Dreyfoos School of the Arts

# Dreyfoos School of the Arts

## Abstract

Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts (DSOA) is a public high school in West Palm Beach, Florida. Formerly named the Palm Beach County School of the Arts (also known as "School of the Arts" or "SOA"), the school was renamed in recognition of a 1997 donation of $1 million by Alexander W. Dreyfoos, Jr., a West Palm Beach philanthropist. It is regularly ranked as one of the top public arts and academics schools in the country.

DSOA is administrated by the School District of Palm Beach County, which also provides most of its funding. The school receives supplementary funds for its arts and academics from the School of the Arts Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

## History

Twin Lakes was founded in 1908 as Palm Beach High School; it was established one year before the founding of the county itself and is the oldest high school in the county. Originally for whites, Palm Beach High merged in the 1970–1971 school year with the black Roosevelt High School following integration, forming Twin Lakes High School.

Alexander W. Dreyfoos, at the suggestion of Dreyfoos Chairman Laurence Brandt Levine, donated the majority funding for the transformation of the campus, making the largest private contribution ever made to a public school in Florida, pledging $1,000,000 to support the Palm Beach County School of the Arts, which was subsequently renamed in his honor, the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts (DSOA).

The Palm Beach County School of the Arts was then divided into two entities: Dreyfoos School of the Arts and the Middle School of the Arts, which later became the Bak Middle School of the Arts serving grades 6–8. MSOA remained on the Mangonia Park campus.

Dreyfoos celebrated the site's 100-Year Celebration with the "100 Years on the Hill" event.

In 2010, Burt Reynolds who graduated from the campus when it was Palm Beach High, returned to the campus for a dedication of the front drive, now used as a pick-up/drop-off for the school as "Burt Reynolds Drive."

## Accreditation

The school is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

DSOA is designated by the School District of Palm Beach County as a "choice" school. The District's Choice programs, formerly known as magnet schools, were part of a plan by the District in the 1980s to desegregate the county's schools without forced busing that would meet Federal requirements to attract white students to schools in predominantly African-American neighborhoods. In subsequent years, federal desegregation requirements eased. The programs became career academies under a rebranded "School Choice" program.

## Academics

Students are admitted to Dreyfoos to specialize in one art area: Communication, Dance, Digital Media, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts. Music is sub-divided into programs in Concert Band/Jazz, Orchestra, Vocal and Piano. Students are required to take at least two art area classes per year in addition to their main academic courses and other elective classes. They may switch majors while attending, if they audition again and are accepted in the art area. Although students cannot dual major, they are permitted to take elective courses in other art areas if their schedule permits.

### Visual Arts

According to The College Board's 2007 Report to the Nation, the studio art advanced placement students at The Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts had the highest percentage of students passing the AP exam of any large high school in the world. This is the third time the school's visual art department has received this distinction, having achieved it previously in 2005 and 2006.

### Communication Arts

The Dreyfoos Speech and Debate team won #1 in the nation at the annual Bickel and Brewer NationalPolicy Forum competition, now known as the International Public Policy Forum, in New York City in 2006 and 2007.

The Collaborative Film Productions Club won 1st place in the High School Narrative category at the 2008 Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival for the film "Wednesday".

The TV production team of 2008–2009 won the NSPA Broadcast Pacemaker award.

The TV Production team of 2009–2010 won a Broadcast Pacemaker Finalist award.

### Music

Dreyfoos Music Department was selected as one of the top ten music programs in the country by the NARAS (National Association of Arts and Science) Foundation and was declared a GRAMMY Gold Division School Grammy in the Schools. The music department at Dreyfoos includes Band, Strings, Vocal, and Keyboard majors.

In the summer of 2014, a group of Vocal students competed in the Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales, and placed 1st in the Senior Children's Choir category and 2nd in both the Folk and Open categories. Most recently, they were invited to the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National Conference to perform as Choir of Distinction.

#### Band

The Jazz Band in 1998 was a finalist in the Essentially Ellington competition. In 2008 the Wind Ensemble was selected to perform in Washington D.C. as part of the Presidential inauguration festivities. In 2012 the school's Jazz Ensemble 1 was the winner of the 2012 Jazz and Swing Preservation society's 2012 "Battle of the Bands" which invited high schools across Palm Beach County, Florida to compete. In 2016, they were the winner of the 2016 Swing Central competition in Savannah, Georgia.

### Theatre

The Dreyfoos Theatre Department received the Educational Theatre Association's Outstanding School Award, Outstanding Student Award, & Hall of Fame Teacher Award (the first time in the 74 year-history of this organization that one school received all three awards).

In 2018, a Dreyfoos Theatre senior was chosen to attend and compete in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards in New York City for her role in Dreyfoos’ production of Kiss Me, Kate. In 2019, the Dreyfoos Theatre Department became one of the first high schools in the world to perform the musical Amelié, which premiered on Broadway in 2017.

## Athletics

The school offers bowling, cross country, golf, swimming, and girls' volleyball as fall sports, cheerleading, basketball, and soccer as winter sports, and tennis, track and field, and boys' volleyball as spring sports.

## Student body

In 2022-2023, 1375 students were enrolled at Dreyfoos. 52 percent of students were minorities, and 25 percent were economically disadvantaged.

Students must reside in Palm Beach County, and show proof of that residence when they enroll and re-enroll each year. The majority of students commute to the school from around the county by District buses, by Tri-Rail to the train station across the street on Tamarind Avenue, and by car. A few students live locally and walk or bike to the campus.

The Class of 2010 collectively received over $19 million in scholarship offers.

## Rankings and recognition

Dreyfoos is considered one of the top public arts and academics schools in the country. It has a 100% Advanced Placement (AP) participation rate, and has more Advanced Placement offerings than any other school in the District. It regularly appears on national 'Top High Schools' lists at U.S. News and Newsweek, among others, as the top school in the nation for both arts and academics since 2005.

In 2008, the school's student newsmagazine, The Muse, won the National Scholastic Press Association 's prestigious Newspaper Pacemaker award, a recognition of the top student publications in the United States. This is the second time Dreyfoos has won the award, having earned it previously in 2004 to become the first school publication in Florida to do so. The Muse also won fifth place in "Best in Show" at the 2008 Fall Convention of the National Scholastic Press Association, having previously earned eighth place at the 2006 Spring Convention.

The school's literary magazine, Seeds, received the prestigious National Scholastic Press Association Magazine Pacemaker in 2009. Seeds also received fourth place in "Best in Show" at the 2007 Fall Convention of the National Scholastic Press Association.

The school's newscast, "DSOA Today", received fourth place in "Best in Show" at the 2005 Spring Convention of the National Scholastic Press Association.

The school's Theatre Department won the Southeastern Theatre Conference festival with its production of Kindertransport. Numerous other productions have received high ratings at the Florida Theatre Conference and the Florida State Thespian Festival.

## Notable alumni

- Burt Reynolds, actor

- Eric Andre, television talk show host and comedian

- Erin Krakow, actor

- Reid Ewing, actor known for starring in Modern Family

- Kara Royster, actress

- Dylan Lyons, multimedia journalist and reporter

- Franchesca Ramsey, actress

- Nadine Sierra, opera singer

- Charlie Porter, musician

- Talia Suskauer, Broadway actress known for playing Elphaba in Wicked.


Binghamton University

# Binghamton University

## Abstract

The State University of New York at Binghamton (Binghamton University or SUNY Binghamton) is a public research university with campuses in Binghamton, Vestal, and Johnson City, New York. It is one of the four university centers in the State University of New York (SUNY) system. As of Spring 2022, 18,148 undergraduate and graduate students attended the university.

Since its establishment in 1946, the school has evolved from a small liberal arts college to a large research university. It is one of 146 U.S. universities classified among R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity. Binghamton's athletic teams are the Bearcats and they compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Bearcats are members of the America East Conference.

## History

### Establishment

Binghamton University was established in 1946 in Endicott, New York, as Triple Cities College to serve the needs of local veterans returning from World War II. Thomas J. Watson, a founding member of IBM in Broome County, viewed the Triple Cities region as an area of great potential. In the early 1940s he collaborated with local leaders to begin establishing Triple Cities College as a two-year junior college operating as a satellite of private Syracuse University. Watson also donated land that would become the school's early home.

Originally, Triple Cities College students finished their bachelor's degrees at Syracuse. By the 1948–1949 academic year, the degrees could be completed entirely in Binghamton. In 1950, it split from Syracuse and became incorporated into the public State University of New York (SUNY) system as Harpur College, named in honor of Robert Harpur, a colonial teacher and pioneer who settled in the Binghamton area. At that time, Harpur and Champlain College in Plattsburgh were the only two liberal arts schools in the New York state system. When Champlain closed in 1952 to make way for the Plattsburgh Air Force Base, the records and some students and faculty were transferred to Harpur College in Binghamton. Harpur also received 16,000 non-duplicate volumes and the complete contents of the Champlain College library.

In 1955, Harpur began to plan its current location in Vestal, a town next to Binghamton. A site large enough to anticipate future growth was purchased, with the school's move to its new 387-acre (1.57 km) campus being completed by 1961. Colonial Hall, Triple Cities College's original building in Endicott, stands today as the village's Visitor's Center.

In 1965, Harpur College was selected to join New York state schools at Stony Brook University, Albany, and Buffalo as one of the four new SUNY university centers. Redesignated the State University of New York at Binghamton, the school's new name reflected its status as an advanced degree granting institution. In a nod to tradition, its undergraduate college of arts and sciences remained "Harpur College". With more than 60% of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in Harpur's degree programs, it is the largest of Binghamton's constituent schools. In 1967, the School of Advanced Technology was established, the precursor to the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science, which was founded in 1983. In 2020, the school became the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Since 1992, the school has made an effort to distinguish itself from the SUNY system, rebranding itself as "Binghamton University," or " Binghamton University, State University of New York ". Both names are accepted as first reference in news stories. While the school's legal and official name, the State University of New York at Binghamton, still appears on official documents such as diplomas, the administration discourages using the full name unless absolutely necessary. It also discourages references to the school as "SUNY—Binghamton," "SUNY—B," or "Harpur College".

