pig roast

History

The Huntingdon Normal School was established by a young Huntingdon physician, Dr. Andrew B. Brumbaugh, and his two cousins, Henry and John Brumbaugh. Henry provided a second-story room over his local printing shop for classes while John lodged and fed the college's first teacher, Jacob M. Zuck, free for one year. Andrew was to "provide students and furniture".

Juniata's first classes were held on April 17, 1876 with Zuck teaching Rebecca Cornelius, Maggie D. Miller, and Gaius M. Brumbaugh, the only son of Andrew Brumbaugh. In 1879 classes moved into Founder's Hall, the school's first permanent building on the present day campus. The college was renamed "Juniata College" in 1893 for the nearby Juniata River and its watershed.

In 1895 Dr. Martin Grove Brumbaugh, an 1881 graduate from Huntingdon Normal, took over the active presidency of Juniata until 1901 whereby he continued in name only until 1910. During and after his tenure Martin became one of the greatest leaders of educational thought in the eastern part of the United States, remained intimately connected to the college, and reacquired the presidency in 1924. M. G. Brumbaugh was instrumental in fostering Juniata's reputation of a small and scholarly sectarian institution.

M. G. Brumbaugh died unexpectedly in 1930 while on vacation in Pinehurst, North Carolina and was succeeded in his presidency by a former pupil at Juniata, Dr. Charles Calvert Ellis.

Campus

The main campus area is 110 acres, but the college also manages a 315 acre Baker-Henry Nature Preserve. Other off-campus sites include the Baker Peace Chapel (designed by Maya Lin) and the Raystown Field Station - a 365-acre reserve on Raystown Lake.

Academics

Program of emphasis

Juniata College features a "Program of Emphasis" rather than the common Academic major. Within a certain course framework, students choose and create their own Program of Emphasis and graduate with a degree in it. There are designated Programs of Emphasis that follow a set of courses (e.g. Environmental Science, Communication and Conflict Resolution, etc.) or students may create their own with the approval of college administration.

Athletics

Juniata is a Division III collegiate sports institution. It had a school-record of five Academic All-Americans in 2004-2005 academic year and 38 All-American honors since 1998.

Student life

Annual events

Juniata College has a rich tradition of campus-wide events dating back to its founding days:

• Mountain Day, Established: 1896 -- Mountain Day is the oldest tradition at Juniata and occurs on an unannounced fall day. The specific date of Mountain Day is not known to students nor faculty until the morning of the event, however, its possible date is a constant source of campus speculation. On Mountain day, all classes are canceled and both students and faculty are shuttled to one of the state parks in the area. The day includes a picnic lunch, nature walks, crafts, music, tug-of-war, and a spirited faculty/staff vs. seniors co-ed flag football game.

• Homecoming Weekend, Established: 1923 -- Homecoming features alumni reunion activities, sporting events, and a class spirit competition. One of the highlights of the class spirit activity is the Lip Sync Competition, during which each class performs a medley of songs, complete with costumes, props, and sets. A unique aspect of Juniata's Homecoming celebration is the presentation of the Community Contribution Awards during half-time of the football game rather than having a Homecoming king and queen. The award recognizes students who have made outstanding community service contributions, both on-campus and in their local communities.

• Family Weekend, Established: 1936 -- Usually occurring on a weekend in September, Family Weekend is a chance for students' parents and families to visit the campus. The weekend is filled with activities such as picnics, sporting events, cultural events, tours, etc.

• Storming of the Arch, Established: Mid-1940s -- Storming of the Arch takes place on the second Wednesday of fall semester and is an optional for any new freshmen. Freshmen gather on North Lawn with the intention of charging the Cloister Arch and making it through to the other side, a mission complicated by a group of upperclassmen - "defenders" of the Arch. Freshmen charge the Arch until they are all knocked down or someone gets through the gauntlet of upperclassmen. To date, no freshman class has made it through the Arch successfully. Storming of the Arch was cancelled in the mid-90's due to the number of students being injured but was reinstated by several officers of the Men's rugby team who reorganized it as a charity event.

