Gallaudet University
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Gallaudet University ( ) is a
private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
federally chartered
research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kn ...
in Washington, D.C. for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. It was the first school for the advanced education of the deaf and hard of hearing in the world and remains the only higher education institution in which all programs and services are specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students. Hearing students are admitted to the graduate school and a small number are also admitted as undergraduates each year. The university was named after
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (December 10, 1787 – September 10, 1851) was an American educator. Along with Laurent Clerc and Mason Cogswell, he co-founded the first permanent institution for the education of the deaf in North America, and he bec ...
, a notable figure in the advancement of deaf education. Gallaudet University is officially bilingual, with
American Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that is expre ...
(ASL) and written
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
used for instruction and by the college community. Although there are no specific ASL proficiency requirements for undergraduate admission, many graduate programs require varying degrees of knowledge of the language as a prerequisite. It is
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among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".


History


Early history (1856–1900)

In 1856,
philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
and former
United States postmaster general The United States Postmaster General (PMG) is the chief executive officer of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The PMG is responsible for managing and directing the day-to-day operations of the agency. The PMG is selected and appointed by ...
Amos Kendall Amos Kendall (August 16, 1789 – November 12, 1869) was an American lawyer, journalist and politician. He rose to prominence as editor-in-chief of the '' Argus of Western America'', an influential newspaper in Frankfort, the capital of the U.S ...
became aware of several deaf and blind children in Washington, D.C., who were not receiving proper care. Kendall had the courts declare the children to be his wards and donated of his land to establish housing and a school for them. The school was established in 1857 with considerable efforts being made by several concerned citizens, including Edward Miner Gallaudet, of Washington, D.C. Two houses were used at the school's inception, one purchased and one rented. In 1857, the
34th Congress The 34th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1855, ...
passed H.R. 806, which chartered the
grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
as the Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind and funded tuition costs for indigent deaf, dumb (
mute Muteness is a speech disorder in which a person lacks the ability to speak. Mute or the Mute may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Mute'' (2005 film), a short film by Melissa Joan Hart * ''Mute'' (2018 film), a scien ...
), or blind children belonging to the
District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle (Washington, D.C.), Logan Circle, Jefferson Memoria ...
. Edward Miner Gallaudet was the first superintendent of the new school. On November 1, 1858, the First Annual Report was submitted to the Secretary of the Interior. During the school's second full year of operation (1858–1859), 14 deaf students and 7 blind students were in attendance. Superintendent Gallaudet, anticipating the future growth of the school, requested money for more buildings, lamenting the fact that the money was not issued in the year prior, due to federal budget problems. The Second Annual Report was submitted November 5, 1859. During the third academic year (1859–1860), Kendall beseeched the federal government for funds to relocate the school to more spacious grounds. Gallaudet praised Kendall for donating money needed to construct a new brick building; both existing school buildings were already at capacity. There were 24 deaf students, necessitating a second teacher of the deaf. The teacher of the 6 blind students resigned due to health concerns. By the start of the 1860–1861 academic year, the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...
had been in progress for over six months. Gallaudet reported that the students were safe and free from fear. There were 35 deaf students and 6 blind students in attendance during the academic year. An art teacher was hired for the first time. During 1861–1862, new monies provided for industrial education were used to rent a nearby shop in order to teach cabinet-making to the male students. Plans were underway to construct a new building using $9,000 that Congress appropriated to the school. There were 35 deaf students and 6 blind students. During vacation in August a regiment of Union troops used the brick building for a hospital, and some of the students who stayed over the summer helped with tending to the sick soldiers. One soldier died. For the first time, Gallaudet proposed expanding the school to create a college for deaf students. Even with new construction completed for the 1862–1863 school year, the school was still at capacity and more money was needed to purchase of adjoining land and then build still more buildings. Gallaudet asked for money to pipe in water from the
Anacostia River The Anacostia River is a river in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States. It flows from Prince George's County in Maryland into Washington, D.C., where it joins with the Washington Channel to empty into the Potomac River at Buzzard Poin ...
, as the existing cistern and well were inadequate for the school's burgeoning needs. College-level courses were offered for the first time during the 1863–64 academic year. In early 1864, the
38th Congress The 38th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1863, ...
authorized the institution to grant and confirm college degrees and an enabling act was signed by
President Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
on April 8. Today, April 8 is celebrated at Gallaudet as ''Charter Day'' in commemoration of the official beginning of Gallaudet University. The collegiate department became known as the National College for the Deaf and Dumb from 1864 to 1865 and then would be known as the National Deaf-Mute College until 1894. In recognition of his hard work in helping the institution grow during its formative years, Gallaudet was also promoted from superintendent to president. An elaborate inauguration ceremony of Gallaudet as president was held in June with