### Presidents

The first president of Harpur College, who began as dean of Triple Cities College, was Glenn Bartle. The second president, George Bruce Dearing, served several years before leaving to become vice chancellor for academic affairs at the SUNY Central Administration in Albany. Next was C. Peter Magrath, former interim president of the University of Nebraska, who served from 1972 to 1974 then left to become president at the University of Minnesota.

The fourth president at Binghamton was Clifford D. Clark, who left his position as dean of the business school at the University of Kansas to serve as vice president for academic affairs at Binghamton in 1973. He was asked to take on the job of acting president in the fall of 1974, when Magrath left for Minnesota. Clark was selected as president and served from March 1975 through mid-1990. He led the school's evolution from primarily a four-year liberal arts college to a research university. Clark added the Anderson Center for the Performing Arts and inaugurated the Summer Music Festival, created the Harpur Forum (now called the Binghamton University Forum), established the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science, and fostered the expansion and development of the Decker School of Nursing.

Lois B. DeFleur became the university's fifth president upon Clark's retirement in 1990. She oversaw substantial additions to the student and faculty populations, expanded research activities and funding, formalized Binghamton's fundraising efforts, expanded the campus' physical footprint by approximately 20 buildings, launched Binghamton's "green" efforts, transitioned the school from Division III athletics to Division I and oversaw the university's increase in academic rankings. DeFleur retired in 2010 amidst scandal regarding her corrupt efforts to catapult the university sports program into higher ranks by cheating,) and due to her arranging for the firm of a friend (Kaye) to conduct the investigation thereby violating laws requiring a specific bidding process On July 1, Magrath returned as interim president.

On November 22, 2011, the SUNY Board of Trustees appointed Harvey G. Stenger, Jr. as the seventh president of Binghamton University, effective January 1, 2012. Stenger had been interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University at Buffalo since April 2011.

## Organization

### University leadership

Binghamton is one of four university centers of the State University of New York (SUNY) system and is governed by its board of trustees. The Binghamton University Council oversees such aspects of the school's governance as student conduct, budget and physical facilities. Nine of its ten members are appointed by the state governor, one elected by the student body.

The university is organized into six administrative offices: Academic Affairs; Advancement; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Operations; Research; and Student Affairs. The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is managed by a chief diversity officer and the other divisions are managed by a vice president.

As of 2018, the university had an endowment of $152.619 million, managed by the not-for-profit Binghamton University Foundation, which also oversees fundraising. Its most recent drive–'Bold.Brilliant.Binghamton—the Campaign for Binghamton University'– raised more than $100 million before ending on June 30, 2012, $5 million over its original goal.

### Colleges and schools

Binghamton is composed of the following colleges and schools:

- Harpur College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest and largest of Binghamton's schools. It has more than 9,400 undergraduates and more than 1,100 graduate students in 26 departments and 14 interdisciplinary degree programs in the fine arts, humanities, natural and social sciences, and mathematics.

- The College of Community and Public Affairs offers an undergraduate major in human development as well as graduate programs in social work; public administration; student affairs administration; human rights; sustainable communities (with Harpur College), public health (with Decker College), and teaching, learning and educational leadership. It was formed in July 2006, after a reorganization of its predecessor, the School of Education and Human Development, when it was split off along with the Graduate School of Education. In 2017, the Graduate School of Education merged back into the College of Community and Public Affairs as the Department of Teaching, Learning and Educational Leadership. The department continues to offer master's of science and doctoral degrees.

- The Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences was established in 1969. The school offers undergraduate, master's and doctoral degrees in nursing. The school is accredited by the Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

- The School of Management was established in 1970. It offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in management, finance, information science, marketing, accounting, and operations and business analytics. It is accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

- The Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer engineering, biomedical engineering, systems science and industrial engineering, materials science and engineering, and computer science. All of the school's departments have been accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

- The Graduate School administers advanced-degree programs and awards degrees through the seven component colleges above. Graduate students will find almost 70 areas of study. Undergraduate and graduate students are taught and advised by a single faculty.

- The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the newest school at Binghamton, and offers doctoral degrees in pharmacy and pharmacology. The school has been granted Candidate status from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, which grants all the rights and privileges available to students of accredited schools, and anticipates full accreditation upon graduation of its inaugural class in 2021. The school enrolled its first students in fall 2017, and in 2018 opened its state-of-the-art, $60 million new building on a new Health Sciences Campus in Johnson City, near UHS-Wilson Medical Center.

## Campuses

### Main Campus

The main campus in Vestal is spread over 930 acres (3.8 km) on a wooded hillside above the Susquehanna River; geographically, the Southern Tier of New York is located on Allegheny Plateau, a physiographic province of the Appalachian Mountains. The campus is shaped like a brain: the primary road on campus creates a closed loop to form the cerebrum and cerebellum, and the main entrance road creates the spinal cord which leads up to a traffic circle (representing the medulla). The main road is thus frequently referred to as The Brain. The connector road, which goes behind the Mountainview and College-in-the-Woods residential communities, is closed for a portion of the year (in late fall and early spring, to allow for safe migration of salamanders across the road). The campus features a 190 acres (0.77 km) Nature Preserve, which contains forest and wetland areas and includes a six-acre (24,000 m) pond, named Harpur Pond, that adjoins the campus. The Nature Preserve drains into Fuller Hollow Creek, which runs parallel along the eastern portion of the campus. Fuller Hollow Creek meanders north after leaving campus, where it soon empties into the Susquehanna River.

### Health Sciences Campus

Binghamton's nearly 15-acre new Health Sciences Campus is located in Johnson City, NY. The campus is located a block from Main St. and is in close proximity to UHS Wilson Medical Center and Ascension Lourdes Hospital. The School of Pharmacy building opened in 2018, while the first floor floors Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences building opened in January 2021. The construction of floors five and six are expected to be completed during the summer of 2021. A Research and Development facility is in the design phase and will be constructed immediately adjacent to the pharmacy school; it is slated to be completed by December 2022. The university also plans on developing a park on two acres of land between Corliss Avenue and Main Street, which will offer an attractive and safe connection between university facilities and the downtown business district.

### Downtown Center

The University Downtown Center (UDC), located near the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers, opened in 2007 and houses the College of Community and Public Affairs (CCPA). In 2011, the Downtown Center was severely damaged from flooding caused by Tropical Storm Lee. While only the lowest floor of the building was filled with water, the electric company was unable to shut the power off in time, resulting in the building's electrical system being ruined. Classes were moved to the Main campus until repairs were completed. Repairs took a year to complete, and the UDC reopened for the start of the fall 2012 semester. In 2017, the university received $2.7 million for the flood repairs.

### Facilities

#### Libraries

- The Glenn G. Bartle Library, named after the university's first president, contains collections in the humanities, social sciences, government documents and collections in mathematical and computer sciences. Additionally, Bartle Library houses the Fine Arts Collection (focusing on works relating to art, music, theater and cinema) and Special Collections (containing the Max Reinhardt Collection, as well as the Edwin A. Link and Marion Clayton Link Archives).

- The Science Library contains materials in all science and engineering disciplines, as well as a map collection.

- The University Downtown Center (UDC) Library and Information Commons supports the departments of social work, human development, public administration, and student affairs administration.

The libraries offer a number of services including research consultation and assistance, a laptop lending program, customized instruction sessions and three information commons in the Bartle, Science and UDC libraries. The libraries offer access to various online databases to facilitate research for students and faculty. The entire campus is also served by a wireless internet network that all students, staff and faculty have access to, funded in part by mandatory student technology fees. The computing services center supports Windows, Macintosh and Unix systems, both in public computer labs and for students' personal computers.

#### Anderson Center for the Performing Arts

The Anderson Center for the Performing Arts complex has three proscenium stages: Watters Theater, seating 574; the Chamber Hall, seating 450; and the Osterhout Concert Theater, seating 1,170 inside and 1,500 outside. The Osterhout Concert Theater has the ability to become an open-air amphitheater, with its movable, floor-to-ceiling glass windows that open up to a grassy hill. The Anderson Center for the Performing Arts has hosted performers such as the Russian Symphony and Ballet, the Prague National Symphony and the Shakespearian Theater Company. Notable speakers who have presented on the Anderson Center for the Performing Arts stages include Noam Chomsky, Margaret Atwood, and Ralph Nader just to name a few. The Anderson Center for the Performing Arts presents its own season of cultural shows. Recent presentations include The Vienna Boys Choir, Step Afrika, Coco Live-to-Film, Ranky Tanky. Each summer the Anderson Center for the Performing Arts presents open air shows featuring national touring artists. Some memorable past performances include, Donna Summer, Tony Bennett, The Beach Boys, America, and more recently, The Temptations and Four Tops, and Melissa Etheridge.

#### University Art Museum

The university's art collection is housed at more than one location, but all within the Fine Arts Building. The building's main-level gallery hosts various artifacts which belong to the Permanent Collection, though typically showcases student work on a rotating basis. The Permanent Collection in the basement level of the building displays ancient art from Egypt, China and other locales. Lastly, the Elsie B. Rosefsky Gallery, just off the Grand Corridor, presents special exhibits and portfolios.

#### University Union

The University Union is divided into two sections, sometimes referred to as the old Union and the new Union, sometimes referred to as Union East and West respectively, yet called "University Union (UU)" and "University Union West (UUW)" by the university itself. The Union houses many student organizations, a food co-op, The MarketPlace food court, a number of meeting spaces, many new classrooms, the University Bookstore and a branch of Visions Federal Credit Union.

On August 23, 2013, President Barack Obama hosted a town hall meeting in the University Union to discuss college affordability with students, faculty, and staff at Binghamton University.

