Anderson University is a selective private comprehensive university located in Anderson, South Carolina. The university offers bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in approximately 60 areas of study. Anderson is affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention and is accredited as a Level V institution by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Anderson participates in the NCAA Division II athletics and is a member of the South Atlantic Conference.
Founded in 1911 as Anderson College it was established as a successor to Johnson University. Anderson was initially a female college until 1931 and in 2006 it was renamed to Anderson University. Anderson University consists of nine colleges: South Carolina School of the Arts, Arts and Sciences, Business, Christian Studies, Education, Health Professions, Interior Design, Nursing, and Public Service & Public Administration.
History
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Origin
Anderson University traces its heritage and initial founding to 1848 in the form of Johnson Female Seminary (later renamed Johnson University) which was located in Anderson, South Carolina. The seminary was founded by Anderson citizens Daniel Brown, J.P. Reed, and Stephen McCulley. Johnson Female Seminary was named for the Rev. William Bullein Johnson, an early Baptist statesman and the first president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Johnson served as the first chancellor of Johnson University By 1857 Johnson University had around 600 students taking courses in calculus, Latin, and Greek. In 1858 Johnson's health declined and in 1862. Johnson's home still stands in Anderson and his portrait hangs in perpetuity in the Truett Cathy Old Common Room in Merritt Hall on the Anderson University campus. Johnson was buried in the cemetery of First Baptist Church of Anderson.
The university closed its doors due to the combined impact of Rev. Johnson's untimely death and the onset of the Civil War. The main building of Johnson University became a Confederate treasury and printing press during the civil war until 1865 when Union forces occupied the building. After the war the Carolina Collegiate Institute and Patrick Military Institute used the buildings of the seminary for educational purposes until 1920. The buildings of Johnson University were then demolished around 1920.
Anderson College
Shortly after the turn of the century, those who fondly remembered the impact that Johnson University had on the region developed a compelling vision of resurrecting the institution in the form of Anderson College in 1911. The name Anderson comes from the name of Anderson, South Carolina which is named after Robert Anderson who fought in the American Revolutionary War. The Anderson Chamber of Commerce raised $100,000 and secured 32 acres (13Â ha) for the new campus. The land and funds were given to the South Carolina Baptist State Convention to establish the college. At the outset of Anderson College there were financial problems until Dr. Annie Denmark became President in 1929. Denmark became the first female college president in South Carolina. Denmark's inauguration as President on February 14, 1929 established the tradition for Anderson College as Founder's Day celebrating the day of chartering the institution.
In 1931 Anderson College became a co-educational junior college. In the 1990s Anderson returned to its status and offerings as a four-year institution.
Anderson University
In 2006 Anderson College was renamed Anderson University. S. Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A, and his son Dan Cathy received honorary degrees from Anderson University for exemplifying the character and vision Christian businessmen should possess. In June 2011 Anderson University became the host of the Palmetto Boys State. Anderson University launched an initiative in 2011 called the Mobile Learning Initiative or MLI, which has twice garnered recognition by Apple Inc. Apple Distinguished Schools are centers of leadership and educational excellence that demonstrate Apple's vision for learning and technology. Apple considers these schools some of the most innovative schools in the world. In 2012 Anderson University joined the University Center of Greenville (UCG) becoming the first educational institution in approximately 20 years to join. In 2013, Anderson University received a $143,000 grant from the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education to duplicate the success of its groundbreaking MLI in South Carolina public schools. A new 90,000 square foot student center called the G. Ross Anderson, Jr. Student Center was opened in fall 2016.
Campus
Most of the buildings on the main campus are red brick, built throughout the 20th century in the Georgian architectural style. The Merritt Administration Building, Denmark Hall, and Pratt Hall were the original buildings on the Anderson University campus, being built at the time of the university's founding in 1911. One of the main educational facilities at the heart of campus, Watkins Hall, was dedicated in 1967. Other marked points of interest include the Sullivan Music Building, and the Abney Athletic Center.
The front lawn is called "Alumni Lawn" (sometimes referred to as the "Sacred Six" acres) of Anderson University and is heavily wooded with large oak trees, as is the interior of the main campus which is landscaped in a series of rising terraces. Alumni Lawn and many early buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Anderson College Historic District.
