Lawrence University is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in liberal arts and sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual capac ...

and conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second college in the U.S. to be founded as a

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

institution. (The first was long-vanished

New York Central College New York Central College, commonly called New York Central College, McGrawville, and simply Central College, was the first college in the United States founded on the principle that all qualified students were welcome. It was thus an Abolitionism ...

History

Lawrence's first president, William Harkness Sampson, founded the school with

Henry R. Colman Henry R. Colman (October 9, 1800 – February 7, 1895) was a Wisconsin pioneer and co-founder of Lawrence University, in Appleton, Wisconsin. Rev. Henry Root Colman was born October 9, 1800, in Northampton, New York. He was the father of four ch ...

, using $10,000 provided by

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

Amos Adams Lawrence, and matched by the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

church. Both founders were ordained Methodist

ministers Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

, but Lawrence was

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

. The school was originally named Lawrence Institute of Wisconsin in its 1847 charter from the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature, but the name was changed to Lawrence University before classes began in November 1849. Its oldest extant building, Main Hall, was built in 1853.Council of Independent Colleges,
Main Hall
, Historic Campus Architecture Project. Lawrence University was the second coeducational institution in the country. Lawrence's first period of major growth came during the thirty-year tenure (1894―1924) of

alumnus Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...

Samuel G. Plantz Samuel G. Plantz (1859–1924) was a Methodist minister and seventh president of Lawrence University. He was born in Gloversville, New York on June 13, 1859, second child of James and Elsie Ann (Stoller) Plantz. He was raised in Emerald Gr ...

as president, when the student body quadrupled, from 200 to 800. From 1913 until 1964, it was named Lawrence College, to emphasize its small size and

liberal arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...

education focus. The name returned to Lawrence University when it merged with

Milwaukee-Downer College Milwaukee-Downer College was a women's college in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in operation from 1895 to 1964. History Milwaukee-Downer College was established in 1895 with the merger of two institutions: Milwaukee College and Downer College of Fox Lak ...

. The state of Wisconsin then purchased the Milwaukee-Downer property and buildings to expand the campus of the

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a public urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a member of the University of Wiscons ...

. Initially, the university designated two entities: Lawrence College for Men and Downer College for Women. This separation has not lasted in any material form, though degrees are still conferred "on the recommendation of the Faculty of Lawrence and Downer Colleges" and the university by-laws still make the distinction. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Lawrence College was one of 131 colleges and universities in the nation that took part in the

V-12 Navy College Training Program The V-12 Navy College Training Program was designed to supplement the force of commissioned officers in the United States Navy during World War II. Between July 1, 1943, and June 30, 1946, more than 125,000 participants were enrolled in 131 colleg ...

, which offered students a path to a Navy commission. The Lawrence Conservatory of Music, usually referred to as "the Con", was founded in 1874. Lawrence offers two degrees: a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

and a

Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of prescr ...

. It also offers a five-year dual degree program, where students can receive both B.A. and B.Mus. degrees. Freshman Studies at Lawrence is a mandatory two-term class, in which all students study the same selected 11 classic works of literature, art, and music, the list varying from year to year. President

Nathan M. Pusey Nathan Marsh Pusey (; April 4, 1907 – November 14, 2001) was an American academic. Originally from Council Bluffs, Iowa, Pusey won a scholarship to Harvard University out of high school and went on to earn bachelor's, master's, and doctor ...

is credited with initiating the program in 1945, although Professor Waples chaired the Freshman Studies Committee and was responsible for implementing the program. The program continues to this day, despite being temporarily suspended in 1975. In 2005, LU initiated a capital campaign called "More Light!", which aimed at raising $150 million. By October 2011 the college had raised $160,272,839, with the conclusion event held on October 28, 2011. In January of 2014, LU embarked on a new capital campaign called "Be The Light!". Upon the conclusion of the campaign on December 31, 2020, more than $232,613,052 had been raised in total toward four campaign priorities: Lawrence Fund, Full Speed to Full Need, Student Journey, and Campus Renewal. Lawrence University is part of the

Oberlin Group The Oberlin Group of Libraries is a consortium of liberal arts college libraries. The group evolved from meetings of college presidents in 1985 and 1986 at Oberlin College. , it has 80 members. # Agnes Scott College (GA) #Albion College (MI) #Al ...

, a consortium of liberal arts college libraries.

Milwaukee-Downer traditions

The

traditions A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

and heritage of Milwaukee-Downer are woven into the Appleton campus, from the grove of

hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

trees (called Hawthornden) between Brokaw and Colman halls, to the

sundial A sundial is a horological device that tells the time of day (referred to as civil time in modern usage) when direct sunlight shines by the apparent position of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the word, it consists of a flat ...

on the back of Main Hall, to the bestowing upon each class a class color and banner. The Lawrence Dean of Women was referred to as the "Dean of Downer", but when the offices of Dean of Men and Dean of Women were merged to form the Dean of Students, the substantive duties of the "Dean of Downer" came to an end; the title is still borne by a senior female professor, but her only duty is to carry the Downer Mace in academic processions. For many years the women's choir was called the Downer Chorus. At one time the BA was conferred upon women in the name of "Downer College of Lawrence University" and upon men in the name of "Lawrence College of Lawrence University"; now all B.A. degrees are conferred in the name of "Lawrence & Downer Colleges of Lawrence University." (The B.Mus. degree is from "the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music.)

Presidents

University presidents

* 1849–1853

William Harkness Sampson William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conques ...

, principal * 1853–1859 Edward Cooke, president * 1859–1865

Russell Zelotes Mason Russell may refer to: People * Russell (given name) * Russell (surname) * Lady Russell (disambiguation) * Lord Russell (disambiguation) Places Australia * Russell, Australian Capital Territory * Russell Island, Queensland (disambiguation) ** ...