#### Events Center

The Events Center is one of the area's largest venue for athletics, concerts, fairs and more. Home court to the Binghamton Bearcats basketball teams, the facility seats about 5,300 people for games. For concerts, Commencement and other larger events, the Events Center can hold up to 8,000 people. Home site for the America East Conference Men's Basketball Championships in 2005, 2006, and 2008, the court hosted the women's championships in 2007 and 2015. It has also held intercollegiate indoor track meets, tennis matches and wrestling matches, as well as opening and closing ceremonies for the Empire State Games. Its construction cost $33.1M and it opened in 2004.

#### Other athletic facilities

In addition to the Events Center, the north end of campus houses the East and West Gyms, which host student recreation and varsity athletics programs. The East Gym underwent a major renovation, completed in winter 2012, and is now called the Recreational Center at the East Gym, and includes the 10,000-sq. ft. FitSpace fitness facility, three new multipurpose rooms, improved pool and court spaces, a new wellness services suite and completely renovated locker rooms. Other varsity facilities include baseball and softball fields, the Bearcats Sports Complex (a soccer and lacrosse stadium) and an outdoor track. With a gift from an anonymous donor, the baseball fields underwent a $2 million facelift including the addition of artificial turf and lights in 2016. Other student recreation features are a series of playing fields used for soccer, football, rugby and ultimate frisbee.

#### Science Complex

The science complex includes five instructional and office buildings, as well as a four-climate teaching greenhouse and the Science Library. Buildings are named sequentially as Science 1 through 5. They contain faculty offices and classrooms for the biological sciences, anthropology, geological sciences and psychology departments.

#### Academic Complex

The Academic Complex is a two-building complex that opened in 1999. Academic A houses the School of Management. Academic B houses the Decker School of Nursing.

#### Innovative Technologies Complex

More commonly known as the ITC, the Innovative Technologies Complex is a new development intended to advance venture capital research in both the support of the university's activities and that of the local high-technology industry. Currently the complex includes four buildings: the Biotechnology Building, formerly belonging to NYSEG and now extensively renovated; the Engineering and Science Building, opened in 2011; the Center of Excellence Building, which houses the Small Scale Systems Integration and Packaging Center, a New York State Center of Excellence, opened in 2014; and the Smart Energy Building that houses the chemistry and physics departments, opened in 2017. Early talks indicated plans for a six-building complex at its completion.

#### Nature Preserve

The university's Nature Preserve is 190-acre (0.77 km) on the southern end of campus. The preserve features approximately 10 miles(16 km) of maintained paths, a six-acre pond, marsh areas, vernal pools, tall hills and a hill-top meadow.

### Residential communities

Residence halls at Binghamton are grouped into seven communities. The apartment communities used to house graduate students, but now house undergraduates. Of the residential colleges, Dickinson Community and Newing College are the newest. Dickinson features "flats" of either four single rooms or two double rooms and a single, while Newing features semi-private room styles sharing private bathrooms as well as some common bathrooms. College-in-the-Woods mixes suites and double- and triple-occupancy rooms, and Hinman College and Mountainview College consist of suites, exclusively. Susquehanna Community and Hillside Community contain only apartments.

The newly completed Newing College, opened in fall 2011, and Dickinson Community, completed in 2013, are part of the university's $375 million East Campus Housing project, which also included a new collegiate center and dining facility. The old Newing community was razed to make room for the new communities. The old Dickinson community was renovated and repurposed for academics, offices and departments. The last of the new Newing and Dickinson residence halls were unveiled in 2013.

- Dickinson Community: Named for Daniel S. Dickinson, a U.S. Senator from surrounding area, important as the "Defender of the Constitution" in the pre-Civil War era. Buildings are named after other prominent local figures, including founders of the university.

- Hinman College: Named for New York State Senator Harvey D. Hinman. Buildings are named after former New York State governors, and were constructed between 1967 and 1968.

- Newing College: Named for Stuart Newing, a local automobile dealer who was active in the effort to have SUNY purchase Triple Cities College. Buildings are named for Southern Tier towns and counties. Newing College was rebuilt completely, and the new residence halls and student center/dining hall opened in fall 2011.

- College-in-the-Woods: Named for its location in a wooded area of the campus. Buildings are named after tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy. College-in-the-Woods opened for residency in the fall of 1973.

- Mountainview College: The four individual residential halls—Cascade, Hunter, Marcy, and Windham—were named after peaks in the Adirondack and Catskill Mountains and each house up to 300 students.

- Susquehanna Community: Buildings are named for tributaries of the Susquehanna River, which flows through the city of Binghamton.

- Hillside Community: Named for its location at the highest part of the Binghamton campus. Halls are named for New York state parks. The 16 apartment buildings are ordered clockwise, in alphabetical order.

### Transportation

- Bus transportation on campus and in some neighborhoods is provided by the student-owned and operated Off Campus College Transport (OCCT). OCCT is free for all students; it is supported by the mandatory student activity and transportation fees and by funds and resources provided by the university. OCCT is managed by the Student Association.

- Students, faculty and staff are able to ride the Broome County Transit bus system for free, paid for through a portion of the transportation fee.

- The ESCAPE Student Bus Service, operated by the Student Association, provides coach transportation to students between the Vestal campus and the New York metropolitan area on weekends and on university breaks.

## Academics

### Rankings and reputation

- Binghamton is ranked tied for 73rd among national universities, tied for 33rd among public schools, ranked as the second-best SUNY school (after Stony Brook University), and tied for 874th among global universities for 2022 by U.S. News & World Report.

- In 2021, Forbes magazine rated Binghamton No. 77 out of the 600 best private and public colleges, universities and service academies in America.

- Money magazine ranked Binghamton 73rd in the country out of 739 schools evaluated for its 2020 "Best Colleges for Your Money" edition, and 48th in its list of the 50 best public schools in the U.S.

- The university is ranked 653rd in the world, 162nd in the nation in the 2021-22 Center for University World Rankings.

- Binghamton University is ranked the 18th best public college in the U.S. by The Business Journals in 2015.

- In 2016 Binghamton was ranked as the 10th best public college in the United States by Business Insider.

- In 2018, the university was ranked 401-500 by Times Higher Education World Ranking.

- In its inaugural college rankings, based upon "... the economic value of a university...," The Economist ranked Binghamton University 74th overall in the nation.

- The university was called a Public Ivy by Howard and Matthew Greene in a book titled The Public Ivies: America's Flagship Public Universities (2001). It was a runner-up for the original Public Ivy list in 1985.

- Binghamton was ranked 93rd in the 2020 National Universities category of the Washington Monthly college rankings in the U.S., based on its contribution to the public good, as measured by social mobility, research, and promoting public service.

- According to the 2014 BusinessWeek rankings, the undergraduate business school was ranked 57th among Public Schools in the nation. In 2010 it was ranked as having the second best accounting program.

- Binghamton's QS World University Rankings have decreased annually from 501 in 2008, to 601 in 2012 and 701+ in 2013 with higher numbers reflecting worse performance.

### Admissions and finance

Binghamton University is one of the most selective schools in the SUNY system. In the fall of 2023, the university received almost 54,000 applications. In the Fall of 2023, the undergraduate acceptance rate was 38%.

- According to the latest data (Fall 2023), Binghamton University has the following records; median SAT scores: math 660–750, Evidence-based reading and writing 650–720; median ACT score: 29–33; Freshmen Retention Rate: 92% (National Avg. 62%); Median High School GPA: 3.7–3.9 or 93–98; Average Transfer GPA: 3.3-3.8.

- The average debt at graduation is $14,734, and the school is in the top 15 lowest debt-load amongst public colleges in the country.

- In-state tuition is $7,070 and out-of-state tuition is $26,160 (as of July 2023).

### Student body

As of 2019, there are 14,168 undergraduate students and 3,961 graduate students enrolled at Binghamton University, with 768 full-time faculty and a student-to-faculty of 19:1. 84% of undergraduate students at Binghamton are residents of New York state, with more than 60 percent from the greater New York City area and the remainder from all corners of the state. The remaining 16 percent of the undergraduate student body is made up of residents of other states in the U.S. (7.5 percent) and international students (8.5 percent) from around the world. Since 1990, the university has experienced growth in enrollment (with a 1990 enrollment of 11,883). Since the arrival of President Harvey Stenger in 2012, the university had launched a plan to grow to 20,000 students by 2020, while adding faculty and staff to support the growth.

### Curriculum

Binghamton offers more than 130 academic undergraduate majors, minors, certificates, concentrations, emphases, tracks and specializations and more than 60 master's, 30 doctorate and 50 accelerated (combined bachelor's/master's) degrees. There also exist interdisciplinary programs that allow individualized degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate level.

The school offers several early assurance programs which guarantee acceptance to graduate/professional schools outside of Binghamton, such as the Norton College of Medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical University. BU and Upstate offer an Early Assurance Program (EAP) for pre-medical College Sophomores pursuing their M.D. degree. Students accepted into the program are required to finish their undergraduate education and maintain a 3.50 GPA to be guaranteed a seat at the medical school.

Binghamton is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

### General education

The university requires students to have completed 12 general education requirements in order to graduate, with some exceptions depending on the school. These include courses in aesthetics, global inter-dependencies, humanities, laboratory science, composition and oral communication, mathematics, physical activity and wellness, social science and U.S. pluralism. Individual schools within the university have additional requirements. Students in Harpur College must complete a minimum of 126 credits to graduate. Most classes at Binghamton are worth four credits, rather than the more usual three. The typical undergraduate's course load thus consists of four courses (for 16 credits) rather than the usual five (for 15 credits).

## Research

The university is designated as an advanced research institution, with a division of research, an independent research foundation, several research centers including a New York State Center of Excellence, and partnerships with other institutions. Binghamton University was ranked 163rd nationally in research and development expenditures by the National Science Foundation. In fiscal year 2013, the university had research expenditures of $76 million.

