Huntingdon College

Huntingdon College
Motto Enter to Grow in Wisdom, Go Forth to Apply Wisdom in Service.
Established 1854
Type Private college
Affiliation United Methodist Church
President J. Cameron West
Academic staff
 58
Students 1107
Location Montgomery, Alabama, United States
32°21′00″N 86°17′06″W / 32.350°N 86.285°WCoordinates: 32°21′00″N 86°17′06″W / 32.350°N 86.285°W
Campus Suburban Neighborhood
Athletics 15 Varsity Teams,
NCAA Division III
Mascot Hawk
Website

www.huntingdon.edu

Huntingdon College Campus Historic District
Flowers Memorial Hall was built in 1909[1]
Area 58 acres (23 ha)
Architectural style Late Gothic Revival, Tudor Revival
NRHP Reference # 00000138[2]
Added to NRHP February 24, 2000

Huntingdon College, founded in 1854, is a coeducational liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, United States.

History

Woman's College of Alabama in 1918

Huntingdon College was chartered on February 2, 1854, as "Tuskegee Female College" by the Alabama State Legislature and Governor John A. Winston. The first president was Andrew Adgate Lipscomb. Dr. Lipscomb laid the foundation of the college as a teaching college rather than a research institution.

In 1872 the name was changed to "Alabama Conference Female College" as the college came under the auspices of the United Methodist Church. As the college and the South struggled to rebuild following the Civil War, it became clear to college leaders that growth and stability were dependent upon relocation to a more populous city—and they chose the state's capital. A 58-acre (235,000 m²) parcel of land on what was then the outskirts of town and is now the beautiful Old Cloverdale neighborhood of Montgomery was selected in 1908. The design for the landscape of the campus was provided by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., who had also planned the Biltmore Estate. The college, renamed once again to "Woman's College of Alabama," moved all of its furniture, lab chemicals, and records into Hamner Hall in Montgomery August 24, 1909, but the building burned to the ground that night, destroying the records of the college's first 50 years and all of its belongings. As the students and President William Martin moved to Sullins College in Virginia for that school year, construction continued on the college's first building, John Jefferson Flowers Memorial Hall. Completed in 1910 and designed by Harvard architect H. Langford Warren, Flowers Hall was designed to emulate the collegiate Gothic architecture of Oxford and Cambridge, England, and of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and set the tone for the pervasive architectural style of campus buildings henceforth.

The college admitted its first male students in the aftermath of World War I, graduating the first male student in 1934. Realizing that the name Woman's College of Alabama no longer fit its student body, the college's final name change came in 1935 when Huntingdon College was adopted in honor of Selina, Countess of Huntingdon, a notable supporter of John Wesley and of Methodism.

Huntingdon today offers more than 20 undergraduate programs of study and 15 NCAA-III intercollegiate athletic teams that participate in the USA South Athletic Conference. Between 2002 and 2012, enrollment jumped by 53% in the traditional day program and 88% overall (594 to 1118), prompting the Chronicle of Higher Education to list Huntingdon among their 2014 list of "Fastest Growing Colleges in America." Realignment of the College with its historic roots as a college of the United Methodist Church; NCAA-III athletic programs; the establishment or re-establishment of selected majors; and expansion of the college's evening program, the Evening Bachelor's Degree, are catalysts that affected enrollment growth.

The College's Huntingdon Plan provides for each student "Fixed Tuition," a promise that full-time day student tuition will not increase during four consecutive years of enrollment, as well as a laptop computer for use all four years (theirs to keep at graduation); travel-study opportunities within regular tuition and fees as part of the junior or senior year of study; and small classes and personal attention from Huntingdon faculty, where students can know and be known.

