North Carolina Wesleyan College
Encyclopedia
North Carolina Wesleyan College is a private four-year coeducational, liberal arts college
, located in Rocky Mount, North Carolina
. Founded in 1956, the school is affiliated with the United Methodist Church
and offers a number of preprofessional programs. North Carolina Wesleyan also offers evening courses at its 200 acre (0.809372 km²) Rocky Mount campus, as well as satellite locations in Morrisville
and Goldsboro
.
An offer of partnership was made to the United Methodist Church which, in the spring of 1956, announced Rocky Mount as the site of a new college. It made good sense. Rocky Mount was within twenty-five miles of the spot where plans for the first Methodist school in America had been discussed in 1780: it was in the home of the Reverend John Dickens near Eden church in Halifax County that Bishop Asbury raised the matter. Moreover, there was a strong and vital Methodist constituency in the region. Thus the school was named after John Wesley. We should not confuse NC Wesleyan Collge for Wesleyan University, the NESCAC school in Middltown, CT. Rocky Mount and the North Carolina Conference both pledged large sums of funding to build a College which, it was established, would be built in the colonial architectural style. Chartered by the State of North Carolina on October 25, 1956, a new Board of Trustees was established. Led by its first Chairman Mr. W. Jasper Smith, the Board set out to build a college. A capital campaign saw the community and the Church pledge $4 million for construction on the magnificent 200 acre (0.809372 km²) property donated by the Braswell family north of the City. By 1960, the College welcomed its first class of students.
During its relatively short history, North Carolina Wesleyan has remained faithful to its goal of providing undergraduate education in a residential setting. The academic curriculum, based on the traditional liberal arts, has developed and matured into a mixture of the pure liberal arts and sciences, and of vocational degrees. During the past ten years, a strong multi-campus adult degree program has developed in Raleigh-Durham, Goldsboro and Rocky Mount. North Carolina Wesleyan’s relationship with the United Methodist Church has similarly evolved. Our diverse student body is composed of all shades of belief and non-belief. It is composed of all ages. Yet Charles Wesley’s dictum to "Unite the pair so long disjoined – knowledge and vital piety" continues to inform the academic and social life of the College.
As the College nears a half-century, its nine thousand alumni can attest to the importance Wesleyan college has meant in their lives. Sustained leadership and support from the Rocky Mount community continue to inspire the College, which is set to face the challenge of the 21st century with resolution, hope and vigor.
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Science
Special Collections
Student Groups
Performing Groups
Student Publications
. The Battling Bishops
compete in a total of 12 sports:
Men's
Women's
The men's baseball program has two Division III National Championships in 1989 and again in 1999.
The college's football
program was established in 2005.
The NCWC football team finished the 2007 regular season with an 8-2 mark, its best overall record in the program's short history. The Battling Bishops made it to the NCAA Division III Football tournament as the USA South champion, where they upset top-seed Washington & Jefferson
in the first round 35-34. Not only was this Wesleyan's first post-season victory, but the first time the top seed lost to a number 8 seed since 1975.
NCWC's Soccer program has also begun to gain more support and notoriety in recent years after successful showings in division tournaments and having alumnus Mamadou Danso
, or "futty" as he is known, go on to play professional soccer for the Portland Timbers
of Major League Soccer
.
Liberal arts college
A liberal arts college is one with a primary emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences.Students in the liberal arts generally major in a particular discipline while receiving exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, including sciences as well as the traditional...
, located in Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Rocky Mount is an All-America City Award-winning city in Edgecombe and Nash counties in the coastal plains of the state of North Carolina. Although it was not formally incorporated until February 28, 1867, the North Carolina community that became the city of Rocky Mount dates from the beginning of...
. Founded in 1956, the school is affiliated with the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
and offers a number of preprofessional programs. North Carolina Wesleyan also offers evening courses at its 200 acre (0.809372 km²) Rocky Mount campus, as well as satellite locations in Morrisville
Morrisville, North Carolina
Morrisville is a town in Wake County, North Carolina, United States. A small portion of the town extends into Durham County. The population was 18,576 according to a April 1, 2010 census. Morrisville is part of the Research Triangle metropolitan region...
and Goldsboro
Goldsboro, North Carolina
Goldsboro is a city in Wayne County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 37,597 at the 2008 census estimate. It is the principal city of and is included in the Goldsboro, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. The nearby town of Waynesboro was founded in 1787 and Goldsboro was...