Laurent Clerc Louis Laurent Marie Clerc (; 26 December 1785 – 18 July 1869) was a French teacher called "The Apostle of the Deaf in America" and was regarded as the most renowned deaf person in American Deaf History. He was taught by Abbé Sicard and de ...
in attendance. of land was purchased with money supplied by the government. He continued to push for funds for expansion and new buildings. The enrollment numbers increased rapidly during the 1864–1865 academic year. That same year, in early 1865, the 38th Congress removed the provision that the institution was to educate the blind, and renamed it the Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb. (This would be the corporate name for the entire institution, including the collegiate division, until 1911, when the legal name was changed to the Columbia Institution for the Deaf.) Gallaudet asked the government for money to accomplish several projects, including the construction of an ice house and a gas house, sewer lines, and more. Major construction from earlier projects continued on campus. Following Gallaudet's proposal a year earlier to discontinue services for the small number of blind students the institution had at the time, explaining that the blind students would be better served at a specialized facility, the blind students were henceforth transferred to the school for the blind in
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,
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. During the 1865–1866 academic year, Gallaudet responded to criticism from supporters of the oral method in Massachusetts, saying that oral instruction is usually of little value to congenitally deaf children. Gallaudet proposed that a representative of the school be sent to Europe to study the methods employed there, in order to determine which types of instructional methods might be added to those methods already being used successfully at the Columbia Institution and other American schools. Combined enrollment of all levels of instruction, including the collegiate level, exceeded 100 for the first time during this year. There were 25 students enrolled in the college, including students from 14 states. Edward Allen Fay joined the faculty as a professor of history, having learned to sign as a child. In the 1866–1867 academic year, the building for the primary school was extended and sickness was thereby reduced. A mathematics professor was hired for the first time. More money was needed to accommodate additional students expected to swell the ranks of the school. Gallaudet gave a lengthy account of his travels to Europe in 1867 and was very critical of the extent to which speech is taught to deaf children in European schools for the deaf. Nevertheless, he recommended that a limited amount of speech training be afforded to deaf students in America to those who show they can benefit. His travels took him to:
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. The biggest educational conference in the then-history of deaf education was held during the month of May 1868 in Washington, D.C., largely made up of principals of schools for the deaf. Fourteen of the twenty-two schools for the deaf were represented. The chief topic of discussion was the recommendations put forth by Edward Gallaudet regarding adding articulation lessons to schools' curricula. In 1868–1869, the first students completed a full course of college studies, all three men graduating with bachelor's degrees in June. The founder of the school, Amos Kendall, died in November 1869. Gallaudet delivered a eulogy at the board meeting in January 1870. The main central building, now called Chapel Hall, was partially completed, with rooms in the basement and on the first floor first being used. Plans were being made to purchase Amos Kendall's estate, which adjoined the grounds of the school. Gallaudet cautioned Congress that Kendall's heirs had plans to subdivide the property if it was not sold to the Columbia Institution, and hence the land would never again become available for purchase as a whole. In the 1871–1872 academic year, the diplomas of the graduates that summer were signed by President
U.S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General of the United States ...
, beginning a tradition of all Gallaudet graduates having their diplomas signed by the then-serving US president. In 1881, Laura Sheridan, a hearing woman, inquired about the school accepting women. She was told that deaf women could not enter the institution at the time. In 1887 Gallaudet agreed to allow women to matriculate for the 1887-1888 and 1888–1889 academic years with the understanding that it would be considered an experiment. Temporary living arrangements were made for the 11 students who initially entered. Five female students remained when the school announced in 1889 that the college would be permanently coeducational, with two graduating. One of the students was Agatha Tiegel in the class of 1893, who later married the well-known deaf architect
Olof Hanson Olof Hanson may refer to: * Olof Hanson (architect) Olof Hanson (September 10, 1862 – September 8, 1933) was a deaf Swedish architect. Background Olof Hanson was born in Fjälkinge, Skåne County, Sweden. His father was a well-to-do farmer ...
. In 1894, the collegiate division was officially renamed Gallaudet College from the National Deaf-Mute College in honor of
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (December 10, 1787 – September 10, 1851) was an American educator. Along with Laurent Clerc and Mason Cogswell, he co-founded the first permanent institution for the education of the deaf in North America, and he bec ...
, President Gallaudet's father. File:NORTH ELEVATION - Gallaudet College, Chapel Hall, Seventh and Florida Avenue Northeast, Washington, District of Columbia, DC HABS DC,WASH,428A-4.tif, Exterior view of the Chapel File:CHAPEL, VIEW TOWARD CHOIR - Gallaudet College, Chapel Hall, Seventh and Florida Avenue Northeast, Washington, District of Columbia, DC HABS DC,WASH,428A-5.tif, Inside the chapel, view toward the Choir File:CHAPEL, VIEW TOWARD PULPIT - Gallaudet College, Chapel Hall, Seventh and Florida Avenue Northeast, Washington, District of Columbia, DC HABS DC,WASH,428A-6.tif, Inside the chapel, view toward the Pulpit File:SOUTH (MAIN) ELEVATION, VIEW TAKEN FROM PARK ACROSS ROAD - Gallaudet College, Chapel Hall, Seventh and Florida Avenue Northeast, Washington, District of Columbia, DC HABS DC,WASH,428A-3.tif, Chapel Hall File:GENERAL VIEW - Gallaudet College, Seventh and Florida Avenue Northeast, Washington, District of Columbia, DC HABS DC,WASH,428-1.tif, Campus view looking south toward Faculty Row