### Division of research

The office of the vice president for research is in charge of the university's Division of Research. The Office of Sponsored Programs supports the Binghamton University community in its efforts to seek and obtain external awards to support research, training, and other scholarly and creative activities. It provides support to faculty and staff in all aspects of proposal preparation, submission and grant administration.The Office of Research Compliance ensures the protection of human subjects, the welfare of animals, safe use of select agents pathogens and toxins, and to enhance the ethical conduct in research programs.The Office of Research Advancement facilitates the growth of research and scholarship, and helps build awareness of the work being done on campus.The Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Partnerships supports entrepreneurship, commercialization of technologies, start-ups and business incubation, and facilitates partnerships with the community and industry.

### SUNY Research Foundation

The Research Foundation for the State University of New York is a private, nonprofit educational corporation that administers externally funded contracts and grants for and on behalf of SUNY. The foundation carries out its responsibilities pursuant to a 1977 agreement with the university. It is separate from the university and does not receive services provided to New York State agencies or state appropriation to support corporate functions. Sponsored program functions delegated to the campuses are conducted under the supervision of foundation operations managers. The Office of Sponsored Funds Administration, often referred to as "post-award administration," is the fiscal and operational office for the foundation. It provides sponsored project personnel with comprehensive financial, project accounting, human resources, procurement, accounts payable and reporting services, as well as support for projects administered through the Research Foundation.

### Centers and institutes

33 organized research centers and institutes for advanced studies facilitate interdisciplinary and specialized research at the university. The university is home to the New York State Center of Excellence in Small Scale Systems Integration and Packaging (S3IP). S3IP conducts research in areas such as microelectronics manufacturing and packaging, data center energy management, and solar energy. Other research centers and institutes include the Center for Development and Behavioural Neuroscience (CDBN), Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Philosophy, Interpretation, and Culture (CPIC), Institute for Materials Research (IMR). The Fernand Braudel Center for the Study of Economies, Historical Systems, and Civilizations (FBC) closed on June 30, 2020.

### Partnerships

The university's Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Partnerships can connect people to resources available through programs such as STARTUP NY, the Small Business Development Center, the region's Trade Adjustment Assistance Center, campus Start-Up Suites and the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator.

## Student life

### Greek life

There are many recognized fraternities and sororities at the university.

### Student organizations

Student organizations at Binghamton are organized and run through the Student Association at Binghamton University. It provides a number of services and entertainment for students, including bus transportation and the annual Spring Fling festival. In 2013, the university and the Student Association collaborated to introduce B-Engaged, a website which features a complete list of all involvement opportunities at Binghamton.

The Student Association of Binghamton University, Inc. (SA) is the student union of undergraduate students at the university. It is a 501-c3 non-for-profit organization that is autonomous from the university. It was first formed in 1978 and now represents and provides resources for over 13,000 undergraduate students, charters student groups, provides concerts and programming, and transportation services. Although it is run primarily by students, it has a small professional staff consisting of an assistant director and a finance director.

Notable student organization at the university include:

- WHRW: Student radio station founded in 1961

- Pipe Dream: Student newspaper founded in 1946 as The Colonial News

- Harpur's Ferry Student Volunteer Ambulance Service: EMS provider for the Binghamton University campus and all off-campus students. It was founded in 1973 and has twice been recognized as the No. 1 collegiate Emergency Medical Service agency in the nation.

- Explorchestra: University's composers' orchestra is dedicated to the promotion of new music by composers from diverse backgrounds

- Debate team: Consistently been ranked as one of the top ten debate programs in the nation by the Cross Examination Debate Association and ranked 1st in 2008

### Athletics

Binghamton University's Intercollegiate Athletics program is an NCAA Division I program.The Intercollegiate Athletics program comprises 21 sports that compete in the America East Conference for all sports except wrestling and golf. The 21 sports include Baseball, Men's & Women's Basketball, Men's & Women's Cross Country, Men's Golf, Men's & Women's Lacrosse, Men's & Women's Soccer, Softball, Men's & Women's Swimming & Diving, Men's & Women's Tennis, Men's & Women's Indoor Track, Men's & Women's Outdoor Track, Women's Volleyball and Men's Wrestling.

The school also hosts several intramural and inter-community sports. Binghamton University, and more specifically Hinman College, is considered to be the creator of Co-Rec Football, a popular version of flag/touch football and is generally played amongst several teams within each dormitory community.

Binghamton athletics gained significant negative attention during the Binghamton University basketball scandal in 2010, when it was revealed that the school had compromised its integrity and committed internal violations in pursuit of athletic glory. The scandal left Binghamton's basketball team in ruin.

### Alma mater

In the Rolling Hills of Binghamton is the official alma mater song of Binghamton University, composed by David Engel (class of 1986)

## Notable people

### Faculty

- Ken Jacobs, experimental filmmaker

- M. Stanley Whittingham, chemistry/materials science and engineering, recipient of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

- David Sloan Wilson, professor emeritus, biological sciences/anthropology

- Al Walker (born 1959), former basketball player and college coach, now a scout for the Detroit Pistons of the NBA

- Larry Woiwode, author

#### Former faculty

- Ali Mazrui (1933—2014), author on African and Islamic studies and north–south relations

- Bruce McDuffie (1921—2014), Professor of Chemistry, found high levels of mercury in canned tuna in 1970.

- Immanuel Wallerstein (1930—2019), sociologist and economic historian best known for his development of world-systems theory.

## In popular culture

- To fans of the Americana-psychedelic-rock band The Grateful Dead, the name "Harpur College" specifically refers to a concert the band played at the college on May 2, 1970. The reverence in which this concert is held owes both to the performance and to the fact that high quality bootleg cassette recordings circulated widely among Deadheads for decades before the recording was officially released on CD as Dick's Picks Volume 8. According to Jimmy Cawley writing in the Boston Globe, "The Harpur College show has long been prized by tape collectors as an example of the depth the Dead were capable of on any given night."

- The Rewrite is a 2014 American romantic comedy film written and directed by 1981 alumnus Marc Lawrence. It stars Hugh Grant as a washed-up screenwriter who begins teaching at Binghamton University, and Marisa Tomei as a single mother with whom the screenwriter finds romance. Parts of the movie were filmed at Binghamton University.


Goran Dragović

# Goran Dragović

## Abstract

Goran Dragović (Serbian Cyrillic: Горан Драговић; born 20 October 1981) is a Bosnian-Herzegovinian professional footballer.

## Club career

Born in Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, he spent most of his career playing in Serbia. He made his professional debut with FK Radnički Beograd, however it was with FK Voždovac that he spent most time, 6 seasons. He later played for FK Javor Ivanjica in the Serbian SuperLiga before moving to FK Metalurg Skopje in the summer of 2011 to play in the Macedonian First League.

In July 2013 he returned to FK Voždovac who had just been promoted to the Serbian SuperLiga.


The Choirboys (film)

# The Choirboys (film)

## Abstract

The Choirboys is a 1977 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Aldrich, written by Christopher Knopf and Joseph Wambaugh based on Wambaugh's 1975 novel of the same name. It features an ensemble cast including Charles Durning, Louis Gossett Jr., Randy Quaid, and James Woods. The film was released to theaters by Universal Pictures on December 23, 1977.

## Plot

Los Angeles police officers experiencing various pressures at work unwind at night with drunken get-togethers (a.k.a. "choir practice") at MacArthur Park, where their pranks often go too far: among those there are a retiring cop, a small number of young cops, a bigoted one and a Vietnam vet with panic disorder.

## Cast

- Charles Durning as Spermwhale Whalen

- Louis Gossett Jr. as Calvin Motts

- Perry King as Baxter Slate

- Clyde Kusatsu as Francis Tanaguchi

- Stephen Macht as Spencer Van Moot

- Tim McIntire as Roscoe Rules

- Randy Quaid as Dean Proust

- Chuck Sacci as 'Father' Sartino

- Don Stroud as Sam Lyles

- James Woods as Harold Bloomguard

- Burt Young as Sgt. Scuzzi

- Robert Webber as Deputy Chief Riggs

- Jim Davis as Capt. Drobeck

- George DiCenzo as Lt. Grimsley

- Vic Tayback as Zoony

- Phyllis Davis as Foxy

- Susan Batson as Sabrina

- Cheryl Smith as Tammy

- Barbara Rhoades as No Balls Hadley

- Charles Haid as Sgt. Nick Yanov

- Jeannie Bell as Jean

## Production

Lorimar purchased the screen rights to the novel in October 1975, before it was published. The price was a reported $700,000. It was Wambaugh's fourth book, third novel and first comedy. The Los Angeles Times called it "brilliant". The book became a best seller.

Wambaugh adapted his own novel into a screenplay. Robert Aldrich signed to direct in February 1976. "The whole $5.3 million is from independent sources," said Wambaugh in November 1976. "No Hollywood studio is involved - they can be as bad as networks."

"When I turned in my first script they said they loved it," said Wambaugh later. "Then there was total silence. I called but they didn't return my calls."

### Clash with Wambaugh

Aldrich wanted changes to the script and hired Christopher Knopft to do them. "I think Mr. Wambaugh is going to be very unhappy with this film of his work," said Aldrich. "I haven't figured out yet how to correct some of the things that are in the book and still make people who read the book want to see the movie - but I do intend to figure it out."

Aldrich said he did not feel the same way as Wambaugh about "the problems of the cop... I don't find the fact that cops can't ‘cope’ particularly rewarding; I can't relate to it. I don't know how to feel sorry for a cop. It's a volunteer force. You're not drafted to become a cop. So you've got to take some of the heat if you don't like what people think about you. After all, that's an extraordinary pension you get in twenty years; nobody else gets it. In fact, I disagree with Wambaugh to such an extent that I don't think people really like cops."

Aldrich said the book "doesn't go far enough for me" for instance not showing them to be racist, taking bribes or wanting to be stormtroopers. "I think you've got to show L. A. cops as brutal as they really are. And Wambaugh can't face that problem, so it's never touched in the book. "

When Wambaugh saw the rewritten script he was not pleased. "They'd mutilated my work," he said.

