miss USA 2008
- Andrew Bailey, former MLB Pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. 2009 & 2010 A.L. All-Star. 2009 A.L. Rookie of the Year.
- Bob Beckel, political commentator and analyst on the Fox News Channel.
- Peter L. Berger, sociologist and theologian
- Jedediah Bila, author and political pundit
- Alex Boniello, actor, Voice of Moritz Deaf West 'Spring Awakening' (2015 Broadway Revival)
- Kathy Brier, actor
- Molly Burnett, star of Days of Our Lives
- Lillian G. Burry, politician
- Tim Capstraw, sports announcer and college basketball coach
- Michelle Cliff, author
- Brad Corbett, owner of Texas Rangers from 1974 to 1980.
- Piotr Czech, former NFL kicker
- Phil Theis, wrestler
- Fred Espenak, NASA astronomer
- Carmine Giovinazzo, Actor (CSI: NY)
- Randy Graff, actor Les Misérables Original Broadway Cast as Fantine
- Jermaine Hall (born 1980), basketball player for Maccabi Ashdod of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Samantha Hammel, singer, actress and record producer
- Friedrich Katz, anthropologist and historian
- Rich Kotite, former NFL Head Coach
- Robert Litzenberger, Professor Emeritus at The University of Pennsylvania
- Robert Loggia, actor
- Alicia Luciano, Miss New Jersey 2002
- Donna Lupardo, member of the New York State Assembly
- Kenneth Mitchell, politician
- Guy Molinari, former Borough President of Staten Island; former member of the United States Congress
- Dan Mullen, head football coach at Mississippi State University
- Alexander Noyes, current drummer for the band Honor Society (band)
- Amy Polumbo, former Miss New Jersey (2007â€"2008)
- Vinnie Potestivo, television producer
- Carl-Olivier Primé, Canadian football player
- Danny Seigle, Philippine Basketball (PBA) player, member of the Philippine Basketball Team
- Julian Stanford, NFL linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars
- Alfred "Al" Stewart, writer/editor
- Lynne Stewart, imprisoned civil rights lawyer
- Robert Straniere, former member of New York State Assembly
- Brian Whitman, radio talk show host
- Paul Zindel, author and playwright
Filming location
Wagner's campus has been featured in:
- Newsweek Magazine
- American Express Commercials
- Silent Madness, 1984 film
- Naked in New York, 1993 film
- Cadaverous, 2000 film
- The Sopranos, 2001 (season 3). The campus was featured when Tony and Carmela visited a military school.
- The Education of Max Bickford, 2001. CBS drama series starring Richard Dreyfuss and Marcia Gay Harden. Wagner (along with Brooklyn College) was the fictional Chadwick College.
- Spike TV, 2003 a commercial featuring a girls field hockey team.
- School of Rock, 2003 film starring Jack Black and Joan Cusack. The Horace Green School portrayed in the movie is Wagner's Main Hall Building.
- Poster Boy, 2004 film which won the Outfest Grand Jury Award for Best Screenwriting.
- The Visitor, distributed by Overture Films
- Staten Island, 2008 independent film starring Ethan Hawke.
- Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU
- FX television series Rescue Me
- Comedy Central on Campus: Starring Christian Finnegan
- You Don't Know Jack, 2010 HBO Film
- Illegal Tender (film)
- Operation Invasion Outer Space. Scenes were filmed in a lecture hall in the Megerle Communications building.
- Blue Bloods
References
External links
- Official website
- Wagner Athletics website