New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) |
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Established | 1971 |
Association | NCAA |
Division | Division III |
Members | 11 |
Sports fielded | 26 (men's: 13; women's: 13) |
Region | New England |
Headquarters | Hadley, Massachusetts |
Commissioner | Andrea Savage (since 1999) |
Website | nescac.com |
Locations | |
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 members are grouped within the NCAA Division III athletic conference. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group.[1] 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.[2]
Many of the schools draw parallels to the academic caliber of schools in the Ivy League. Often referred to as the "Little Ivies", most of the schools have competed against one another since the 19th century. The conference originated with a agreement among Amherst, Bowdoin, Wesleyan and Williams in 1955.[3] In 1971, Bates, Colby, Hamilton, Middlebury, Trinity, Tufts, and Union College joined on and the NESCAC was officially formed. Union withdrew in 1977,[4] and was replaced by Connecticut College in 1982. The term NESCAC has connotations of academic excellence, selectivity in admissions, and social elitism.
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.[5][6] Forbes ranked all NESCAC schools in the top 15% of all colleges [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]
Undergraduate enrollments range from about 1,773 to 5,200, with Bates as the smallest, and Tufts as the biggest, respectively.[17]
Contents
Members
Colleges in the New England Small College Athletic Conference have some of the largest liberal 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.[18] Additionally, each university receives millions of dollars in research grants and other subsidies from federal and state government.
Institution | Location | Nickname | Founded | Founding Religious Affiliation | Enrollment | Joined |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amherst College | Amherst, Massachusetts | 1821 | Congregationalist | 1,817 | 1971 | |
Bates College | Lewiston, Maine | Bobcats | 1855 | Free Will Baptist | 1,773 | 1971 |
Bowdoin College | Brunswick, Maine | Polar Bears | 1794 | Congregationalist | 1,805 | 1971 |
Colby College | Waterville, Maine | White Mules | 1813 | Northern Baptist | 1,838 | 1971 |
Connecticut College | New London, Connecticut | Camels | 1911 | Methodist | 1,911 | 1982* |
Hamilton College | Clinton, New York | Continentals | 1793 | Presbyterian | 1,864 | 1971 |
Middlebury College | Middlebury, Vermont | Panthers | 1800 | Congregationalist | 2,507 | 1971 |
Trinity College | Hartford, Connecticut | Bantams | 1823 | Episcopalian | 2,344 | 1971 |
Tufts University | Medford, Massachusetts | Jumbos | 1852 | Universalist | 5,138 | 1971 |
Wesleyan University | Middletown, Connecticut | Cardinals | 1831 | Methodist | 2,870 | 1971 |
Williams College | Williamstown, Massachusetts | Ephs | 1793 | Congregationalist | 2,124 | 1971 |
* Union College joined the NESCAC in 1971, but left in 1977, and was replaced by Connecticut College in 1982.
Membership timeline
History
The conference originated with a agreement among Amherst, Bowdoin, Wesleyan and Williams in 1955.[3] In 1971, Bates, Colby, Hamilton, Middlebury, Trinity, Tufts, and Union College joined on and the NESCAC was officially formed. Union withdrew in 1977,[4] 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.[3] 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.
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.[19]
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 |
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: Hamilton-Bates, Tufts-Middlebury [1], Trinity-Wesleyan [2] Bowdoin-Colby [3], and Williams-Amherst.
NCAA Division III competition
Four NESCAC institutions are among the 39 that founded the NCAA in 1905: Amherst, Tufts, Wesleyan, and Williams.[20]
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).[21]
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.[22]
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.[23] In 2013–14, athletic spending by NESCAC schools was as follows (note: there are 421 schools in Division III):
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 |
Nine (out of eleven) NESCAC schools rank in the top 25 of 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. Bates and Bowdoin have been competing with each other since the 1870s.[24] Nearly a century later the schools began competing with Colby, and in 1965, created the Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Consortium (CBB), which contests a football game in which all three schools, their first game resulted in a three-way-tie. Amherst, Wesleyan and Williams have also competed with each other since their inception and have gone on to unofficially create a 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
Asian | Black | Hispanic | White | International | Unknown | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amherst[25] | 14.4% | 13.7% | 14.5% | 46.4% | 9.6% | 5.6% |
Bates[26] | 5.0% | 5.1% | 7.9% | 77.2% | 6.9% | 0.8% |
Bowdoin[27] | 6.7% | 5.2% | 13.4% | 67.1% | 5.2% | 0.6% |
Colby[28] | 6.2% | 3.4% | 6.8% | 67.2% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
Conneticut[29] | 3.7% | 3.5% | 9.1% | 75.8% | 5.4% | 5% |
Hamilton[30] | 7.7% | 4.1% | 8.2% | 67.4% | 4.7% | 9.6% |
Middlebury[31] | 7.5% | 3.2% | 9.8% | 72.2% | 10.7% | 1.7% |
Trinty[32] | 4.7% | 6.5% | 7.7% | 71.8% | 9.5% | 5.8% |
Tufts[33] | 11.9% | 4.4% | 7.3% | 62.1% | 8.1% | 9.4% |
Wesleyan[34] | 9.5% | 7.7% | 10.7% | 58.2% | 8.7% | 7.4% |
Williams[35] | 11.8% | 7.6% | 13% | 59.8% | 7% | 0% |
United States[36] | 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.
