Emerson College

Emerson College was founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of oratory," in Boston, Massachusetts. Emerson's main campus is located near the Boston Common, at the gateway to the Theatre District; it also maintains campuses in Los Angeles and the town of Well, Netherlands. Emerson owns and operates Boston's Cutler Majestic Theatre, and in April 2005, acquired the Paramount Theatre (Boston).

Emerson claims to be "the only comprehensive college or university in America dedicated exclusively to communication and the arts in a liberal arts context." It offers over 37 degree programs in the Arts and Communication. The college is accredited by the New England Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.

History

Origins

Charles Wesley Emerson founded the Boston Conservatory of Elocution, Oratory, and Dramatic Art in 1880, a year after Boston College closed the School of Oratory. Classes were held at 13 Pemberton Square in Boston. Ten students enrolled in the conservatory's first class. The following year, the conservatory changes its name to the "Monroe Conservatory of Oratory," in honor of Charles Emerson's teacher at Boston University's School of Oratory, Professor Lewis B. Monrore. In 1890, the name changed again to "Emerson College of Oratory" and was later shortened to Emerson College in 1939. [1]

Early expansion and growth

The college expanded and rented space at 36 Bromfield Street, and moved to Odd Fellows Hall on Berkeley and Tremont Streets in the South End of Boston. With the new location, the college's first library was established in 1892. Henry Southwick, a faculty member and graduate, became a financial partner for the college with Emerson. This financial partnership led to the purchase of the Boston School of Oratory from Moses T. Brown in 1894.

At the turn of the century, faculty members Henry and Jessie Southwick and William H. Kenney purchased the college from Dr. Emerson. Soon after, the college rented a new location in Chickering Hall.

Dr. Emerson retires in 1903 and William J. Rolfe, a Shakespearean scholar and actor, was named the second President of Emerson College of Oratory. His service as president lasted until 1908 when he retired.

As the Student Government Association of the college holds its first meeting in 1908, the third president of the college was inaugurated. Henry Lawrence Southwick introduced the study of acting and stagecraft into the college curriculum.

During his tenure, the college rented from a new building at 30 Huntington Avenue. The college was also granted the right to award Bachelor of Literary Interpretation (B.L.I.) degrees. In addition, Emerson became the first with a collegiate level program in Children's Theatre. The school also held its first course in Journalism in 1924.

The college purchased its first piece of real estate with a new women's dormitory building at 373 Commonwealth Ave. and starts inter mural sports in 1931 with the organization of volleyball games.

Administrative restructuring

In 1930, full charge and control of the College was transferred to the Board of Trustees by William H. Kennedy, Henry Southwick, and Jessie Southwick.

When Harry Seymour Ross was appointed the fourth president of Emerson College in 1931, the first course in radio broadcasting was taught by the program director of WEEI, a Boston AM radio station.

Purchase of the buildings at 130 Beacon Street and 128 Beacon Street a year later started the first presence of Emerson College in the Back Bay of Boston. Emerson kept ownership of these buildings until the summer of 2003.

In the following years, a professional training program in Speech Pathology (1935) and the first undergraduate program in broadcasting and broadcast journalism (1937), were offered for the first time in the United States.

Also, construction of a theater behind 128-130 Beacon was started, and the institution is granted the right to award degrees in a Master of Arts.

Post-war era

Between the G.I. Bill of Rights and the Broadcasting curriculum, the student body moved from a primarily female population to an equally balanced population of men and women. With the appointment of Boylston Green, the first president with no prior association with college, Green put his background as a dean of students into extra-curricular activities, including the establishment of a student activities fee. These efforts lead to the first publication of Emerson's student newspaper, The Berkeley Beacon in 1947. It is still in production today.

Emerson also saw large development in its broadcasting program. A 1-year certificate of Broadcasting was offered via evening classes. The FCC awarded the college a 10 watt license in 1949. WERS, the first educational FM radio station in New England, is born. Three years later, the power will increase to 300 watts and 18,000 watts by 1953.