.
History
During the 1950s, when the flourishing and democratization of American higher education was setting an example for the rest of the world, the citizens of Rocky Mount began to plan for their own college. What those citizens had the foresight to recognize was the importance to a post-war community of an institution of higher learning. A college would be an intellectual center for the City and for Nash and Edgecombe Counties.An offer of partnership was made to the United Methodist Church which, in the spring of 1956, announced Rocky Mount as the site of a new college. It made good sense. Rocky Mount was within twenty-five miles of the spot where plans for the first Methodist school in America had been discussed in 1780: it was in the home of the Reverend John Dickens near Eden church in Halifax County that Bishop Asbury raised the matter. Moreover, there was a strong and vital Methodist constituency in the region. Thus the school was named after John Wesley. We should not confuse NC Wesleyan Collge for Wesleyan University, the NESCAC school in Middltown, CT. Rocky Mount and the North Carolina Conference both pledged large sums of funding to build a College which, it was established, would be built in the colonial architectural style. Chartered by the State of North Carolina on October 25, 1956, a new Board of Trustees was established. Led by its first Chairman Mr. W. Jasper Smith, the Board set out to build a college. A capital campaign saw the community and the Church pledge $4 million for construction on the magnificent 200 acre (0.809372 km²) property donated by the Braswell family north of the City. By 1960, the College welcomed its first class of students.
During its relatively short history, North Carolina Wesleyan has remained faithful to its goal of providing undergraduate education in a residential setting. The academic curriculum, based on the traditional liberal arts, has developed and matured into a mixture of the pure liberal arts and sciences, and of vocational degrees. During the past ten years, a strong multi-campus adult degree program has developed in Raleigh-Durham, Goldsboro and Rocky Mount. North Carolina Wesleyan’s relationship with the United Methodist Church has similarly evolved. Our diverse student body is composed of all shades of belief and non-belief. It is composed of all ages. Yet Charles Wesley’s dictum to "Unite the pair so long disjoined – knowledge and vital piety" continues to inform the academic and social life of the College.
As the College nears a half-century, its nine thousand alumni can attest to the importance Wesleyan college has meant in their lives. Sustained leadership and support from the Rocky Mount community continue to inspire the College, which is set to face the challenge of the 21st century with resolution, hope and vigor.
Main Campus
The attractively planned 200 acre (0.809372 km²) campus contains six residence halls, nine academic and main buildings, Everett Gymnasium, Dunn Center for the Performing Arts Center and outdoor athletic facilities, including soccer field, baseball field, tennis courts, intramural fields, and softball field.Enrollment
About 600 students in the traditional Rocky Mount program. Another 800 students are enrolled in the evening college programs at sites in Rocky Mount, Morrisville, and Goldsboro.Academic
- Student-Faculty Ratio: 17 to 1
- Degrees Offered: The college offers 22 degrees in both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science.
- Bachelor of Suuhkknn Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The Teacher Education Program is accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
Bachelor of Arts
- Chemistry
- Justice Studies
- Psychology
- Theater
- English
- Mathematics
- Religious Studies
- History
- Political Science
- Sociology
Bachelor of Science
- Accounting
- Biology
- Business Administration
- Chemistry
- Computer Information Systems
- Elementary Education
- Environmental Science
- Exercise Science
- Mathematics
- Middle Grades Education
- Pre-Medicine
- Special Education
Culture/Art
Cultural Programs- Visiting Writers Series
- Performing Arts Series
- Staley Lecture Series
- Mims Gallery Exhibits
- Four Sisters Gallery
Special Collections
- The Lynch Collection of Outsider Art
- Johnson Collection of North Carolina Maps
- Black Mountain College Collection
Student Organizations
Honors Societies- Alpha Phi SigmaAlpha Phi SigmaAlpha Phi Sigma is the only Criminal Justice Honor Society accredited by the Association of College Honor Societies. Traditionally a national organization serving United States universities, recent expansion into Canadian universities has distinguished Alpha Phi Sigma as an international honor...