, president * 1865–1879

George McKendree Steele The Rev. Dr. George McKendree Steele, D.D., LL.D. (April 13, 1823 – January 14, 1902) was an American educator and Methodist minister, president of Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin from 1865 to 1879. He was the author of the 1876 ...

, president * 1879–1889

Elias DeWitt Huntley Elias Dewitt Huntley (19 April 1840 – 12 February 1909) was a Methodist clergyman who served as Chaplain of the Senate. Early life Elias Dewitt Huntley, was born April 19, 1840, in Elmira, New York, the son of Frances Tooker and Elia ...

, president * 1883–1889

Bradford Paul Raymond Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a p ...

, president * 1889–1893

Charles Wesley Gallagher Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

, president * 1893–1894

L. Wesley Underwood Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, th ...

, acting president * 1894–1924

, president * 1925–1937

Henry Merritt Wriston Henry Merritt Wriston (July 4, 1889 – March 8, 1978) was an American educator, presidential advisor, and served as president at both Brown University and Lawrence University. Early life Henry Merritt Wriston was born in Laramie, Wyoming, the so ...

, president * 1937–1943

Thomas Nichols Barrows Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

, president * 1944–1953

Nathan Marsh Pusey Nathan Marsh Pusey (; April 4, 1907 – November 14, 2001) was an American academic. Originally from Council Bluffs, Iowa, Pusey won a scholarship to Harvard University out of high school and went on to earn bachelor's, master's, and doctor ...

, president * 1954–1963

Douglas Maitland Knight Douglas Maitland Knight (June 8, 1921 – January 23, 2005) was an American educator, businessman, and author. He was a former professor of literature at Yale University prior to his presidency at Lawrence College from 1954 to 1963. Stemming from ...

, president * 1963–1969

Curtis William Tarr Curtis William Tarr (September 18, 1924 – June 21, 2013) was an American academic best known for his role in the reform of the Selective Service System—in particular, of the draft lottery, which had been criticized for being insufficiently ra ...

, president * 1969–1979 Thomas S. Smith, president * 1979–2004

Richard Warch Richard Warch (–) was an American professor, ordained minister and academic. He served as the 14th president of Lawrence University. Early life Warch was raised in Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey. He received his bachelor's degree in history from Will ...

, president * 2004–2013

Jill Beck Jill Beck (born 1949) is an American dancer, scholar, administrator and educator. She served as the 15th president of Lawrence University from July 2004 to 2013. On February 2, 2012, Beck announced her intention to retire, and was succeeded by M ...

, president * 2013–2021

Mark Burstein Mark Burstein may refer to: * Mark Burstein (academic administrator), 16th president of Lawrence University * Mark Burstein (editor) (born 1950), editor and expert on the works of Lewis Carroll {{hndis, Burstein, Mark ...

, president * 2021–present ()

Laurie Carter Laurie Aleta Carter is the 17th president of Lawrence University, a position she began in July 2021. She is Lawrence University's first BIPOC president. She has also served as president of Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. Early life an ...

, president

Presidents of Milwaukee-Downer College

* 1895–1921

Ellen Sabin Ellen Clara Sabin (November 29, 1850 – February 3, 1949; also known as Ella) was the president of the Milwaukee-Downer College in the U.S. state of Wisconsin from 1891 to 1921. She was a well-known advocate for the education of women. Sabin dev ...

* 1921–1951

Lucia Russell Briggs Lucia may refer to: Arts and culture * ''Lucía'', a 1968 Cuban film by Humberto Solás * ''Lucia'' (film), a 2013 Kannada-language film * '' Lucia & The Best Boys'', a Scottish indie rock band formerly known as ''LUCIA'' * "Lucia", a Swedish c ...

* 1951–1964 John Johnson

Academics

Lawrence University operates on a trimester calendar. The academic year runs from mid-September to mid-June. The student/faculty ratio at Lawrence is 9:1. Lawrence grants Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Music degrees, with a double degree possible. Lawrence offers a number of cooperative degree programs in areas such as

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

health sciences The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to health sciences: Health sciences are those sciences which focus on health, or health care, as core parts of their subject matter. Health sciences relate to multiple acad ...

and

environmental studies Environmental studies is a multidisciplinary academic field which systematically studies human interaction with the environment. Environmental studies connects principles from the physical sciences, commerce/economics, the humanities, and social ...

. The college offers majors in most of the

. The school also offers the option of

interdisciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...

areas of study and allows students to design their own majors. All students are required to take First-Year Studies during their first two trimesters, which introduces students to broad areas of study and provides a common academic experience for the college. Known as Freshman Studies until 2021, the program was established in 1945, and aside from a brief interruption in the mid-1970s it has remained a consistent fixture of the school's liberal arts curriculum. Lawrence's First-Year Studies program focuses on a mixture of Great Books and more contemporary, influential works, which include non-fiction books, fiction books, and various other types of works, such as paintings, photographs, musical recordings, and even the

periodic table of the elements The periodic table, also known as the periodic table of the (chemical) elements, is a rows and columns arrangement of the chemical elements. It is widely used in chemistry, physics, and other sciences, and is generally seen as an icon of c ...

. Readings are replaced every few years, with the exception of

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

's ''

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

'', which has been included on the list since 1945. The school has an independent study option that allows students to design their own courses. This allows students to explore academic interests not covered by Lawrence's classes or to explore topics more deeply. Over 90% of the students take advantage of the independent study program.

