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New England Small College Athletic Conference

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New England Small College Athletic Conference
File:New England Small College Athletic Conference logo.png
AssociationNCAA
CommissionerAndrea Savage (since 1999)
Sports fielded
  • 26
    • men's: 13
    • women's: 13
DivisionDivision III
RegionNew England
Official websitenescac.com
Locations
Location of teams in {{{title}}}

The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) is a collegiate athletic conference comprising sports teams from eleven highly selective, private liberal arts colleges in the Northeastern United States. The eleven institutions are Amherst College, Bates College, Bowdoin College, Colby College, Connecticut College, Hamilton College, Middlebury College, Tufts University, Trinity College, Wesleyan University, and Williams College.[1] All of the members are grouped into the Little Ivies, and have competed against one another since the 19th century.

Many of the schools draw parallels to the academic caliber of schools in the Ivy League. The conference originated with an agreement among Amherst, Bowdoin, Wesleyan and Williams in 1955.[2] In 1971, Bates, Colby, Hamilton, Middlebury, Trinity, Tufts, and Union College joined on and the NESCAC was officially formed. Union withdrew in 1977,[3] and was replaced by Connecticut College in 1982. The members are grouped within the NCAA Division III athletic conference. Members also belong to various consortia such as the Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Consortium and the Little Three.

Many of the NESCAC schools are generally viewed as some of the most socially prestigious colleges in the nation, and are ranked among the best universities in the country.[4] The term NESCAC has connotations of academic excellence and selectivity in admissions.

All eleven universities place in the top 15% of the 2016 U.S. News & World Report, and Forbes university rankings.[5][6] U.S. News has named a member of the conference as the best liberal arts college in the country since its conception, naming Williams College number one in 2016.

Members of the conference have the largest financial endowment of any liberal arts college in the world, with William's 2.3 billion and undergraduate enrollment ranges from about 1,792 to 5,200, with Bates as the smallest, and Tufts as the biggest, respectively.[7]

Members

See also: Little Ivies

Colleges in the New England Small College Athletic Conference have some of the largest liberal arts financial endowments in the world, which allows the colleges to provide many resources for their academic programs and research endeavors. As of 2016, Williams College has an endowment of $2.3 billion.[8] Additionally, each university receives millions of dollars in research grants and other subsidies from federal and state government.

Institution Location Athletic nickname Undergraduate enrollment 2015 Endowment Colors Motto
Amherst College Amherst, Massachusetts 1,817 $2.194 billion     Terras Irradiant (Let Them Light Up the World)
Bates College Lewiston, Maine Bobcats 1,792 $265.9 million     Amore Ac Studio (With Ardor and Devotion)
Bowdoin College Brunswick, Maine Polar Bears 1,805 $1.393 billion     Ut Aquila Versus Coelum (As an eagle towards the sky)
Colby College Waterville, Maine White Mules 1,838 $746.0 million     Lux Mentis Scientia (Knowledge is the light of the mind)
Connecticut College New London, Connecticut Camels 1,911 $283.9 million     Tanquam lignum quod plantatum est secus decursus aquarium (Like a tree planted by rivers of water" (that bringeth forth its fruit in its season. – Psalm 1:3)
Hamilton College Clinton, New York Continentals 1,864 $856.1 million     Γνωθι Σεαυτόν (Know Thyself)
Middlebury College Middlebury, Vermont Panthers 2,507 $1.101 billion     Scientia et Virtus (Knowledge and Virtue)
Trinity College Hartford, Connecticut Bantams 2,344 $542.8 million     Pro Ecclesia Et Patria (For Church and Country)
Tufts University Medford, Massachusetts Jumbos 5,138 $1.593 billion     Pax et Lux (Peace and Light)
Wesleyan University Middletown, Connecticut Cardinals 2,870 $810.0 million    
Williams College Williamstown, Massachusetts Ephs 2,124 $2.344 billion     E liberalitate E. Williams, armigeri (Through the generosity of E. Williams)

Note: Union College joined the NESCAC in 1971, but left in 1977, and was replaced by Connecticut College in 1982.