The core curriculum focuses on the development of critical thinking and communication skills. The Joyce and Truman Hobbs Honors Program, Departmental Honors, Senior Capstone experiences, the Staton Center for Learning Enrichment, and the Center for Career and Vocation enrich academic life at Huntingdon. Long-standing strengths in the liberal arts, pre-medical sciences and pre-law have led to successful graduate placement into professional, medical and law schools, and seminaries. In 2014, the College continued an 18-year tradition of 100% placement among candidates who wished to enter pharmacy schools.

Campus

Huntingdon's campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Huntingdon College Campus Historic District.[2] The district contains thirteen contributing buildings, built in the Gothic Revival and Tudor Revival styles, and one site.[3] The district was placed on the NRHP on February 24, 2000.[2]

Accreditation

Houghton Memorial Library

Huntingdon College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and the Associate of Arts. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Huntingdon College. The Teacher Education program is accredited by the Alabama State Department of Education. The Music program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music.

The College is listed as an approved institution by the University Senate of the United Methodist Church.

Rankings

As has been the case for many years, the College ranks in the top tier of "Best Regional Colleges—South," by U.S. News & World Report and is listed among "America’s Best Colleges—Region by Region (Southeast)," by the Princeton Review. Huntingdon has for three years been recognized on the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. Washington Monthly, which ranks colleges on the basis of their contributions to the public good, places Huntingdon in the top 15% of 346 baccalaureate colleges.

Student organizations

There are seven Greek organizations on campus, three for women and four for men. Fraternity or sorority houses have recently been added to Greek Life, housing officers for some fraternities and sororities. Each organization has a chapter room located on campus. Women's sororities include Alpha Omicron Pi (chapter established 1975), Chi Omega (chapter established 1976), and Phi Mu (chapter established 2008). The first men's fraternity was established in 1977 with a chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon. Recently, three more men's fraternities were added to Huntingdon's campus: Kappa Alpha Psi, spring 2008; Sigma Nu, fall 2008; and Lambda Chi Alpha, fall 2013.

Student organizations focus on commonalities such as political interests, including College Republicans and College Democrats; service, including the first collegiate chapter of the Exchange Club in the country; or academics, including the only collegiate chapter of the Alabama Association of School Curriculum and Development in the state and 17 honor societies. Other groups are recreational, such as the Bass Fishing Club and the Running Club; social, such as the International Students Association; or issues-oriented, such as Voice of Justice, the Black Student Union, and the Women's Center.

The Student Government Association can trace its beginnings to 1912 and consists of an executive cabinet, a President's Council, a Student Senate, and a Judicial Board, which considers infringements of the College's Honor Code.

Campus publications include Huntingdon College Magazine, published by the Office of Communications, as well as the student-led literary magazine,The Prelude, Bells and Pomegranates (yearbook), and The Gargoyle (newspaper).

Athletics

Huntingdon College teams participate as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III. The Hawks are a member of the USA South Athletic Conference. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball. Huntingdon is the only four-year college in the state of Alabama to offer collegiate wrestling.[4]

Alumni

Name Class year Notability Reference(s)
Leura Garrett Canary 1978 Former US Attorney
Joe Durant 1987 Professional Golfer [5]
Elizabeth A. Hight 1977 Rear Admiral, Upper Half
Jeff Sessions 1969 US Senator for Alabama
Kathryn Tucker Windham 1939 Author/storyteller/photographer/radio personality [6]

References

  1. ↑ "Huntingdon College Walking Tour: John Jefferson Flowers Memorial Hall". Retrieved 2008-12-20.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
  3. ↑ Entzweiler, Susan M.; Trina Binkley (August 1999). "Huntingdon College Campus Historic District". National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. National Park Service. Archived from the original on March 15, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2014. See also: "Accompanying photos". Archived from the original on March 15, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  4. ↑ Huntingdon College (AL) Announces New NCAA Division III Wrestling Program for 2014-15 Season
  5. ↑ "PGA Tour Website". Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  6. ↑ "Alabama Academy of Honor: Kathryn Tucker Windham". State of Alabama. March 15, 2007. Retrieved 2008-08-13.

Further reading

External links

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