Conservatory of Music

The

Lawrence University Conservatory of Music Lawrence University Conservatory of Music is a conservatory on the campus of Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1894, it is the one of the oldest operating conservatories in the United States. Attached to a liberal arts colleg ...

was founded in 1874 and has been a part of Lawrence University ever since. The Conservatory offers Bachelor of Music degrees in Performance, Theory/Composition, Music Education, and a five-year double degree option that grants both a BM degree from the Conservatory and a BA degree from the College. Approximately 25% of the Lawrence student body, or 350 students, is in the Conservatory. The Conservatory has three choirs, two bands, two jazz ensembles, a symphony orchestra, an improvisation collective, five world music ensembles, and numerous chamber music groups. Students take about 2/3 of their classes in Music and about 1/3 in other subjects for the B.Mus., and the reverse for B.A. in Music. The Conservatory offers also a Bachelor of Musical Arts, primarily—but not exclusively—for students whose interest is in other than Western Classical Music; students take 3/4 of their classes in Music, and 1/4 in other subjects.

Academic affiliation

Lawrence is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, an academic

consortium A consortium (plural: consortia) is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments (or any combination of these entities) with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for ...

of 14 liberal arts colleges in the Midwest and Colorado which coordinates several off-campus study programs in a large number of countries as its primary activity.

Campus

The campus is located in downtown Appleton, divided into two parts by the Fox River. The academic campus is on the north shore of the river, and the major athletic facilities (including the 5,000-seat

Banta Banta Soda, or Banta, also Goli Soda or Goti Soda and Fotash Jawl, is a popular carbonated lemon or orange-flavoured soft drink sold in India since the late 19th century in a distinctly shaped iconic Codd-neck bottle. The pressure created by t ...

Bowl) are on the southeast shore. Lawrence also has a northern estate called

Björklunden Björklunden (, ; in full: Björklunden Vid Sjön, ) is the northern campus of Lawrence University. The estate is on Lake Michigan in Door County, Wisconsin, just south of Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin, Baileys Harbor. The landscape covers meadows, w ...

(full name: Björklunden vid sjön), which serves as a site for retreats, seminars, concerts, and theatrical performances. It contains a chapel for weddings. Donald and Winifred Boynton of Highland Park,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, donated the property in Door County to Lawrence in 1963.

Campus development

In the mid-1980s, the Physics Department built a $330,000 small laser laboratory (known as the "laser palace"), which includes 800 5 mW small lasers and more than 500 mirrors. In 2009, Lawrence opened the Richard and Margot Warch Campus Center, a gathering place for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and guests from the Fox Cities community. The building is situated on the Fox River on the site of the former Hulburt House. The Warch Campus Center includes a cinema, campus dining services, campus mailboxes, and various meeting and event spaces. The building has earned a

LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction ...

Gold certification for meeting sustainability goals in energy conservation, environmental friendliness, and green building. The college has a long history of razing buildings on its campus, because of the limited land available for constructing new buildings. Many buildings on campus are built on the site of former buildings. Some razed buildings include: * Peabody Hall of Music (20th century) * Hamar Union (1960) * Underwood Observatory (1962) * Alexander Gym I (1962) * Carnegie Library (1964) * Worcester Art Center (1987) * Stephenson Hall of Science (1998) * Hulbert House (2006) (new construction: Warch Campus Center, 2009)

Student body

Lawrence enrolls about 1,500 students who hail from nearly every U.S. state. The total enrollment in academic year 2010–11 was 1,566 students,As of Fall 2010. the largest student body in Lawrence University's history. Over 75% of the students identify as white, about 12% are international students, and about 25% of students study in the conservatory of music. In the fall of 2014, a quarter of the incoming class were domestic students of color. Lawrence students have been named

Rhodes Scholars The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

seven times. Since 1976, 57 students and nine faculty have received

Fulbright Scholarships The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

. Since 1969, 73 students have been named

Watson Fellows Watson may refer to: Companies * Actavis, a pharmaceutical company formerly known as Watson Pharmaceuticals * A.S. Watson Group, retail division of Hutchison Whampoa * Thomas J. Watson Research Center, IBM research center * Watson Systems, maker ...

Student traditions

At the beginning of every academic year in September, incoming freshmen arrive a week before returning students to partake in Welcome Week. During Welcome Week, various activities are planned in order to help the incoming class get to know one another and to help them acclimate to college life. During the first night of Welcome Week, students and their parents attend the President's Welcome, which concludes with the traditional matriculation handshake, where every member of the incoming class shakes hands and exchanges words with the university's president. During the fall term, the on-campus

fraternity A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, "wiktionary:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal ...

Beta Theta Pi Beta Theta Pi (), commonly known as Beta, is a North American social fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. One of North America's oldest fraternities, as of 2022 it consists of 144 active chapters in the Unite ...

hosts the annual Beach Bash. For this event, the brothers of ΒθΠ shovel approximately 14 tons of sand into the fraternity house basement, and install a

boardwalk A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway built with wooden planks that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. They are also in effect a low type of bridge ...

and a

lifeguard A lifeguard is a rescuer who supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, beach, spa, river and lake. Lifeguards are trained in swimming and CPR/ AED first a ...

station that doubles as a DJ booth.This tradition was skipped in 2020, due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. During spring term, Lawrence hosts a music festival, LU-aroo (a play on words on the popular music festival Bonnaroo). Held on the quad, the festival features many talented student bands, both from the college and the conservatory. In 2016, the musician

The Tallest Man on Earth Kristian Matsson (born 30 April 1983) is a Swedish singer-songwriter who performs under the stage name The Tallest Man on Earth. Matsson grew up in Leksand, and began his solo career in 2006, having previously been the lead singer of the indie b ...

played at the festival. Also during spring term, many seniors participate in the Senior Streak, which typically happens during the eighth week of the term. The goal of the senior streak is to provide seniors with one last opportunity to let loose before finals, graduation, and post-college life. Although rumor says that the senior streak was created as a result of former president

's aversion to the activity, this has been proven to be false. Students, often coming from Lawrence's on-campus bar, the Viking Room, strip their clothes and run around the area of Main Hall, as one last hurrah before finals and graduation.

Media

The student newspaper, ''

The Lawrentian ''The Lawrentian'' is the campus newspaper of Lawrence University Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrenc ...

'', has been published for over a century. Lawrence University hosts the ''

Great Midwest Trivia Contest The Great Midwest Trivia Contest, or Midwest Trivia Contest, is held once a year in Appleton, Wisconsin, broadcast over Twitch. It has a claim as the longest-running college bowl trivia contest. From 2006 to 2020, the contest was livestreamed by W ...

'' webcast every January over the college radio station WLFM.

Athletics

Lawrence University's intercollegiate athletic teams, known as the

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

since 1926, compete in the

Midwest Conference The Midwest Conference (MWC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in the Midwestern United States in the states of Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. The Midwest Conference was c ...

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA)

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, fencing, football, golf, ice hockey, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, and track & field; women's sports include basketball, cross country, fencing, golf, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. In 2005–06, the men's basketball team was ranked first in Division III for much of the season, after starting the season unranked. The Vikings were the only undefeated team in all divisions of college basketball for the last six weeks of the season, ending with a record of 25–1. Star forward Chris Braier won the Josten's Award as the top player in the country for both playing ability and community service. Coach John Tharp was named Division III Midwest Coach of the Year. Beginning in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, Lawrence qualified for the Division III national tournament in five of the next six years (2004,

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

). Their best result was in 2004, advancing to the quarterfinals (Elite 8), but fell to eventual national champion Wisconsin–Stevens Point by a point in overtime at

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

. In 2011, Lawrence's men's cross country team won the Midwest Conference championships for the first time since 1985, beating Grinnell College and ending its 14-year winning streak.

Recognition

Lawrence was ranked 56th on the 2013 U.S. News: List of Best U.S. National Liberal Arts Colleges.

Notable faculty

Warren Beck A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Anglo ...

, fiction writer and Faulkner scholar * William Chaney, historian *

Richard N. Current Richard Nelson Current (October 5, 1912 – October 26, 2012) was an American historian, called "the Dean of Lincoln Scholars", best known for ''The Lincoln Nobody Knows'' (1958), and ''Lincoln and the First Shot'' (1963). Life Born in Colorado ...

, historian *

William H. Riker William Harrison Riker (September 22, 1920 – June 26, 1993) was an American political scientist who is prominent for applying game theory and mathematics to political science. He helped to establish University of Rochester as a center of behav ...

, political scientist *

Charles B. Schudson Charles Benjamin Schudson (born 1950) is a Wisconsin Reserve Judge Emeritus, law professor, judicial educator, keynote speaker, and author. Biography Schudson was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1950. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and t ...

, judge *

Fred Sturm Frederick I. Sturm (March 21, 1951 – August 24, 2014) was a jazz composer, arranger and teacher. Sturm studied at Lawrence University, the University of North Texas College of Music, and the Eastman School of Music. He played trombone and perfor ...

, jazz composer and musician *

Arthur Thrall Arthur Thrall (March 18, 1926 – March 11, 2015) was an American painter and printmaker. His works have been shown in more than 500 exhibits in the United States and abroad including England, Finland, Germany, and U.S. embassies. ''Milwaukee Jour ...

, artist *

Harry Dexter White Harry Dexter White (October 29, 1892 – August 16, 1948) was a senior U.S. Treasury department official. Working closely with the Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau Jr., he helped set American financial policy toward the Allies of World W ...

, economist, first U.S. Director of IMF (1946–47), and Soviet informant *

John Holiday John Thomas Holiday Jr. (born March 31, 1985) is an American operatic countertenor. His repertoire focuses on the Baroque and contemporary composers, including staged opera and opera in concert, works for voice and orchestra, and experimental mix ...

, opera singer, music professor, and finalist on season 19 of The Voice. *

Peter N. Peregrine Peter N. Peregrine (born November 29, 1963) is an American anthropologist, Register of Professional Archaeologists, registered professional archaeologist, and academic. He is well known for his promotion of the use of science in anthropology, and ...

, renowned anthropologist and archaeologist

Notable alumni

* James Sibree Anderson, Wisconsin State Representative *

Martha Bablitch Martha Bablitch (née Virtue; October 28, 1944 – April 4, 2007) was a judge on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. Biography Martha Jean Virtue was born on October 28, 1944 in Lawrence, Kansas to John and Maxine (née Boord) Virtue. Martha grew up i ...

, judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals *

John Miller Baer John Miller Baer (March 29, 1886 – February 18, 1970) was a U.S. Representative from North Dakota. Early years and education Born at Black Creek, Wisconsin, Baer was the son of Capt. John M. Baer and Libbie Riley Baer. His ancestors on the ...

, 1909, Congressman from

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

* William Baer, Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division *

Melvin Baldwin Melvin Riley Baldwin (April 12, 1838April 15, 1901) was an American railroad engineer and Democratic politician. He served one term in the United States House of Representatives, representing Minnesota in the Fifty-third Congress. Earlier, he s ...

, Congressman from

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

* Charles A. Barnard, Wisconsin State Representative *

Sam Barry Justin McCarthy "Sam" Barry (December 17, 1892 – September 23, 1950) was an American collegiate coach who achieved significant accomplishments in three major sports - football, baseball, and basketball. He remains one of only three coaches to ...

, college basketball and baseball coach (attended) * Myrt Basing,

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

player *

Jennifer Baumgardner Jennifer Baumgardner (born 1970) is a writer, activist, filmmaker, and lecturer whose work explores abortion, sex, bisexuality, rape, single parenthood, and women's power. From 2013 to 2017, she served as the Executive Director/Publisher at The Fem ...