Membership timeline

Connecticut CollegeWilliams CollegeWesleyan UniversityUnion CollegeTufts UniversityTrinity College (Connecticut)Middlebury CollegeHamilton College (New York)Colby CollegeBowdoin CollegeBates CollegeAmherst College

History

Pre-NESCAC

Bates College playing a football game against Bowdoin College

Williams began its inaugural football season in 1881 and its rivalry with Amherst College is one of the longest at any level of college football.[9] Bates and Bowdoin have competed against each other athletically since the 1870s and subsequently share one of the ten oldest NCAA Division III football rivalries, in the United States, there is a long history of athletic competition between the two colleges and Colby.[10][11] Colby began its now most notable hockey rivalry, with Bowdoin in 1922.[12]

In 1899, Amherst, Wesleyan and Williams schools first began to compete together as the "Triangular League". Since then they have continued to play each other in most sports on a regular basis.[13][14][15][16]

History of the athletic league

The conference originated with an agreement among Amherst, Bowdoin, Wesleyan and Williams in 1955.[2] In 1971, Bates, Colby, Hamilton, Middlebury, Trinity, Tufts, and Union College joined on and the NESCAC was officially formed. Union withdrew in 1977,[3] and was replaced by Connecticut College in 1982. The schools share a similar philosophy for intercollegiate athletics. The Conference was created out of a concern for the direction of intercollegiate athletic programs and remains committed to keeping a proper perspective on the role of sport in higher education.

Member institutions believe athletic teams should be representative of school's entire student bodies and hew to NCAA Division III admissions and financial policies prohibiting athletic scholarships while awarding financial aid solely on the basis of need.[2] Due to the prestigious reputations of its member schools, the NESCAC is able to attract many of the most athletically and intellectually gifted student-athletes in the country. Members stress that intercollegiate athletic programs should operate in harmony with the educational mission of each institution. Schools are committed to maintaining common boundaries to keep athletics strong yet in proportion to their overall academic mission. Presidents of each NESCAC institution control intercollegiate athletic policy. Conference tenets are usually more restrictive than those of the NCAA Division III regarding season length, number of contests and post-season competition.

Competition and athletics

Football Scheduling

Due to the fact that there are 10 football-playing schools in the NESCAC, but only 8 regular season games, NESCAC football teams rotate their opening opponents on a two-year cycle.[17][18]

Colby playing Bates at their Homecoming Game in 2012
School Opponent (Even Years) Opponent (Odd Years)
Amherst Bates Hamilton
Bates Amherst Trinity
Bowdoin Williams Middlebury
Colby Trinity Williams
Hamilton Tufts Amherst
Middlebury Wesleyan Bowdoin
Trinity Colby Bates
Tufts Hamilton Wesleyan
Wesleyan Middlebury Tufts
Williams Bowdoin Colby

Note: NESCAC schools always end the year against the same opponent, typically their biggest rival. These five matchups (listed with the home team in odd years first) are: Bowdoin-Bates, Tufts-Middlebury [1], Trinity-Wesleyan [2] Bowdoin-Colby [3], and Williams-Amherst.

Four NESCAC institutions are among the 39 that founded the NCAA in 1905: Amherst, Tufts, Wesleyan, and Williams.[19]

Prior to 1993 NESCAC generally did not allow member schools to send teams to NCAA championships. Since then all sports except football have had this freedom, many excelling in the NCAA Division III championships. The NACDA Directors' Cup, awarded since 1996 to the college or university in each NCAA Division that wins the most college championships, has been claimed at the Division III level by a NESCAC institution every year except 1998. In the 2012–13 season, four of the top ten NACDA Director's Cup institutions were from NESCAC: Williams (1), Middlebury (3), Amherst (6), and Tufts (8).[20]

In addition to the ban on post-season play, the NESCAC football league is notable for member teams playing conference games only. While some Division II and Division III teams play only conference schedules, NESCAC is unique in all of its members playing only within conference games.

Middlebury leads NESCAC in total National Championship teams, winning 32 titles since the conference lifted its ban on NCAA play. Williams is second with 25 NCAA championships, Tufts next at 21.[21]

Conference venues

School Football Basketball
Stadium Capacity Arena Capacity
Amherst Pratt Field 8,000 LeFrak Gymnasium 2,450
Bates Garcelon Field 3,000 Alumni Gymnasium 750
Bowdoin Whittier Field 9,000 Morrell Gymnasium 2,000
Colby Harold Alfond Stadium 5,000 Wadsworth Gymnasium 2,500
Connecticut Non-football school N/A Luce Fieldhouse 800
Hamilton Steuben Field 2,500 Margaret Bundy Scott Field House 2,500
Middlebury Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium 3,500 Pepin Gymnasium 1,200
Trinity Jessee/Miller Field 6,500 Oosting Gym 2,000
Tufts Ellis Oval 6,000 Cousens Gym 1,000
Wesleyan Andrus Field 5,000 Silloway Gymnasium 1,200
Williams Weston Field 10,000 Chandler Gymnasium 2,900