In 2008, the university purchased the nearby Anderson County Fairgrounds comprising 77 acres, and simultaneously accepted a gift of 125 adjacent acres on the Rocky River from benefactors John and Marie Pracht. These acquisitions quadrupled the campus acreage from 68 to 270. The Fairgrounds property is being transformed as the university's Athletic Campus. Facilities include a swimming pool, tennis center, softball stadium, soccer stadium, intramural gymnasium, and practice fields with plans for the addition of a baseball stadium, track, fitness center and field house, and athletic administration facility. The Pracht property includes 40 acres of healthy wetlands. Subsequently, the university joined with other wetlands property owners to form the Rocky River Conservancy. The combined properties are being developed into a protected ecological park with trails, boardwalks, and discovery center. The university has reserved a portion of the Pracht property uplands for future development.
Anderson University created a special partnership in 2012 which operates within the former Duke Energy Service Center which is approximately one mile from the main campus and which was a partial gift to the university from the former Duke Energy Carolinas (now Duke Energy Progress). The facility is the home of the university's graduate program in criminal justice otherwise known as the Command College of South Carolina. The facility also houses undergraduate criminal justice programs.
In 2013, the university acquired the first floor of the historic Chiquola building in downtown Anderson, less than a mile from the main campus. The 11,000 square foot facility is a multi-purpose space for the university's graphic design degree program, student activities, and a center for the study and practice of entrepreneurship. The facility features three storefront retail spaces in which student-initiated and run businesses will operate.
The Anderson University year-round student population stands at approximately 3,431 students, with a student to faculty ratio of 17:1. The University has been sited by the Chronicle of Higher Education as the 16th fastest growing regional college in the United States.
Academics
The South Carolina School of the Arts
In 2013, the College of Visual and Performing Arts was named The South Carolina School of the Arts, in recognition of its history of national awards and its vision to place focused attention on the professional preparation of graduates for artistic performance and production roles. The School emphasizes a hybrid liberal arts-conservatory instructional approach. Degree programs and emphases within the School include Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Music Education, and Master of Music Education. The School is housed primarily within the Rainey Fine Arts Center which features a 1,000-seat performance hall, a 225-seat recital hall, a 125-seat black box theatre, numerous music and art studios, and an art gallery. The School also has an additional art gallery within Thrift Library, and additional graphic design facilities off-campus on the court square in downtown Anderson.
Johnny Mann Center for Commercial Music
The Johnny Mann Center is the home of The South Carolina School of the Arts' degree program in commercial music. Commercial music at Anderson University includes pop, rock, jazz, bluegrass, and country music genres. The Center also serves as a library for a number of Mann's musical arrangements, compositions, and memorabilia. The Mann Center is named for the two-time Grammy Award-winning American arranger, composer, conductor, entertainer, and recording artist, Johnny Mann (John Russell Mann). As bandleader with the Johnny Mann Singers, the group recorded approximately three dozen albums, hosted the TV series titled Stand Up and Cheer (1971â€"1974), and was the musical director for The Joey Bishop Show. He was also musical director of The Alvin Show, and was the voice of Theodore. Mann was also choral director for the NBC Comedy Hour. The Johnny Mann Singers' cover version of "Up, Up and Away", rather than the hit version by The 5th Dimension, became the hit version of the song in the UK Singles Chart. The version also won a Grammy Award in 1968 in the Best Performance by a Choir of Seven or More Persons category. In total, Mann was nominated for five Grammys, two of which he won.
Mann and his wife, Betty, retired to Anderson, South Carolina in the early 2000s and immediately developed admiration for the University and a personal friendship with its president and wife. At the President's request, Mann wrote the University's Centennial Alma Mater, "The Sounds of Anderson." In 2010, the University awarded Mann an honorary doctor of humanities degree. In April 2014 at the age of 85, he was a guest conductor of The South Carolina School of the Arts, at Anderson University's spring gala where he led the University choirs in performing the Johnny Mann Singers arrangement of "Up, Up and Away." At the song's conclusion, the audience of about 1,000 stood in Mann's honor. It would be his last public performance. On June 18, 2014, Johnny Mann died at his home in Anderson.
College of Arts and Sciences
Undergraduate programs under the College of Arts and Science consists of biochemistry, biology, communication, creative writing, English literature, history, liberal studies, mathematics, psychology and Spanish. The program challenges students to critical thinking, communication, and rhetoric. The Center for Undergraduate Cancer Research is also part of the college and was established in 2009 to facilitate undergraduate research in search for a cure for cancers. Working under the direction of full-time faculty, students conduct studies and publish results. The Center is located on the nearby campus of AnMed Health Medical Center.
College of Education
The College of Education prepares students to become educators with Christian values. Undergraduate programs consists of early childhood education, elementary education and secondary education. Upon completion of the undergraduate program the teacher licensure can be initiated through South Carolina Department of Education. The graduate program in education prepares teachers to become principals or certified teachers. The Teaching Fellows program of the College of Education annually sends students to teach in China and host a storytelling event on campus. Up to $6,000 in annual scholarships are provided under the Teaching Fellows program for students planning to teach in South Carolina.
School of Public Service and Administration
The School of Public Service and Administration educates law enforcement officers, private investigators, federal agents and prospective law students. The school also offers programs in emergency management. Undergraduate programs prepares students for the local, state and federal law enforcement, corrections and emergency response. The graduate program in criminal justice prepares those experienced in law enforcement to advance their careers into management or senior-executive positions with a commitment to Christian values.
College of Health Professions
The School of Allied Health, School of Human Performance, and School of Nursing and Physical Therapy make up the College of Health Professions. The three schools offers undergraduate programs in human services, kinesiology, and nursing. Graduate programs at the College of Health Professions has a strong emphasize on nursing with a wide variety of concentrations. The Center for Medical Simulations offers realistic experience for students in nursing or physical therapy. The Center provides human-scale replicas of patients that simulate a variety of conditions.
College of Business
The College of Business conducts undergraduate and graduate programs. Undergraduate programs consist of business administration, accounting, human resource administration, and marketing. Internships are required for undergraduate and graduate programs of at least 150 hours. The student business group called Enactus helps students practice skills learned from the College of Business to better the community. The University Center in Greenville consists of undergraduate and graduate degrees from South Carolina's top universities including Anderson University. The Anderson University MBA program is exclusively at the University Center.
School of Interior Design
The School of Interior Design is one of nine Christian schools in the United States that offers a Bachelors in Interior Design. The undergraduate program prepares students to become a designer in many settings such as in an architectural firm or interior design firm.
College of Christian Studies
Undergraduate and graduate programs prepares ministers to preach the Gospel and have a concentration on youth ministry, pastoral ministry, or missions. The Clamp Divinity School was established in 2014 and offers four graduate degree programs: Master of Divinity, Master of Ministry, Doctor of Ministry in Biblical Preaching, and the Doctor of Ministry in 21st Century Leadership . The purpose of the Clamp school is to offer training in ministry in preparation for leading churches. The school is named after David T. Clamp who contributed $8 million in 2008.
Specialized accreditation
The following organizations approve or accredit individual degree programs at Anderson University:
Athletics
Anderson competes in NCAA Division II athletics. The Trojans are a member of the South Atlantic Conference. Anderson competed in Conference Carolinas until the 2009-10 season.
Notable alumni
- Thomas C. Alexander, member of the South Carolina Senate, Chairman of the Senate General Committee
- James Lee Barrett, Tony Award-winning writer
- Trey Britton, professional basketball player
- Timothy M. Cain, District Judge on the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
- Leigh Cappillino, singer in the contemporary Christian music group Point of Grace
- John Hoke Howell, Jr., actor, screenwriter, producer
- Sue Monk Kidd, New York Times Bestselling author of The Secret Life of Bees, The Mermaid Chair, and The Invention of Wings
- Adam Minarovich, film director and actor
- Rob Stanifer, former Major League Baseball player for the Florida Marlins, Boston Red Sox, and the Hiroshima Toyo Carp
- Erskine Thomason, former Major League Baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies
- James Michael Tyler, actor
- A.J. Styles, TNA and WWE wrestling superstar
References
External links
- Official website
- Official athletics website
