Brewton-Parker College
Encyclopedia
Brewton–Parker College is a private, Christian, coeducational college whose main campus is located in Mount Vernon
, Georgia, USA
. Brewton-Parker is affiliated with the Georgia Baptist Convention
and celebrated their centennial in 2004.
, resolved to establish a private boarding school
to serve elementary
and high school
students from Montgomery County
and the surrounding area. As there were no public high schools at that time, the school played an important role in furthering the education of the area’s youth. The Telfair and Daniell Baptist associations were enthusiastic supporters. The school was placed between Mount Vernon
and Ailey
, as working together the town bid more support than any either community. The Union Baptist Institute, chartered April 28, 1904, joined with other Baptist associations, with Rev. Brewton as elected president of its board of trustees.
.
BPC now offers undergraduate degrees
in seven academic departments with 19 majors
. Most of its programs have internships, offering practical, hands-on experience as well as academic content. Further, in applicable areas, undergraduates are encouraged to participate with faculty in performing research
and presenting papers.
As the only independent
college in rural southeast Georgia, BPC plays an important educational role in one of the state’s poorest areas. It serves many first generation college students and provides learning assistance to other, non-traditional students seeking to improve their knowledge and skills. Among private colleges, Brewton-Parker enrolls three times as many minority
students as the national average.
Dr. David R. Smith became college president in 1998, and at his first graduation address, Smith stated:
The college briefly outsourced the administration of their financial aid program until a new college policy and procedures manual was established in the Fall of 2000. A new position, Director of Financial Aid Compliance was established.
There is a 2:1 female-male student ratio and a 9:1 student-faculty ratio.
and fields teams for baseball, men's and women's basketball, cheerleading, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's cross country, and women's volleyball in intercollegiate competition. The men's baseball team won the NAIA championship in 1997.
The 2010 Brewton–Parker College Barons Baseball team was declared co-champions of the Southeastern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) Championship Monday, May 3. In 2010, the Barons ranked as high as 15 nationally. The Barons share this co-championship title with then-No. 4-ranked Lee University Flames. The Barons won four straight games before losing to the Flames Sunday night, 8-0. They defeated Lee (46-11) in earlier rounds. The co-championship was declared when the deciding game was canceled due to inclement weather. Coach Greg "Boo" Mullins led the 2010 Barons Baseball team as head coach, and was named 2010 Coach of the Year by the Georgia Dugout Club.
Intramural sports include basketball, football, softball, table tennis, tennis, ultimate Frisbee, and volleyball.
Student groups at the school include a drama/theater group, a choral group, Council of Intramural Activities, Student Activities Council, Rotaract, Circle K, Alpha Omega Campus Ministry, Student Government Association, and a Baptist Campus Ministry (Baptist Collegiate Ministries, a.k.a. BCM).
The college also recently created an in-depth Creative Expressions BFA, which brought with it several extracurricular opportunities in creative writing, film production and analysis, visual art and musical theatre.
Assistant Professor of Music, Director of Choral activities – Concert Choir, Choral Society, Jazz Voices
Glenn Eernisse, DMM Church Music – The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Professor of Music, Chair
David W. Moffett, EdD Educational Leadership/ Curriculum & Instruction- Indiana University: President, Georgia Association of Independent Colleges of Teacher Education (GAICTE) and Treasurer, Georgia Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (GACTE), 2008 Bryan E. Rampey Faculty Member of the Year.
Mount Vernon, Georgia
Mount Vernon is a city in Montgomery County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,082 at the 2000 census. It is home to the Baptist-affiliated Brewton-Parker College.Mount Vernon is part of the Vidalia Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, Georgia, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Brewton-Parker is affiliated with the Georgia Baptist Convention
Georgia Baptist Convention
The Georgia Baptist Convention is an autonomous association of Baptist churches in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is one of the state conventions associated with the Southern Baptist Convention...
and celebrated their centennial in 2004.
Organization
In 1904, Reverend John Carter Brewton, pastor of the McRae Baptist Church, and Charles Benton Parker, a prominent businessman in McRaeMcRae, Georgia
McRae is a town in Telfair County, Georgia, United States. Based on the 2000 census, the town has a total population of 2,682. Between 1990 and 2000, the town experienced a population decrease of 10.8%, compared to the state growth during this period of 26.4%. The town is the county seat of...
, resolved to establish a private boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
to serve elementary
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
and high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
students from Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Georgia
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 8,270. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 9,060...
and the surrounding area. As there were no public high schools at that time, the school played an important role in furthering the education of the area’s youth. The Telfair and Daniell Baptist associations were enthusiastic supporters. The school was placed between Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon, Georgia
Mount Vernon is a city in Montgomery County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,082 at the 2000 census. It is home to the Baptist-affiliated Brewton-Parker College.Mount Vernon is part of the Vidalia Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
and Ailey
Ailey, Georgia
Ailey is a city in Montgomery County, Georgia, United States. The population was 394 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Vidalia Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Ailey is located at ....
, as working together the town bid more support than any either community. The Union Baptist Institute, chartered April 28, 1904, joined with other Baptist associations, with Rev. Brewton as elected president of its board of trustees.
