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* [http://www.converse.edu/ Official website]
* [http://www.converse.edu/ Official website]
* [http://www.converse.edu/athletics Official athletics website]
* [http://www.converse.edu/athletics Official athletics website]
* [https://www.rootsandrecall.com/spartanburg/buildings/wilson-hall-at-converse-college/ History and Photos - Converse College, Spartanburg, S.C.]


{{Colleges and universities in South Carolina}}
{{Colleges and universities in South Carolina}}

Revision as of 17:21, 4 August 2017

Converse College
File:ConverseCollege-logo.jpg
TypeWomen's Undergraduate College. Co-Ed Graduate Programs
Established1889
Endowment$78.24 million[1]
PresidentKrista Newkirk
ProvostJeffrey Barker
Students1,389
Undergraduates822
Postgraduates567
Location
Spartanburg
,
South Carolina
,
United States

34°57′16.59″N 81°55′01.51″W / 34.9546083°N 81.9170861°W / 34.9546083; -81.9170861
CampusUrban
70 acres (0.3 km2)
ColorsPurple and Gold
AffiliationsConference Carolinas
MascotValkyries
Websiteconverse.edu

Converse College is a liberal arts masters university in Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. Converse consists of an undergraduate women's college as well as co-ed graduate, online and summer programs. It was established by a group of Spartanburg residents and named after textile pioneer Dexter Edgar Converse.

History

Converse College Historic District
Converse University is located in South Carolina
Converse University
Converse University is located in the United States
Converse University
Location580 E. Main St., Spartanburg, South Carolina
Area20 acres (8.1 ha)
Built1891 (1891)-1915
ArchitectHook, Charles
Architectural styleLate Gothic Revival, Romanesque, Richardson Romanesque
NRHP reference No.75001706[2]
Added to NRHPNovember 12, 1975

Converse College opened on October 1, 1889, with a student body of 168 and 16 faculty members. The college operated as a "stock company" with the board of directors composed entirely of residents of Spartanburg. Dexter Edgar Converse, a native of Vermont who had settled in Spartanburg before the American Civil War and had become a successful pioneer in the cotton mill industry, served as the head of the first board of directors. On January 2, 1892, fire destroyed the college's main building. The building was enlarged during its reconstruction. In 1896, the college was incorporated in South Carolina and a self-perpetuating board of trustees was named. In 1964, the college introduced graduate programs.

The Converse College Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.[2] It encompasses eight contributing buildings dated between 1891 and 1915. They are the Main Building (Wilson Hall) (1892), Annex (Pell Hall, 1891), Twichell Auditorium (1898-1899), Carnegie Library (1905), Cleveland House (c. 1905), Judd Science Hall (1915), Dexter Hall (1899) and Towne House (1898). The buildings are representative of the Romanesque Revival, Gothic Revival, and Neo-Classical styles.[3][4]

Description

It has an undergraduate enrollment of about 800 women who come from throughout the United States. The graduate enrollment of about 550 students is made up of both men and women.

Departments

  • Art and Design
  • Biology, Chemistry and Physics
  • Economics, Accounting and Business
  • Education
  • English/Creative and Professional Writing
  • Languages, Cultures and Literature
  • Health and Physical Education
  • History and Politics
  • Mathematics and Computer Science
  • Psychology
  • Religion and Philosophy
  • Theater and Dance
  • Music

Athletics

File:ConverseValkyries.png
Official athletics logo.

Converse College teams participate as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division II. The Valkyries are a member of the Conference Carolinas. Women's sports include acrobatics and tumbling, basketball, cross country, equestrian, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, track and field, golf, tennis, swimming and volleyball.

Presidents

Name Years served
Benjamin F. Wilson 1890 - 1902
Robert Paine Pell 1902 - 1932
Edward Moseley Gwathmey 1933 - 1955
Oliver Cromwell Carmichael, Jr. 1956 - 1960
Robert T. Coleman, Jr. 1961 - 1989
Ellen Wood Hall 1989 - 1993
Sandra C. Thomas 1994 - 1998
Nancy Oliver Gray 1999 - 2005
Elizabeth A. Fleming 2006 - 2016
Krista L. Newkirk 2016 - Present

Notable alumnae

  • Kimilee Bryant, Broadway actress and Miss South Carolina 1989[5]
  • Phyllis Harris '82, senior vice president and general counsel of legal administration for Walmart Stores.[6]

Notable faculty

Notes

The concert hall, Converse College
  1. ^ As of June 30, 2013. "Converse College Best Colleges US News". US News and World Report. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. ^ Mary Ann Eaddy and Georgianna Graham (May 1975). "Converse Heights Historic District" (pdf). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. Retrieved 2014-07-01.
  4. ^ "Converse College Historic District, Spartanburg County (Spartanburg)". National Register Properties in South Carolina. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Retrieved 2014-07-01. and accompanying map
  5. ^ "Broadway actress Kimilee Bryant returns to Greenville". The Greenville News. 10 June 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  6. ^ "Phyllis P. Harris". Retrieved 17 February 2016.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Converse College.
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