Greensboro College

Greensboro College is a four-year, independent, coeducational liberal-arts college, also offering four master's degrees, located in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States, and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1838 by Rev. Hezekiah Gilbert Leigh. The college enrolls about 1,250 students from 32 states, the District of Columbia and 29 nations.

History
The first college to open its doors within the town of Greensboro was the woman's college, Greensboro Female College. The school occupied a 25 acre campus near the heart of the city within what would become the College Hill Historic District. The institution had its origin in 1833, when the Greensboro Female College was organized as an institution for local children. It was the intent of the Rev. Peter Doub that the institution grow to serve women.

Through the Methodist Church, a charter was secured in 1838, an event which makes the college one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States. The college became coeducational in the late 1950s.

The cornerstone of the first building was laid in 1843, and in 1846 the institution opened its doors to students. Young women came from many southern states to become the first classes of the new president, the Rev. Solomon Lea, and his faculty.

Mission
Greensboro College, an independent, coeducational college affiliated with the United Methodist Church, is an academic and social community that unites the liberal arts and Judeo-Christian values in an atmosphere of diversity and mutual respect.

True to the United Methodist Church's historic ideal of nonsectarian education, Greensboro College's central purpose is the intellectual development of its students within the dual traditions of the liberal arts and the Judeo-Christian faith. Through a disciplined pursuit of truth, its students acquire knowledge and develop a critical awareness that allows them to live humanely, responsibly and productively in a free society. Such lives are characterized by clarity of thought and expression, the ability to reason, a sense of history and a global perspective, an understanding of literature and language, a knowledge of mathematics and science, an appreciation of the arts, an awareness of political and social realities, a familiarity with the biblical tradition and an ethical awareness, a respect for physical soundness, and an understanding of technology.

Through its student development services and other cocurricular offerings, Greensboro College encourages the personal and spiritual development of its students. A range of religious, cultural, service, social and athletic programs allows students to participate meaningfully in a rich campus and community life and encourages students to develop a system of values consistent with the mission of the College.

Through its professional, preprofessional and career-oriented programs, both undergraduate and graduate, Greensboro College encourages, as well, the professional development of its students. Indeed, the College believes the liberal-arts curriculum to be the most appropriate context for such programs. A liberal education provides basic intellectual and communicative capabilities that enable a person to develop and to adapt throughout a productive lifetime.

Academics
The academic calendar consists of two semesters and a summer-school session. Full-time undergraduates must carry a minimum academic load of 12 credit hours per semester.

The college offers four undergraduate degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Music, and Bachelor of Science. It offers four master's degrees: M.Ed. in elementary education, M.Ed. in special education/general curriculum, M.Ed. in special education/adapted curriculum, and M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

Undergraduate majors: The college offers majors in accounting, art, athletic training, biology, birth through kindergarten education, business administration, business administration and economics, chemistry, criminal justice, elementary education, English, English and communication studies, exercise and sport studies, French (effective with the 2009-2010 academic year, enrollments in the major and minor in French are suspended until further notice), history, history and political science, liberal studies, mathematics, mathematics education, middle grades education, music, music education, health/physical education, political science, psychology, religion, secondary comprehensive science education, sociology, Spanish, special education, theatre, and urban ecology. Most departments also offer minors.

Teacher licensure: North Carolina Department of Public Instruction licensure is offered in birth through kindergarten, elementary education (K-6), middle grades education (6-9), special education (K-12) (general curriculum and adapted curriculum), health/physical education (K-12), art (K-12), music (K-12), Spanish (K-12), theatre (K-12), and ESL add-on licensure. Students seeking secondary licensure (9-12) must select one or more academic majors from the following: English, mathematics, biology, secondary comprehensive science education and social studies.

Special programs: Allied Health Programs (medical technology, radiologic technology), Ethics Across the Curriculum, First Year Seminar, George Center for Honors Studies, International Studies Program, Women's and Gender Studies, Writing Across the Curriculum, and consortia arrangements.