At the start of the decade, Emerson College becomes a member of the New England Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, an accreditation association for schools and colleges in New England.

President Boylston Green retired and was replaced by Godfrey Dewey as Acting President till 1951. Jonathon French was appointed as Acting President and became President in December of that year. However, French was never inaugurated.

Financial crisis of 1952

The college suffers from a severe financial crisis in 1952 and seeks $50,000 in emergency funding. At the time, the Chairman of the Corporation states that without these funds, the college has three alternatives: Go broke, sell out, or join up with another institution. Led by the National Alumni Council, a grass roots campaign was launched to improve the financial situation of the college. The efforts lead to the Council of Trustees to resign and replaced by mostly alumni. The new board elects a former Emerson history professor, S. Justus McKinley, as the 5th President of Emerson College.

Rising from financial trouble

Pulling out of Financial crisis, the college starts to develop its programs with new facilities.

Emerson opens The Robbins Speech and Hearing Clinic at 145 Beacon Street, furthering the Communication Sciences and Disorders program in 1953. A television studio is dedicated at 130 Beacon in 1954 with its first closed circuit TV program the following year as WERS-TV. The first annual spring musical Lady in the Dark by Moss Hart is presented.

The school is authorized to grant Bachelors and Masters of Science in Speech, honorary degrees and Bachelor of Music in conjunction with the Longy School of Music.

Back Bay as Emerson's campus

As the 1960s start, the building at 373 Commonwealth Avenue is sold to purchase a dormitory at 100 Beacon Street and accommodate an enrollment of 609 undergraduate and 29 graduate students. A year later, a building at 150 Beacon Street is obtained for dorms, a dining hall, and administrative offices. With major gifts from Elisabeth Abbot Smith and J.F. Buzzard, the Library moves from the forth floor of 130 Beacon into its own building at 303 Berkeley. Finally in 1964, two buildings were purchased by the college. 96 Beacon Street became the student union building and 132-134 Beacon Street becomes a dormitory.

The campus stays mostly in the Back Bay (despite almost moving to Lawrence, Massachusetts in the 1980s) until the late 1990s.

In 1967, Richard Chapin, former Dean of the Harvard Business School was inaugurated as the seventh president of Emerson College.

An Academic planning committee approves a new course of study for general education requirements. The first level of this program replaced the college-wide requirements with a two-year interdisciplinary course of study and electives. In order to accommodate this new program, the building at 67-69 Brimmer Street was purchased. The Institute of Interdisplainary Studies was born. A year later (1972), the college gains authorization to grant BS, BFA, and MFA degrees.

Relocation of Emerson College

Though Emerson College has moved to various locations within the city of Boston, the appointment of Allen E. Koenig (the ninth president of Emerson College) almost took the college outside of Boston.

As soon as he was inaugurated, Koenig initiated talks with Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts to relocate Emerson and merge the two schools. However, an agreement wasn't reached and the plan was dropped entirely.

At the start of the 1980s, Koenig makes a proposal to the Board of Trustees for a major renovation of the college's facilities. The plan allows for: New performance spaces, classrooms, and faculty offices at Brimmer Street; Remodeling the Library and Learning Resources Center at 150 Beacon; remodeling the 303 Berkely building for the Humanities and Social Sciences Division; A new radio/audio complex at 126 Beacon; and construction for two new television studios behind 130 Beacon.

In 1984, 335 Commonwealth Avenue is purchased for Administration and the Communication Studies department. The college also receives the authorization to grant MFA degrees in Creative Writing.

Even with the newly purchased buildings on Commonwealth, Lawrence, Massachusetts was chosen as a new location for Emerson College, about 44.5 km (27 mi) away from Boston. The mayor of Lawrence stated that the land would be taken by eminent domain and sold to Emerson with a token payment of $100. However, the five private landowners disagreed with this arrangement and took the case to court. Three years later in 1988, Judge John Forte ruled in favor of Emerson College and the City of Lawrence. The river-front site of Lawrence was proposed as the new campus. However, as real estate values in Boston dropped and the costs of constructing a new campus increased, the plans were put on hold and eventually abandoned when Koenig resigned as president in 1989.