20th century

In 1911, Congress amended the charter of the institution, changing the corporate name to Columbia Institution for the Deaf. It would remain the legal name for the institution until 1954, when Congress amended the charter to rename it Gallaudet College, which had been the official name of the collegiate department since 1894. During his 17 years as Dean of the college in the 1950s and 1960s, George Ernst Detmold was a significant figure in helping the college achieve accreditation. He also led the college in developing new departments, especially drama. He directed Gallaudet theater productions, which eventually led to starting the
National Theatre of the Deaf The National Theatre of the Deaf (NTD) is a Connecticut-based theatre company founded in 1967, and is the oldest theatre company in the United States with a continuous history of domestic and international touring, as well as producing original wo ...
. In 1965, professors at Gallaudet compiled the first-ever dictionary of ASL signs. In 1986, Congress again amended the charter of the institution, renaming it Gallaudet University., "EDUCATION OF THE DEAF"


Deaf President Now (1988)

Student strikes at Gallaudet University starting March 6, 1988, revolutionized the perception and education of Deaf culture. Deaf students were outraged at the selection of another hearing president, Elisabeth Zinser; the university had never selected a deaf person for this position. Alumni, faculty, staff, and students demanded that the next president of the university be deaf. After a week of protest and activism, Zinser resigned and was replaced by I. King Jordan. This movement became known as ''Deaf President Now'' (DPN).


Unity for Gallaudet Movement (2006)

Jordan announced his retirement in September 2005. On May 1, 2006, the university's board of trustees announced that Jane Fernandes, the university's then-current provost, would be the university's next president. This was met with protests from the student body – in person, on campus, and in internet blogs and forums. Initially, students cited the lack of racial diversity among finalists, Fernandes's lack of warmth, and her lack of fluency in
American Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that is expre ...
. Jordan publicly accused some critics of rejecting Fernandes because "she is not deaf enough." He described the protest as "
identity politics Identity politics is a political approach wherein people of a particular race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social background, social class, or other identifying factors develop political agendas that are based upon these i ...
", saying, "We are squabbling about what it means to be deaf." ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'' reported that Fernandes "would like to see the institution become more inclusive of people who might not have grown up using sign language," stating that Gallaudet must embrace "all kinds of deaf people." Those who opposed her said that they feared a "weakening of American Sign Language at an institution that should be its standard-bearer." Protesters said Fernandes distorted their arguments and that the protest centered on her inability to lead, an unfair selection process and longstanding problems at the school. In the spring 2006 protest, students blocked entrances to the Gallaudet campus, held rallies, and set up tents near the university's main entrance. Fernandes, appointed to serve as president-designate until Jordan retired, said that she would not step down. On May 8, the faculty gave a vote of no confidence for Fernandes. When the fall 2006 academic year resumed, some students, faculty, staff, and alumni continued their protest, calling for Fernandes to step down and for the presidential search to be done again. On October 11, a group of protesting students shut down the campus. On October 16 at a regularly scheduled meeting, faculty members voted 138 to 24 to block Fernandes from becoming president of Gallaudet University. Fernandes said, "I really don't understand so I have to believe it's not about me. ... I believe it's about evolution and change and growth in the deaf community." On October 29, the university withdrew the appointment of Fernandes. In an opinion piece in ''The Washington Post'', Jordan defended Fernandes's remarks and denounced the board's decision and the actions of the protesters, saying, "I am convinced that the board made a serious error in acceding to the demands of the protesters by terminating Fernandes's presidency before it began."Gallaudet Chooses Interim President
, ''Washington Post'', December 11, 2006
On December 10, 2006, the Board of Trustees announced that Robert Davila would serve as interim president for a period of up to two years. He was formally installed on May 9, 2007, during a ceremony that included a speech by D.C. Congressional Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, who spoke positively of the 2006 protest. He stepped down on December 31, 2009. On June 29, 2007, in the aftermath of the controversy over the university's presidency, Gallaudet was temporarily placed on probation by its
accreditation Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...
organization, the Commission on Higher Education of the
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (Middle States Association or MSA) was a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association that performed peer evaluation and regional accreditation of public and private schools in the Mid-Atl ...
. It was also reported that in 2006, the
Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, pol ...
had found that "Gallaudet failed to meet its goals or showed declining performance in key areas, including the number of students who stay in school, graduate and either pursue graduate degrees or find jobs upon graduation."On Probation
, Washington Post, July 14, 2007.
In January 2007, former president Jordan wrote an editorial on the topic that appeared in the Washington Post. The Middle States Commission later reaffirmed Gallaudet's accreditation on June 27, 2008. On October 18, 2009, the Board of Trustees announced that Gallaudet's tenth president would be
T. Alan Hurwitz Dr. T. Alan Hurwitz (born September 17, 1942) is an American educator who served as the tenth President of Gallaudet University from 2010 to 2015. He is the first person born deaf, and first Jew, to hold this position. Previously, he served as Pre ...
. He began his tenure on January 1, 2010, and served until he retired on December 31, 2015, succeeded by
Roberta Cordano Roberta "Bobbi" Cordano (born November 29, 1963) is the 11th president of Gallaudet University. Cordano is the first deaf woman to become president of Gallaudet University, the first deaf woman to become president of a U.S. university, and the ...
, the eleventh president.


