Christopher Newport University

Abstract

Christopher Newport University is a Virginia public university located in Newport News, originally a satellite of William and Mary. In the old days it was called Christopher Newport College, a name that can still be seen on the old monument for "Wise Woods", the stretch of trees behind Wingfield and bordering the parking lot. Since then it has grown to a very respectable size, featuring among other things the advanced Ferguson Center for the Arts. In much the same way that the performance center, which was once a high school, has been transformed into an example of excellence, those holding the University's reins wish to build the school into a paragon of education.

History

Early History

The University Webpage states the following:

Original plans for the fledgling college were obviously less ambitious. According to the CNU website, it started with 171 students, and in fact, it was not originally located at the present site of its now well-developed grounds, but inside a donated school building downtown. As for when it moved, however, there were in the original plans for its present home a Science Building (Gosnold Hall), a gym (Ratcliffe Hall), Wingfield Hall, and a Library/Admin combine (Library and now demolished Smith Hall). A Campus Center was later added to the master site plan, and may have been the first building built.

The archives of the CNU catalogs occasionally contain old maps or plans for CNU (sorted chronologically as possible - volume numbers are deceptive):

Old Plan	Old Master Plan	Map from c. 1976-1978	Map from 1978 (revised)
A Later Map (1982?)

Looking at these maps/plans, one can see how the campus gradually assumed its current shape (there are further ones available in the Library, also). A student center was built by 1976. Sometime between 1976 and 1978 the admin building appears to have been added, and sometime thereafter the science building was planned and some of the athletic facilities came into being.

It is rather interesting to see what meagre expectations were originally held for this campus, and how it slowly yet surely began to outgrow its earlier nature. Observing old depictions by artists of the campus, such as were made to show the role a new building would play, is also a revealing activity: The perception of the kind of students who attended campus has changed greatly over time in terms of age and intention.

Here are some example photos of such artistic portrayals as can be found on campus:

• Library/Admin Complex
• Science Building

Keep in mind that this is not necessarily exactly how the campus looked at any given point in time: It is the result of what various people imagined the campus had the potential to look like.

A highly relevant example that led to changes in the perception of the University's students is much more recent: The residence halls came into existence, so that what was once a primarily commuter school was suddenly now a home.

Recent History

The Current State of Affairs

According to the Princeton Review

• Enrollment: 4,608
• Average GPA: 3.27
• Average SAT: 1138
• Average ACT: 22
• Student Faculty Ratio: 21:1

Organizational Structure

Current Construction

Reactions to Change

The emotions that result from the evolution of the school vary. Some are pleased and excited; others have suggested a feeling of betrayal. It seems that the latter are few and far between, and that a more serious allegation has been made: That many are passive in response to it. In the midst of a school fluidly passing to new things, there is a sense that many students do not specifically feel like offering anything of their own. There are examples of student intervention. One wonders, though, how many students truly perceive the legacy and opportunity this school provides: How many know for example that a Children's school meets on weekends at Wingfield Hall? Or that there was a tea house at one time. The continuing process of building a multifaceted and unique student consciousness is occurring, however.