Athletic spending

The U. S. Department of Education publishes statistics on athletic spending by colleges. In 2013–14, athletic spending by NESCAC schools was as follows:[22]

School Athletic Spending Amount per (Unduplicated) Athlete # (Unduplicated) Varsity Athletes Div III rank Amount per Undergraduate student
Amherst $5,822,492 $10,324 564 41 $3,262
Bates $5,181,170 $7,631 679 15 $3,293
Bowdoin $5,905,648 $9,072 651 18 $3,303
Colby $5,149,582 $8,110 635 19 $2,829
Connecticut $3,756,307 $7,322 513 66 $2,006
Hamilton $4,869,188 $8,618 565 38 $2,557
Middlebury $5,235,614 $7,588 690 13 $2,132
Trinity $5,885,489 $8,945 658 16 $2,752
Tufts $4,342,883 $5,752 755 4 $849
Wesleyan $5,379,896 $9,134 589 24 $1,863
Williams $7,276,419 $9,780 744 5 $3,548

Note: Nine (out of the eleven) NESCAC schools rank in the top 25 Division III for total athletic spending. With the exception of Connecticut College, all NESCAC schools rank in the top 10% of Division III for # of varsity athletes. Connecticut College athletic spending and # of varsity athletes are lowest because it does not have a football team. Tufts per-student athletic spending is low because it has nearly double the undergraduate population (5,100) of its nearest NESCAC rival (Wesleyan, with 2,800), and it has not emphasized athletic spending.

School rivalries

Many of the schools in the New England Small College Athletic Conference participate in inter-school rivalries.

Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Consortium

School(s) Bates College Bowdoin College Colby College
Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Championships
Colby-Bowdoin Hockey Rivalry
Bates-Bowdoin Football Rivalry
Bates-Bowdoin Soccer RIvalry
Bates-Bowdoin Basketball Rivalry

Bates and Bowdoin have competed against each other athletically since the 1870s and subsequently share one of the ten oldest NCAA Division III football rivalries, in the United States. In the 1940s, Colby began competing and subsequently went on to form the consortium in the 1960s, after the University of Maine moved to Division I athletics. The official athletic competition started in the 1965, when Colby joined Bates and Bowdoin in their more structured football games and created the Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Consortium (CBB).[23] As an aside, the three Maine schools cooperate in other ways, having joined together to form Maine Public Broadcasting and its flagship station, WCBB-TV.

Little Three

Amherst, Wesleyan and Williams have also competed with each other since their inception and have gone on to unofficially create an athletic conference, the "Little Three". Although meant to draw the parallel between the Big Three of the Ivy League, there is no connection between the established athletic conference with Amherst, Wesleyan, and Williams.

Student life

Demographics

Racial and/or ethnic background (2015/2016)
Asian Black Hispanic White International Unknown
Amherst[24] 14.4% 13.7% 14.5% 46.4% 9.6% 5.6%
Bates[25] 4.6% 4.7% 6.7% 71.8% 6.8% 0.8%
Bowdoin[26] 6.7% 5.2% 13.4% 67.1% 5.2% 0.6%
Colby[27] 6.2% 3.4% 6.8% 67.2% 10.6% 10.2%
Connecticut[28] 3.7% 3.5% 9.1% 75.8% 5.4% 5%
Hamilton[29] 7.7% 4.1% 8.2% 67.4% 4.7% 9.6%
Middlebury[30] 7.5% 3.2% 9.8% 72.2% 10.7% 1.7%
Trinty[31] 4.7% 6.5% 7.7% 71.8% 9.5% 5.8%
Tufts[32] 11.9% 4.4% 7.3% 62.1% 8.1% 9.4%
Wesleyan[33] 9.5% 7.7% 10.7% 58.2% 8.7% 7.4%
Williams[34] 11.8% 7.6% 13% 59.8% 7% 0%
United States[35] 5% 13% 17% 63% 4% N/A

Geographic distribution

Most applicants to schools in the NESCAC come from the Northeast, largely from the New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia areas. As all NESCAC schools are located on the East Coast, and all but one are in New England, most graduates end up working and residing in the Northeast after graduation.