Congressional charter

The university acknowledges that it "is a congressionally created corporation that serves governmental objectives." The university and the
US Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...
explain that Gallaudet has been structured by the Federal Government to take the form of a "federally chartered, private, non-profit educational institution." The federal government plays various roles within the institution: * Congress incorporated the Columbia Institution in 1857, significantly amended its charter in 1954, and authorized permanent congressional appropriations. In 1986, Congress passed the Education of the Deaf Act and amended it in 1992. These Congressional acts are part of "the supreme law of Gallaudet University." * Gallaudet must obtain authorization from the secretary of the US Department of Education in order to sell or transfer title of any of its real property. * The diplomas of all Gallaudet graduates are signed by the current U.S. president, which dates from President
U.S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General of the United States ...
signing students' diplomas in 1869. * Three members of Congress are appointed to the university's board of trustees as "Public Members." * Gallaudet must provide annual reports to the secretary of education. * "Gallaudet receives the bulk of its income in the form of an annual appropriation from Congress, and the Department of Education oversees the University's appropriation for the Federal government." * Gallaudet University (and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf) are authorized to make purchases through the
General Services Administration The General Services Administration (GSA) is an independent agency of the United States government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. GSA supplies products and communications for U.S. gover ...
. Gallaudet's Fifty-Fifth Annual Report contains an appendix that includes the text of 99 Federal Acts related to Gallaudet/Columbia which were enacted between 1857 and 1912.


Presidential visits

There have been 15 occasions to date in Gallaudet's history when a US president has visited either the campus or attended an official function off campus. President Johnson's second visit, in 1966, was unannounced and impromptu. President Taft had promised to attend President Percival Hall's installation on May 10, 1911, and give an address, but cancelled at the last minute before the ceremony. President Kennedy had planned to attend the centennial celebration at Gallaudet in 1964, but was
assassinated Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...
. * President
Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union A ...
, 1870 and 1871. * President
Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governo ...
, 1877, 1878, 1879, and 1880. * President James A. Garfield, 1881. * President Chester A. Arthur, 1882. * President
Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...
, 1885. * President
Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...
, 1889 (two visits, May and June). * President
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
, 1906. * President Lyndon Baines Johnson, 1964 and 1966. * President
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...
, 1994.


Academics

Several programs and majors are offered at Gallaudet University. The five most popular majors are business, visual and performing arts, communication studies, physical education, and psychology. Gallaudet University offers thirty graduate programs in ten Departments as well as on-line and on-campus continuing education courses. Over 90 percent of the classes offered at Gallaudet University contain fewer than 20 students. The freshman retention rate at the university is 69–77 percent, the four-year graduation rate is 17–27 percent, and the six-year graduation rate is 43–53 percent (for freshmen entering 2008–2012). Classes are conducted in ASL with no spoken English, and curriculum materials are designed in both ASL and English. The classrooms are visually-oriented, and are organized around the philosophy of DeafSpace, such as all the desks arranged in a circle so that all students and teachers can see one another for discussions. If a professor needs to get the attention of the classroom, they will flash a light signal.


Campus


Historic designations

The Gallaudet campus, comprising the
Gallaudet College Historic District The Gallaudet College Historic District is a National Historic Landmark District encompassing the historic early campus of Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. Gallaudet is the first school of higher education to be devoted to the education of ...
, has been designated a historic place on several registries and surveys: * Gallaudet College Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. * District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites (listings added in 1964 and 1973). * National Historic Landmarks designation (added 1965). * Historic American Buildings Survey (added 1933).


Pre-college education

The campus is shared with Kendall Demonstration Elementary School, a day school serving deaf and hard of hearing students from birth through grade 8, and the Model Secondary School for the Deaf, a day and residential high school for deaf and hard of hearing students. Gallaudet also operates a child development center with admissions priority for children of faculty, staff, and students. Separate from the KDES Early Childhood Program, the child development center is inclusive of, but not exclusively for, deaf and hard-of-hearing children.