Culture and lifestyle
Drinking culture
Colleges in the New England Small College Athletic Conference, are widely known for a prominent drinking culture.[37][38][39]
Social elitism and inclusivity
Many colleges banned fraternities and sororities on the grounds of unwarranted elxculsivity, 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."[40] Bates College was the first school to reject fraternities and sororities on campus and off.[41]
References
- ^ "Princeton Campus Guide – Ivy League". Retrieved 2007-04-26.
- ^ "NESCAC". www.nescac.com. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
- ^ a b c "NESCAC". nescac.com.
- ^ 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."
- ^ "U.S. Colleges Ranked: Top 100+ Elite Schools". Ranker. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
- ^ "The Not-So-Little Ivies | The College Voice". Retrieved 2016-02-09.
- ^ Sportelli, Natalie. "Williams College - In Photos: Top Northeast Colleges 2015". Forbes. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
- ^ "Bates College". Forbes. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
- ^ "Bowdoin College". Forbes. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
- ^ "Colby College". Forbes. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
- ^ "Connecticut College". Forbes. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
- ^ "Hamilton College". Forbes. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
- ^ "Middlebury College". Forbes. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
- ^ "Tufts University". Forbes. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
- ^ "Trinity College". Forbes. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
- ^ "Williams College". Forbes. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
- ^ "NESCAC". www.nescac.com. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
- ^ "Williams College Endowment Fund". endowments.com. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
- ^ "Jumbos Welcome Wesleyan to Ellis Oval/Zimman Field on Saturday for 2012 Football Opener". Tufts.
- ^ http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/NCAANewsArchive/2006/Membership+Information/founding%2Bmembers%2Bhold%2Btrue%2Bto%2Bncaa%2Beducational%2Bmission.html
- ^ http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/nacda/sports/directorscup/auto_pdf/2012-13/misc_non_event/june6DIIIupdated.pdf
- ^ "NESCAC". nescac.com.
- ^ "Equity in Athletics Data Analysis Cutting Tool Website". ed.gov.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Amherst College - CollegeData College Profile". COLLEGEdata. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
- ^ "Bates College - CollegeData College Profile". COLLEGEdata. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
- ^ "Bowdoin College - CollegeData College Profile". COLLEGEdata. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
- ^ "Colby College - CollegeData College Profile". COLLEGEdata. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
- ^ "Connecticut College - CollegeData College Profile". COLLEGEdata. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
- ^ "Hamilton College - CollegeData College Profile". COLLEGEdata. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
- ^ "Middlebury College - CollegeData College Profile". COLLEGEdata. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
- ^ "Trinity College - CollegeData College Profile". COLLEGEdata. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
- ^ "Tufts University - CollegeData College Profile". COLLEGEdata. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
- ^ "Wesleyan University - CollegeData College Profile". COLLEGEdata. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
- ^ "Williams College - CollegeData College Profile". COLLEGEdata. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
- ^ "USA QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau". U.S. Department of Commerce.
- ^ "BSG discusses NESCAC alcohol survey, printing plan — The Bowdoin Orient". The Bowdoin Orient. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
- ^ "NESCAC Schools Survey Alcohol Use". The Middlebury Campus. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
- ^ Zach. "NESCAC NEWS: Over 50 Colby Students Facing Alcohol Charges". Wesleying. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
- ^ SCHONFELD, Zach. "Inside the Colleges that killed Frats for Good".
- ^ "Bates in brief | About Bates | Bates College". www.bates.edu. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
External links
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