Meredith College
Main entrance and building of Meredith College | |
Motto | Lux (Latin) |
---|---|
Motto in English | Light |
Type | Private |
Established | 1891 |
Endowment | $93 million[1] |
President | Dr. Jo Allen |
Undergraduates | 2,000 |
Postgraduates | 300 |
Location | Raleigh, North Carolina, USA |
Campus | Urban |
Colors | Maroon and white |
Mascot | Avenging Angels |
Website | meredith.edu |
Meredith College is a women's liberal arts college and coeducational graduate school located in Raleigh, North Carolina. Meredith enrolls approximately 2,000 women in its undergraduate programs and 300 men and women in its graduate programs. Meredith is the largest college for undergraduate women in the southeastern United States.[2] 89% of students come from in-state.
Since 2000, Meredith College has hosted Governor's School East each summer.
History
Chartered by the First Baptist Church, the Baptist Female University opened in 1891 in a facility in downtown Raleigh. In 1904, the name was changed to Baptist University for Women. The name "Meredith College" was chosen in 1909 to honor Thomas Meredith, founder of the Biblical Recorder.
In 1997, the college moved away from a direct connection with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.[3] In 2010, the Board of Trustees revised the mission statement to say: "Meredith College, grounded in the liberal arts and committed to professional preparation, educates and inspires students to live with integrity and provide leadership for the needs, opportunities and challenges of society." [4] The trustees also adopted a revised vision statement for the college and listed the values of the college which include:
- Integrity…upholding high standards of truth and personal honor;
- Intellectual freedom…fostering a spirit of openness and inquiry, and respecting a range of perspectives and voices;
- Academic excellence…promoting scholarship, innovation, curiosity, intellectual challenge, hard work and lifelong learning;
- Responsible global citizenship…contributing positive change through ethical leadership and civic engagement;
- Personal development…seeking intellectual, personal and spiritual growth through structured and individual learning and experience;
- Religious diversity…avowing the College’s Christian heritage while respecting all faiths and spiritual beliefs; and
- Relevance…meeting society’s needs by educating students in programs that prepare them for the future [4]
Meredith moved to its current location on Hillsborough Street near North Carolina State University in 1924. The campus covers 225 acres (0.91 km2) and is located in close proximity to both Raleigh-Durham International Airport and Research Triangle Park.
As of the 2007-2008 school year, the mascot was changed to the "Avenging Angels" from the "Angels". This was to add a more intimidating edge to their mascot.
For a timeline, go to the Meredith College Library website at http://www.meredith.edu/library/archives/meredith_timeline.html
A rich part of Meredith's history is a strong connection to tradition. A Meredith woman can be spotted by her class ring, a black onyx with an engraving of the Meredith Shield. On either side of the ring, oak leaves represent one of North Carolina's most recognizable trees. The current design, the work of Meredith grad Ann Lovell, has been the same for every Meredith onyx since 1953. Today, this small symbol connects all of Meredith's women, reminding them of their time at Meredith and the history of the all-women's college.
Academics
37 majors are offered at Meredith, as well as licensure, graduate, and pre-professional programs. According to The Princeton Review, the most popular majors are Business Administration/Management, Interior Design, and General Psychology.
Upon completion of a major, students can receive a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Music, and/or Bachelor of Social Work. Graduate students can receive Master's degrees in business management, education, Master of Arts in Teaching, or nutrition. The John E. Weems Graduate School is coeducational.
Undergraduate students who wish to study engineering can participate in a five-year dual-degree program, whereby they can receive degrees from both Meredith and North Carolina State University's College of Engineering. To do this, students must major in either chemistry or mathematics at Meredith. Through this arrangement, students receive a B.A. from Meredith in chemistry or mathematics and a B.S. from NCSU in engineering.
The college's Undergraduate Research Program supports student/faculty partnerships for the purposes of academic research and creative activity in all fields. College funds support these projects and underwrite travel costs for students presenting their work at conferences. The college hosts an annual one-day research conference in April to present work of Meredith students.
In 2001, Meredith became the first women's college to adopt a campus-wide laptop program through the Meredith Technology Initiative. Students receive an IBM ThinkPad loaded with professional and educational software. Internet access is provided through the campus' wireless network. In Spring 2013, the laptop program was discontinued, and the wireless network on campus began major upgrades.
Rankings and classifications
Meredith College is ranked #5 among colleges in the South in the 2016 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings. The College has consistently been ranked in the top 10 by the publication, whose latest rankings were released on September 9, 2015. Meredith was also named to U.S. News’ “Great Schools, Great Prices” list, ranked 6th among regional colleges in the South.
Ranked among the top 20% of colleges in the country by Forbes.com.
One of the “Best Colleges in the Southeast” according to The Princeton Review.
Named a "College of Distinction."[5]
Reference: http://www.meredith.edu/about_meredith/what_makes_us_strong/
Athletics
Meredith Avenging Angels compete on seven NCAA Division III athletic teams: basketball, soccer, softball, cross country, volleyball, lacrosse, and tennis. Meredith College recently added track and field as its eighth athletic team varsity sport and will begin competing in Spring 2016.
A member of the USA South Athletic Conference since 2007, Meredith has claimed tournament titles in lacrosse, soccer and tennis, two regular season soccer championships, and three consecutive cross country championships. In 2015, Meredith claimed the USA South Women's President’s Cup. Meredith is the first single-gender institution to win the USA South Women’s President’s Cup.
Reference: http://www.usasouth.net/awardsHonors/awards_prescup1
Notable people
Administration
- Jo Allen, president (2011–present)
- Maureen A. Hartford, president (1999–2011)
- John E. Weems, president (1972–1999)
- E. Bruce Heilman, president (1966–1971)
- Carlyle Campbell, president (1939–1966)
- Charles Brewer, president (1915–1939)
- Richard Tilman Vann, president (1900–1915)
- James Carter Blasingame, president (1899–1900)
- Thomas Meredith, founding figure and namesake
- Oliver Larkin Stringfield, founding figure and fundraiser
- Leonidas L. Polk, founding figure
- Hoyt Patrick Taylor, former trustee
Alumnae
- Eleanor Layfield Davis, artist; class of 1932
- Susan Hill (activist), women's rights advocate
- Beth Leavel, musical theatre actor
- Sarah Parker, Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court
- Suzanne Reynolds, law professor and North Carolina Supreme Court candidate
- Silda Wall Spitzer, chair of Children for Children and former First Lady of New York
- Patricia N. Willoughby, former interim North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Judy Woodruff, journalist
Faculty
- Louise Hawes, writer and former guest lecturer
- Thomas C. Parramore, historian and noted North Carolina scholar
- Arthur Poister, organist
See also
References
- ↑ November 19, 2014. "Meredith College Sets Fundraising Record". WNCN news item. WNCN. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
- ↑ http://www.meredith.edu/about/college-profile.htm
- ↑ N.C. committee escrows Meredith College funds
- 1 2
- ↑ "Meredith College - What Makes Us Strong".
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Meredith College. |
- Meredith College
- Meredith Avenging Angels Athletics
- College Board: Meredith College
- "All women, and thriving" (Meredith College and Peace College)
- Meredith College student yearbooks on DigitalNC.org
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Coordinates: 35°47′48″N 78°41′21″W / 35.79665°N 78.68923°W