Regardless of the failed relocation attempt, the college buys a building at 0 Marlborough in 1988 for dormitories and a dining hall. Also, Kasteel Well in the Netherlands is purchased and becomes the home of Emerson's overseas program (now called External Programs).

Rebirth

John Zacharis became the tenth president of Emerson College and faced a college fractured by the failed move to Lawrence, Massachusetts. Over the course of two years, he moved to restore unity to the campus by purchasing a building at 180 Tremont, now called the Ansin Building. This purchase started a transition from the Back Bay to the Boston Theatre district. Sadly, Zacharis went on medical leave in 1992 and died of leukemia shortly after.

During Zacharis' leave, Jacqueline Weis Liebergott was appointed as the Acting President. A year later, Liebergott is inaugurated and becomes the first female president of the college. Shortly after, she submits a 10-year master plan to the Boston Redevelopment Authority which involves moving the college to the Combat Zone.

In 1994, a planning document of the college's future plans is drafted and met with public hearings. The college also extends health care benefits to domestic partners of gay and lesbian faculty, administration and staff. Under the plan, dental coverage and tuition waivers are also available.

1994 is also the year when the college starts to go on-line with a $100,000 gift from Mrs. Mary E. Tufte. Under the contribution, The Tufte Lab is placed on the 4th floor of the Ansin Building and dedicated in Mrs. Tufte's honor. The lab starts an initiative for a telecommunications / fiber optic network installation and completes in October 1995.

The college announces the purchase and restoration of The Little Building (Boston) (1994) across the street from the Ansin Building and next to Emerson's Majestic Theatre. Restoration is completed on the façades of the college's buildings at 126, 128, 130, 132-134, 168 Beacon Street, and 21 Commonwealth Avenue.

1996 - Present

In the mid-90s Emerson purchased the Walker Building (Boston) at 120 Boylston. The building hosts the school's Department of Television, Radio, Film Production department, Institutional Advancement (Alumni and Development) department, Human Resources department and Government and Community Relations department. It also contains the school's library and many of its classrooms.

In 2003 the Tufte Performance Production Center (PPC) at 10 Boylston Place opens. The 11-story steel and glass building houses the Department of Performing Arts and includes two theaters (The Semel Theatre and The Greene Theatre), two television studios, make up and costume labs, faculty offices and an exhibition area. Also that year the Cutler Majestic Theatre finished renovations and re-opened as one of the mainstages of Emerson Stage productions.

In 2004 it was announced that the buildings at 96, 100 and 120 Beacon had been sold and would be gone by the Fall 2006 semester.

Construction of a building at 150 Boylston Street began in March 2004. The new 14-story residence hall and campus center will be completed by September 2006. It will be the first entirely new residence hall in Emerson's history. The facility will include residential suites, athletic facilities, offices and meeting rooms for student organizations, informal gathering places for off-campus students, space for small-group rehearsals and performances and dining facilities.

In 2005 the school purchased the historic Paramount Theatre (Boston) off Washington Street with the plans to build a new complex at the site. The complex will a 550-seat main stage theater inside the existing Paramount Theater and a 125-seat black box theater in the new building. Plans also include a 200-seat film screening room, eight rehearsal studios ranging from 700 to 1,900 square feet, six smaller rehearsal spaces, a sound stage for film students and a new scene shop.

On April 3, 2006, a three-ton scaffolding platform on the east side of the 150 Boylston construction project fell to the street below killing two construction workers and one motorist. The scaffolding was attached to the east side of the building and was in the process of being removed. Investigators found that the construction workers did not properly secure the scaffolding to a crane while dismantling the apparatus, causing the platform to be unstable and resulting in the accident. Construction was stopped for over a week to allow investigators to determine the cause of the accident, but construction still remained to meet it's August 2006 deadline. [2]

In June 7, 2006, the Campus Center in the Piano Row building was named the Max Mutchnick Campus Center after a major gift from the 1987 graduate and co-creator of Will & Grace.

