Pfeiffer University

Pfeiffer University
Established 1885
Type Private
Affiliation United Methodist Church
President Jerry Boone
Academic staff
 51 full-time
Students 1,200
Location Misenheimer, North Carolina, USA
35°29′04″N 80°16′57″W / 35.48444°N 80.28250°WCoordinates: 35°29′04″N 80°16′57″W / 35.48444°N 80.28250°W
Colors Black and Gold
Mascot Pfeiffer Falcons (Freddie Falcon)
Website www.pfeiffer.edu

Pfeiffer University is a private university in the village of Misenheimer near Richfield, North Carolina.

History

Pfeiffer originated from a home school operated by Miss Emily Prudden in the late 19th century. The school first began operation on the outskirts of Hudson, North Carolina, on Lick Mountain in (Caldwell County, North Carolina). University archivist Jonathan Hutchinson said in 2013, "Our accepted founding date is 1885," referring to the date Prudden's first school began, "but Emily probably started the school in about 1898."[1] The school was called Oberlin, after John Frederick Oberlin, a French priest noted for his social improvement in the Alsace Region of France. The school was later endowed by Mrs. Mary P. Mitchell, and the name was changed to the Mitchell School.

A fire destroyed the school in 1907 and it moved to the nearby town of Lenoir, North Carolina. As that location proved inadequate, the school again relocated in 1910, this time to its current location in Misenheimer. The Mitchell School began awarding high school diplomas in 1913. In 1928 the school began offering junior college classes and was accredited as such in 1934. It was that year that the Pfeiffer family of New York City gave generous financial gifts to the school for construction of new buildings, and it was then that the name Pfeiffer Junior College was used.

During the 1950s the school began offering senior college courses. The four-year Pfeiffer College was accredited in 1960 during the administration of Dr. J. Lem Stokes II, President. Pfeiffer opened a satellite campus in Charlotte, approximately forty miles away, in 1977. In 1996 the college's trustees voted to re-organize to achieve university status, and the current name of Pfeiffer University was adopted.

An outdoor drama entitled "The Legacy of Lick Mountain" relates the beginning of the school, and will be presented in Hudson, N.C. in the summer of 2015.

Schools of the University 

   Accounting
   Business Administration
   Computer Information Systems
   Sports Management
   3-2: BA & MBA
   Comprehensive Science
   Elementary Education
   English
   Health & Physical
   Mathematics
   Music
   Social Studies
   Special Education
   Biology
   Chemistry
   Environmental Science
   Mathematics
   Communication
   English
   English: Creative Writing
   English Education
   History
   History: Social Studies
   Licensure Track
   Political Science
   Criminal Justice
   Human Services
   Pre-Medical Studies
   Psychology
   Religion & Practical Theology
   Exercise Science
   Nursing
   Business Administration
   Criminal Justice
   Health Administration
   Interdisciplinary Studies
   Human Relations
  *Business
   MBA - Master of Business Administration
   MSL - Master of Science in Leadership
  *Joint Degree
   MBA/MHA Joint Degree
   MBA/MSL Joint Degree
   MHA/MSL Joint Degree
  *Education
   MSEE - Master of Science in Elementary Education (Charlotte only)
   MAT-SPED - Master of Arts in Teaching Special Education (Charlotte only)
  *Health
   MHA - Master of Health Administration
  *Marriage and Family Therapy
   MFT - Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy (Charlotte and Triangle only)
  *Practical Theology
   MAPT - Master of Arts in Practical Theology(Charlotte only)
       Center for Deacon Education

Graduate Studies

Pfeiffer has 2 graduate campuses. The main graduate campus is located in Charlotte, North Carolina near the SouthPark area. The campus has been in Charlotte for 33 years and currently serves several hundred students. Pfeiffer's Research Triangle Park campus, located in Morrisville, North Carolina, serves graduate students in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and surrounding areas.

The graduate degrees offered include Masters degrees in Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, Education, Organizational Change and Leadership, and Marriage & Family Therapy.

Ratings

U.S. News and World Report

In the 2010 edition of the U.S. News & World Report, Pfeiffer University was listed as a "selective" school.

MBA Program

Pfeiffer's MBA program, which has been named one of the top enrolling MBA programs in NC, earned the first-ever American accreditation for its International Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree program issued by ACQUIN, the German accreditation agency.

Music

For many years (especially the 1970s), Pfeiffer experienced success as a nationally recognized choral program, mostly under the direction of Dr. Richard Brewer. Later, noteworthy instrumental music programs surfaced under the direction of composer Ed Kiefer and Fulbright Jazz Professor Tom Smith.

MFT Program

In collaboration with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), the Pfeiffer University MFT Program is an accredited MFT Graduate School approved by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE).

Athletics

Pfeiffer's athletic teams are known as the Falcons. They compete in the NCAA's Division II as a member of the Conference Carolinas (formerly the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference). Men's teams include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis and volleyball. Women's sports consist of basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis and volleyball. The 1981 Women's Field Hockey team became Pfeiffer's first team to win a National Championship.

Steven Armstrong of Edinburgh, Scotland became Pfeiffer's first individual National Champion in 1995 winning the NAIA National Golf Championship at Bailey Ranch, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In 2009, varsity student-cyclist Joey Rosskopf won the overall Division II national road cycling championships.

Notable alumni

Gray Stone Day School

Gray Stone Day School, which opened in Fall 2002,[2] is a charter high school, meaning it is a public school but does not receive funding from the state of North Carolina for land or buildings. Previously located in Pfeiffer's Harris Building, its philosophy has been "what better way to prepare for college than on a college campus". Gray Stone began planning for its own facility in 2005. Pfeiffer donated 18 acres of land and groundbreaking took place in April 2010. On January 4, 2011, Gray Stone students moved into a new $7 million, 53,000-square-foot (4,900 m2) building.[3] In 2012 the school opened a new wing of classrooms to accommodate the largest freshman class in school history.

Gray Stone was recognized by Newsweek as North Carolina's top high school in 2014.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Shannon Beaman, "Pfeiffer University's first fifty years recalled," Stanly News and Press, October 27, 2013, p. 10A.
  2. ↑ "Welcome to Gray Stone Day School". Retrieved 2011-01-07.
  3. ↑ Campbell, Sarah (2011-01-06). "Gray Stone students in new building". Salisbury Post. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
  4. ↑ Drye, B.J. (2014-09-22). "Newsweek recognizes Gray Stone Day as top high school". Stanly News and Press. Retrieved 2014-10-24.

External links