Academics

Many schools in the New England Small College Athletic Conference are known for low grade inflation and rigorous academic standards. The practice was often contrasted with the Ivy League schools with respect to uncovered grade inflation. Some members have received limited media coverage over perceived grade inflation.[36][37][38]

File:Hamilton College Chapel.jpg
Hamilton College extends the grade of FF, which translates to a 1.6 on the GPA meaning the lowest GPA at the college is 1.6.[39]
School Average collegiate gpa
Amherst[40] 3.566
Bates[40] 3.334
Bowdoin[41] 3.430
Colby[42] 3.450
Connecticut[43] 3.630
Hamilton[44] 3.639
Middlebury[45] 3.505
Trinity[46] 3.685
Tufts[47] 3.501
Wesleyan[48] 3.555
Williams[49] 3.388

Culture

Fashion and lifestyle

Preppy styles are often associated with the NESCAC and its culture.[11] The athletic conference is often associated with the upper class White Anglo-Saxon Protestant community of the Northeast, Old Money, or more generally, the American upper middle and upper classes.[50] However, all schools have made institutional efforts to diversify student body, and attract and wide range of students to their institutions. Many schools in the NESCAC provide significant financial aid to help increase the enrollment of lower income and middle class students.[51][52]

Some typical preppy styles also reflect traditional upper class New England leisure activities, such as equestrian, sailing or yachting, hunting, fencing, rowing, lacrosse, tennis, golf, and rugby. Longtime New England and Canadian outdoor outfitters, such as L.L. Bean[53] Patagonia,[54] Canada Goose, Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers, and Vineyard Vines have became part of conventional NESCAC style. This can be seen in sport stripes and colors, equestrian clothing, plaid shirts, field jackets and nautical-themed accessories worn by the students of the NESCAC.

Drinking culture

Colleges in the New England Small College Athletic Conference, are widely known for a prominent drinking culture.[55][56][57][58]

Socioeconomics and social class

Many colleges banned fraternities and sororities on the grounds of unwarranted exclusivity, and provided on-campus social houses for all students to engage with. Williams College displaced their fraternity system in the 1960s due to high levels of racial and religious discrimination President Chandler, of Williams said, "there remained the system of blackballing and secret agreements between some fraternities and their national bodies to exclude blacks and Jews... it was essentially a caste system based on socioeconomic status as perceived by students."[59] Colby disbanded its fraternities and sororities in 1984. [60] At Bowdoin, fraternities were phased out in 2000. [61]

U.S. Presidents and the NESCAC

See also: List of Presidents of the United States by education

Schools in the New England Small College Athletic Conference have graduated four U.S. Presidents as of 2016.

President Alma mater Graduation
Franklin Pierce Bowdoin College 1824
James A. Garfield Williams College 1856
Chester A. Arthur Union College * 1849
Calvin Coolidge Amherst College 1887

Note: Union College joined the NESCAC in 1971, but left in 1977, and was replaced by Connecticut College in 1982.

