Virginia Intermont College
| File:Vilogo.gif | |
| Motto | Nil sine numine |
|---|---|
Motto in English | Nothing without Guidance |
| Type | Private college |
| Established | 1884 |
| Affiliation | Baptist General Association of Virginia |
| Endowment | $2.8 million [1] |
| Chairman | Wayne Kennedy |
| President | Dr. E. Clorissa Phillips |
| Provost | Dr. Mark Roberts |
Academic staff | 84[1] |
| Students | 916 |
| Address | 1013 Moore Street , , , Bristol VA 24201 Coordinates: Unknown argument format |
| Campus | Suburban, 147 acres |
| Colors | Black and Gold |
| Nickname | Cobras |
| Affiliations | Appalachian Athletic Conference |
| Website | www.vic.edu/ |
Virginia Intermont College is a small private Baptist liberal arts college in Bristol, Virginia. It was founded in 1884 by a Baptist minister to create additional educational opportunities for women. The school has been coeducational since 1972.
The name "Intermont" is a reference to the College's mountain setting. The Holston Range, which merges into the Blue Ridge Mountains, can be seen from campus. The College is located in Bristol, Virginia, part of the Tri-Cities region, which also includes Johnson City and Kingsport, Tennessee.
History
The College was founded as Southwest Virginia Institute in Glade Spring, Virginia on September 17, 1884 by Reverend J.R. Harrison, a Baptist minister, as a means to bring higher education opportunities to women in southwest Virginia. Instructing both boarding and day students, the school steadily grew until it outgrew its facilities in less than ten years.
The College began moving to a new site in Bristol, Virginia in 1891, completing its relocation with the beginning of classes on September 14, 1893. Shortly after the move, the name was changed to Virginia Institute. A reorganization of the curriculum in 1910 brought the college into the junior college movement and the college became the first two-year institution to be accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.(citation needed) The school's name changed to Virginia Intermont College in 1908.
During the 1960s five new buildings were constructed to accommodate the school's growth. In May 1968, the college's Board of Trustees approved a plan for the development of a four-year institution.[2] In 1972, the College award its first baccalaureate degree and began admitting men.
On April 3, 2007, the College's administration announced that the financial situation at the college has declined to critical levels and the college lacked the funds to offer faculty members contracts for the 2007-08 academic year, prompting pleas for donations and talk of merger with another college.[3] On June 18, 2007, the college president announced that enough funding had been secured to extend faculty contracts for the 2007-08 school year. Bristol business leader Bill Gatton donated a large sum of money and challenged other community business leaders to do the same.[4]
On January 25, 2010 Dr. Michael Puglisi announced his resignation and Dr. Robert Rainwater was named interim president.[5]
Accreditation
Virginia Intermont College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Social Work, Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees. Virginia Intermont's accreditation was last reaffirmed in 1997 and the institution will next go through the reaffirmation process in 2011.[6]
In 2007, the college was denied reaffirmation and placed on probation by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.[7] After being on probation for two years, the college was removed from probation on June 25, 2009.[8]
In addition Virginia Intermont is accredited by, approved by, or holds membership in the following organizations: Virginia Social Work Education Consortium, Council on Social Work Education, Association of Virginia Colleges, College Entrance Examination Board, American Association for Higher Education, Council on Postsecondary Accreditation, State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, College Placement Council, Cooperative Education Association, National Association of College Admission Counselors, American Association of College Admission Counselors, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, Council for Independent Colleges of Virginia, Virginia College Fund, and Virginia Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.[citation needed]
Campus
The original campus buildings built between 1891 and 1893 consisted of the main hall (which featured a dining hall, room for 200 boarders, a gymnasium, an indoor pool) as well as a fine arts building, and two out buildings which housed classrooms. The original structure, which only consists of the main hall today, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 4, 1984.[9]
The first major addition to the school was in the early 1920s in which time Hodges Hall and the current president's home were constructed. These were followed by the construction of what is currently known as East Hall in 1922. The current gymnasium was built in 1930 which was followed shortly by the Library and the Humanities building. No further major construction would take place until the early 1960s in which time Intermont Hall, The Science Hall, the student center and the new indoor pool, the Harrison-Jones Auditorium, and the Worrell Fine Arts Center were constructed.
Buildings
The campus of Virginia Intermont is located eight blocks from downtown Bristol. Campus buildings are a blend of modern and historic structures. Major buildings and facilities are described below. The Turner Student Center, completed in 1959, is named for Dr. Floyd V. Turner, President of Virginia Intermont from 1956-1979.
'The Worrell Fine Arts Center was completed in 1961. The Center contains the Dorothy Cigrand Trayer Theatre. The Recital Hall contains a three-manual Moller organ.
The Science Hall was completed in the spring of 1963 and was completely updated in Fall 1999.
J. Henry Kegley Center- An amphitheatre-style lecture hall.
The Humanities and Social Sciences Building is a three-story classroom and faculty office building.