, 1992, feminist writer and activist *

Lisle Blackbourn Lisle William "Liz" Blackbourn (June 3, 1899 – June 14, 1983) was an American football coach in Wisconsin, most notably as the third head coach of the Green Bay Packers, from 1954 through 1957, and the final head coach at Marquette University i ...

, 1925,

head coach * Champ Boettcher,

player * Thomas Boyd, Wisconsin State Representative *

Alexander Brazeau Alexander Brazeau was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Biography Brazeau was born on December 24, 1856, in Oconto, Wisconsin. He would attend Lawrence University. Eventually, he became a lawyer and newspaper publisher. Political career ...

, Wisconsin State Representative *

Webster E. Brown Webster Everett Brown (July 16, 1851 – December 14, 1929) was a U.S. representative from Wisconsin. Born near Peterboro, New York, in Madison County, Brown moved with his parents to Wisconsin in 1857. Resided for a time in Newport, Columb ...

, Congressman from Wisconsin (attended) *

Bonnie Bryant Barbara B. Hiller (born in New York City, New York, New York (state), New York, in 1946) is an American author; as Bonnie Bryant she wrote many children's books, children's and young adult fiction, young adult books; she is best known for writing ...

, 1968, author of children's books * Louis B. Butler Jr., 1973, associate justice of the

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin. Location The Wi ...

* Thomas Callaway, Actor and Interior Designer *

Robert A. Collins Robert A. Collins (November 4, 1924 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin – January 4, 2003) was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. He attended St. Anthony High School, Solomon Juneau Business High School, Lawrence University, Marquette University an ...

, Wisconsin State Representative *

Julia Colman Julia Colman ( pen name, Aunt Julia; February 16, 1828 – January 10, 1909) was an American temperance educator, activist, editor and writer of the long nineteenth century. She served as superintendent of literature in the Woman's Christian Tempe ...

(1828–1909), American temperance educator, activist, editor, writer *

Charles Rankin Deniston Charles Rankin Deniston (1835–?) was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1874 and 1875. Deniston was born in 1835 in Green County, Wisconsin, the son of John W. Deniston and Elizabeth Van Sant. He attended Mount Morris College and Lawre ...

, Wisconsin State Representative *

James Dinsdale James Dinsdale (November 18, 1848 – December 28, 1928) was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Political career Dinsdale was born in Askrigg, Richmondshire District, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom and died in Madison (town), Wisconsin at ...

, Wisconsin State Representative *

William Diver William Diver (July 20, 1921 – August 31, 1995) was an American linguist. He was the founder of the Columbia School of Linguistics, which is named after Columbia University, where he received his Ph.D. in comparative Indo-European linguistics. ...

, 1942,

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

and founder of the

Columbia School of Linguistics The Columbia School of Linguistics is a group of linguists with a radically functional and empirical conception of language. According to their school of thought, the main function of language is communication, and it is this fact that guides the ...

* Pawo Choyning Dorji, 2006, filmmaker and photographer *

William Draheim William Draheim was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate. Biography Draheim was born on December 15, 1898, in Neenah, Wisconsin. After graduating from Neenah High School, he attended Lawrence University. Draheim served in the United States Army ...

, Wisconsin State Senator * Paul Driessen, 1970, author and lobbyist *

Dale Duesing Dale Duesing (born September 26, 1947) is an American baritone. As an opera singer, he has had an international career spanning five decades. Duesing grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He studied piano throughout childhood, and enrolled at Lawrence ...

, 1967, operatic

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

Siri Engberg Siri ( ) is a virtual assistant that is part of Apple Inc.'s iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, tvOS, and audioOS operating systems. It uses voice queries, gesture based control, focus-tracking and a natural-language user interface to answer questi ...

, curator,

Walker Art Center The Walker Art Center is a multidisciplinary contemporary art center in the Lowry Hill neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is one of the most-visited modern and contemporary art museums in the United States and, t ...

Cynthia Estlund Cynthia Estlund (born 1957) is the Catherine A. Rein Professor of Law at the New York University School of Law. Career Estlund teaches labor law, employment law, and property law and has published numerous articles on the subject of labor and em ...

, 1978, law professor and author *

Edna Ferber Edna Ferber (August 15, 1885 – April 16, 1968) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels include the Pulitzer Prize-winning '' So Big'' (1924), ''Show Boat'' (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), '' Cim ...

, author and playwright (attended) *

James A. Frear James Archibald Frear (October 24, 1861 – May 28, 1939) was a U.S. Representative from Wisconsin. Biography Born in Hudson, Wisconsin, in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, Frear attended the public schools, and Lawrence University, Appleton, Wiscon ...

, Congressman from Wisconsin (attended) *

Earle W. Fricker Earle W. Fricker was a former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Biography Fricker was born on February 16, 1926. He attended Washington High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin before attending Lawrence University, Marquette University and Marqu ...

, Wisconsin State Representative * William Fuller, 1975, Poet and senior vice president and chief fiduciary officer of

Northern Trust Corporation Northern Trust Corporation is a financial services company headquartered in Chicago that caters to corporations, institutional investors, and ultra high net worth individuals. Northern Trust is one of the largest banking institutions in the Uni ...

Dominic Fumusa Dominic Fumusa (; born September 13, 1969) is an American stage and screen actor known for starring in the Showtime comedy-drama series ''Nurse Jackie''. Early life Fumusa was born and raised in Dane County, Wisconsin to a large family as one ...

, 1991, actor *

John Rankin Gamble John Rankin Gamble (January 15, 1848 – August 14, 1891) was a lawyer and politician from South Dakota. He was born in Alabama, New York in 1848, and was the brother of Robert J. Gamble and uncle of Ralph Abernethy Gamble. He attended the co ...