Academic Honor Societies:
 * Alpha Chi, a national honor society recognizing superior academic achievement
 * Alpha Kappa Delta, national sociology honor society
 * Beta Beta Beta, national biology honor society
 * Delta Mu Delta, international business honor society
 * Kappa Delta Pi, international education honor society
 * Phi Alpha Theta, national history honor society
 * Pi Delta Phi, international French honor society
 * Pi Sigma Alpha, national political science honor society
 * Psi Chi, national psychology honor society
 * Sigma Delta Pi, national Spanish honor society
 * Sigma Tau Delta, international English honor society
 * Theta Alpha Kappa, national religion honor society.

Activities and Student Life
Student Activities: Students take an active role in planning and implementing campus activities. Greensboro College has more than 20 student organizations, with various opportunities including Student Government Association (SGA), Pride Productions, United African-American Society (UAAS), Residence Hall Association (RHA), newspaper, literary magazine, theatre, musical and instrumental groups, and other special interest, honor and service organizations.

Religious Life: Greensboro College is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and offers an academic and social community that unites the liberal arts and Judeo-Christian values in an atmosphere of diversity and mutual respect. Chapel services are held at 11:30 a.m. each Thursday during the school year in Hannah Brown Finch Memorial Chapel, and brief prayer services are offered at 8:15 a.m. weekdays during the school year in the same location. Programs from diverse traditions and a variety of student organizations offer students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to worship, study, serve, and fellowship in order to grow in faith. Religious Life organizations include: Student Christian Fellowship, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Campus Crusade for Christ, Catholic Student Fellowship, Presbyterian Campus Ministry, Episcopal Campus Ministry, Hillel Jewish Fellowship, and other denominational groups.

Village 401: Greensboro College has the unique distinction of being located in downtown Greensboro, the center of finance, commerce, government, culture, health and human services, as well as a reviving residential and shopping area. A distinct feature of the College’s location is that we share a common zip code, 27401; thus, the name Village 401. Working closely with businesses, schools, agencies and organizations within Village 401, the College provides opportunities for students, faculty and staff to assist the community in meeting some of its challenges and needs while enhancing liberal-arts education with community service.

Campus Life: Cocurricular involvement and leadership in activities are valuable supplements to classroom learning. Students take an active role in planning and implementing campus activities. Pride Productions is one of the organizations that regularly sponsor a variety of social events such as bands, comedians, trips, movies, Homecoming, formal dances, and the annual Spring Fling weekend. Students are encouraged to take an active role in the community standards process while living in the residence halls.

Athletics
The Pride's athletic program competes in the NCAA's Division III and the USA South Athletic Conference. It offers 16 intercollegiate sports, eight each for men and women. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming and tennis. Women's sports include basketball, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis and volleyball.

The men's golf team has twice won the Division III national championship, in 2000 and 2011.

As of the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year, 77 Pride student-athletes had been named All-Americans and 26 had been named Academic All-Americans.

Middle College
Greensboro College Middle College is a high school program on the campus of Greensboro College located in Greensboro, North Carolina. It schools the 11th and 12th grades, and allows students to finish their high school career while earning college credit. GMC's main focus is to provide a more flexible learning environment for students previously unsuccessful or dissatisfied with traditional high school. As of the 2011-2012 school year, there are about 120 students enrolled.

Triad World Affairs Council
The Triad World Affairs Council, housed at the college, was founded in 1995 by business and cultural leaders with the purpose of raising public awareness of international political, economic and cultural issues, provides business and industry leaders with inside reports from international representatives and experts, and supports education at the secondary and higher educational levels.

Notable alumni

 * Eileen Fulton '55, soap opera and Broadway actress
 * Carolyn Maloney '68, U.S. Representative (D-NY) 1992-Present
 * Ryan Nelsen '99, professional soccer player (attended)
 * Sarah Dessen '92, writer and author (attended)
 * R. Carter Pate '76, CEO of MV Transportation
 * Dr. Jeremy Kinney '94, Curator for Air Racing, Aircraft Propulsion, and Interwar Military Aviation, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum