Christopher Newport University Informations

Christopher Newport University (CNU) is a public liberal arts university in Newport News, Virginia. CNU is the youngest comprehensive university in the commonwealth of Virginia. The institution is named after Christopher Newport, who was a buccaneer (or privateer) and captain of the Susan Constant, the largest of three ships which carried settlers for the Virginia Company in 1607, on their way to found Jamestown in the Virginia Colony, which became the first permanent English settlement in North America.

In 1960 the city of Newport News joined together with the Commonwealth of Virginia to create Christopher Newport College (CNC), which opened its doors in 1961 and at the time was located in the old John W. Daniel School building. The college was founded as an extension of the College of William and Mary and offered extension courses that had already been available in the area for some time. In 1964 the college was relocated to its current location, a 75-acre (300,000 m2) tract of land purchased and donated by the city. In this same year, the college's first permanent building was dedicated as Christopher Newport Hall. In 1971, CNC became a four-year college; however, it remained an extension of William and Mary until 1977 when it attained its independence. In 1992, the college became a university under the leadership of President Anthony R. Santoro, who oversaw the building of the first residence hall.In 1996, CNU made plans to become more competitive. Those plans included the expansion of university property, several new buildings and residence halls, as well as overhauling academic programs and the admission process.

Christopher Newport University offers a variety of four-year bachelor of science and bachelor of arts degrees. Graduate programs in applied physics and computer science, environmental science and teaching are also available in five-year bachelor's to master's, as well as traditional formats. Academic programs are offered through the College of Arts and Humanities, the College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences, and the College of Social Sciences, including the Joseph W. Luter III School of Business.

The School of Business is accredited by the AACSB and offers bachelor's degrees in Accounting, Finance, Management and Marketing. Worldwide, only 5% of business schools have AACSB international accreditation.

CNU's College of Arts and Humanities includes the Departments of English, Fine Art and Art History, History, Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, Music, Philosophy and Religion, and Theater and Dance. The English Department offers the major in English, with concentrations including literature and writing. The History department offers degrees in History. For languages other than English, the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures department offers degrees in German, French, Spanish, and classical studies. The department of Philosophy and Religious Studies offers a Bachelor of Arts, and includes religious studies and pre-seminary options for a concentration.

The Sociology and Anthropology and Social Work Departments, offer degrees in social work and sociology. The sociology program also offers options for a concentration with include criminology, anthropology, and general sociology studies.

The Army Reserve Officer Training Corps has maintained a strong presence at CNU for several years, offering classroom and field based training. The program is a component of the College of William and Mary's ROTC program, known as the Revolutionary Guard Battalion. It commissions several new US Army second lieutenants each year.

The Fine Art Department, located in the back of the Ferguson Center, offers a degree in fine arts with concentrations in art history and studio art.

The Theatre and Dance Department offers a degree in theater arts with concentrations in acting, arts administration, design/technology, directing/dramatic literature and music/dance. The school also offers a Bachelor of Music degree. This degree can be complemented with concentrations in music education both instrumental and choral, performance and music composition/theory. The music minor option, however, was dropped in 2009.

CNU participates mainly in the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC), having moved from the USA South Athletic Conference in July 2013. The football team remains a USA South associate member because the CAC does not sponsor football. CNU fields a wide variety of college level teams on the Division III level. The Freeman Center houses the basketball, volleyball, and indoor track teams, while the lacrosse, soccer, baseball, softball, and field hockey teams play at a complex called "Captain's Field." The football and outdoor track teams compete at Pomoco Stadium, named for a local car dealership chain. Ratcliffe Hall was expanded in 2012 and now includes various athletic offices as well as the varsity gym. A sailing center is also located close to the campus along the James River.

CNU sports club programs include ice hockey, equestrian, dressage, cycling, fishing, lacrosse, martial arts, rock climbing, rugby, scuba diving, silver storm dance, soccer, swimming, table tennis, tennis, ultimate frisbee, rowing and volleyball.

The traditional boundaries of the Christopher Newport University campus have been Warwick Boulevard, Shoe Lane, and Prince Drew Road in Newport News. In recent years, however, the university has "jumped" Warwick Boulevard, buying and demolishing properties in the immediate area to expand. The part of campus that is east of Warwick Boulevard is referred to as "East Campus" and is primarily used to house upper-class students.

Residence halls on campus are usually segregated into the class of student living in them. In the recent years, new policies have been enacted that require all freshman and sophomore students to live in an on campus housing facility, unless they live in the commuting zone. Starting with the class of 2014, all students must live on campus during the junior year in addition to their freshman and sophomore years.

The oldest housing facility on campus is Santoro Hall. Opened in 1992, the hall was named in honor of then President Anthony Santoro and his wife, Carol. This building is directly adjacent to one of the campus dining facilities, the Hiden-Hussey Commons. Santoro Hall, along with the newer York River Hall, is primarily used for freshman housing. York River Hall opened in 2002. This complex, consisting of two buildings (York River East/ York River West), houses over 500 students and is the largest residence hall on campus. Both Santoro and York River Halls are suite-style living residence halls. In each building, pairs of neighboring housing units share a common private restroom. Freshman also live in portions of Potomac River Hall.

Sophomore housing currently consists of James River Hall, opened in 2000, half of Potomac River Hall, opened in 2004, as well as Warwick River Hall, opened in 2012. James River Hall boasts a variety of floor plans, including 4-, 5-, and 6-person apartments, 4-person suites, and three 15-person Theme Units. Potomac Hall, like York River Hall, is divided into two buildings (North/ South), and consists of suites of two bedrooms, located around a central living room and bath. Warwick River Hall is the newest residence hall on campus and accommodates 447 students in 4-, 5-, and 6-person suites each with a shared living room and bathroom.

Juniors and Seniors living on campus are generally assigned to either East Campus or Rappahannock River Hall. James River Hall also accommodates Juniors and Seniors in apartment style dorms. CNU is currently planning construction on a dedicated upperclassmen residence, to be called "Shenandoah Hall." It is expected to house more than 200 seniors and to open in summer 2020. Starting in 2009, five sororities and four fraternities live in Barclay Apartments, CNU's temporary Greek Village, and any additional fraternities and sororities live in the adjacent townhouses of CNU Landing as of 2012[update]. Completed in 2002, CNU Apartments is a complex of five buildings of three or four stories, housing up to 355 students. These buildings, named after Virginia-born presidents, include Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Harrison, and Monroe. The CNU Village rose to accompany CNU Apartments in 2005, adding room for an additional 398 students in apartment living. Both the apartments and the Village feature 2 to 4 single bedroom apartments with a common living area (full kitchen, living room/dinette, washer and dryer). Below CNU Village, along Warwick Blvd., are a variety of eating establishments including Panera Bread, Moe's Southwest Grill, Subway, 7-11, Sushi and Spice, and Schooners, opened by three local restaurateurs who wanted to fill a void left by the lack of a social outlet on campus.

The campus has two major dining facilities, Hiden-Hussey Commons and Regattas.

Hiden-Hussey Commons

The first dining facility on campus was originally named Harbour Lights. This all-you-can-eat cafeteria style facility is decorated internally with nautical memorabilia to go along with its name. In 2005 Harbour Lights was renamed to the Hiden-Hussey Commons. Newer students just refer to it as "The Commons." The dining hall was expanded in 2012 to include additional seating, serving lines, and a patio.

Regattas

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