Rust College
Encyclopedia
Rust College is a historically black
liberal arts college
located in Holly Springs
, Mississippi
. Located approximately 35 miles southeast of Memphis
, Tennessee
, it is the second-oldest private college in the state. Affiliated with the United Methodist Church
, it is one of ten historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) founded before 1868 that is still operating.
s in the United States
, Rust was founded on November 24, 1866 by Northern
missionaries with a group called the Freedman's Aid Society
of the Methodist Episcopal Church
. In 1870, the college was chartered as Shaw University in 1870, honoring the Reverend S. O. Shaw, who made a gift of $10,000 to the institution. In 1882 the institution changed its name to Rust University, a tribute to Rev. Richard S. Rust of Cincinnati, Ohio
, the secretary of the Freedman's Aid Society. In 1915, the institution re-assumed the name Rust College.
Rust College is the oldest of the 11 historically black colleges and universities
related to the United Methodist Church, the second oldest private college in Mississippi, and one of the five historically black colleges that was founded before 1867.
s or Bachelor's degree
s. Rust accepts only 26% of its applicants; the U.S. News & World Report America's Best Colleges 2006 guide referred to it as "less selective" and did not rank it in the fourth-tier of the "Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelor's (South)" category.
According to the Princeton Review, the most popular majors
at Rust are biology
, general studies, business administration, and computer science
.
Rust College operates on what is called a module system, which is an 8-week semester class system. This can sometimes challenge some students and staff.
The college says that most of their classes have between 10-19 students and 42% of all faculty have obtained a PhD
. There are 42 faculty members and a student/faculty ratio
of 20:1. 57% of students return for their sophomore year.
, and is considered part of the Memphis, Tennessee
metropolitan area. There are five gender-segregated dorms, with about 900 spaces. A full-time staff professional lives in each building along with the students to manage the educational and operational functions of the residence hall.
Under the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act (1990), Rust College reports the on-campus crime statistics to the United States Department of Education
and publish the numbers on the Department's website.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Historically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....
liberal arts college
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 Holly Springs
Holly Springs, Mississippi
Holly Springs is a city in Marshall County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,957 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Marshall County. A short drive from Memphis, Tennessee, Holly Springs is the site of a number of well-preserved antebellum homes and other structures and...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. Located approximately 35 miles southeast of Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, it is the second-oldest private college in the state. 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...
, it is one of ten historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) founded before 1868 that is still operating.
History
One of the oldest colleges for African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Rust was founded on November 24, 1866 by Northern
Northern United States
Northern United States, also sometimes the North, may refer to:* A particular grouping of states or regions of the United States of America. The United States Census Bureau divides some of the northernmost United States into the Midwest Region and the Northeast Region...
missionaries with a group called the Freedman's Aid Society
Freedman's Aid Society
The Freedmen’s Aid Society was founded in 1861 during the American Civil War by the American Missionary Association , a group supported chiefly by the Congregational, Presbyterian and Methodist churches in the North. It organized a supply of teachers from the North and provided housing for them,...
of the Methodist Episcopal Church
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
. In 1870, the college was chartered as Shaw University in 1870, honoring the Reverend S. O. Shaw, who made a gift of $10,000 to the institution. In 1882 the institution changed its name to Rust University, a tribute to Rev. Richard S. Rust of Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, the secretary of the Freedman's Aid Society. In 1915, the institution re-assumed the name Rust College.
Rust College is the oldest of the 11 historically black colleges and universities
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Historically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....
related to the United Methodist Church, the second oldest private college in Mississippi, and one of the five historically black colleges that was founded before 1867.
Academics
Rust College maintains five divisions or departments of study: Division of Education, Division of Humanities, Division of Science and Mathematics, Division of Social Sciences, and the Division of Business. Degree programs are offered in sixteen areas of study. Upon completion of their studies at Rust, students can receive Associate's degreeAssociate's degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, technical colleges, and bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years...
s or Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
s. Rust accepts only 26% of its applicants; the U.S. News & World Report America's Best Colleges 2006 guide referred to it as "less selective" and did not rank it in the fourth-tier of the "Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelor's (South)" category.
According to the Princeton Review, the most popular 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....
at Rust are biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, general studies, business administration, and computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
.
Rust College operates on what is called a module system, which is an 8-week semester class system. This can sometimes challenge some students and staff.
The college says that most of their classes have between 10-19 students and 42% of all faculty have obtained a PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
. There are 42 faculty members and a student/faculty ratio
Ratio
In mathematics, a ratio is a relationship between two numbers of the same kind , usually expressed as "a to b" or a:b, sometimes expressed arithmetically as a dimensionless quotient of the two which explicitly indicates how many times the first number contains the second In mathematics, a ratio is...
of 20:1. 57% of students return for their sophomore year.
Campus
Holly Springs is in northwestern MississippiMississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, and is considered part of the Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
metropolitan area. There are five gender-segregated dorms, with about 900 spaces. A full-time staff professional lives in each building along with the students to manage the educational and operational functions of the residence hall.
Under the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act (1990), Rust College reports the on-campus crime statistics to the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
and publish the numbers on the Department's website.
Notable alumni
External links
- "Rust College", Official web site
- The Rustorian, College newspaper
Additional reading
- African American Registry: Rust College founded
- College Board: Rust College
- Rust College: About Rust
- "Rust College", U.S. News: America's Best Colleges 2006