America's Best Colleges for B Students. Tamra B. Orr
with new residential facilities; CNU Village, a residential and commercial complex housing apartments for upper-classmen and a variety of restaurants and stores; the Freeman Center, a $16 million sports and convocation center; the newly opened David Student Union, a 116,000 square foot ‘one-stop shop’ for students and the $60 million Ferguson Center for the Arts. Construction will soon begin on a new academic center providing state-of-the-art facilities including additional classrooms, seminar rooms and faculty offices.
“Christopher Newport University has one of the most successful NCAA Division III programs in the nation producing more than 70 individual and team championships and more than 500 All-Americans. In addition to The Freeman Center, home to basketball and indoor track, CNU’s sports facilities include football’s POMOCO Stadium, the Erwin Belk Track, and new baseball and softball stadiums.”
Campus Setting
Christopher Newport University, founded in 1960, is a comprehensive, public university. Programs are offered through the College of Arts and Humanities, College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences and the College of Social Sciences. Its 260-acre campus is located in Newport News, midway between Williamsburg and Norfolk. A four-year public institution, Christopher Newport University has an enrollment of 4,952 students. In addition to a large, well-stocked library, the campus facilities include: art gallery • center for the arts • center for sports and convocation. Christopher Newport University provides on-campus housing with 952 units that can accommodate 2,809 students. Housing options: coed dorms • single-student apartments. Recreation and sports facilities include: field house • fitness center • grass field • artificial turf • tennis courts.
Student Life and Activities
With 61 percent of students living on campus, there are plenty of social activities. The David Student Center is a popular gathering spot. Popular campus events include the Ferguson Center for the Arts concerts/performances, Fall Fest, Spring Fest, Captain’s Ball, Campus Tie Dye, Homecoming, Pancake Breakfast, Food 4 Thought, Day of Service and Padeia. Christopher Newport University has 130 official student organizations. The most popular are: Ballroom Dancing Society • College Music Educators National Conference • Campus Girl Scouts • Virginia Association of Teachers of English • Student Honor Educators and Assistants • Student Virginia Education Association • classics club • French club • Students in Free Enterprise • Campus Activities Board • Circle K • Gay-Straight Student Union • Social Work Association • sociology club • Direct Marketing Association • Society for Human Resource Management • accounting club • economics and finance club • mathematics club • Model UN • College Republicans • Young Democrats • biology club • chemistry club • psychology club • Association for Computing Machinery • Institute of Electric and Electronic Engineers. For those interested in sports, there are intramural teams such as: badminton • basketball • flag football • soccer • softball • tennis • volleyball. Christopher Newport University is a member of the USA South Athletic Conference (Division III) and the Mid-Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (MAISA).
Academics and Learning Environment
For the B student, the learning environment of a college is just as important as the quality of its academic program. Christopher Newport University has 236 full-time and 93 part-time faculty members, offering a student-to-faculty ratio of 18:1. The most common course size is 20 to 29 students. Christopher Newport University offers 32 majors with the most popular being communication studies, political science and psychology and least popular being fine arts, interdisciplinary studies and environmental science. The school has a general core requirement. Cooperative education is not offered. All first-year students must maintain a 2.0 GPA or higher to avoid academic probation. Other special academic programs that would appeal to a B student include: self-designed majors • pass/fail grading option • independent study • double majors • dual degrees • honors program • internships.
B Student Support and Success
Christopher Newport University provides academic advising and counseling/career services to their students. Their Writing Center offers help to students who are writing papers or projects.
In addition, the school has a Learning Communities program for first-year students. This program involves 18 to 24 students who live together, take two classes together and build strong relationships with the community. This arrangement provides support for the transition from home to college, while also giving each participant a peer mentor to learn from as well as help with setting up study groups, test review sessions, informal group tutoring and more.
Christopher Newport University provides a variety of support programs including dedicated guidance for: academic • career • personal • minority students • religious. The average freshman year GPA is 2.9, and 80 percent of freshmen students return for their sophomore year. What do students do after college? While many enter the work force, approximately 28 percent pursue a graduate degree immediately after graduation.
Highlights
Christopher Newport University
Newport News, VA (Pop. 179,153)
Location: Medium city
Four-year public
Founded: 1960
Website: http://www.cnu.edu
Students
Total enrollment: 4,952
Undergrads: 4,786
Freshmen: 1,524
Part-time students: 3%
From out-of-state: 9%
From public schools: Not reported
Male/Female: 44%/56%
Live on-campus: 61%
In fraternities: 12%
In sororities: 15%
Off-campus employment rating: Excellent
Caucasian: 81%
African American: 8%
Hispanic: 3%
Asian or Pacific Islander: 3%
Native American: 1%
International: 0%
Academics
Calendar: Semester
Student/faculty ratio: 18:1
Class size 9 or fewer: 5%
Class size 10-29: 62%
Class size 30-49: 25%
Class size 50-99: 7%
Class size 100 or more: 1%
Returning freshmen: 80%
Six-year graduation rate: 58%
Most Popular Majors
Communication studies
Political science
Psychology
Support for Students with Learning Disabilities
Students with learning disabilities may take advantage of specific support programs offered by Christopher Newport University. Students with learning disabilities will find the following programs at Christopher Newport University extremely useful: extended time for tests • oral tests • note-taking services