Carleton College

The school is an independent, non-sectarian, coeducational, liberal arts college with about 1900 students. The College respects its historical ties and gives continuing recognition to them through membership in the Council for Higher Education of the United Church of Christ.

Several of Carleton's properties deserve some historical recognition. Carleton's Goodsell Observatory, built in 1887, is on the national registry of historic places. Its arboretum, purchased in the 1920s during difficult financial times by then president Donald J. Cowling, was first called "Cowling's Folly" and later called his legacy. It consists of approximately 880 acres of forest, floodplain, and many miles of trail. Finally, an intricate series of heated underground tunnels connect all campus buildings, though they have not been in general use since 1988 due to safety concerns.

One of the more unique features of Carleton's campus life is its focus on traditions. Many of these are pranks, such as (illegally) painting Northfield's water tower in a caricature of the dean or other less offensive patterns. (A remarkably accurate likeness of President Clinton was painted the night before his commencement speech, and repainted very early the following morning. Clinton mentioned in his address that he "would've liked to see it.") Streaking is also a ubiquitous phenomenon, even in occasionally arctic temperatures. More perplexingly, a bust of Friedrich Schiller appears frequently and randomly at campus events, most notably dangled from a chain attached to a helicopter at a football game against Northfield rival St. Olaf College.

Carleton is nationally recognized as a substantial academic force. It is consistently ranked in the (admittedly dubious) U.S. News and World Reports college rankings within the top five liberal arts schools. Carleton competes in quizbowl and won the 1999 National Academic Quiz Tournaments undergraduate championship.

Carleton's varsity sports teams are competitive, but none has won such national acclaim as the student-run frisbee clubs, most notably the Carleton Ultimate Team (CUT) and the Gods of Plastic (GOP), are national forces. CUT has qualified yearly for nationals since the late 80s, and won the national championship in 2001 after several years of being the "perennial bridesmaid"

Paul Wellstone was a professor at Carleton before becoming a Senator.

External links

• Carleton College
• Historical Timeline 1866-1891
• Cowling Arboretum
• Carleton Ultimate Team (CUT)
• Carleton College Gods of Plastic (GOP)

Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada was formerly known as 'Carleton College.

Referenced By