Redevelopment of campus (2015–2024)

In October 2014, the Gallaudet University board of trustees announced a 10-year, $450 million development of its campus along 6th Street NE. The development, which includes both campus property as well as college-owned residential and retail property across the street, will be overseen by JBG Smith.


Athletics

Gallaudet athletic teams are the Bison. The university is a member of the Division III level of the
National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...
(NCAA), primarily competing as a core member of the United East Conference (formerly known as the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) until after the 2020–21 academic year) for most its sports since the 2010–11 academic year; in the
Eastern Collegiate Football Conference The Eastern Collegiate Football Conference is a football-only intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Founded in 2009, it combines six schools spread across the states of Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Y ...
for football; and as Independents for their men's and women's swimming & diving and track & field teams. The Bison previously competed in the
Capital Athletic Conference The Coast to Coast Athletic Conference (C2C; officially stylized as Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference), formerly named Capital Athletic Conference (CAC), is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member ...
from 1989–90 to 2009–10. Their colors are
buff Buff or BUFF may refer to: People * Buff (surname), a list of people * Buff (nickname), a list of people * Johnny Buff, ring name of American world champion boxer John Lisky (1888–1955) * Buff Bagwell, a ring name of American professional w ...
and
blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...
, which were chosen after Union soldiers' uniforms in the Civil War. Gallaudet competes in 16 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, soccer, swimming and track & field (indoor and outdoor); while women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, swimming, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball. Club sports include cheerleading for both men and women.


Facilities

The football and soccer teams play at
Hotchkiss Field Gallaudet University ( ) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. It was the first sc ...
with the track and field teams using Berg Track located within Hotchkiss Field for track meets. Basketball and volleyball use the
GU Field House Gallaudet University ( ) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. It was the first sc ...
for home games. Hoy Field is home to the baseball team and the
GU Softball Complex Gallaudet University ( ) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. It was the first ...
hosts the softball team.


Women's basketball

Gallaudet women's basketball made its biggest splash in 1999, with a group of players from the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf among those leading the way. Ronda Jo Miller, most certainly the greatest women's basketball player in the program's history, was a three-time Division III All-America selection, as well as one of the top women's volleyball players. Under the leadership of coach Kitty Baldridge, Miller, Touria Ouahid, Ronda Johnson and Jenny Cooper led the Bison to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons. Receiving one of the lowest seeds as an at-large team into the Division III NCAA Tournament field, which numbered just 48 teams, the Bison traveled to St. Mary's College (Md.), the school which had just defeated them in the Capital Athletic Conference tournament, and came away with an 80–73 win. In the second round, Gallaudet faced a team from The College of New Jersey which had received a first-round bye and was highly favored, but Miller poured in 38 points, using a variety of impressive shots. The Bison advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the 1999 tournament before falling to host school Salem State College (Mass.). Miller finished with 2,656 points scored, 1,545 rebounds and 373 blocked shots, and was called "one of the best basketball players in Division III history" by the NCAA. Kevin Cook coached the team briefly to success. The team had not won a conference game in five years and even lost a game by 75 points in Cook's first year in charge. Cook's persistence on defense and discipline turned the program around. Gallaudet began the 2010–11 season on a 20-game winning streak and finished the season 24–4 (20–2 in conference play). Cook was named North Eastern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, and senior Easter Faafiti was voted NEAC Player of the Year. The 2010–11 season ended in the first round of the Division III NCAA Championships with a loss to Juniata. After a victory over Penn State-Berks in the 2010–11 season, Penn State guard Corin Bishop "said that she views the Gallaudet team as a great basketball team, not a team of deaf players." Hayes of Gallaudet later said, "I feel like there are people who stereotype us as deaf players, I'm just like everyone else who plays basketball". In an interview with Lydia Lum of ''Diverse'', he said, "Because of us, there's a growing awareness that there are differences between deaf people, but we're all the same."


Football

The
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
huddle originated at Gallaudet when the team noticed that their opponents were trying to see and read their signs in order to try to guess their plays. After an undefeated season in 2005, which was achieved after 122 years, head coach Ed Hottle began his campaign to return Gallaudet to the NCAA ranks. With support from the Gallaudet administration, the Bison played their last season of club football in 2006 and played a full NCAA slate of eight games in 2007. After the 2009 football season, Coach Hottle left to become the first head coach of the first football team at
Stevenson University Stevenson University is a private university in Baltimore County, Maryland with two campuses, one in Stevenson and one in Owings Mills. The university enrolls approximately 3,615 undergraduate and graduate students. Formerly known as Villa Julie ...
. He announced his decision in a heart-felt meeting with the football team. Offensive Coordinator Chuck Goldstein was tapped to be the interim head coach of the football team. On December 17, 2009, the interim tag was removed and he is now the permanent head coach of the team. Gallaudet University's football team has a longstanding rivalry with
Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...
, another school in the Washington, D.C., area. On September 7, 2012, Gallaudet University defeated Catholic University of America for the first time in the 106-year history of the rivalry between the two D.C. schools. In the fall of 2013, Gallaudet's football program began a remarkable run for the Division III playoffs and garnering a considerable amount of publicity, winning the regular season with a 9–1 record, before falling to Hobart College in the first round of the playoffs and ending the season with a 9–2 (.818) overall record.


