Meredith College

Meredith College
Former names	Baptist Female University (1891–1904); Baptist University for Women (1904–1909)
Motto	Lux (Latin)
Motto in English	Light
Type	Private women's liberal arts college and coeducational graduate school
Established	1891; 133 years ago
Endowment	$114.6 million (2020)
President	Jo Allen
Academic staff	126 (fall 2021)
Students	1,711 (fall 2021)
Undergraduates	1,427 (fall 2021)
Postgraduates	284 (fall 2021)
Location	Raleigh, North Carolina, United States; 35°47′53″N 78°41′18″W / 35.79806°N 78.68833°W
Campus	Urban
Colors	Maroon and white
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division III—USA South Athletic Conference
Mascot	Avenging Angels
Website	www.meredith.edu

Meredith College is a private women's liberal arts college and coeducational graduate school in Raleigh, North Carolina. As of 2021 Meredith enrolls approximately 1,500 women in its undergraduate programs and 300 men and women in its graduate programs.^[4]

History

Chartered by the First Baptist Church, the college first opened as the Baptist Female University in 1891 in a facility in downtown Raleigh. In 1904, the school's name was first changed to Baptist University for Women. In 1909, the school adopted its current name, Meredith College, to honor Thomas Meredith who was the founder of the Baptist newspaper The Biblical Recorder.

In 1997, the college moved away from a direct connection with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.

Meredith began construction at the current location on Hillsborough Street near North Carolina State University in 1924, and students began attending classes there in 1926.^[5] The campus covers 225 acres (0.91 km²) and is located close to both Raleigh-Durham International Airport and Research Triangle Park.

In 1980 an angel was chosen as the school sports mascot, but in the summer of 2007 this was changed to the "Avenging Angels".^[6]

In April 2022, the school renamed Joyner Hall, named for white supremacy advocate James Yadkin Joyner, as part of its anti-racism initiatives.^[7]^[8]

Academics

38 majors are offered at Meredith, as well as licensure, graduate, and pre-professional programs. According to U.S. News & World Report the most popular majors are Psychology, Biology/Biological Sciences, Business Administration and Management, Child Development and Social Work.^[9]

Upon completion of an undergraduate major, students can receive a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Music, or Bachelor of Social Work. 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, computer science or mathematics at Meredith. Through this arrangement, students receive a B.A. from Meredith in chemistry, computer science 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.

Student life

Meredith College is noted for its traditions, which range from the Honor Code to Cornhuskin', a yearly weeklong festival encouraging competition between graduating classes. Meredith College also celebrates its Founder's Day every year. During each college generation, faculty perform Alice in Wonderland for students, keeping their involvement in the production a secret up until the students see them on stage.^[5]

Rankings and classifications

As of 2021, Meredith College was ranked #136 in the category of Best Liberal Arts Colleges by U.S. News & World Report ^[9], was ranked #119 by Forbes among "In The South",^[10] and was categorized by The Princeton Review in the Best Southeastern category.^[11]^[12]

Meredith College was ranked fifth among regional colleges in the South in the 2016 edition of U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges rankings.^[13] As of 2019^[update] Meredith College is not included in this ranking as a southern regional university.^[14]^[15]

Athletics

As of August 2021^[update] Meredith athletes compete in basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field and volleyball.^[16] In August 2014 Meredith College announced the addition of track and field and in September 2019 announced the addition of golf as well as field hockey.^[17]^[18]

A member of the USA South Athletic Conference since 2007,^[6] Meredith has claimed 26 USA South championships, made 15 NCAA appearances, and had 300 student-athletes named all-conference and 670 to USA South All-American.

Notable people (selection)

Administration

Jo Allen, president (2011–2024)
E. Bruce Heilman, president (1966–1971)
Thomas Meredith, founding figure and namesake
Leonidas L. Polk, founding figure
Hoyt Patrick Taylor, former trustee

Alumnae

Carrie Lougee Broughton, North Carolina State Librarian
Margaret Currin, first woman U.S. attorney in North Carolina, class of 1972
Addie Elizabeth Davis, first woman ordained as a Southern Baptist pastor.
Eleanor Layfield Davis, artist; class of 1932
Annie Dove Denmark, fifth president of Anderson University
Susan Hill, women's rights advocate
Eleanor Hines (known professionally as Margaret Arlen), talk show host
Roxie Collie Laybourne, ornithologist
Beth Leavel, Tony Award winning musical theatre actor
Dale Mercer, interior designer, television personality, and socialite
Sarah Parker, Former 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
Adrian H. Wood, educator, blogger, and writer
Judy Woodruff, journalist
Kendra Dillingham, author,^[19] award-winning Welcome and Connections Coordinator at Holy Trinity Anglican Church,^[20] Socialite

Faculty

Louise Hawes, writer and former guest lecturer
Thomas C. Parramore, historian and noted North Carolina scholar
Arthur Poister, organist
Ida Isabella Poteat, painter
Charlotte Ruegger, composer and violinist; music department chair
Marion Elizabeth Stark, mathematician
Lillian Frances Parker Wallace, historian

References

^ As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Archived from the original on February 21, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
^ February 27, 2019. "Meredith Surpasses Its Fundraising Goal Record". N&O news item. News & Observer. Archived from the original on April 28, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "College Navigator - Meredith College". Archived from the original on 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
^ "About Meredith College: Quick Facts". Meredith College. Archived from the original on 2022-01-13. Retrieved 2022-01-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ ^a ^b "College Timeline". Meredith College. Archived from the original on 2020-06-29. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
^ ^a ^b "Meredith College Athletics History". Meredith College. Archived from the original on 2019-12-28. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
^ Allen, Melyssa (6 April 2022). "Meredith College Announces Plan to Change Academic Building Name as Part of Anti-Racism Initiative". Meredith College (Press release). Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
^ "Meredith College to rename Joyner Hall as part of its new anti racism initiative". WTVD. 6 April 2022. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Meredith College | Academic Life". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on 2017-05-18. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
^ "Meredith College". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2022-01-13. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
^ "Meredith College". The Princeton Review College Rankings and Reviews. Archived from the original on 2020-09-20. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
^ "What Makes Us Strong". Meredith College. Archived from the original on 2019-07-19. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
^ "Regional College South Rankings | Top Regional Colleges South | US News Best Colleges". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2019-09-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ "2020 Best Regional Universities in the South". US News Rankings. Archived from the original on 2019-04-17. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
^ "Meredith College - Profile, Rankings and Data | US News Best Colleges". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on 2019-03-30. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
^ "Meredith Athletics Home". Archived from the original on 2019-04-04. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
^ "Meredith College to Add Track and Field as Eighth Varsity Sport". Meredith College. 5 August 2014. Archived from the original on 2022-08-15. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
^ "Meredith College to Add Two New Sports". September 5, 2019. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
^ Dillingham, Kendra (7 April 2020). "Kendra Dillingham, Author at Holy Trinity Anglican Church". Holy Trinity Anglican Church. Archived from the original on 2022-04-29. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
^ "Meet Our Team". Holy Trinity Anglican Church. Archived from the original on 2022-04-29. Retrieved 2022-04-29.