College of Charleston
| File:CoCseal.gif | |
| Motto | "Knowledge itself is liberty." |
|---|---|
| Type | Public university |
| President | Dr. P. George Benson |
| Undergraduates | 9866 |
| Postgraduates | 1454 |
| Location | , , |
| Colors | Maroon and White |
| Mascot | Cougar File:Logo college of charleston.gif |
| Website | www.cofc.edu |
The College of Charleston (C of C) is a public university located in historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina. The College was founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, making it the oldest college or university in South Carolina, the 13th oldest institution of higher learning in the United States, and the oldest municipal college in the country. The founders of the college include three signers of the Declaration of Independence and three signers of the United States Constitution. It is said that the college was founded to, "encourage and institute youth in the several branches of liberal education." The College is in company with the Colonial Colleges as one of the oldest schools in the United States.
History
The College of Charleston lies in the heart of historic downtown Charleston, roughly in the middle of the Charleston peninsula. Built on land given to the College's founders by Grace Episcopal Church, located to the south of the campus, the College originally held class in one of several buildings that have since been torn down. The oldest building on campus, the Bishop Robert Smith House, built in 1770, serves as the President's House. Randolph Hall was built in 1828 and is the oldest functioning college classroom building in the nation. Currently it houses the President's Office, Graduate Studies offices, and various others. Towell Library, located alongside Randolph Hall in the area known as the Cistern, was built in 1855 and was the College's original library. Porter's Lodge was built in 1850 and originally functioned as the residence for the campus' porter, who was charged with the maintenance and upkeep of the College's facilities until the position was no longer needed soon after the Civil War. The College has twice served as barracks for American soldiers, once during the Civil War and again during World War I. Randolph Hall and Towell Library both exhibit damage from cannonfire from the Civil War. In 1886, Charleston experienced a massive earthquake, estimated to have been a 7.5 on the Richter Scale. The earthquake demolished most of the city, but the structures of the College survived relatively unscathed, though many structures maintain earthquake bolts that were believed to stabilize the buildings. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo took its toll on much of the South Carolina coast, devastating Charleston in particular. While many of the Live Oaks found around campus were damaged and removed during the cleanup, the rest of the campus was spared and few signs of the hurricane still exist.
The College became the nation's first municipally funded public university in 1826, and was incorporated into the South Carolina State College System in 1970. The College first admitted women in 1918, and African-Americans in 1968.
Background
Founded as a liberal arts college, the curriculum included all popular areas of study when it was incorporated into the South Carolina State College System in 1970. Total enrollment has been decreased and capped over the last few years and the school now has just under 10,000 undergraduate students. The liberal arts history is seen in the core curriculum that still includes a heavy influence on language, English, history, sciences, and humanities.
In 1992 the University of Charleston, now called the Graduate School of the College of Charleston, was founded as the graduate program for the College. By 1999, the graduate program had over two thousand students.
The College also has a satellite campus in nearby North Charleston, a marine research lab in neighboring James Island, and most of its athletic teams use the College's space at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant.
President
On October 26, 2006, the College of Charleston Board of Trustees announced that Dr. P. George Benson would succeed Conrad Festa, the interim president, as President of the College of Charleston. Dr. Benson will become only the 21st president in the college's over 225 year history. He will officially take over in the Spring of 2007. Prior to becoming President of the College of Charleston, Dr. Benson served as the Dean of the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia.
Athletics
The school's athletic teams, which participate in the NCAA Division I Southern Conference, are known as the Cougars. While the College lacks a football program, the College's student fans are known for their fanatical support. The College's best-known athletic program is men's basketball. The men's basketball team won the NAIA national title in 1983 and made four trips to the NCAA Tournament (1994, 1997, 1998 and 1999) under the leadership of former head coach John Kresse, for whom their arena is named. The College also boasts the 2004, 2005 & 2006 SoCon Champion Baseball team, 2004 SoCon Championship Men's Soccer team, 2003 & 2005 SoCon Championship Softball team, 2001-2004 SoCon Championship Women's Volleyball team, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's cross country, women's track & field,equestrian team, women's basketball team, a coed and women's sailing team, and both men's and women's student rugby clubs. The sailing team competes in the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association division and in 2006 the Cougars won the Intercollegiate Sailing Association National Championships, a regatta which they hosted. In 2006 the school's baseball team won the Southern Conference Baseball Tournament and the Lexington NCAA tournament regional, defeating Big East champion Notre Dame and SEC champion Kentucky in the process. Also in 2006, college basketball coaching legend Bobby Cremins returned to the coaching ranks after he accepted a job as the Cougars' head basketball coach just days after Winthrop coach and former C of C assistant Gregg Marshall reneged on an oral acceptance to coach the basketball team. In February 2007, the College broke ground on the Carolina First Center, a state-of-the-art, 5,000 seat basketball arena that will be home to the basketball squad.
Campus Development
Under former President Higdon, many new developments are underway for the College of Charleston. Two residence halls are in construction in the area enclosed between George St., St. Philips St. and Liberty St. Libery Street Residence Hall will be geared towards underclassmen and be similar to McAlister Residence Hall. George St. Apartment Community will be single occupancy and geared towards upperclassman. Retail space will be privately rented on the bottom floor of the two buildings. A new dining hall will also be built under Liberty Street Resdience Hall.
C of C Facts
Because of the historic look of the campus, many movies have been filmed at the College of Charleston, including Cold Mountain, The Patriot, White Squall, O, and The Notebook. The most popular scene location is Randolph Hall. In 2004, the first televised debate between Senate candidates Jim DeMint and Inez Tenenbaum was filmed in Alumni Hall, ABC's The View,and CNN's Crossfire also took up residence on the College of Charleston cistern before the South Carolina Primary of the 2000 Presidential Election.
The English Department at the College of Charleston publishes Crazyhorse, a national literary magazine.
In 1971, the College of Charleston was listed on the U.S. Department of the Interior's National Register of Historic Places.
The Princeton Review rates the College of Charleston as:
"Best 361 Colleges This school is one of the 361 colleges featured in The Princeton Review’s book The New 2007 "Best 361 Colleges".
Best Southeastern Colleges This school is one of the 146 colleges named a Best Southeastern College by The Princeton Review. Our goal is simple: to identify some of the colleges and universities that we feel stand out within each region.
America's Best Value College This school is one of the colleges designated as one of the best overall bargains—based on cost and financial aid—among the most academically outstanding colleges in the nation."
U.S. News and World Report ranks the College number 11 in their top Southern Masters Programs.