Volleyball

In 2006, the
Gallaudet Gallaudet University ( ) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. It was the first sc ...
women's volleyball team ended their season 30–10 after a history-making run to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Division III tournament. Tamijo Foronda, a senior outside hitter, was named to the AVCA All-American Team.


Noted athletes

Notable athletes that have attended the university include: *
Dawn Birley Dawn Jani Birley (born 30 November 1977) is a Canadian deaf actress, television anchor, educator and a popular taekwondo practitioner. She was engaged with her sport, taekwondo in her early parts of the life before becoming a professional actor i ...
won several national Canadian
Taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...
championships.


Greek life

The campus
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
community is relatively small with only 4 fraternities and 3 sororities. The four fraternities are Kappa Gamma, Alpha Sigma Pi,
Kappa Sigma Kappa Sigma (), commonly known as Kappa Sig, is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1869. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest international fraternities with currently 318 active chapters and col ...
, and
Delta Sigma Phi Delta Sigma Phi (), commonly known as Delta Sig or D Sig, is a fraternity established in 1899 at The City College of New York (CCNY). It was the first fraternity to be founded on the basis of religious and ethnic acceptance. It is also one of th ...
. The three sororities are Delta Epsilon, Phi Kappa Zeta, and Delta Zeta.


Suspension of Kappa Gamma

After photos emerged in June 2020 of members wearing robes with pointed hoods which resembled
Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Cat ...
garb, Gallaudet University suspended the Kappa Gamma fraternity as part of the university's "work of dismantling racism". A 1989 photograph of Kappa Gamma members in appearing to give the Nazi salute had also recently resurfaced, though the school said the photograph did not contribute to the suspension. This was the fourth time the chapter had been suspended. The president of the school said "
appa Gamma Appa or APPA may refer to: Organizations * American Pet Products Association, an industry association in the United States * American Psychopathological Association, a scientific professional organization * American Philosophical Practitioners ...
have become the face of systemic racism in our community, with photographs of the salute and use of robes being shared on social media. This behavior is unacceptable.... We are in the process of reviewing other organizations and the status of their histories and their efforts to determine if further steps will need to be taken."


National Deaf Life Museum

Gallaudet is home to the National Deaf Life Museum, established in 2007 as the Gallaudet University Museum. The museum focuses on the culture and history of deaf and hard of hearing people in the United States, with special attention given to Gallaudet history and alumni. The museum is located in Chapel Hall, while museum staff are housed in the campus Gate House. Exhibits created by the museum include highlighting notable alumni such as Olof Hanson, Robert Panara, and Andrew Jackson Foster; "Deaf HERstory," focusing on the lives and activism of deaf women; and "Deaf Difference + Space Survival," highlighting the story of the "Gallaudet Eleven" who contributed to NASA's studies of motion sickness and weightlessness during the
Space Race The Space Race was a 20th-century competition between two Cold War rivals, the United States and the Soviet Union, to achieve superior spaceflight capability. It had its origins in the ballistic missile-based nuclear arms race between the t ...
.


Research

The Gallaudet Office of Research Support and International Affairs (RSIA) (formerly Gallaudet Research Institute or GRI) is internationally recognized for its leadership in deafness-related research. RSIA researchers gather and analyze data concerning the social, academic, and perceptual characteristics of deaf and hard of hearing populations, primarily to provide information needed by educators in the field. Staff are skilled in various research methodologies including surveys, test norming and assessment, ethnographic studies, clinical studies, and information management. In 2016, RSIA began hosting the Gallaudet Research Expo, to give students, faculty, and staff "the opportunity to share ideas and showcase scholarly pursuits and achievements." Presentations represent "education, linguistics, STM, neuroscience, interpretation and translation, computer science, audiology, psychology, deaf studies, and other fields that reflect Gallaudet's research priorities." The third Gallaudet RExpo will be held in October 2018.
Gallaudet University Press Gallaudet University Press (GUPress) is a publisher that focuses on issues relating to deafness and sign language. It is a part of Gallaudet University in Washington D.C., and was founded in 1980 by the university's Board of Trustees. The press is ...
publishes two academic journals, '' American Annals of the Deaf'' (est. 1847) and '' Sign Language Studies'' (est. 1972). The ''Annals'' are "the oldest and most widely read English-language journal dealing with deafness and the education of deaf persons." The Department of Psychology's chapter of
Psi Chi Psi Chi () is a college student honor society in psychology with international outreach founded in 1929 at the University of Kansas in the United States. Psi Chi is one of the largest honor societies in the United States, with more than 1,150 cha ...
publishes the journal ''Gallaudet Chronicles of Psychology''. The journal is managed and edited by graduate student members of the chapter. The ''Chronicles'' are designed to "mimic professional, peer-reviewed journals" and provides graduate students with an opportunity disseminate their original psychology research. In 2018, the chapter will be publishing the fifth volume of the ''Chronicles''. In the fall of 2010, the university's Department of Deaf Studies launched the ''Deaf Studies Digital Journal'' (DSDJ), the first peer-reviewed academic and creative arts journal in American Sign Language and English. The DSDJ itself is published in entirely video-based content and is available online. To date, only four issues of DSDJ have been released, the most recent being published in 2014.