Formation
The co-ed Union Baptist Institute formally opened on September 12, 1905 with a four-building campus, serving 160 students in grades one through eleven. The school's first year was very successful and as word spread, enrollment more than doubled to 365. In 1912 the school was renamed to Brewton-Parker Institute; it was accredited in 1918 by the Southern Association of Colleges and SchoolsSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...
.
College
Brewton-Parker Institute became a junior college after college freshmen and sophomore classes were added in 1923 and 1927. Elementary classes were removed in 1929. In 1948, high school classes were also removed. The school was renamed Brewton-Parker Junior College and transferred to the governance of the Georgia Baptist Convention. By the early 1980s, public two-year community colleges had been established throughout the state. At the same time, there was a greater demand for graduates of four-year colleges. In mind of these changes, the school evolved on December 9, 1986 into a four-year institution, Brewton–Parker College.BPC now offers undergraduate degrees
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in seven academic departments with 19 majors
Academic major
In the United States and Canada, an academic major or major concentration is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits....
. Most of its programs have internships, offering practical, hands-on experience as well as academic content. Further, in applicable areas, undergraduates are encouraged to participate with faculty in performing research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
and presenting papers.
As the only independent
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
college in rural southeast Georgia, BPC plays an important educational role in one of the state’s poorest areas. It serves many first generation college students and provides learning assistance to other, non-traditional students seeking to improve their knowledge and skills. Among private colleges, Brewton-Parker enrolls three times as many minority
Minority group
A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
students as the national average.
Fraud
Scandal hit the college in the late 1990s over fraud in the school's financial aid department. A lawsuit against the school was brought about by Martha Faw, then the assistant director of financial aid. An investigation begun by the U.S. Department of Education confirmed that Pell grants had been given to ineligible students, payments had been made to non-U.S. citizens, and guidelines for work-study programs were not followed. In 1998, Brewton–Parker College agreed to repay the government $4 million dollars in what was said to be the largest qui tam recovery in Georgia history. College president Y. Lynn Holmes resigned.Dr. David R. Smith became college president in 1998, and at his first graduation address, Smith stated:
"To any and all who recognized inept policies and errant behavior, and who continued to speak out against such things even in the face of opposition from those who preferred not to hear it, you should be applauded, not ridiculed."
The college briefly outsourced the administration of their financial aid program until a new college policy and procedures manual was established in the Fall of 2000. A new position, Director of Financial Aid Compliance was established.
Campus
The main college campus is in Mount Vernon on 270 acres (1.1 km²) and includes forty-six buildings, outdoor athletic properties, and a 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) lake. Brewton–Parker College also has a campus in Newnan, located between LaGrange and Atlanta.Students and faculty
Student demographics:- 73.2% Caucasian
- 24% African American
- 2% Hispanic
- 0.5% Asian American or Pacific Islander
- 0.3% Native American
There is a 2:1 female-male student ratio and a 9:1 student-faculty ratio.
Sports, clubs, and traditions
Brewton-Parker is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate AthleticsNational Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
and fields teams for baseball, men's and women's basketball, cheerleading, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's cross country, and women's volleyball in intercollegiate competition. The men's baseball team won the NAIA championship in 1997.
The 2010 Brewton–Parker College Barons Baseball team was declared co-champions of the Southeastern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) Championship Monday, May 3. In 2010, the Barons ranked as high as 15 nationally. The Barons share this co-championship title with then-No. 4-ranked Lee University Flames. The Barons won four straight games before losing to the Flames Sunday night, 8-0. They defeated Lee (46-11) in earlier rounds. The co-championship was declared when the deciding game was canceled due to inclement weather. Coach Greg "Boo" Mullins led the 2010 Barons Baseball team as head coach, and was named 2010 Coach of the Year by the Georgia Dugout Club.
Intramural sports include basketball, football, softball, table tennis, tennis, ultimate Frisbee, and volleyball.
Student groups at the school include a drama/theater group, a choral group, Council of Intramural Activities, Student Activities Council, Rotaract, Circle K, Alpha Omega Campus Ministry, Student Government Association, and a Baptist Campus Ministry (Baptist Collegiate Ministries, a.k.a. BCM).
The college also recently created an in-depth Creative Expressions BFA, which brought with it several extracurricular opportunities in creative writing, film production and analysis, visual art and musical theatre.
Noted alumni
- Wallace Moses made it to the Georgia Baseball Hall of Fame.
- Dennis HolmbergDennis HolmbergDennis Neals Holmberg is a former minor league baseball player and major league coach. He is currently a minor league manager for the Bluefield Blue Jays of the Appalachian League....
‘69 has just completed 27 seasons with the Toronto Blue JaysToronto Blue JaysThe Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
organization
Noted faculty past and present
Sonja Sepulveda, DMA Choral Conducting – The University of South CarolinaAssistant Professor of Music, Director of Choral activities – Concert Choir, Choral Society, Jazz Voices
Glenn Eernisse, DMM Church Music – The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Professor of Music, Chair
David W. Moffett, EdD Educational Leadership/ Curriculum & Instruction- Indiana University: President, Georgia Association of Independent Colleges of Teacher Education (GAICTE) and Treasurer, Georgia Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (GACTE), 2008 Bryan E. Rampey Faculty Member of the Year.