He took out a full page advertisement complaining about what had happened to his book and sued to get his name taken off the credits of the final print.

### Shooting

Aldrich rehearsed with the cast prior to filming. "We don't have any superstars," said Aldrich. "The film doesn't need Steve McQueen to carry it."

Filming started 21 March 1977. Aldrich said the film showed how police dealt with pressures but "it won't be all grim, though; there will be some hysterically funny sequences coming out of the love they have for each other."

Charles Durning said he based his character on Aldrich, "one of the brightest guys I know and who never forgets he's the boss."

During filming, one of the cast, Walter McGinn, died in a road accident.

In June 1977, Universal agreed to distribute.

## Reception

The film attracted negative reviews and is considered by some to be Aldrich's weakest film. Vincent Canby's review in The New York Times described the film as "cheap and nasty" as well as "a stylistic and narrative mess".

Wambaugh, after seeing the film, called it a "dreadful, slimy, vile film... a sleazy, insidious film. There was no serious intent to it. It was an insult to me but also to every self-respecting cop in America."

He sued Lorimar and was paid $1 million in compensation.

He then bought back the rights to The Onion Field and Black Marble to have more control, because of what happened to The Choirboys.

The Choirboys currently holds a 40% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 10 reviews.


Venom (Bullet for My Valentine album)

# Venom (Bullet for My Valentine album)

## Abstract

Venom is the fifth studio album by Welsh heavy metal band Bullet for My Valentine. The album was released on 14 August 2015 via RCA Records, their second and last album under the label as well as their final album under the Sony Music umbrella. It is the first album by the band since the departure of bassist Jason "Jay" James, which was announced in February 2015 while the band was recording the album. Jamie Mathias was announced as his replacement on 18 May 2015, along with the album's title, release date and release of the album's first single, "No Way Out". This would also be the final album with founding drummer Michael "Moose" Thomas who parted ways with the band officially in 2017.

"No Way Out" and "Broken" were premiered live during the band's headlining performance at the Camden Rocks Festival in London on 30 May 2015. The second and third singles, "You Want a Battle? (Here's a War)" and "Army of Noise", were released on 29 June and 17 July 2015, respectively. Another two songs, "Playing God" and "Worthless" were released respectively on 10 and 13 August 2015. The whole album was made available for streaming on YouTube on 14 August 2015. The Song "Skin" appears in the video game WWE 2K19.

Jamie Mathias is credited as a band member but did not perform on this album; Tuck recorded all bass guitar parts instead. Mathias later said in an interview that he hopes to be involved in future band projects.

## Reception

Venom received mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 58/100 based on 8 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". British magazine Kerrang! awarded the album 4 stars, saying that "Venom has injected a whole new life into the British metal heroes." Alternative Press and AllMusic both gave the album 3.5 stars. However, a negative review came from Bradley Zorgdrager of Exclaim! who gave the album a 3 out of 10. The critic wrote that "the lack of quality choruses leaves something to be desired. While their heaviest output won't win over any elitists, fans will also have trouble finding something here to sing along to."

The album was included at number 37 on Rock Sound ' s top 50 releases of 2015 list.

## Track listing

All lyrics are written by Matt Tuck; all music is composed by Tuck, Michael Thomas and Michael Paget

## Personnel

### Bullet for My Valentine

- Matt Tuck - vocals, rhythm guitar, bass (uncredited)

- Michael "Moose" Thomas - drums, additional vocals on "You Want a Battle? (Here's a War)"

- Michael "Padge" Paget - lead guitar, additional vocals on "You Want a Battle? (Here's a War)"

- Jamie Mathias - bass (credited, but does not perform), backing vocals

### Additional personnel

- Matt Tuck - production on "Raising Hell"

- Michael "Padge" Paget - production on "Ace of Spades"

- Jay James - bass and vocals on all Japan and Best Buy live bonus tracks

- Colin Richardson - production, mixing

- Carl Bown - production, mixing, additional vocals on "You Want a Battle? (Here's a War)"

- Jim Pinder - additional engineering

- Josh Gilbert - co-production on "The Harder the Heart (The Harder It Breaks)" and "Skin"

- Shane Blay - co-production on "The Harder the Heart (The Harder It Breaks)" and "Skin"

- Alex Robinson - assistant engineering, co-mixing, vocals recording on "Ace of Spades"

- Ted Jensen - mastering

- Dan Brown, Austin Dickinson, Ryan Richards, Stefan Whiting, Jack Vallier, Henry Boeree, Rebekah Power, Emma Gorman, Lauren Metccalf, Alice Williams, Andrew Humphries & Ginnie Breakwell - gang vocals on "You Want a Battle? (Here's a War)"

- Martyn "Ginge" Ford - production, mixing on "In Loving Memory (Demo Version)", engineering on "Raising Hell"

## Charts


Sacred mountains

# Sacred mountains

## Abstract

Sacred mountains are central to certain religions, and are usually the subjects of many legends. For many, the most symbolic aspect of a mountain is the peak because it is believed that it is closest to heaven or other religious realms. Many religions have traditions centered on sacred mountains, which either are or were considered holy (such as Mount Olympus in Greek mythology) or are related to famous events (like Mount Sinai in Judaism and descendant religions or Mount Kailash, Mount Meru in Hinduism). In some cases, the sacred mountain is purely mythical, like the Hara Berezaiti in Zoroastrianism. Mount Kailash is believed to be the abode of the deities Shiva and Parvati, and is considered sacred in four religions: Hinduism, Bon, Buddhism, and Jainism. Volcanoes, such as Mount Etna in Italy, were also considered sacred, Mount Etna being believed to have been the home of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and the forge.

## Themes of sacrality

Edwin Bernbaum, a preeminent scholar of sacred mountains around the world, suggests that although no single, universal theme underlies all sacred mountains across the globe, it is possible to identify certain patterns that help to clarify the principal roles that sacred peaks play in different cultures. Bernbaum identifies the following ten themes expressed through sacred mountains that are particularly widespread in cultures around the world, summarized below. A particular sacred mountain may have one or more of these themes represented in it; some may have nearly all of them.

- Height: When we look at a mountain the first thing to impress us is usually not its central location, but its height, which evokes an immediate response of wonder and awe. Poised above the surrounding landscape, set in a fluid realm of drifting clouds and flowing sky, its summit appears to float in another world, higher and more perfect than the one in which we dwell.

- Center: The view of the mountain as the center appears in its most comprehensive form as a central axis linking together the three levels of the cosmos – heaven, earth, and hell or underworld. As the link between heaven earth, and hell, it acts as a conduit of power, the place where sacred energies, both divine and demonic, spew into the world of human existence.

- Power: Many sacred mountains are revered as places of awesome power manifested in various ways – natural, supernatural, and even political.

- Deity or abode of deity: As places of power and heavens on high, mountains serve as abodes of gods and goddesses, often situated at the center of the cosmos, world, or region.

- Temple or place of worship: Mountains often appear in the form of temples housing the deities who reside on or within them. As centers and high places open to the sky, mountains provide altars for making offerings to gods and spirits. Also, mountains may take the form of places of worship, viewed or imagined as shrines, churches, and cathedrals.

- Paradise or garden: Modern societies share with traditional cultures the widespread view of mountains as sacred gardens and earthly paradises.

- Ancestors and the dead: Whether revered as heavens or feared as hells, mountains have a widespread and important role as hallowed places of the dead. In many cases, the resemblance of mountains to tombs, which often mimic the shape of hills, make them natural places of burial. In seeing mountains as abodes of the dead, people often regard them as the places from which their ancestors came – or as those ancestors themselves.

- Identity: As divine ancestors, mountains provide many societies with their identity and cohesiveness.

- Source: People throughout the world look up to mountains as sources of innumerable blessings, sometimes attributed to the ancestral spirits dwelling within them. For many cultures the most important of these blessings is water. Other blessings that flow from sacred mountains include fertility, health, and well-being, as well as treasures of various kinds.

- Revelation, transformation, inspiration, and renewal: As places of power, close to heaven, mountains serve as dramatic sites of revelation, transformation, inspiration and renewal. The revelation or vision on a mountain often transforms the person who receives it. Hermits of traditions around the world seek out mountains as places to transform themselves through practices of physical austerity and spiritual contemplation. Poets and mystics have visualized the ascent of the sacred mountain as a symbol of the ultimate pilgrimage, leading to the heights of heaven and the final goal of spiritual realization. For lay people who do not aspire to the supreme heights of spiritual transcendence or enlightenment, mountains serve as places where they can find inspiration and renewal.

## Purpose and use

### Community identity

History shows that mountains were commonly part of a complex system of mountain and ancestor worship. Having immortalized fallen brethren in the edifice, the people share a common allegiance with all the other people of a community. The meanings that were etched into the mountain and mound terrain connected the villagers. They were all subject to the same landscape and village history, which were bound together by their cultural significance. The history of ancestors could be told by simply pointing at specific mountains and remembering the stories that were passed down throughout the generations. The worship of ancestors and the mountains were largely inseparable. An interconnected web between history, landscape, and culture was thus formed. One example is the Hindu belief that Mount Kailash is the final resting place for the souls of the dead, as well as the large cemetery placed on Mount Kōya-san.

Sacred mountains can also provide an important piece of a culture's identity. For example, Bruno Messerli and Jack Ives write, "The Armenian people regard Mount Ararat, a volcano in eastern Turkey believed to be the site of Noah's Ark in the Bible, to be a symbol of their natural and cultural identity ". As a result of the mountain's role as a part of a cultural identity, even people who do not live close to the mountain feel that events occurring to the mountain are relevant to their own personal lives. This results in communities banning certain activities near the mountain, especially if those activities are seen as potentially destructive to the sacred mountain itself.

