Ruyter University

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History

Establishment

President's Hall, later renamed "Camden Hall," is the oldest building at Ruyter University

In early 1772, following independence from Gaullica, local Amendist congregations in Anmore petitioned the Lothicania State Assembly for a college to be chartered in their town. Initially, the proposed college was to be named "Camden College" in honor of James Camden, a military hero from the war for independence who later became the first president of Rizealand. While Camden, who was born and raised in Anmore, supported the creating of a college in Anmore, he opposed naming the college after him, writing in a letter to the State Assembly that there were "far greater men who deserved such an honor" than him. Respecting Camden's wishes, the new college was named "Ruyter College" after Gerald Ruyter, Baron of Lothican, one of the founders of the original Colony of Lothicania.

After the State Assembly issued a charter for Ruyter College in summer of 1772, the college admitted its first students in the fall of 1772. The first class at Ruyter had only five students and they were taught by Richard Mears, the college's sole instructor and first president, who hosted class at his home in Anmore. As the college gained more students and hired more instructors, classes were held at multiple private residences throughout Anmore and Mears began raising funds for the construction of permanent facilities for their college. In 1776, James Camden gifted some of his Anmore estate's land to the college and construction began on President's Hall, which was finished in 1787. Upon his death in 1784, Camden bequeathed the rest of his Anmore estate and wealth to the college.

19th Century

In 1808, Lewis Trainor became the first alumnus of Ruyter College to serve as president. During his tenure, Ruyter College struggled financially as a result of bad financial decisions and the economic depression caused by the ongoing Beaver Wars between Rizealand and Cassier. After Trainor was ousted by the board of trustees, Amos Dinsmore was appointed in 1813. As president, Dinsmore helped the college regain its financial footing by renting some of its facilities to the Holyrod Seminary and working to increase enrollment by taking advantage of Ruyter College's strategic location between two growing population centers, Liberty City and Marymore.

Robert Chambers, President of the college from 1855 to 1881

After the end of Dinsmore's tenure in 1824, the college faced a period of stagnation with reduced enrollment and increased competition from the growing number of colleges in Liberty City. In 1831, a group of faculty members at the college published an essay in local and Liberty City newspapers that claimed a majority of the college's student body were "immoral" and that the college's administration failed to maintain proper discipline. Their essay gave specific instances of bad behavior among students that involved widespread drunkeness, licentious behavior, and academic dishonesty. Although then-President Miles Nickel dismissed the essay as "libelous" and inaccurate, the board of trustees promptly fired him and replaced him with Peter Aiken. Under President Aiken, the college enacted a serious of strict policies to promote moral behavior and imposed extreme punishments on students who did not comply, specifically targeting individual students who he believed were bad influences on the rest of the student body. Aiken's policies backfired however, leading to the 1832 Ruyter College riots in which a large portion of the college's buildings were vandalized, burnt, or ransacked by angry students. While most of the physical damage was quickly repaired, the college's reputation took longer to mend and it continued to struggle with raising funds, hiring staff, and attracting students for the next two decades.

In 1855, Robert Chambers became president of the college and during his twenty-five year tenure, he drastically improved the college's standing. During Chambers' time as president, he was responsible for improving the college's curriculum, establishing a scientific school, and expanding the college's physical footprint with additional buildings while converting unused open space into parks and gardens. In 1881, Chambers was succeeded by Wilhelm Hersh who continued to build on Chambers' progress. Under Hersh, Ruyter College's student body and faculty continued to grow in size while a variety of student clubs were formed including the grammar club and debate club as well as numerous athletic and social clubs. In 1900, the college became the Ruyter University.

20th Century

Zachary Fagan, who served as President of Ruyter University (1906-1914), 25th Governor of Lothicania, and 20th President of Rizealand

Zachary Fagan, who would later go on to serve as Lothicania governor and President of Rizealand, was appointed president of the university in 1906. During his tenure, he oversaw the creation of the School of Engineering in 1907, the Hensley Women's College in 1908, and the first graduate school in 1910. Fagan, who previously served on the university's faculty, also implemented curriculum changes and class reorganization to encourage independent studies and smaller class sizes. As part of his curriculum overhaul, Fagan also raised the standards for admission and academic grading, which caused enrollment numbers to drop. In 1914, Fagan resigned to run for governor of Lothicania and was replaced by Leland Hopkins.

When Hopkins' tenure as president began, the university was struggling with the effects of the Great Collapse, which resulted in greatly reduced enrollment and caused financial uncertainty. As a stopgap measure, Hopkins institute an annual giving program and sought to raise funds from alumni, which allowed the university to quickly recover financially. By 1919, the university began expanding again with the creation of the School of Architecture in 1919, School of Public and International Affairs in 1921, and Ruyter Law School in 1925. During the Great War, while students at the university were subject to mandatory nationwide military conscription, many students were from wealthy or privileged backgrounds that enabled them to avoid being conscripted into military service. The university also benefited from numerous government grants and contracts to provide technical research and development for defense purposes, especially in the areas of physics, engineering, chemistry, biology, and aeronautics.

In 1938, Frederick Gorman succeeded Hopkins as president and worked to strengthen Ruyter University's reputation as a premier research institution through the construction of a library and research center. He also had to handle a series of anti-war student protests that fomented during Rizealand's involvement in the Solarian War, although they were more sporadic and less dramatic than the protests taking place across the rest of the country. From 1961 to 1964, the local chapter of SJOC frequently disrupted campus operations and events through protests, sit-ins, and walkouts during the Rizealand Civil Rights Movement. After pressure from alumni and a desire for progress from a majority of the university's trustees, Gorman resigned in 1964 and was replaced by Corey Price. Under President Price, the university changed policies to allow the admission of female students to all its colleges and sought to create a more welcoming environment for minority students. In 1980, Price was replaced by Simon Lott who was successful in substantially increasing Ruyter University's endowment, diversifying the student body, and expanding the university's academic offerings.

Modern day

In 1998, Chelsea Walker became the first woman to be appointed president of Ruyter University and made tuition affordability and diversity her primary goals. While she was unsuccessful in reducing tuition due to internal opposition from trustees and other university administrators, she was successful in implementing a student grant program where students with financial need could qualify for grants rather than have to apply for student loans. She also streamlined the admissions process, supported the creation of programs for students to study abroad or take time off to do public service work, and initiated agreements to have visiting scholars from other domestic and international universities teach a class or seminar at Ruyter University. After President Walker's retirement in 2013, she was replaced by Joseph Rose, who is the current president of the university.

Organization

Administration

The administration of Ruyter University is headed by Joseph Rose, the current president of the university. The president is responsible for general supervision over the university's interests and serving as chief executive officer. The president is also responsible for representing the university at convocations and generally to the public. The president is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the university's board of trustees. The board of trustees is comprised of 15 members who are elected by alumni or members of the board with the responsibility of appointing a president, adopting bylaws, and establishing policies for the university on academic affairs, finances and budgets, facilities, student affairs, audit and compliance, public affairs, diversity, and inclusion.

Schools

Faculty departments

Academic profile

Admissions

Degrees

Research

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