, 1872, Congressman from

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

Robert J. Gamble Robert Jackson Gamble (February 7, 1851September 22, 1924) was a U.S. Representative and Senator from South Dakota. He was the father of Ralph Abernethy Gamble and brother of John Rankin Gamble, members of South Dakota's prominent Gamble family. ...

, 1874, Congressman from South Dakota *

Ed Glick Edward Isadore Glick (April 23, 1900 – August 13, 1976) was a professional American football back in the National Football League. He played one season for the Green Bay Packers (1922). He played at the collegiate level at Lawrence Univers ...

player (attended) * Walter Samuel Goodland,

governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscons ...

(attended) *

Suzanne Graff Suzanne Graff is an American actress. Biography A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Graff performed onstage for several seasons at the American Folklore Theatre (AFT) in shows such as ''Lumberjacks in Love'' which became one of the company's big ...

, actress * Robert C. Greene, 1988, Founder of Starbobs Coffee *

Michael P. Hammond Michael P. Hammond (June 13, 1932 – January 29, 2002) was an American musician, educator, and eighth chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. Early life Hammond was a native of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and spent much of his childhood in Ap ...

, 1954, chairman of the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

* Lorena Hickok, confidante of

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

(attended) * Earnest Hooton, 1903, physical anthropologist *

John D. Huber John D. Huber is an American political scientist who specializes in studying democratic processes and institutions. He is a professor of political science at Columbia University. Biography Huber received his B.A. from Lawrence University and Ph ...

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

political scientist * Thomas R. Hudd, Congressman from Wisconsin (attended) * Frank W. Humphrey, 1881, Wisconsin State Representative * Bruce Iglauer, founder of Alligator Records * Lester Johnson, Congressman from Wisconsin *

Zachary Scot Johnson Zachary Scot Johnson is an American singer-songwriter, born in 1982 in Racine, Wisconsin, United States. He attended Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin from 2001 through 2006, where he was a triple major student in Music Performance, The ...

, 2001, singer-songwriter and creator of

Thesongadayproject Thesongadayproject was created by the American singer-songwriter, Zachary Scot Johnson, in September 2012. The first day (September 6, 2012), featured a cover version of Donovan's " Catch The Wind". Johnson set out with a goal to record a song a day ...

* Jeffrey Jones, 1968, actor *

Kaja Kallas Kaja Kallas (; born 18 June 1977) is an Estonian politician who has been serving as the prime minister of Estonia since 2021. The leader of the Reform Party since 2018, she was a Member of Parliament from 2019 to 2021, and previously between 2 ...

, 1999, Prime Minister of Estonia *

Scott Klug Scott Leo Klug (born January 16, 1953) is an American lobbyist, author, and businessman, as well as a former politician and television reporter. From 1991-1999, he was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Wiscon ...

, 1975 former congressman from

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Peter Kolkay Peter Kolkay is an American bassoonist. In 2002, he was awarded First Prize at the Concert Artists Guild International Competition, and was the recipient of a 2004 Avery Fisher Career Grant. Kolkay is a member of the Chamber Music Society of Linc ...

, bassoonist *

Eddie Kotal Eddie or Eddy may refer to: Science and technology *Eddy (fluid dynamics), the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle *Eddie (text editor), a text editor originally for BeOS and now ported to Linu ...

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

player * Takakazu Kuriyama, Japanese ambassador to the United States (attended) * Barbara Lawton, 1987, Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin *

Fred Lerdahl Alfred Whitford (Fred) Lerdahl (born March 10, 1943, in Madison, Wisconsin) is the Fritz Reiner Professor Emeritus of Musical Composition at Columbia University, and a composer and music theorist best known for his work on musical grammar and cogn ...

, 1965,

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and

music theorist Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory". The first is the "rudiments", that are needed to understand music notation (ke ...

John A. Luke Jr. John A. Luke Jr. is an American businessman. He serves as chairman and CEO of the MeadWestvaco Corporation. Education Luke attended The Hotchkiss School and then Lawrence University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in 1971. He attended the ...

, 1971, CEO of MeadWestvaco
*

Harry N. MacLean Harry MacLean (born 1943) is a writer and lawyer living in Denver, Colorado, who writes true crime books and won an Edgar Award for his book '' In Broad Daylight'' (1988). Early life Maclean graduated in 1964 from Lawrence University with a ...

, 1964, true crime author *

Momodu Maligie Momodu Maligi is a Sierra Leonean politician and former Minister of Water Resources for Sierra Leone. At thirty two years old, he became the youngest Sierra Leonean cabinet minister in President Ernest Bai Koroma's cabinet. He was chosen as Wa ...

, 2004, Minister of Water Resources for

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

William H. Markham William H. Markham was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate. Biography Markham was born on December 13, 1888, in Independence, Wisconsin. He attended Lawrence College and the University of Minnesota and was later active in the preservation o ...

, Wisconsin State Senator *

Gerry Max Gerry is both a surname and a masculine or feminine given name. As a given name, it is often a short form (hypocorism) of Gerard, Gerald or Geraldine. Notable people with the name include: Surname *Elbridge Gerry (1744–1814), fifth US vice presi ...

, author and Richard Halliburton scholar * John McDonald,

player *

James H. McGillan James H. McGillan (January 7, 1870 – March 7, 1935) was mayor of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Biography McGillan was born on January 7, 1870, in Appleton, Wisconsin. He attended Lawrence University and the University of Wisconsin Law School. Follow ...

, mayor of

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The county seat of Brown County, it is at the head of Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It is above sea lev ...