### Pilgrimages

To date, Kailash has never been climbed, largely due to the fact that the idea of climbing the mountain is seen as a major sacrilege. Instead, the worshipful embark on a pilgrimage known as the kora. The kora consists of a 32-mile path that circles the mountain, which typically takes five days with little food and water. Various icons, prayer flags, and other symbols of the four religions that believe Kailash is sacred mark the way. To Buddhists and Hindus, the pilgrimage is considered a major moment in a person's spiritual life. One circuit is believed to erase a lifetime of sin, while 108 circuits is believed to ensure enlightenment.

Sacred Mountains are often seen as a site of revelation and inspiration. Mount Sinai is an example, as this is the site where the covenant is revealed to Moses. Mount Tabor is where it is supposed Jesus was revealed to be the Son of God. Prophet Muhammed is said to have received his first revelation on Mount Noor. The mountains' roles as places of revelation and transformation often serve to attract tourists as much as they do religious pilgrims. However, in some cases, the financial revenue is overlooked and sacred mountains are conserved first due to their role in the community.

Members of the Aetherius Society conduct pilgrimages to 19 mountains around the world that they describe as being "holy mountains".

Mount Tomorr, a holy mountain for Albanians, is one of the most frequented sacred places in Albania. Remarkable annual pilgrimages to this mountain take place during the second half of August.

## By country and region

Various cultures around the world maintain the importance of mountain worship and sacredness. One example is the Taranaki peoples of New Zealand. The Taranaki tribe view Mount Taranaki as sacred. The tribe was historically sustained by this mountain's waterways. As in other instances in Māori mythology, the mountain is anthropomorphized in various stories. For the tribespeople, Mount Taranaki has a deep spiritual significance and is seen as a life force. It is viewed as the place where life is given and to where people are returned after death.

### America

Native American people hold numerous mountains as sacred, including the Black Hills in South Dakota, Devils Tower, and Mount Shasta. Pueblo Peak in Taos, New Mexico is also regarded as sacred and is an example of Native Americans regaining their land by utilizing the First Amendment to the US Constitution.

#### Navajo

The Navajo possess a strong belief system in regards to the natural-supernatural world and have a belief that objects can have supernatural qualities. For example, the Navajo consider mountains to be sacred. There are four peaks, which are believed to have supernatural aspects. The mountains each represent a borderline of the original Navajo tribal land. The mountain ranges include Mount Taylor, the San Francisco Peaks, Blanca Peak, and Hesperus Peak located in the La Plata Mountains.

Each mountain/peak is representative of a color, direction, and correlates with a cultural light phenomenon dealing with the cosmic scheme of the rising and of the setting sun. Directionally, the mountains are described in a clockwise motion following the movement of the Sun beginning with the eastern mountain of Blanca Peak. Blanca Peak is associated with the color white and the "Dawn Man" referring to the rising of the sun. Next in the south is Mount Taylor, which is associated with the color blue and the "Horizontal Blue Man" referring to the daytime. In the west is the San Francisco Peaks, which is representative of the color yellow and the "Horizontal Yellow Woman" and is associated with the setting of the sun. And finally in the north is the Hesperus Peak of the La Plata Mountains which is given the color black and belongs to the light phenomenon of the "Darkness Woman" representing night-time.

#### Inca

The ancient Inca displayed a connection with death and their mountains. It is well known by scholars that the Inca sensed a deep reservoir of spirituality along the mountain range. Situating their villages in the mountains, they felt these places acted as portal to the gods. Ritual child sacrifices called Capacochas were conducted annually, where the most precious gift that could be given (innocent, blemishless, perfect human life) would be sacrificed to the gods. Tremendous effort would be taken as the sacrificial victims would be paraded alive throughout the cities, with multiple festivals and feasts taking place. The final destination would be the tops of some of the highest mountains near their villages, leaving these sacrifices to freeze in the snow. These would take place during great times of distress, during times of famine, violent periods of war, and even during times of political shift. This connection with the mountain as a sacred space is paramount. There would be no other place that would be sufficient or acceptable enough for the gods to accept these gifts. It is neither a surprise nor a coincidence that their honored dead were placed on the highest peaks of the mountains to express the shared connection between the sacred mountain, the gods, and the dead.

### China

In China, many different sets of sacred mountains exist, each associated with a different religious tradition: Taoism and Chinese Buddhism. The sacred mountains have all been important destinations for pilgrimage by laymen, monks and emperors for centuries, with the Chinese expression for pilgrimage (朝圣; 朝聖; cháoshèng) being a shortened version of an expression which means "paying respect to a holy mountain" (朝拜圣山; 朝拜聖山; cháobài shèng shān).

#### Buddhism

Chinese Buddhism recognizes four sacred mountains, which are each associated with a specific bodhisattva. They consist of Mount Putuo, Mount Wutai, Mount Jiuhua and Mount Emei. Mount Putuo is associated with the bodhisattva Guanyin and is identified by Chinese Buddhists as the Mount Potalaka mentioned in Buddhist scriptures as being the bodhisattva's bodhimaṇḍa (with the word "Putuo" being a contraction of "Pǔtuóluòjiā", the Mandarin pronunciation of "Potalaka"). Since the Tang dynasty (618–907), the mountain has been the center of Guanyin veneration in China. It is home to more than 30 temples, the most prominent of which are Fayu Temple, Puji Temple and Huiji Temple. Mount Wutai is associated with the bodhisattva Manjusri, who is believed to frequently appear on the mountain, taking the form of ordinary pilgrims, monks, or most often unusual five-colored clouds. It is home to over 360 temples which date back to the Tang dynasty, such as Puhua Temple and Longhua Temple. It is also home to some of the oldest wooden buildings in China that have survived since the era of the Tang dynasty, including the main hall of Nanchan Temple and the East Hall of Foguang Temple, built in 782 and 857, respectively. Mount Jiuhua is associated with the bodhisattva Ksitigarbha. It was identified as the bodhisattva's bodhimaṇḍa after Kim Qiaoque, a prince from the Silla Kingdom on the Korean Peninsula, came there in 719 and cultivated himself for 75 years. After dying, his corporeal body stayed intact. Because he was very similar in appearance to iconography of Ksitigarbha, the monks there believed he was the reincarnation of the bodhisattva. As a result, the mountain came to be associated with Ksitigarbha. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were over 360 temples located at the mountain. In contemporary times, the temple is home to over 93 temples, with more than 10,000 Buddha statues. Mount Emei is associated with the bodhisattva Samantabhadra and is the location of the first Buddhist temple built in China in the 1st century CE. It is home to over 76 Buddhist monasteries, most of which were constructed during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644).

#### Taoism

Taoism recognizes numerous sacred mountains. Of these, a grouping of five mountains, which are arranged according to the five cardinal directions of Chinese geomancy (which includes the center as a direction), have been regarded as the most important. The grouping of the five mountains appeared during the Warring States period (475 BC – 221 BC), and the term Wuyue ("Five Summits") was made popular during the reign of Emperor Wudi of the Western Han dynasty (140 – 87 BC). In Chinese traditional religion they have cosmological and theological significance as the representation, on the physical plane of earth, of the ordered world emanating from the God of Heaven (Tian – Shangdi), inscribing the Chinese territory as a tán (壇; 'altar'), the Chinese concept equivalent of the Indian mandala. Since the early periods in Chinese history, they have been the ritual sites of imperial worship and sacrifice by various emperors. Mount Tai, which is regarded as the foremost of the five mountains, is believed to be the abode of the Great Deity of Mount Tai (Chinese: 东岳大帝; pinyin: Dōngyuè Dàdì) and is associated with the east, sunrise, birth, and renewal. Religious worship of Mount Tai has a tradition dating back 3,000 years, dating back to the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC). By the time of the Zhou dynasty (c. 1046 – 256 BC) sacrifices at Mount Tai had become highly ritualized ceremonies in which a local feudal lord would travel there to make sacrifices of food and jade ritual items. Later, numerous Emperors from various ruling dynasties would continue to hold Taoist ceremonies at the mountain, such as Emperor Gaozong of Tang, whose ceremony was attended by representative from Japan, India, the Persian court in exile, Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla, the Turks, Khotan, the Khmer, and the Umayyad Caliphate. This site is now home to over 22 temples, 97 ruins, 819 stone tablets, and 1,018 cliff-side and stone inscriptions. The other four sacred mountains are: Mount Hua in Shaanxi (associated with the west), Mount Heng in Hunan (associated with the South), Mount Heng in Shanxi (associated with the north), and Mount Song in Henan (associated with the centre). Another famous grouping of sacred Taoist mountains consist of: Mount Longhu, Mount Qiyun, Mount Qingcheng and the Wudang Mountains. In addition, numerous other mountains which are not part of any particular groupings have also been recognized as sacred in Taoism, such as the Kunlun Mountains, which is nicknamed the "Forefather of Mountains" in China and is believed to be the abode of Xiwangmu (Chinese: 西王母; pinyin: Xīwángmǔ), a goddess who is associated with death, warfare, pestilence, shamanism as well as life and immortality.

### Greece

Mount Olympus is the highest mountain peak in Greece. It was once regarded as the "home of the Greek Gods/The Twelve Olympians of the Hellenistic World". It was also considered the site of the War of the Titans (Titanomachy) where Zeus and his siblings defeated the Titans. Mount Othrys is a mountain in Central Greece, which is believed to be the home of the Titans during that war.

Mount Ida, also known as Mountain of the Goddess, refers to two specific mountains: one in the Greek island of Crete and the other in Turkey (formerly known as Asia Minor).

Mount Ida is the highest mountain on the island of Crete is the sacred mountain of the Titaness Rhea, also known as the mother of the Greek Gods. It is also believed to be the cave where Greek God Zeus was born and raised.