- National Criminal Justice Honor Society. - Omicron Delta KappaOmicron Delta KappaOmicron Delta Kappa, or ΟΔΚ, also known as The Circle, or more commonly ODK, is a national leadership honor society. It was founded December 3, 1914, at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, by 15 student and faculty leaders. Chapters, known as Circles, are located on over 300...
- national honorary leadership fraternity. - Phi Eta SigmaPhi Eta SigmaPhi Eta Sigma is an American freshman honor society. Founded at the University of Illinois on March 22, 1923, is the oldest and largest freshman honor society and now has more than three hundred chapters throughout the United States and more than 1 million members.-Eligibility:Any first-year...
- national collegiate scholastic honor society for freshman. - Pi Gamma MuPi Gamma MuPi Gamma Mu or ΠΓΜ is the oldest and preeminent honor society in the social sciences. It is also the only interdisciplinary social science honor society. It serves the various social science disciplines which seek to understand and explain human behavior and social relationships as well as their...
- International Honor Society for Social Sciences. - Psi ChiPsi ChiPsi Chi is the International Honor Society in Psychology, founded in 1929 for the purposes of encouraging, stimulating, and maintaining excellence in scholarship, and advancing the science of psychology. With over 1,050 chapters, Psi Chi is one of the largest honor societies in the United States...
- National Honor Society for Psychology. - Sigma Tau DeltaSigma Tau DeltaSigma Tau Delta is an international collegiate honor society for students of English. It presently has over 800 active chapters located in Europe, the Caribbean, the United States, and 1 chapter in the Middle East , with more than 1,000 faculty sponsors...
- International English Honors Society.
Student Groups
- Black Student Association (BSA)
- The Refuge Campus Ministries Club
- Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA)
- Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)
- Future Alumni Association (FAA)
- Voices of Triumph
- Visions of Beauty
- Stepping Stars Dance Team
- Psychology Club
- Club Dramatica
- Science Club
- Politics Club
- Student African American Brotherhood (SAAB)
- Rotaract Club
- Habitat For Humanity
- Math Club
- Music Club
- Campus Activities Board
- Sisters of Distinction (SOD)
- Cinematography Club
Performing Groups
- The Wesleyan Singers College Choir
- The NC Wesleyan Jazz Band
- Gospel Choir
- Wesleyan Players
Student Publications
- The Decree (newspaper)
- The Dissenter (yearbook)
Athletics
North Carolina Wesleyan is a member of NCAA Division III and the USA South Athletic ConferenceUSA South Athletic Conference
The USA South Athletic Conference is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III...
. The Battling Bishops
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
compete in a total of 12 sports:
Men's
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Football
- Soccer
- Tennis
- Golf
Women's
- Soccer
- Basketball
- Softball
- Volleyball
- Tennis
- Cross Country
The men's baseball program has two Division III National Championships in 1989 and again in 1999.
The college's football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
program was established in 2005.
The NCWC football team finished the 2007 regular season with an 8-2 mark, its best overall record in the program's short history. The Battling Bishops made it to the NCAA Division III Football tournament as the USA South champion, where they upset top-seed Washington & Jefferson
Washington & Jefferson Presidents football
The Washington & Jefferson Presidents football team represents Washington & Jefferson College in collegiate level football. The team competes in NCAA Division III and is affiliated with the Presidents' Athletic Conference...
in the first round 35-34. Not only was this Wesleyan's first post-season victory, but the first time the top seed lost to a number 8 seed since 1975.
NCWC's Soccer program has also begun to gain more support and notoriety in recent years after successful showings in division tournaments and having alumnus Mamadou Danso
Mamadou Danso
Mamadou "Futty" Danso is a Gambian footballer who currently plays for Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer.-College and Amateur:...
, or "futty" as he is known, go on to play professional soccer for the Portland Timbers
Portland Timbers
Portland Timbers may refer to any of four distinct professional soccer teams:*Portland Timbers, a Major League Soccer expansion team that began playing in 2011....
of Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
.