Pfeiffer University

Pfeiffer University is a private university in the village of Misenheimer near Richfield, North Carolina.

History
Pfeiffer originated from a home school operated by Miss Emily Prudden in the late 19th century. In or around 1885, the school first began operation on the outskirts of Hudson, NC, on Lick Mountain. (Caldwell County North Carolina) The school was called Oberlin, after John Frederick Oberlin, a French priest noted for his social improvement in the Alsace Region of France. The school was later endowed by Mrs. Mary P. Mitchell, and the name was changed to the Mitchell School.

A fire destroyed the school in 1907 and it moved to the nearby town of Lenoir, North Carolina. As that location proved inadequate, the school again relocated in 1910, this time to its current location in Misenheimer. An outdoor drama entitled "The Legacy of Lick Mountain" relates the beginning of the school, and will be presented in Hudson, N.C. in the summer of 2013. The Mitchell School began issuing high school diplomas in 1913. In 1928 the school began offering junior college classes and was accredited as such in 1934. It was that year that the Pfeiffer family of New York City gave generous financial gifts to the school for construction of new buildings, and it was then that the name Pfeiffer Junior College was used.

During the 1950s the school began offering senior college courses. The four-year Pfeiffer College was accredited in 1960 during the administration of Dr. J. Lem Stokes II, President. Pfeiffer opened a satellite campus in Charlotte, approximately forty miles away, in 1977. In 1996 the college's trustees voted to re-organize to achieve university status, and the current name of Pfeiffer University was adopted.

Schools of the University
Accounting Business Administration Computer Information Systems Sports Management 3-2: BA & MBA
 * Division of Business

Comprehensive Science Elementary Education English Health & Physical Mathematics Music Social Studies Special Education
 * Division of Education

Biology Chemistry Environmental Science Mathematics Communication English English: Creative Writing English Education History History: Social Studies Licensure Track Political Science Criminal Justice Human Services Pre-Medical Studies Psychology Religion & Practical Theology
 * Division of Arts and Sciences

Exercise Science Nursing
 * Division of Health-Related Programs

Business Administration Criminal Justice Health Administration Interdisciplinary Studies Human Relations
 * Professional Advancement and Degree Completion

*Business MBA - Master of Business Administration MSL - Master of Science in Leadership
 * The Graduate School

*Joint Degree MBA/MHA Joint Degree MBA/MSL Joint Degree MHA/MSL Joint Degree

*Education MSEE - Master of Science in Elementary Education (Charlotte only) MAT-SPED - Master of Arts in Teaching Special Education (Charlotte only)

*Health MHA - Master of Health Administration

*Marriage and Family Therapy MFT - Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy (Charlotte and Triangle only)

*Practical Theology MAPT - Master of Arts in Practical Theology(Charlotte only) Center for Deacon Education

Graduate Studies
Pfeiffer has 2 graduate campuses. The main graduate campus is located in Charlotte, North Carolina near the SouthPark area. The campus has been in Charlotte for 33 years and currently serves several hundred students. Pfeiffer's Research Triangle Park campus, located in Morrisville, North Carolina, serves graduate students in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and surrounding areas.

The graduate degrees offered include Masters degrees in Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, Education, Organizational Change and Leadership, and Marriage & Family Therapy.

U.S. News and World Report
In the 2010 edition of the U.S. News & World Report, Pfeiffer University was listed as a "selective" school.

MBA Program
Pfeiffer's MBA program, which has been named one of the top enrolling MBA programs in NC, earned the first-ever American accreditation for its International Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree program issued by ACQUIN, the German accreditation agency.

MFT Program
In collaboration with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), the Pfeiffer University MFT Program is an accredited MFT Graduate School approved by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE).

Athletics
Pfeiffer's athletic teams are known as the Falcons. They compete in the NCAA's Division II as a member of the Conference Carolinas (formerly the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference). The 1981 Womens Field Hockey team became Pfeiffer's first team to win a National Championship.

Steven Armstrong of Edinburgh, Scotland became Pfeiffer's first individual National Champion in 1995 winning the NAIA National Golf Championship at Bailey Ranch, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In 2009, varsity student-cyclist Joey Rosskopf won the overall Division II national road cycling championships.

Notable alumni

 * Keith Crisco '64 North Carolina Secretary of Commerce
 * Antonio Harvey, former NBA player
 * Dr. Amir "Ace" Gabr, '08 Co-founder of AGI consulting RTP in North Carolina
 * Dr. Jewell Mayberry, Fulbright Scholar
 * George "Pat" Waters '65 Grandson of General George S. Patton

Gray Stone Day School
Gray Stone Day School, which opened in Fall 2002, is a charter high school, meaning it is a public school but does not receive funding from the state of North Carolina for land or buildings. Previously located in Pfeiffer's Harris Building, its philosophy has been "what better way to prepare for college than on a college campus". Gray Stone began planning for its own facility in 2005. Pfeiffer donated 18 acres of land and groundbreaking took place in April 2010. On January 4, 2011, Gray Stone students moved into a new $7 million, 53000 sqft building. In 2012 the school opened a new wing of classrooms to accommodate the largest freshman class in school history.