Campus

In recent years, Emerson College has moved from Boston's Back Bay neighborhood to the theatre district of Boston in the south-east corner of the Boston Common. In addition to the buildings listed below, Emerson College owns and runs the Cutler Majestic Theatre.

Non-Residence Hall Buildings

The Ansin Building (180 Tremont Street)

Once owned by the Boston Edison Company, the Ansin Building was purchased by Emerson in 1992. The building stands 14 stories high and contains all Visual & Media Arts (VMA) labs and facilities, offices for all VMA and Writing, Literature & Publishing (WLP) departments, and home of both WERS and WECB. It also contains the Tufte and 3D computer labs, Digital Production labs, and the Media Services center.

Computer Labs: 3D Lab (3DL), Tufte Lab, Writing & Publishing Lab (WPL)
Production Labs/Facilities: Digital Production Labs 1 & 2 (DPL1, DPL2), Video Editing Lab (VEL), Steenbeck Lab

216 Tremont Street

A former bank building at 216 Tremont Street. Houses the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and its clinic for hearing-impaired children. Also located here are the offices of the Registrar, Student Financial Services, Health Services, Career Services, the Counseling Center and the International Student Center. The Bill Bordy Theater and Auditorium on the ground floor of 216 is used for lectures, performances, performance classes and special events.

Computer Labs: Communication Sciences and Disorders Lab (CSD)

The Walker Building (120 Boylston Street)

Home to classrooms, offices to various non-academic and academic departments, and five computer labs, and the Emerson Library. The fifth and sixth floors are connected to the fourth and fifth floors of the Tufte building.

Computer Labs: Advanced Projects Lab (APL), Advanced Teaching Lab (ATL), Communication & Marketing Labs (CML) 1, 2, and Journalism Lab (JRL)
Production Facilities: Newsroom TV Studio, Newsroom Editing Labs
Academic Facilities: Library

The Tufte Performance Production Center (10 Boylston Place)

Opened in the fall of 2003, the 11-story building is home to two television studios, two performing art theaters, the Huret and Spector Gallery, set and costume studios, classrooms, and the offices of the Department of Performing Arts. The fifth and sixth floors of the building are connected to the fourth and fifth floors of the Walker Building.

Computer Labs: CAD Lab
Performance Theaters & Facilities: Semel Theatre, The Kermit and Elinore Greene Theater, The Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Design Technology and Makeup Studio
Television Studio & Facilities: Di Bona Television Studio & Control Room, Studio B & Control Room

Piano Row & Max Mutchnick Campus Center (150 Boylston Street)

The building replaces residence hall and student union buildings on Beacon and Arlington streets with most offices relocating to the new building.

With fourteen floors, 150 Boylston will include a gymnasium, twelve floors of dormitories, food court (but not a full-serve cafeteria), meeting/performance spaces, and various administrative offices including Student Life offices.

The student organization and activities spaces are named the Max Mutchnick Campus Center in recognition of a major gift from Mutchnick, a 1987 Emerson graduate and co-creator and executive producer of the Will & Grace television sitcom.

Residence Halls

There are two residence hall buildings which house over 1,310 students. These residences are primarily for new freshman students, but also house a few other undergraduate students. All dorms are coed by room and feature laundry services among other amenities.

In the summer of 2006, the building at 150 Boylston Street (Piano Row) replaced the residence buildings at 6 Arlington, 100 and 132-134 Beacon Street. Though the three buildings were sold, the total housing capacity was raised by over 100 students. More residence halls are either in planning stages and will further increase housing capacity.