People


Notable alumni

* Ben Bahan, actor, professor and researcher * Linda Bove, actress *
Bernard Bragg Bernard Bragg (September 27, 1928 – October 29, 2018) was a deaf actor, producer, director, playwright, artist, and author who is notable for being a co-founder of the National Theatre of the Deaf and for his contributions to Deaf performing ...
, actor *
James Caverly James "Joey" Caverly (born in 1988 or 1989) is an American actor who has been Deaf since birth. Personal life Caverly was born and raised in Royal Oak, Michigan. He has been deaf since birth and has an older sister who is also deaf, as well as ...
, actor *
John Lee Clark John Lee Clark (born 1978) is an American deafblind poet, writer, and activist from Minnesota. He is the author of ''Suddenly Slow'' (2008) and ''Where I Stand: On the Signing Community and My DeafBlind Experience'' (2014), and the editor of anth ...
, writer and activist *
Carl Croneberg Carl Gustav Arvid Olof Croneberg (April 26, 1930 – August 7, 2022) was a Swedish-American Deaf linguist known for his work on American Sign Language (ASL). Background Croneberg was born in 1930 in Norrbacka, near Stockholm, and graduated f ...
, linguist and college professor *
Robert R. Davila Dr. Robert Davila (born July 19, 1932) served as the ninth president of Gallaudet University,Pre ...
, 9th President of Gallaudet * Nyle DiMarco, American actor, model and activist *
Daniel Durant Daniel N. Durant (born December 24, 1989) is an American stage and screen actor. His breakthrough starring role was as Moritz Stiefel in the 2015 Broadway revival of '' Spring Awakening''. Durant starred in the Academy Award-winning film '' COD ...
, actor * Andrew Foster, missionary, first self-identified Black Deaf person to earn a bachelor's degree at Gallaudet *
Phyllis Frelich Phyllis Annetta Frelich (February 29, 1944 – April 10, 2014) was a Tony Award-winning deaf American actress. She was the first deaf actor or actress to win a Tony Award. Early life Frelich was born to deaf parents Esther (née Dockter) and ...
, actress *
Gertrude Scott Galloway Gertrude Scott Galloway (November 12, 1930 – July 17, 2014) was an American educator and administrator working with deaf children. She was the first female president of the National Association of the Deaf. She is among the first deaf women to ...
, educator *
Jack R. Gannon Jack Randle Gannon (November 23, 1936March 14, 2022) was an American author and historian of Deaf culture. Deaf since age eight, he had chronicled the history and culture of Deaf people and organizations around the world, most notably in his 1981 ...
, educator, coach, and author *
Tyrone Giordano Tyrone Giordano (born 1976) is a deaf American film, television, and stage actor. He is known for his roles in the musical '' Big River'' and the movie ''The Family Stone''. Early life and education Giordano was born in Hartford, Connecticut ...
, actor *
Alice Lougee Hagemeyer Alice Lougee Hagemeyer (born 1934) is a deaf American librarian who worked to make libraries more accessible for deaf people. She graduated from Gallaudet University in 1957. From 1957 to 1991 she worked for the District of Columbia Public Librar ...
, librarian *
Olof Hanson Olof Hanson may refer to: * Olof Hanson (architect) Olof Hanson (September 10, 1862 – September 8, 1933) was a deaf Swedish architect. Background Olof Hanson was born in Fjälkinge, Skåne County, Sweden. His father was a well-to-do farmer ...
, American architect * Russell Harvard, actor *
Bruce Hlibok Bruce Michael Mackintosh Hlibok (July 31, 1960 - June 23, 1995) was an American deaf actor. Early life Hlibok was born in Flushing, New York to deaf parents, Albert and Margaret Hlibok, and was the eldest of four siblings. He directed his first ...
, playwright, author, actor * I. King Jordan Jr., 8th President of Gallaudet * Barbara Kannapell, activist, consultant, sociolinguist *
Troy Kotsur Troy Michael Kotsur (; born July 24, 1968) is an American actor in theater, film, and television. His supporting role in the film ''CODA'' (2021) earned him a number of accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Scr ...
, actor *
Ella Mae Lentz Ella Mae Lentz (born May 5, 1954) is a Deaf American author, poet, teacher, and advocate. Biography Lentz was born in Berkeley, California, to two deaf parents. Her brother was also deaf. Lentz graduated from the California School for the De ...
, poet * Florence Lewis May, art historian *
Dorothy Miles Dorothy "Dot" Miles (19 August 1931 – 30 January 1993, née Squire) was a Welsh poet and activist in the deaf community. Throughout her life, she composed her poems in English, British Sign Language, and American Sign Language. Her work laid t ...
, British poet and activist * Wilma Newhoudt-Druchen, South African politician * Jane Norman, director and educator *
Robert Panara Robert F. Panara (8 July 1920 - 20 July 2014) was a poet, a professor and a co-founder of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) and the National Theater of the Deaf. Panara is considered to be a pioneer in deaf culture studies i ...
, professor of deaf culture studies *
Louise Stern Louise Stern (born 1978) is an American writer and artist, and works around ideas of language, communication and isolation. Stern grew up in an exclusively deaf community and is fourth-generation deaf on her father's side, and third-generation ...
, writer and artist *
Shoshannah Stern Shoshannah Stern (born July 3, 1980) is an American actress and writer. Life and career She was born in Walnut Creek, California, into an observant Jewish and fourth-generation Deaf culture, Deaf family, the daughter of Ron Stern and Hedy Marilyn ...
, actress * Clayton Valli, linguist *
George Veditz George William Veditz (August 13, 1861 – March 12, 1937) was a former president of National Association of the Deaf of the United States and one of the first people to film American Sign Language. Life Early life Veditz was born to Germ ...
, teacher, American Sign Language filmmaker, preserver of American Sign Language