The other Mount Ida is located in Northwestern Anatolia alongside the ruins of Troy (in reference to the Hellenistic Period). The mountain was dedicated to Cybele, the Phrygian (modern-day Turkey) version of Earth Mother. Cybele was the goddess of caverns and mountains. Some refer to her as the "Great Mother" or "Mother of the Mountain". The mythic Trojan War is said to have taken place at Mount Ida and that the Gods gathered upon the mountaintop to observe the epic fight. Mount Ida in Turkey is also represented in many of the stories of Greek author Homer such as Iliad and Odyssey.

Mount Athos, located in Greece, is also referred to as the Holy Mountain. It has great historical connections with religion and classical mythology. In Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox forms of Christianity, it is believed that after the Ascension of the Lord, the Virgin Mary landed on the island and came upon a pagan temple. It was there that the pagan practitioners converted from paganism to Christianity. The Virgin Mary then blessed the land and claimed it her own.

In classical mythology, Mount Athos is named after the Thracian giant who battled Poseidon, God of the Sea, during the clash of the titans and Gods. It is also said that Greek historian was given the task of creating a canal through the mountain after the failed journey of Persian leader, Xerxes. Over time, Alexander the Great has become associated with the mountain for his worldly powers. The myth states that Greek architect Dinocrates had wanted to carve Alexander the Great's figure onto the top of the mountain in tribute to him.

### Japan

In Japan, Mount Kōya is the home to one of the holiest Buddhist monastery complexes in the country. It was founded by a saint, Kukai, who is also known as Kōbō Daishi and is regarded as a famous wandering mystic; his teachings are famous throughout Japan and he is credited with being an important figure in shaping early Japanese culture. Buddhists believe that Kobo Dashi is not dead, but will instead awake and assist in bringing enlightenment to all people, alongside the Buddha and other bodhisattvas. It is believed that he was shown the sacred place to build the monastery by a forest god; this site is now the location of a large cemetery that is flanked by 120 esoteric Buddhist temples. Approximately a million pilgrims visit Mount Kōya a year; these pilgrims have included both royals and commoners who wish to pay their respects to Kobo Dashi. Mount Fuji is another sacred mountain in Japan. Several Shinto temples flank its base, which all pay homage to the mountain. A common belief is that Mount Fuji is the incarnation of the earth spirit itself. The Fuji-kō sect maintains that the mountain is a holy being, and the home to the goddess Sengen-sama. Annual fire festivals are held there in her honor. It is also the site of pilgrimages; reportedly, 40,000 people climb up to its summit every year.

### India

In India, especially in Indian-origin religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism), nature worship is a part of core beliefs, and many mountains and forests are considered sacred. Most sacred among those are Mount Kailash (in Tibet), Nanda Devi, Pamir Mountains as Mount Meru, Mount Mandara, Kanchenjunga, Gangotri Mountain, Yamunotri Mountain, Sarasvotri mountain (origin of Sarasvati River), Dhosi Hill, Tirumala Hills and Simhachalam Hill in Andhra Pradesh, Sabarimala, Arunachala, Garbhagiri mountain, Sapthagiri, Palani, Swamimalai, Tiruttani, Mount Abu, Govardhan Hill, Girnar, Shatrunjaya in Palitana, Osam Jain Hill Patanvav, Taranga_Jain_temple Hills, Ambaji (Gabbar Hill), Chamundi Hills, Trikuta, Trikut Hill (Trikut Parvat), Mansa Devi Hill Haridwar, Pavagadh Hill, Tosham Hills, Adi Badri in Haryana, etc.

### Korea

In Korea, people have maintained ancient ways of worshiping mountain spirits. While they are not in fact worshiping the land itself, the gods associated with this worship are united to the land. These spirits are female entities to whom people pay tribute while passing by the mountains, asking for good luck and protection. People also travel to these mountains to ask for fertility. While people generally hold to these female deities for protection or to perpetuate life, one of their most important functions is to protect the dead. The ponhyangsansin is a guardian spirit that is protecting an important clan grave site in the village. Each mountain goddess has an equally interesting story that is tied to their accounts of war against Japan, and the historical legacy of their emperors. Each spirit learned difficult lessons and experienced some sort of hardship. These legacies in the mountains serve as a kind of monument to the history of Korea. While many of the accounts may be true, their details and accuracy are shrouded by time and ritual. While the inaugurations of new ponhyang san sin are not being conducted, fallen important clansmen and leaders are strategically placed in the mountains in order for these strong, heroine-like spirits may fiercely guard their graves. The history of Korea is in turn protecting its own future.

### Middle East

According to the Torah, and consequently the Old Testament of the Bible, Mount Sinai is the location that Moses received the Ten Commandments directly from God. The tablets form the covenant, which is a central cornerstone of Jewish faith. Saint Catherine's Monastery is located at the foot of Sinai. It was founded by empress Helena, who was the mother of the first Christian Roman emperor, Constantine. It was completed under the rule of Justinian two centuries later. The monastery was visited by the prophet Muhammed, who blessed it and promised "that it would be cherished by Muslims for all time". Today, the monastery is home to a group of Greek Orthodox monks, as well as a large collection of Byzantine art, illuminated manuscripts, icons, and books; the collection of icons in particular has been proclaimed one of the oldest in the world.

### Tibet

Tibet's Mount Kailash is a sacred place to five religions: Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, Bon Po (a native Tibetan religion prior to Buddhism), and Sikhism. According to Hinduism, Mount Kailash is the home of the deity Shiva. In the Hindu religion, Mount Kailash also plays an important role in Rama's journey in the ancient Sanskrit epic, Ramayana. Buddhists hold that Mount Kailash is the home of Samvara, a guardian deity. Buddhists believe that Mount Kailash has supernatural powers that are able to clean the sins of a lifetime of any person. Followers of Jainism believe that Kailash is the site where the founder of Jainism reached enlightenment. Bon Po teaches that Mount Kailash is the home of a wind goddess. Followers of Sikhism believe the 1st Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak arrived at Mount Kailash during the 3rd Uddasi (divine journey) and debated with the Siddhas.

Mount Meru is a cosmic mountain which is described to be one of the highest points on Earth and is the centre of all creation in Indian religions. In the Hindu religion, it is believed that Meru is home to the deities Shiva and Parvati. In Indian classical mythology, it is believed that the sun, moon, and stars all revolve around Mount Meru. Folklore suggests the mountain rose up from the ground piercing the heavens, giving it the moniker "the navel of the universe".

### Vietnam

In Vietnam, the Ba Vì mountain range is called "the lord of mountains" (núi chúa) in the Vietnamese spirit though it is not the highest mountain range in Vietnam. In addition, there is the Bảy Núi mountain range - a sacred mountain range in Southern Vietnam, considered the place where Maitreya Buddha opened the Hội Long Hoa, the final judgment, ending the hạ ngươn period (the end of the Dharma) and opened a thượng ngươn new life of happiness and peace. An indicator sign is that by that time, from the treasure mountain (Bửu Sơn) will emit a wonderful fragrance (Kỳ Hương).

### Albania

The cult of the mountain and mountain tops is widespread among Albanians. Pilgrimages to sacred mountains take place regularly during the year. This ancient practice is still preserved today, notably in Tomorr, Pashtrik, Lybeten, Gjallicë, Rumia, Koritnik, Shkëlzen, Mount Krujë, Shelbuem, Këndrevicë, Maja e Hekurave, Shëndelli and many others. In Albanian folk beliefs the mountain worship is strictly related to the cult of Nature in general, and the cult of the Sun, the earth and water in particular. Every mountain is said to have its own nymph (Zana e malit), who get their specific name according to the top of the mountain where the nymphs stay. For instance Mount Pashtrik is the dwelling of Zana e Pashtrikut.

## List of sacred mountains

A non-exhaustive alphabetical list of sacred mountains is as follows:

- Aconcagua – Argentina

- Adam's peak (Sri Pada) – Sri Lanka. The second highest mountain in the country and is regarded as sacred by four religions of Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and native Chinese faith

- Áhkká – Sweden. Regarded by the Sámi people as a holy mountain

- Arunachala – Tamil Nadu, India

- Ba Vì mountain range – Vietnam

- Bảy Núi – Vietnam

- Bear Butte – South Dakota, United States

- Black Hills – South Dakota, United States

- Burkhan Khaldun – Mongolia

- Ceahlău Massif – Romania. The most important peak is Toaca (1904 m altitude)

- Chandranath Hill – Bangladesh. Sacred for Hindus because of the Chandranath Temple

- Croagh Patrick – Ireland

- Dakpa Sheri – Tibet, China

- Devils Tower - Wyoming, United States

- Emei Shan – Yunnan, China. One of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China

- Gangkhar Puensum - Bhutan

- Girnar Parvat - Gujarat, India. A holy mountain for Hindus and Jains

- Gyeryongsan – South Korea

- Hua Shan – China. The "Western Mountain" of the Five Great Mountains of China

- Huang Shan (Yellow Mountain(s)) – China

- Jabal al-Nour – Saudi Arabia

- Jabal Thawr – Saudi Arabia. The mountain cave where Muhammad and his companion Abu Bakr hid from Quraish during migration to Medina

- Jirisan – South Korea

- Machu Picchu, Huayna Picchu, and other mountains were sacred to the Inca locals

- Mauna Loa / Mauna Kea – Hawaii, United States. Volcanic eruptions were thought to be a result from the Hawaiian Goddess of fire Pele (deity) when in argument with her siblings

- Montserrat – Spain

- Monte Cavo (Monte Albano) – Italy. Considered sacred by the Ancient Romans

- Mount Akhun – Sochi, Russia. The sacred mountain of Ubykhia

- Mount Aqraa (Zaphon) – Turkey-Syria border

- Mount Ararat – Eastern Anatolia Region, Turkey. Highly sacred to Armenians and is alleged to be the site of Noah's ark. Holy to the Armenian Apostolic Church

- Mount Arayat – Philippines

- Mount Athos – also known as the Holy Mountain, Greece

- Mount Banahaw – Philippines

- Mount Carmel – Israel

- Mount Damavand – Iran

- Mount Diwata – Philippines

- Mount Ecclesia – Oceanside, California, United States. A high mesa with a holy solar temple, spiritual healing ceremonies, and a record of spiritual visions

