Queens University of Charlotte

Queens University of Charlotte
Motto	Non ministrari sed ministrare (Latin)
Motto in English	Not to be served but to serve
Established	1857
Type	Private, Presbyterian university
Endowment	$55 million
President	Pamela L. Davies
Academic staff	120 full-time
Undergraduates	1,802
Postgraduates	549
Location	Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Campus	Urban
Colors	Blue and Gold
Website	www.queens.edu

Queens University of Charlotte is a private, co-educational, comprehensive university located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The school has approximately 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students through the College of Arts and Sciences, the McColl School of Business, the Wayland H. Cato, Jr. School of Education, the James L. Knight School of Communication, Hayworth College for Adult Studies and the Andrew Blair College of Health, which features the Presbyterian School of Nursing. Established in 1857, the university offers 34 undergraduate majors and 66 concentrations, and 10 graduate programs.

The Institution

The main entrance to Queens University of Charlotte

Queens University of Charlotte is a co-educational, master's level university that has served Charlotte and the southeast for more than 150 years. The University prides itself on a strong foundation of an outstanding and committed faculty, innovative curricula, creative programs and a Presbyterian heritage.

Founded in 1857 as the Charlotte Female Institute, the school was originally at College and 9th streets. From 1891-1896, it was called the Seminary for Girls. In 1896, the Concord and Mecklenburg Presbyteries chartered the Presbyterian Female College. The seminary merged with this new college. In 1912, anticipating the move to the present campus in the Myers Park neighborhood, the school became Queens College.

The name Queens College was adopted for three reasons: at the request of the Alumnae Association to disarm prejudice in deference to other Presbyterian colleges which claimed an equal right to the denominational name; to commemorate Queen's Museum, a classical school established in Charlotte in 1771; and to honor Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg. In the aftermath of World War II, Queens admitted its first male students. A co-educational Evening College was established in 1948 that provided instruction for adults. It was the forerunner of the New College, which was inaugurated in 1979 as an undergraduate evening program designed for working adults. In 1995, New College was renamed the Pauline Lewis Hayworth College.

In 1979, the traditional undergraduate liberal arts college at Queens was renamed the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). It began admitting resident males in 1987 when Queens went co-ed.

In 1989, CAS adopted the innovative Foundations of Liberal Learning program, which is now known as the Core Program in Liberal Arts and is required of all first-year students. The four-course program encourages robust class discussions, helping students develop stronger critical thinking skills, explore ethics and morality, learn to articulate their values and ideas, and become responsible global citizens. This shared experience builds community at Queens, and alumni often say Core became a key component to their personal development.

The International Experience Program, now known as the John Belk International Program, was established in 1989. Juniors and seniors participate in a variety of study programs that range from study tours, language programs, a month-long environmental studies program in Yap in Micronesia or a summer-long foreign internship, to semester-long study abroad exchanges in Hong Kong or Ireland. Since its inception, the program has received national recognition from U.S. News & World Report. Queens recently ranked no. 2 in the country for its "percentage of students who travel abroad" (2009) with close to 90 percent participation. In 2008, the program added study tours to Vietnam and South Africa.

The McColl School of Business, named after Bank of America chairman Hugh McColl, Jr., was established in 1993. The School achieved AACSB Accreditation in 2007, the highest level given to business schools. Only five percent of business schools globally, and 20 percent of American schools, have earned this level of accreditation.

In 1996, the Internship and Career Development Program, also nationally recognized, began requiring a minimum of six credit hours for all students enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences. The program has been recognized in the past by U.S. News & World Report as one of the leading internship programs in the country; it boasts 100 percent participation from the University's student body.

Queens' first master's degree program, the Master of Business Administration, launched in 1980. Since then, Queens has added the Master of Education (1983); the Executive Master of Business (1990); the Master of Arts in Teaching (1992); the Master of Science in Nursing (1998); the Master of Arts in Organizational and Strategic Communication (1999); the Low-Residency Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (2001); the Master of Science in Organization Development (2008) and Master of School Administration (2008).

With the additional master's degree programs, Queens achieved a university level rank in the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the U.S. News & World Report. The Board of Trustees voted in the Spring of 2002 to recognize Queens' true university status and changed the institutional name from "Queens College" to "Queens University of Charlotte." The change became official on June 1, 2002.

The University obtained the former Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing to form the Presbyterian School of Nursing at Queens in 2004. One of the most popular majors at Queens, the program produces the third largest number of new registered nurses among higher education institutions in North Carolina.

Queens continues to expand its footprint beyond its 30-acre Myers Park campus. In 2006, the University officially opened its 65-acre Sports Complex at Marion Diehl Park, a planned $15 million project that is a partnership between Mecklenburg County and the University. When it is completed in 2011, the facility will provide Charlotte with a long-awaited recreational facility that will serve senior citizens, people with disabilities and Queens' student-athletes.

Central to the success of the Queens is its high-quality faculty. The end of 2007 was a special time in the University's history as it became the only higher educational institution in North Carolina to boast five different N.C. Professors of the Year. Dr. Reed Perkins, chair of the environmental science department, was the 2007 recipient, the fifth Queens professor in 14 years to receive this distinguished award.

In 2008, Queens opened a new School of Education that became the fifth primary unit on its Myers Park campus. The school focuses on undergraduate education and boasts an array of innovative graduate programs, including a Teaching Fellows Program and a Public Education Research Institute.