James Merrell James Hart Merrell (born 1953 in Minnesota) is the Lucy Maynard Salmon Professor of History at Vassar College. Merrell is primarily a scholar of early American history, and has written extensively on Native American history during the colonial er ...

, 1975, professor of history at

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...

John S. Mills John S. Mills (1906 in Appleton, Wisconsin – July 4, 1996), was a Major general (United States), major general in the United States Air Force. He attended Lawrence University, Lawrence College. Career Mills graduated from the United Stat ...

, U.S. Air Force major general *

Terry Moran Terry Moran is an American journalist, currently Senior National Correspondent at ABC News. Based in Washington, D.C., Moran covers national politics and policy, reporting from the Trump White House, the Supreme Court, and the campaign trail fo ...

, 1982, chief White House correspondent for

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...

David Mulford David Campbell Mulford (born 27 June 1937) was the United States Ambassador to India from January 23, 2004 to February 2009, and served as Vice-Chairman International of Credit Suisse from 2009 to 2016. He is currently a distinguished visiting fel ...

, 1969,

United States Ambassador to India The United States Ambassador to India is the chief diplomatic representative of United States in India. The U.S. Ambassador's office is situated at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. Chiefs of Mission to India U.S. Ambassadors to the Dominion of ...

William F. Nash William F. Nash was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and the Wisconsin State Senate. Biography Nash was born William Francis Nash on February 22, 1847, in Shelby, New York. He moved with his parents to Rock County, Wisconsin, in 1851. Du ...

, Wisconsin State Senator *

George Allen Neeves George Allen Neeves was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Biography Neeves was born in Cambridge, Illinois on January 3, 1842. Later, he resided in what was once Grand Rapids, Wisconsin and attended Lawrence University. Reports have diffe ...

, Wisconsin State Representative *

Tom Neff Thomas Linden Neff (born 1953)-, known as Tom Neff, is an American film executive, director and producer, born in Chicago, Illinois. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Education Neff received his Bachelor of Arts from Lawrence University with a ...

, 1975, CEO and founder of The Documentary Channel *

Justus Henry Nelson Justus Henry Nelson (December 22, 1850 – February 6, 1937) established the first Protestant church in the Amazon basin and was a self-supporting Methodist missionary in Belém, Pará, Brazil for 45 years. Early years Justus was born December ...

, missionary in the Amazon (attended) *

Garth Neustadter Garth Neustadter (born May 4, 1986, in Green Bay, Wisconsin) is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist. Biography Neustadter began studying the violin and piano at the age of four, later undertaking saxophone and voice studies. He ...

, 2011 Emmy winner, Outstanding Music Composition for a Series *

Angelia Thurston Newman Angie F. Newman (, Thurston; after first marriage, Kilgore; after second marriage, Newman; December 4, 1837 – April 15, 1910) was an American poet, author, editor, and lecturer of the long nineteenth century. She served as superintendent of jail ...

, poet, author, lecturer *

Roger Nicoll Roger A. Nicoll (born 1941) is an American neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco where he is professor at the Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology. Nicoll grew up in Princeton, New Jersey. He studied biology and ...

, 1963, neuroscientist at

UCSF The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a public land-grant research university in San Francisco, California. It is part of the University of California system and is dedicated entirely to health science and life science. It condu ...

Jessica Nelson North Jessica Nelson North (September 7, 1891 – June 3, 1988) was an American writer, poet and editor. Early life and family Jessica Nelson North was born in Madison, Wisconsin, the daughter of David Willard North and Sarah Elizabeth "Elizabeth" ( ...

, 1917, author *

Arnold C. Otto Arnold C. Otto was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Biography Otto was born on July 27, 1887. He would graduate from Kaukauna High School in Kaukauna, Wisconsin, as well as from what was then Lawrence College and the George Washington Uni ...

, Wisconsin State Representative *

Rip Owens Ralph B. "Rip" Owens (December 9, 1894 – August 1970) was a player in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers in 1922 as a guard. He played at the collegiate level at Lawrence University and the University of Nebraska–Linc ...

player (attended) *

Alice Peacock Alice Peacock (born November 19, 1969) is an American folk singer and has recorded five independent albums and an album released by Aware/Columbia Records (2002). A native of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, she lived in Chicago, Illinois where she ...

, 1992 singer-songwriter
*

Charles Pettibone Charles Alexander Pettibone (May 26, 1841November 30, 1925) was an American newspaper editor and Republican politician. He served four years in the Wisconsin State Senate, representing Dodge County, and was later sergeant-at-arms of that body. ...

, Wisconsin State Senator *

Cindy Regal Cindy A. Regal is an American experimental physicist most noted for her work in quantum optics; atomic, molecular, and optical physics (AMO); and cavity optomechanics. Regal is an associate professor in the Department of Physics at the University ...

, 2001, experimental physicist *

Scott Reppert Scott "Scooter" Reppert (born December 26, 1960) is a former American football running back and businessman. He led Division III in rushing three consecutive years from 1980 to 1982 and was selected as a Little All-American each of those years. H ...

, 1983, member of the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...

Eben Eugene Rexford Eben Eugene Rexford (July 16, 1848 – October 18, 1916) was an American writer and poet, and author of lyrics to popular and gospel songs. Biography Eben E. Rexford was born in Johnsburg, New York on July 16, 1848. He moved with his family t ...

, author of works on gardening (attended) *

Carl W. Riddick Carlos Wood Riddick (February 25, 1872 – July 9, 1960) was an American politician and businessman. He served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Montana's 2nd congressional district. Early life and education Ri ...

, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the Second District of

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

Josh Sawyer Joshua Eric Sawyer (born October 18, 1975), known commonly as Josh Sawyer, J.E. Sawyer, or JSawyer, is an American video game designer, known for his work on role-playing video games. Early life and education Sawyer grew up in Fort Atkinson, Wisc ...