• Madrigal dinner, Established: 1970 -- Madrigal Dinner is one of the most popular traditions, with 600-700 students attending, and occurs on the last Saturday of fall semester. This holiday tradition starts with a meal served to the students by the faculty and staff of their choosing. After dinner, guests are entertained with performances by members of the campus community and the group participates in a holiday carol sing. This sing-along culminates with the singing of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" with various sections of the dining hall acting out the different parts of the song. Tickets for the sections are sold first-come first-serve and students camp out during the week(s) prior in order to acquire their desired section(the "Five Golden Rings" section is very popular). The Madrigal "line" is typically an elaborate tent city on the lawn around the campus center.

• Pig Roast, Established: 1986 -- Pigroast is an annual barbecue held at Raystown Lake and is sponsored by the Men's rugby team with the support of the Women's Rugby team. [note: although Pig Roast is very popular, it is not officially sponsored by the college]

• Lobsterfest, Established: 1988 -- Lobsterfest is held at the end of the first week of fall semester classes and welcomes students back to campus after summer break. Lobsterfest is a picnic that features whole Maine lobsters as the main course and live entertainment. In addition, the Student Organization Fair is held during Lobsterfest during which new students have the opportunity to see and sign up for campus clubs.

• Mr. Juniata Pageant, Established: 1997 -- Sponsored by Circle K, the Mr. Juniata Pageant is a tongue-in-cheek spoof of beauty pageants with men from each class competing for the coveted Mr. Juniata crown. The categories include take-offs of formal wear, talent, and interviews.

• All Class Night, Established: NA -- For All-Class Night, each class performs an original production spoofing campus events and personalities. A professor serves as the MC and a panel of faculty and staff judge performances. The winning class takes home the All-Class Night Cup. Occasionally, the faculty and staff present a performance as well. Performances have included live sheep on stage, students roller-skating down aisles, and the president of the college in dark sunglasses belting out a Blues Brothers song.

People

Main article: List of Juniata College people

Notable alumni of Juniata include:

• Miriam Smith Wetzel, Ph.D., 1952, Harvard Medical School faculty and member of the team that developed the new medical school curriculum; Miss Pennsylvania 1952
• Chuck Knox, 1954, former National Football League head coach, Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks, also the NFL's fifth winningest coach
• Klare S. Sunderland, 1956, President, Sun Enterprises, Inc.
• Bruce Davis, 1965, executive director, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
• William Phillips, 1970, atomic physicist, National Institute of Standards and Technology, jointly awarded Nobel Prize in 1997 for advancing basic knowledge and new techniques to chill atoms to extremely low temperatures.
• Karen Stone Fritz, 1977, Vice President Program Development and Syndication WETA TV; Creator of The News Hour with Jim Lehrer and Washington Week
• Robert M. Biter, M.D., 1992, playwright; one of the 50 winners of the 2000 American Medical Association Outstanding Young Medical Professional Award
• Erik P. Du Mont, 1997, National Field Director of the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, Alaska Wilderness League
• Kristen C. Holloway, 1997, Founder (2004) of the nonprofit organization Operation Troop Appreciation, which sends packages and letters to U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. She was named to Redbook magazine's 2005 list of 'Mothers & Shakers', honoring women for grassroots activism. Recipient of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award from President Bush

In the press

Juniata College has been included in the following publications: 2006 Princeton Review's Best 361 Colleges; Loren Pope's Colleges That Change People's Lives; Kaplan, Inc.'s Insider's Guide to the 328 Most Interesting Colleges; Peterson's Competitive Colleges; Miriam Weinstein's Making A Difference College Guide: Outstanding Colleges to Help You Make a Better World; Barron's Best Buys in College Education; Leland Miles' Provoking Thought: What Colleges Should Do for Students; ELLEgirl Magazine: Top 50 colleges that Dare to be Different; Rugg's Recommendations on the Colleges; and Don Asher's Cool Colleges.

The college was listed as 1 of 13 "best performing" colleges according to a 2004 study by the Teagle Foundation. It was noted as an "overachieving college" based on an "exceptionally high graduation rate" and "has a high percentage of students who go to earn doctoral degrees and achieves those numbers through efficient use of resources."

Trivia

Juniata was the first educational institution to have a contractual agreement with the United Nations.

References

A History of the Juniata Valley, vol. 1, National Historical Association, Harrisburg, PA, 1936.