As Queens builds upon the momentum generated from its Sesquicentennial celebration in 2007, it looks ahead to the future, building on its past success to become one of the finest comprehensive universities in the Southeast.

Student life

Greek life

Queens University of Charlotte has five sororities and two fraternities.

Sororities

• Alpha Delta Pi: Beta Iota Chapter- Chartered in 1931
• Chi Omega: Theta Gamma Chapter- Chartered in 1928
• Kappa Delta: Alpha Omicron Chapter- Chartered in 1928
• Phi Mu: Gamma Gamma Chapter- Chartered in 1929
• Alpha Kappa Alpha: Tau Beta Chapter- Chartered in 2009

Fraternities

• Pi Kappa Phi: Eta Zeta Chapter - Chartered in 1992
• Phi Kappa Sigma: Colonized, not yet chartered

Clubs/Organizations

Queens University of Charlotte maintains a broad and diverse list of student organizations, ranging from musical ensembles to nature groups. Politically-minded students spar in debate between the College Republicans and College Democrats; aspiring journalists write pieces for the Queens Chronicle; service-minded students travel to Guatemala; and the Campus Union Board plans on-campus activities.

Athletics

The Queens University of Charlotte Royals logo, featuring mascot "Rex"

Queens University of Charlotte's athletic teams take the identity of the Queens Royals on the field and cheer their teams on via their mascot, Rex. Queens is a member of the NCAA's Division II program nationally; regionally, the Royals participate in the Conference Carolinas.

A statue of Rex at the Queens Sports Complex is the largest standing lion sculpture in the world.

Men's Sports

Men's athletic teams include Basketball, Cross-Country, Golf, Lacrosse, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, and Track & Field.

Women's Sports

Women's athletic teams include Basketball, Cross-Country, Golf, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Track & Field, and Volleyball.

Curriculum

Many of Queens University's students are enrolled in either the Business and Marketing programs (33% of undergraduates) or the Communications and Journalism programs (15% of undergraduates). Rounding out the top three most popular majors are the Health Professions, which are studied by approximately 10% of the undergraduate population according to the College Board. [1]

Majors

Art
Biochemistry
Biology
Business Administration
Chemistry
Communication
Drama
Education
English, Drama, and Creative Writing
Environmental Science
Foreign Languages
History
Information Systems
International Studies
Journalism
Mathematics and Computer Information Systems
Music
Music Therapy
Nursing
Philosophy / Religion
Political Science
Professional Golf Management
Psychology Sociology

Concentrations (partial listing)

Arts management
Sociology
Political history
International business
Graphic Design
Creative Writing
Studio Design

Pre-Professional Programs

Pre-Law
Pre-Med
Pre-Occupational Therapy
Pre-Physical Therapy
Pre Veterinary Medicine

Core Program

Queens University employs a set of core classes required of each undergraduate student, as is commonplace in the American system of higher education. This program includes topics in history, American experience, ethics, literature and art. The purpose of any core program is develop a well-rounded, as well as well-specialized, student of the liberal arts.

Admissions

Queens University of Charlotte operates on a rolling admissions basis, with decisions beginning in early September during the Fall of the student's senior year.

Test Scores

The following are the middle percentile of SAT scores for Queens University of Charlotte as provided by the Princeton Review.

Average SAT: 1550
Average Writing SAT: 540-630
Average Verbal SAT (25-75%): 480-570
Average Math SAT (25-75%): 490-560
Average ACT (25-75%): 19-24
Average High School GPA: 3.40
[2]

High School Performance

The following statistics are provided by the College Board.

32% had h.s. GPA of 3.75 and higher
12% had h.s. GPA between 3.5 and 3.74
14% had h.s. GPA between 3.25 and 3.49
19% had h.s. GPA between 3.0 and 3.24
18% had h.s. GPA between 2.5 and 2.99
5% had h.s. GPA between 2.0 and 2.49 [3]

Percentage Admitted

Queens University of Charlotte accepts 76% of freshman applicants and 73% of transfer applicants, according to College Board. [4]

Rankings

U.S. News and World Report

In the 2010 Best Colleges issue U.S. News and World Report ranked Queens University of Charlotte:

No. 2 in the United States for "percentage of students who travel abroad," 2010
No. 18 overall, Regional Universities - South, 2010
No. 2, Regional Universities - South (North Carolina private institutions), 2010
No. 7, Regional Universities - South for the number of international students, 2010
No. 15, Regional Universities - South "Great Schools, Great Prices" category, 2010
No. 10, Regional Universities - South for "percentage of classes under 20" category, 2010
No. 16, Regional Universities - South for graduation rate.

Princeton Review

On admissions selectivity, the Princeton Review ranks Queens University of Charlotte "79" on a scale of 60 - 99. This is a mid-range selectivity rating.

Poets & Writers

Poets & Writers ranked Queens University of Charlotte's low-residency MFA in Creative Writing program 7th in its 2011 MFA Rankings: Top 10 Low-Residency Programs. The school also ranked as the 4th most selective low-residency program according to Poets & Writers. Many of the program's graduates have gone on to publish novels, short story collections, short stories in various literary magazines, and have also won awards for their work.

External links

• Queens University of Charlotte
• Student Yearbooks 1937-2007