The Little Building (80 Boylston Street)

In addition to housing a number of administrative offices on the ground floor, the Little Building was once an office and residential space before Emerson College purchased the building in 1994 and opened for use in September 1995.

The residence hall houses over 750 students in ten floors of the twelve story building and contains the college's only cafeteria, a workout center in its basement and The Cabaret, a performance space holding about 150 people.

The building comprises of some single rooms that hold between one and four students depending on size, and suites with one to two students in a cluster of three to five rooms.

Piano Row (150 Boylston Street)

Opening in September 2006, 150 Boylston (located on the stretch of Boylston St. referred to as "Piano Row") will be a new dormitory and campus center. The building will house 560 students on the top 12 floors.

The residences floors consist seven suites per floor. Each suite block consists of three two-person bedrooms and one shared bathroom and living room for the block. In addition, each floor has at least one residence assistant room which either a common room or an additional residence assistant bedroom every other floor.

Future buildings

Paramount Center Arts/Residence Complex

In 2005, Emerson College, the City of Boston, the Boston arts community, and Millennium Partners announced plans to renovate the Paramount Theatre. The project will renovate the 180,000-square-foot property and add a 450 seat and 125 seat theatre, scene shop, support spaces, and a residence hall for 250 students. The renovations are expected to be completed by Fall 2008.

The Colonial Building (100 Boylston)

On February 24, 2006, Emerson college announced plans to purchase the Colonial Building on 100 Boylston Street. The building's top nine floors will be converted to residence halls with possible plans to extend certain offices and facilities such as the school library.

Academic Programs

*School of the Arts
** Department of Performing Arts
*** Acting; BFA
*** Musical Theater Performance; BFA
*** Production/Stage Management; BFA
*** Theater Design/Technology; BFA
*** Theater Education; BA, MA
*** Theater Studies; BA (with or with-out a performance emphasis)
** Department of Visual and Media Arts
*** Media Production Track:
**** Audio/Radio; BA, BFA, MA
**** Film; BA, BFA, MA
**** New Media; BA, BFA, MA
**** Television/Video; BA, BFA, MA
*** Media studies Track; BA, MA
** Department of Writing, Literature, and Publishing
*** Writing, Literature, and Publishing; BA, BFA
*** Publishing & Writing; MA
*** Creative Writing; MFA
*School of Communication
** Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
*** Communication Sciences and Disorders; BS
*** Health Communication; MA
*** Communication Sciences & Disorders; MSSp, PhD
** Department of Journalism
*** Broadcast Journalism; BS
*** Print & Multimedia Journalism; BS
*** Journalism (Broadcast, Print & Multimedia); MA
** Department of Marketing Communication
*** Marketing Communication; BS
*** Global Marketing Communication & Advertising; MA
*** Integrated Marketing Communication; MA
** Department of Organizational and Political Communication
*** Communication Studies; BS
*** Political Communication; BS
*** Organizational & Corporate Communication; MA
*Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies
** Individually Designed Interdisciplinary Majors
** Honors Program

Administration

Board of Trustees

Officers:
Ted Cutler, Chair
Jeffrey Greenhawt, Treasurer
Lawrence Rasky, Secretary

Members:
Dr. Justin Lee Altshuler, Kevin Scott Bright, Michael Carson, Vincent J. Di Bona, Tom Freston, Steven A. Goldman, Tony Goldman, Gary Grossman, Douglas Herzog, Douglas Holloway, Judy Huret, Richard Janssen, Sheryl S. Levy, Jacqueline Liebergott, Jonathan Miller, Richard Remis, Nancy Ryan, Lucille S. Salhany, Terry Semel, Linda Schwartz, Jane Shattuc, Peter Smyth, Alan L. Stanzler, Esq., Andreas Veith, Marillyn Zacharis

Emeritus:
Elmer F. Baker, Leo L. Beranek, James Coppersmith, Patricia Neighbors, Irma Mann Stearns, Harvey L. Thompson, Jr., The Rev. Dr. Rhys Williams

