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    Christopher Newport University
    Christopher Newport University
    Christopher Newport University
    Ebook220 pages1 hour

    Christopher Newport University

    By Sean M. Heuvel

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    Opened in 1961 as an extension of the College of William and Mary in Virginia, Christopher Newport University (CNU) had humble origins in an abandoned downtown Newport News public school. Located in historic Hampton Roads, the institution was named for the 17th-century English mariner who helped establish the Jamestown colony. Now Virginia s youngest public university, Christopher Newport is a thriving educational institution with small class sizes, dedicated faculty, and world-class facilities. CNU s modern mission is to educate leaders for the 21st century, and it has quickly become a university of choice for students throughout Virginia and beyond. This unique volume, containing more than 200 photographs, is the first comprehensive look at CNU s history ever published. It chronicles the institution s dramatic story using images from the university s archives, published sources, and private collections.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateFeb 23, 2009
    ISBN9781439622933
    Christopher Newport University

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      Book preview

      Christopher Newport University - Sean M. Heuvel

      everything.

      INTRODUCTION

      Few higher education institutions have seen such rapid development as Christopher Newport University (CNU). Named for the English mariner who helped establish Jamestown in 1607, CNU evolved in less than 50 years from a small, local college to a respected senior institution in Virginia’s higher education system. First located in a donated public school building, the campus now has first-rate academic and residential facilities, as well as a world-class performing arts center. While continuing its original charge of educating Virginia Peninsula residents, CNU now draws students from all over the commonwealth and beyond.

      However, this young university’s evolution has not always been an easy one, due to challenges ranging from budget shortfalls to political battles. Nevertheless, dedicated work by generations of students, faculty, alumni, and staff, along with friends from the outside community, has kept Christopher Newport University moving forward. This book tells their story.

      CNU can trace its origins to a group of late-1950s Tidewater Virginia businessmen who were interested in enhancing the region’s higher education system. Booming population growth and consolidation of localities prompted many civic leaders to reevaluate the region’s educational infrastructure. In 1958, the Norfolk Junior Chamber of Commerce and interested citizens throughout Hampton Roads requested that the then-U.S. Office of Education analyze the area’s higher educational needs. The office’s 1959 report noted the region’s increasing number of college-bound students and recommended that the Commonwealth of Virginia create a new two-year college in the North Hampton Roads area (the Peninsula) as a feeder school for the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg.

      Delegate Lewis A. McMurran Jr. lobbied successfully to locate the new college in his native Newport News, supported by businessman E. J. King Meehan and others who wanted such an institution in that area. As an influential member of the Virginia House of Delegates, McMurran later sponsored the bill authorizing the establishment of the proposed two-year division of William and Mary at Newport News in the 1960 General Assembly session. Although the City of Hampton also placed a bid for the new college, Newport News officials sealed the deal when they donated the old John W. Daniel School in downtown Newport News for use as a temporary site. Further, they agreed to supply land for a permanent campus at a later date.

      Meanwhile, William and Mary officials began preparing budget estimates to open the two-year branch in September 1961. They appointed William and Mary’s dean of admissions and student aid, H. Westcott Cunningham, as the college’s first director (and later first president) on September 15, 1960. Around the same time, William and Mary’s board of visitors adopted Christopher Newport College as the institution’s permanent name. A group of officials, including Cunningham and McMurran, chose the name to honor Captain Newport’s Peninsula ties and for his role as Virginia’s true founder.

      Christopher Newport College (CNC) opened formally on September 18, 1961, in the old Daniel school with eight full-time faculty members and about 170 students. On that day, President Cunningham later recalled hearing that bell ring at ten to eight on a Thursday morning and having chills go up and down my spine, thinking ‘a college is born.’ As students attended classes, Cunningham and his staff scrounged for library books, furniture, and other supplies from whatever sources possible. They also began seeking appropriations to start building on the permanent campus site known as the Shoe Lane tract, a stretch of land in central Newport News.

      Although the new college’s presence on that largely residential site was somewhat controversial, construction began in December 1963. At the time, student enrollment surpassed 600 students. On the Shoe Lane property, Christopher Newport Hall opened on September 1, 1964. Thereafter, students had to shuttle between the Daniel school and the new campus until Gosnold Hall was completed in February 1966. The campus-building boom continued into the early 1970s with the construction of Ratcliffe Gym (1967), the Captain John Smith Library (1968), Wingfield Hall (1970), and the Student Center (1973).

      President Cunningham also led the young college’s transition from two-year to four-year status in the late 1960s, a pivotal moment in its history. With the student body exceeding 1,000, both campus officials and community residents sought a more comprehensive academic curriculum. They argued that Christopher Newport could be best utilized by serving local youth and adult learners, allowing the Williamsburg campus to maintain its focus as a national university. Although William and Mary president Davis Y. Paschall expressed concerns regarding the young college’s readiness for this step, he was a steadfast supporter of the school, and he wanted the institution to prosper. Paschall therefore agreed to Christopher Newport becoming a baccalaureate institution, which took effect in 1971.

      In 1970, Dr. James C. Windsor was named Christopher Newport College’s second president. A longtime CNC faculty member and administrator, President Windsor was well prepared to oversee the college’s growth into its second decade of existence. As course offerings as well as campus clubs and athletic programs continued to expand, Windsor and his colleagues envisioned the next major step in the college’s evolution: independence from William and Mary. They believed this step would permit the young college to better manage its affairs and determine its own destiny. President Windsor initiated this process by securing CNC its own advisory board, an important step toward an independent board of visitors.

      Although support for independence began to grow in the Newport News community, McMurran adamantly opposed splitting from the ancient college, as he always called William and Mary. He did not want Christopher Newport to lose this special affiliation with the second-oldest college in the United States. However, after extensive consultation with CNC officials and community leaders, McMurran put his feelings aside to sponsor the necessary legislation in the General Assembly. Boosted by William and Mary’s support, the bill passed, and independence was granted, taking effect on July 1, 1977.

      As the CNC community rejoiced, however, challenges arose to threaten its continued welfare. State budget shortfalls sometimes left President Windsor with few resources to support the growing campus. Further, he contended with fallout from the 1973 Shaner Report, which resurfaced briefly in 1978. Named after a higher education consultant commissioned by the General Assembly to streamline educational costs, the report recommended closing Christopher Newport and sending its

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