Meredith College

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Meredith College
Meredith College.JPG
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 logo.png
Meredith College students and faculty, 1948

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[edit]

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]

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.[1]

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.

Jones Chapel

Academics[edit]

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.

Student life[edit]

Meredith College is noted for its traditions, which range from the Honor Code at the beginning of each student's time at Meredith to Cornhuskin', a yearly weeklong festival encouraging competition between graduating classes. Each student has the opportunity to enroll in the "Big Sis, Little Sis" program, which has a junior "big sister" pair up with one or two "little sisters" as a mentor and friend. Meredith College also holds events in February of each year to celebrate its Founder's Day and to encourage giving by alumnae, families, friends, and current members of the community. During each college generation, faculty will perform "Alice in Wonderland" for the students, keeping their involvement in the production a secret up until the students see them on stage.

A Meredith woman can be spotted by her class ring, a black onyx with an engraving of the Meredith shield. The current design, the work of Meredith alumna Ann Lovell, has been the same for every Meredith onyx since 1953. Today, this small symbol connects all Meredith women, reminding them of their connection to history and to all other women that wear the Onyx ring. "Ring Dinner," held in the fall of junior year, is one of the most important traditions at Meredith College.

Meredith College is also noted for its Honor Code, which each student signs at an Honor Code ceremony at the beginning of her first semester at Meredith. It is often criticized by students, faculty, and staff alike to be outdated or strict; however, no substantial changes to fix this have been made.

Rankings and classifications[edit]

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.[citation needed]

Named a "College of Distinction."[4]

Athletics[edit]

Meredith 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.

The main field of Meredith College for outdoor sports

Notable people[edit]

Administration[edit]

  • 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[edit]

Faculty[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ November 19, 2014. "Meredith College Sets Fundraising Record". WNCN news item. WNCN. Retrieved March 7, 2015. 
  2. ^ http://www.meredith.edu/about/college-profile.htm
  3. ^ N.C. committee escrows Meredith College funds Archived 2013-06-16 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ "Meredith College - What Makes Us Strong". 

External links[edit]


Coordinates: 35°47′48″N 78°41′21″W / 35.79665°N 78.68923°W / 35.79665; -78.68923

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