- Mount Etna – Italy

- Mount Everest – China-Nepal border

- Mount Fuji – Japan

- Mount Gerizim – West Bank, Palestine. As claimed taught to be the location of the Holy of Holies by God to the Samaritans

- Mount Graham – Arizona, United States. Considered by the Apache to be sacred. Believed to be Stargate by some. Site of court battle between the Vatican Observatory, and Apache

- Mount Jerai - Malaysia

- Mount Kailash – Tibet, China. Sacred to Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Bön

- Mount Kenya – Kenya, traditionally sacred to the Kikuyu people in Kenya

- Mount Kilimanjaro – Tanzania. Sacred to the Chaga people who believe god Ruwa resides on the top

- Mount Kinabalu (Aki Nabalu) – Malaysia sacred to Kadazan-Dusun people of Sabah

- Mount Lantoy – Philippines

- Mount Lao – China. Culturally significant due to its long affiliation with Taoism and is often regarded as one of the "cradles of Taoism"

- Mount Makiling – Philippines

- Mount Murud – Malaysia. Highest mountain in Sarawak. Sacred to Lun Bawang people in their Christian faith

- Mount of Olives – Jerusalem, Israel/Palestine

- Mount Tacoma /Mount Rainier – Washington state, United States. Decade volcano sacred to indigenous tribes to it being a "mother's breast" that nourishes the land with fresh water

- Mount Roraima – Brazil-Guyana-Venzuala border

- Mount San Cristobal – The Philippines

- Mount Shasta – California, United States

- Mount Sinai – Egypt

- Mount Tabor – Israel

- Mount Taranaki – New Zealand

- Mount Tomorr – Albania

- Mount Vesuvius – Italy

- Mount Zion – Jerusalem, Israel/Palestine

- Nanda Devi – India

- Nevado Ojos del Salado – Chile-Argentina border. Highest volcano on Earth and the highest peak in Chile

- Odaesan – South Korea

- Mount Paektu – North Korea-China border. Sacred to all Koreans, also a subject of the North Korean cult of personality

- Parasnath Shikharji - one of the holiest Jain pilgrim sites in India

- Phnom Kulen – Cambodia

- Mount Sahand – Iran

- Mount Sinjar – Iraq, sacred to the Yazidis

- Sulayman Mountain – Kyrgyzstan

- Taebaeksan – South Korea

- Tai Shan – China. The eastern mountain of the Sacred Mountains of China

- Teide – Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. Sacred to the aboriginal Guanches

- Temple Mount – Jerusalem, Israel/Palestine

- Uluru (Ayers Rock) – Northern Territory, Australia

- Velliangiri - India

- Villarrica - Chile

- Wudang Shan – China. One of the “Four Sacred Mountains of Taoism” in China

- Seshachala mountains- India world's richest temple located here and holy place for Hindus. Refered as kaliyug vaikuntam

## Conservation

Sacred mountains often have restricted access. Climbing has been banned from Mount Kailash, the source of four major rivers in India, which are also protected from pollution.

A large forest has been preserved due to its proximity to Mount Kōya -san.

In the Sacramento Valley in the United States, Shasta Mountain was first revered by the Native American tribe, the Wintu. The Wintu tribe has voiced concerns and asked for support from the government to regulate the activities practiced on the mountain, saying that "they are disturbed by the lack of respect" shown for the piece of land. There is an ongoing debate on whether the more vulnerable and "spiritually desirable" places of the mountain should be closed and maintained only by the Wintu tribe, who see this land as a sacred graveyard of their ancestors, or open to all who seek spiritual fulfillment such as the modern-day group of the I AM.


Timothy Shriver

# Timothy Shriver

## Abstract

Timothy Perry Shriver (born August 29, 1959) is an American disability rights activist, film producer, and former educator who has been Chairman of Special Olympics since 1996 and is the founder of UNITE. He is a member of a member of the prominent Shriver and Kennedy families, as the third child of Eunice Kennedy Shriver (who founded the Special Olympics), and Sargent Shriver, who helped found the Peace Corps.

## Early life and education

Timothy Shriver was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Sargent Shriver, a former United States Ambassador to France and the Democratic Party's vice-presidential candidate in 1972, and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the founder of Special Olympics. He was raised as a Catholic along with his siblings, Bobby Shriver, Maria Shriver, Mark Shriver, and Anthony Shriver. He is a member of the Kennedy Family through his mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, a younger sister of President John F. Kennedy.

Shriver graduated from St. Albans School. He received his B.A. from Yale University in 1981, his M.A. in religion and religious education from The Catholic University of America in 1988, and his Ph.D. in education from the University of Connecticut in 1996. He participated in the 1997 class of the Global Leaders for Tomorrow program hosted by the World Economic Forum.

## Career

Shriver spent 15 years in public education—some in special education—as a teacher. He served as a high school teacher in the New Haven, Connecticut public school system, and as a counselor and teacher in the University of Connecticut branch of the Upward Bound program for disadvantaged youth. He became a Fellow at the School Development Program at the Yale Child Study Center.

He was instrumental in establishing the Social Development Project at the public schools in New Haven, Connecticut and also established the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

He was the executive producer on The Ringer, a co-producer on Amistad and the Disney movie The Loretta Claiborne Story, and has served as a producer or co-producer on shows for the American Broadcasting Company, the National Broadcasting Corporation, and the TNT cable channel. He is currently a board member of Malaria No More, a New York-based nonprofit that was launched at the 2006 White House Summit with the goal of ending all deaths caused by malaria.

He is currently the Chairman of Special Olympics. Timothy and his brother Anthony Shriver have recently aligned the Special Olympics and Best Buddies (founded by Anthony Shriver), to create the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Challenge event, aimed to encourage greater acceptance and inclusion for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, a condition that affected their late aunt Rosemary Kennedy. Shriver has served on the Board of Directors of The Future Project, a national initiative to empower young people to discover their passion and change the world, since its founding. And he has written a memoir Fully Alive: Discovering What Matters Most, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (2014).

In recent years, Shriver stepped down as CEO from the Special Olympics to launch UNITE, a national initiative for bringing Americans across divides together in common purpose to address universal challenges that can only be solved together.

### Activism

As chairman of Special Olympics, Timothy Shriver has campaigned against mocking of and discrimination against participants in Special Olympics. He has specifically argued against use of what he calls "the R word," meaning retarded, stating that the word, "retard", is very offensive and people with intellectual disabilities should be respected and treated like all other people.

In 2008, Shriver and supporters called for a boycott of the movie Tropic Thunder, claiming that it mocks people with mental disabilities. The movie is written, produced by, and stars Ben Stiller. In a commentary for CNN, Shriver wrote in part,

Together with the members of the international coalition, I am asking Steven Spielberg, Stacey Snider, Ben Stiller and the entire "Tropic Thunder" team to stop showing the film, and asking movie theaters and moviegoers to shut this movie out. "Tropic Thunder" is a colossal blunder. Don't show or see "Tropic Thunder."The degrading use of the word "retard" together with the broader humiliation of people with intellectual disabilities in the film goes way too far. When the R-word is casually bandied about and when bumbling, clueless caricatures designed to mimic the behavior of people with intellectual disabilities are on screen, they have an unmistakable outcome: They mock, directly or indirectly, people with intellectual disabilities. They perpetuate the worst stereotypes. They further exclusion and isolation. They are simply mean.

## Fully Alive: Discovering What Matters Most

In November 2014, Shriver released a book called Fully Alive: Discovering What Matters Most.

## Personal life

Shriver married Linda Potter (born January 13, 1956) on May 31, 1986 at Dahlgren Chapel on the Georgetown University campus. They reside in Chevy Chase, Maryland and have five children: Sophia Rose Shriver (born 1987); Timothy Perry Shriver, Jr. (born 1988); Samuel Kennedy Shriver (born 1992); Kathleen Francis Shriver (born 1994); Caroline Elizabeth Shriver (born 1997).

Linda Potter is the great-granddaughter of Archibald D. Russell, a great-great-granddaughter of Percy Rivington Pyne I, and a great-great-great-granddaughter of Dr. James Russell, a former president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and Moses Taylor, who was one of the greatest railroad, iron, and coal company financiers and was president of National City Bank for 27 years. She is also a direct descendant of the merchant Russell Sturgis (1750-1826), Elizabeth (née Perkins) Sturgis (a sister of merchant Thomas Handasyd Perkins), Walter Rutherfurd (1723–1804) and Catherine Alexander (1727–1801), daughter of James Alexander and Mary Spratt Provoost. Her sister Isabel Tweedy Potter is married to Richard S. Aldrich Jr, a grandson of Richard S. Aldrich, who served in Congress from 1923 to 1933, a great-grandson of Nelson W. Aldrich, who served as a Senator from Rhode Island and a great-nephew of Abby Aldrich, who became the wife of financier and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr.

## Awards and honors

- 2022 Honorary degree from Georgetown University

- 2019 Honorary degree from Fordham University

- 2012 Honorary degree from Villanova University

- 2011 Honorary degree from La Salle University

- Honorary degree from University of Connecticut

- Honorary degree from Niagara University

- Honorary degree from Albertus Magnus College

- The Medal of the City of Athens, Greece

- 1995 Connecticut Citizen of the Year.

- Honorary degree from Loyola University

- Honorary degree from New England College

- The Order de Manuel Amador Guerrera of the Republic of Panama

- Presidential Medallion from University of Illinois

- Honorary degree from Springfield College

- Walter Camp 2015 "Distinguished American"

- Honorary degree from Saint Peter's University

## Board membership

- American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

- Board of the Education Commission of the States' Compact for Learning and Citizenship

- Chairman, Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning

- Council on Foreign Relations

- The Edison Schools Incorporated

- The Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

- Board of Advisors for HealthCorps

- Chairman UNESCO at IT Tralee (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)