Board of Overseers

Eric Alexander, Edward V. Baron, C. Thomas Bauer, William H. Berman, Barney T. Bishop III, Kathryn Boutilier, Alicia Denise Brown, Susan M. Cannon, Gayle N. Carson, Bonnie Comley, Joseph J. Cronin, Rhoda D. Cutler, Maria T. D'Arcangelo-Lapides, Scott Davis, Don Demesquita, John Charles Ford, Ira Harvey Goldstone, Jan E. Jacobs Greenhawt, Albert M. Jaffe, Gary A. Krantz, Howard M. Liberman, John P. McGovern, Terri A. McGraw, Barry O'Brien, Colette A.M Phillips, Robert Rudnick, Eduardo G. Samame, Linda Schwartz, Steven Shaw, Elizabeth Solender, David Steinberg, Marc Summers, John A. Wentworth, Richard Charles Willis, David B. Woolfson, Muriel Kagan Zager

Senior administrators

President: Jacqueline Liebergott
Vice President for Information Technology: William Gilligan
Vice President for Academic Affairs: Linda Moore
Vice President for Public Affairs: David Rosen
Vice President for Administration & Finance: Robert Silverman
Vice President for Enrollment & Student Affairs: Suzanne Swope
Vice President for Administrative Services: Michael F. Delleo
Vice President for Finance: John Donohoe
Vice President for Student Administrative Services: Daniel Pinch
Vice President for Institutional Advancement: Sherri Mylott
Vice President and General Counsel: Christine Hughes
Associate Vice President for Government and Community Relations: Margaret Ann Ings

Academic deans and directors

School of the Arts, Dean: Grafton Nunes
School of Communication, Dean: Stuart J. Sigman
Dean of Students: Ronald Ludman
Interim Graduate Dean: Donna Schroth
Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplianary Studies, Director: David Bogen
Continuing Education and Advance Studies, Executive Director: Hank W. Zappala
College Library, Executive Director: Mickey Zemon

Media, Theatre, Journals, & Publications

Media

*Radio Stations
** WERS-FM 89.9
** WECB-FM 99.9
*Television
** The Emerson Channel
** Emerson Independent Video (EIV)
** The EVVY Awards
** National Broadcasting Society, Emerson Chapter
*Film
** Frames Per Second
** Women in Motion
** Warlords
*New Media
** Emersive

Theatre

*Drama
** Rareworks
** Mercutio
** Shakespeare Society
** Kidding Around
** Red Hand Collective
** Musical Theatre Society
** The Blueprint Collaborative
*Comedy
** Chocolate Cake City
** Emerson Comedy Workshop
** Girlie Project
** Jimmy's Traveling All-Stars
** Swolen Monkey Showcase
** This is Pathetic
** Fancypants
*Dance & Other Performance
** Noteworthy
** The Emerson Dance Company
** EC Dance

Journals and publications

*Student Run:
** The Berkeley Beacon
** Journalism Students' Online News Service (JSONS)
** Developed Images
** Emerson Review
** Gangsters in Concrete
** Gauge
** Hyena
** Lauph
** Latent Image
** Redivider
*Staff / Faculty Run:
** Ploughshares
** Expression Magazine
** Emerson College Today
** Undergraduate Writers Network
** Stork Magazine

Student life

Student organizations

Emerson College offers a large number of organizations, most of which are highly active and diverse ranging from curriculum based activities to social action organizations. All organizations, (except Greek-lettered organizations) are under the control of the Student Government Association and must renew their existence yearly.

Athletics

The College is members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (Division III), the Eastern College Athletic Conference, and Charter member of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. The athletic department supports Lacrosse, Ice Hockey, Tennis, Baseball, Basketball, Cross-Country, and Soccer for all students in addition to Volleyball for women.

Notable Emersonians

*Emerson College Alumni
*Faculty (Past and Present)
*College Presidents (Past and Present)

External links

*Emerson College: Official website