Notable faculty


List of presidents of Gallaudet University

* Edward Miner Gallaudet (1864–1910) *
Percival Hall Percival Hall (September 16, 1872 – November 7, 1953)
was the second president of Leonard M. Elstad (1945–1969) *
Edward C. Merrill Jr. Edward C. Merrill Jr. (January 29, 1920 – January 27, 1995) was the fourth President of Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. Under his administration from 1969 to 1983, the College made preparations for the expanded population of deaf stude ...
(1969–1983) *
W. Lloyd Johns W. Lloyd Johns (born May 25, 1930) was the fifth president of Gallaudet University (then Gallaudet College) from October 1, 1983 until January 18, 1984. After the announcement of his appointment in March 1983, Johns told Gallaudet students that: ...
(October 1983 – January 1984) *
Jerry C. Lee Jerry C. Lee (born November 21, 1941) was the sixth president of Gallaudet University (Gallaudet College until 1986) from 1984 to 1988, later becoming the President of National University in La Jolla, California from 1989 to 2001 and Chancellor ...
(1984–1988) * Elisabeth A. Zinser (March 1988) * I. King Jordan Jr. (1988–2006) * Robert Davila (2006–2009) *
T. Alan Hurwitz Dr. T. Alan Hurwitz (born September 17, 1942) is an American educator who served as the tenth President of Gallaudet University from 2010 to 2015. He is the first person born deaf, and first Jew, to hold this position. Previously, he served as Pre ...
(2010–2015) *
Roberta Cordano Roberta "Bobbi" Cordano (born November 29, 1963) is the 11th president of Gallaudet University. Cordano is the first deaf woman to become president of Gallaudet University, the first deaf woman to become president of a U.S. university, and the ...
(2016–present)


See also

*
American School for the Deaf The American School for the Deaf (ASD), originally ''The American Asylum, At Hartford, For The Education And Instruction Of The Deaf'', is the oldest permanent school for the deaf in the United States, and the first school for children with dis ...
*
American Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that is expre ...
* Bilingual-bicultural education *
National Association of the Deaf (United States) The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is an organization for the promotion of the rights of deaf people in the United States. NAD was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1880 as a non-profit organization run by Deaf people to advocate for deaf ri ...
(NAD) * National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) * Willy Conley *
Andrew Foster (educator) Andrew Jackson Foster (1925–1987) was an American pioneer of deaf education in several countries in Africa. In 1969, he became the first Deaf African American to earn a bachelor's degree from Gallaudet University, the American university for th ...
*
Francis Maginn Francis Maginn (1861–1918) was a Church of Ireland missionary who worked to improve living standards for the deaf community by promoting sign language and was one of the co-founders of the British Deaf Association. Early life and education ...
* William Stokoe


References


External links

*
Official athletics website
{{authority control Private universities and colleges in Washington, D.C. Schools for the deaf in the United States Schools of deaf education in the United States Educational institutions established in 1864 Deaf universities and colleges in the United States Deaf studies Deaf culture in the United States 1864 establishments in Washington, D.C. Bilingual schools Trinidad (Washington, D.C.)