, video game designer at Obsidian Entertainment *

Melvin H. Schlytter Melvin H. Schlytter (October 22, 1890 – July 20, 1959) was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Schlytter was born Melvin Hjalmar Schlytter October 22, 1890 in Wittenberg, Wisconsin. He attended Lawrence University and served in the Unit ...

, Wisconsin State Representative * Campbell Scott, 1983, actor * Michael Shurtleff, 1942, casting director, author *

Eric Simonson Eric Simonson (born June 27, 1960 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American writer and director in theatre, film and opera. He is a member of Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, and the author of plays '' Lombardi'', ''Fake'', ''Honest'', '' Magic/B ...

, 1982, Oscar-winning writer–director * Red Smith, 1926,

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player,

player and assistant coach, head coach of the

Georgetown Hoyas The Georgetown Hoyas are the collegiate athletics teams that officially represent Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C. Georgetown's athletics department fields 23 men's and women's varsity level teams and competes at the National C ...

football team and

Wisconsin Badgers football The Wisconsin Badgers football program represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the sport of American football. Wisconsin competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the W ...

team, athletic director of

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan un ...

Janet Steiger Janet Steiger (June 10, 1939, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin – April 3, 2004, in Fort Myers, Florida) was an American politician. Biography Steiger graduated from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. On August 10, 1963, she married William A. S ...

, 1961, chairman of the

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction ov ...

Thomas A. Steitz Thomas Arthur Steitz (August 23, 1940 – October 9, 2018) was an American biochemist, a Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University, and investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, best known for hi ...

, 1962, Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, 2009

Nobel Prize in Chemistry ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then "M ...

laureate *

Heidi Stober Heidi Stober (born 1978, Wisconsin) is an American operatic soprano who has performed leading roles in major opera houses internationally, including the Dutch National Opera, the Garsington Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Metropolitan Oper ...

, 2000, operatic soprano *

, 1973, jazz composer and arranger *

William T. Sullivan William T. Sullivan (April 6, 1894 – March 21, 1968) was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Biography Sullivan was born on April 6, 1894, in Oconto, Wisconsin. He graduated from Oconto High School before attending the University of Wisc ...

, Wisconsin State Representative *

Gladys Taber Gladys Bagg Taber (1899–1980), author of 59 books, including the Stillmeadow books, and columnist for ''Ladies' Home Journal'' and ''Family Circle''. Biography Gladys Bagg Taber was born in Colorado Springs on April 12, 1899,http://www.gladys ...

(1899–1980), author *

Anton R. Valukas Anton R. Valukas (born 1943) is an American attorney who served as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois from 1985 to 1989. In 2007, he became the chairman of Jenner & Block. He was later appointed bankruptcy examiner d ...

, 1965, U.S. attorney, author of the

Valukas Report The Report of Anton R. Valukas is an examination into the demise of Lehman Brothers, a formerly dominant global financial institution, that collapsed into bankruptcy during the Financial crisis of 2007-2010. Anton Valukas, chairman of the Chicago l ...

Madhuri Vijay Madhuri Vijay is an Indian author living in Hawaii. She is the author of ''The Far Field,'' which won the second JCB Prize for literature, India's most prestigious literary award. Early life Vijay was born and grew up in Bangalore, India. In 20 ...

, 2009, novelist, author of ''The Far Field'' *

James Franklin Ware James Franklin Ware (1849–1934)EratoGenealogical and biographical informationat rootschat.com. was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and the Wisconsin State Senate. Biography Ware was born on February 11, 1849, in Litchfield, Maine.''TH ...

, 1871, legislator * William Warner, U.S. Senator from Missouri (attended) *

Iva Bigelow Weaver Iva Bigelow Weaver (October 8, 1875 — October 4, 1932) was an American soprano singer in oratorios and recitals, clubwoman, and music educator based in Chicago and Milwaukee. Early life Iva Bigelow was from Palmyra, Wisconsin, the daughter of ...

, soprano and music educator based in Milwaukee *

Alexander B. Whitman Alexander Bert Whitman (April 1, 1854 – September 23, 1910) was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate. Biography Whitman was born on April 1, 1854, in Turner, Maine. He moved with his parents to what is now Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 1857 and late ...

, Wisconsin State Senator *

George W. Wolff George W. Wolff was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly (1895–1897) and the Wisconsin State Senate (1901–1907). Biography Wolff was born on April 7, 1848 in Rhine, Wisconsin. Julius Wolff (politician), Julius Wolff, his father, ...

, Wisconsin State Representative and Senator *

Tom Zoellner Tom Zoellner (born 1968) is an American author and journalist. He is the author of popular non-fiction books which take multidimensional views of their subject. His work has been widely reviewed and has been featured on ''The Daily Show''. His ...

, 1991, author, journalist *

Al Zupek Albert Ernest Zupek (January 12, 1922 – June 16, 1980) was a fullback in the National Football League who played for the Green Bay Packers. Zupek played collegiate ball for Lawrence College, (now Lawrence University Lawrence University is ...

, 1944,

player

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Educational institutions established in 1847 Liberal arts colleges in Wisconsin Music schools in Wisconsin Private universities and colleges in Wisconsin Buildings and structures in Appleton, Wisconsin Education in Outagamie County, Wisconsin Tourist attractions in Outagamie County, Wisconsin 1847 establishments in Wisconsin Territory

History

Milwaukee-Downer traditions

Presidents

University presidents

Presidents of Milwaukee-Downer College

Academics

Conservatory of Music

Academic affiliation

Campus

Campus development

Student body

Student traditions

Media

Athletics

Recognition

Notable faculty

Notable alumni

See also

References

External links