References

  1. ^ "NESCAC". www.nescac.com. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c "NESCAC". nescac.com.
  3. ^ a b http://www.union.edu/Presidents/bonner.php, retrieved October 1, 2008. "[I]n March 1977, a letter from the president of Williams College brought to light evidence that, a year earlier, Harkness had violated the NESCAC recruiting rules and then lied about the matter when confronted by President Bonner. Bonner immediately suspended Harkness, and offered his own resignation to the Board of Trustees at its April meeting. The trustees reinstated Harkness, refused to accept the president's resignation—reappointing him for one year—and voted to terminate Union's membership in NESCAC."
  4. ^ "The Not-So-Little Ivies | The College Voice". Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  5. ^ "National Liberal Arts College Ranking: Top Liberal Arts Colleges - US News Best Colleges". U.S World News.
  6. ^ "America's Top Colleges". Forbes. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  7. ^ "NESCAC". www.nescac.com. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  8. ^ "Williams College Endowment Fund". endowments.com. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  9. ^ "Williams". ephsports.williams.edu. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  10. ^ Nevin, David (1970). Muskie of Maine. Ladd Library, Bates College: Random House, New York. p. 99.
  11. ^ a b Woz, Markus (2002). Traditionally Unconventonal. Ladd Library, Bates College, Lewiston, Maine: Bates College. p. 6.
  12. ^ Klein, Jeff Z. "Want a Real Rivalry? Try Bowdoin-Colby". Slap Shot. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  13. ^ One version of the facts: my life in ... - Henry Edmison Duckworth - Google Books. Books.google.com. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  14. ^ "The Global Language Monitor » Blog Archive » 2011 Top 300 Colleges and Universities Ranked by Internet 'Brand Equity'". Languagemonitor.com. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  15. ^ "Around the Courts: College Squash Weekend Highlights (1/30/2011)". College Squash Association. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  16. ^ "M. Squash | Big tuneups versus 'Little Three'". The Daily Pennsylvanian. January 16, 2009. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  17. ^ "Jumbos Welcome Wesleyan to Ellis Oval/Zimman Field on Saturday for 2012 Football Opener". Tufts.
  18. ^ "2016 NESCAC Football - NESCAC". www.nescac.com. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  19. ^ http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/NCAANewsArchive/2006/Membership+Information/founding%2Bmembers%2Bhold%2Btrue%2Bto%2Bncaa%2Beducational%2Bmission.html
  20. ^ http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/nacda/sports/directorscup/auto_pdf/2012-13/misc_non_event/june6DIIIupdated.pdf
  21. ^ "NESCAC". nescac.com.
  22. ^ "Equity in Athletics Data Analysis Cutting Tool Website". ed.gov.
  23. ^ Larson, Timothy (2005). "Faith by Their Works: The Progressive Tradition at Bates College from 1855 to 1877,". Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections, Bates College, Lewiston, Maine: Bates College Publishing. pp. Multi–source.
  24. ^ "Amherst College - CollegeData College Profile". COLLEGEdata. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  25. ^ "Bates College, Admissions, Average Test Scores & Tuition The Princeton Review". Princeton Review. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  26. ^ "Bowdoin College - CollegeData College Profile". COLLEGEdata. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  27. ^ "Colby College - CollegeData College Profile". COLLEGEdata. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  28. ^ "Connecticut College - CollegeData College Profile". COLLEGEdata. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  29. ^ "Hamilton College - CollegeData College Profile". COLLEGEdata. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  30. ^ "Middlebury College - CollegeData College Profile". COLLEGEdata. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  31. ^ "Trinity College - CollegeData College Profile". COLLEGEdata. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  32. ^ "Tufts University - CollegeData College Profile". COLLEGEdata. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  33. ^ "Wesleyan University - CollegeData College Profile". COLLEGEdata. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  34. ^ "Williams College - CollegeData College Profile". COLLEGEdata. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  35. ^ "USA QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau". U.S. Department of Commerce. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  36. ^ "Amherst Mag - When It Comes to Grade Inflation, Think "When in Rome..."".
  37. ^ "The Amherst Student Opinion Grade Inflation Devalues Education". amherststudent-archive.amherst.edu. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  38. ^ "Grade Inflation : EphBlog". ephblog.com. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  39. ^ "A New Form of Grade Inflation". National Review Online. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  40. ^ a b "Bates College". www.gradeinflation.com. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  41. ^ "The game of grade inflation — The Bowdoin Orient". The Bowdoin Orient. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  42. ^ "From the Hill". www.colby.edu. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  43. ^ "The College Voice - Grade Inflation".
  44. ^ "Education or Reputation?" (PDF).
  45. ^ "Grade Distribution - Middlebury College" (PDF).
  46. ^ "Grade Inflation". Crooked Timber. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  47. ^ "National Trends in Grade Inflation, American Colleges and Universities". www.gradeinflation.com. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  48. ^ "National Trends in Grade Inflation, American Colleges and Universities". www.gradeinflation.com. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  49. ^ "Williams College GPA Trends". www.gradeinflation.com. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  50. ^ "Getting Intimate With My Elitist Indignation". Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  51. ^ "Student Financial Services, Bates College". www.bates.edu. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  52. ^ "Financial Aid". finaid.williams.edu. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  53. ^ Zlotnick, Sarah (February 24, 2012). "Your cheat sheet to preppy style". The Washingtonian.
  54. ^ "7 Things You Need To Explain To Your Non-Bowdoin Friends". Her Campus. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  55. ^ "BSG discusses NESCAC alcohol survey, printing plan — The Bowdoin Orient". The Bowdoin Orient. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  56. ^ "NESCAC Schools Survey Alcohol Use". The Middlebury Campus. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  57. ^ Zach. "NESCAC NEWS: Over 50 Colby Students Facing Alcohol Charges". Wesleying. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  58. ^ "Let's Talk About Booze Part 3". Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  59. ^ SCHONFELD, Zach. "Inside the Colleges that killed Frats for Good".
  60. ^ digitalcommons.colby.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=... Retrieved 2016-04-15
  61. ^ http://www.bowdoin.edu/studentaffairs/student-handbook/college-policies/fraternity-membership-policy.shtml Retrieved 2016-04-15
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