Harrison-Jones Memorial Hall, completed in 1967, serves as a chapel-auditorium. It seats 982 persons in the air-conditioned auditorium, which also houses the college's Flentrop organ. The structure is named for the Rev. J. R. Harrison, founder of the College, and his son-in-law, S. D. Jones, Intermont president from 1889 to 1898.
The J. Henry Kegley Auditorium, which is located inside Harrison Jones Memorial Hall.
The Virginia Ruth Hutton Blevins Art Building was donated to the college in 1997 and renovated in 1998.
The Arnold House, on the corner of Moore and Intermont Drive--a former family residence that was donated by Bristol businessmen Jack and Joe Arnold.
Student Housing is concentrated in the following buildings: The Main Complex, Hodges Hall, East Hall, Intermont Hall, Prader Hall, and West Hall.
The Smith-Canter Gymnasium, built in 1928, is named for Mrs. Mary Lou Smith, an alumna and long-time faculty member of the College, and Mrs. Virginia Canter, who served as a faculty member and later Registrar before her retirement
The J. F. Hicks Memorial Library-The J.F. Hicks Memorial Library houses a traditional print collection and also provides access to many electronic resources. The library has over 160,000 items listed in the Appalachian College Association catalog, which is shared with 26 other Appalachian College Association members. Approximately 55,000 of these items are print materials contained in the library, while online access is provided to over 97,000 electronic books.
The Old Manse – the building houses classrooms, faculty offices for the English department and The Writing Center. The Writing Center funded in 1995 by the Jessie Ball du Pont Foundation.
The Riding Center is located six miles (10 km) from the main campus, just off Exit 10 of Interstate 81.
The Intermont Photography Lab houses separate laboratories for black & white and color processing and printing as well as a laboratory for experimental processes. specialized techniques.
The Math Lab, is located in the Science Hall.
The Christian Student Union is located in the basement of Harrison-Jones Memorial Hall.
Additional Facilities include lighted tennis courts and an amphitheater with a seating capacity of twelve hundred.
Organization
The school is governed by a president, provost and a Board of Trustees. Some of the trustees are nominated by the Baptist General Assembly of Virginia. The school's programs fall under four divisions: Arts and Sciences, Fine Arts, Professional Studies, and Public Service and Leadership. Four-year programs of study leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree, Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, Bachelor of Science degree, Bachelor of Social Work degree, and two-year programs leading to the Associate in Arts degree are offered.
Honors Program
The College operates an Honors Program.
Sports, clubs, and traditions
Athletics
The Virginia Intermont Cobras compete in Division II of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. Teams include baseball, men and women's basketball, men's golf, softball, men's soccer, cheerleading and volleyball. Virginia Intermont fields equestrian teams in competitions affiliated with the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, the Intercollegiate Dressage Association, and the International Intercollegiate Equestrian Association.
Virginia Intermont had a short lived Track and Field and Cross Country Program. During the programs existence they won three NAIA National Cross Country Championships. The Neff Brothers were a famous duo who competed for three years for Virginia Intermont, known for their decent cross country times and their flowing locks of hair, which would distract other teams on race day.
The team was eventually disbanded on account of their success record.
Student clubs
- Admissions Ambassadors
- Alpha Chi National Honors Society
- B.O.S.S. Club
- Cardinal Key
- Christian Student Union
- Class Organizations
- Equestrian Club
- Gay Straight Alliance
- International Club
- Law Club
- Poetry Club
- Psychology Club
- Social Work Club
- Southern Virginia Education Association
- Student Activities Committee
- Student Government Association
- Venturing Club
School traditions
The college's long-held tradition of May Day is now celebrated as May Court, a time to recognize seniors who have been selected by their classmates for an honor court which occurs each year during graduation festivities. Another spring tradition is the Torchlight ceremony, which takes place after baccalaureate. Graduates march around the campus and one by one has a torch lit by the president. The group then forms the college below Harrison-Jones Memorial Hall and sings the college song, "Nil Sine Numine."
The college's official song, "Nil Sine Numine", was written by students in 1952 as part of a tradition for students of writing and competing with a song demonstrating pride in the institution. The music for the song was taken from a song called "The Gaudeamus" which was sung in the musical The Student Prince. The school songwriting tradition ended when the school became coeducational in 1972.
Noted alumni
- Robert Ssejjemba (2004), professional soccer player
- Preston Gannaway (2000), 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography
- Michael Elam (2003), former Professional Entertainer both in North America and overseas, founder and first president of the International Brotherhood of Magicians ring 355, creator and cofounder of the Twin City Magic Convention.
References
- ^ a b "Virginia Intermont College - College Overview". Peterson's. 2007-01-18. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
- ^ "Va. Intermont Adds 2 Years". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 1968-05-24.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ "Virginia Intermont almost out of money, can't offer faculty contracts". Kingsport Times-News. 2007-04-03. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
- ^ Hunter, Amy (2007-06-19). "Puglisi: All full-time faculty contracts extended". Bristol Herald-Courier. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
- ^ TriCities.com
- ^ Commission on Colleges
- ^ Commission on Colleges Disclosure Statement Regarding the Status of VIRGINIA INTERMONT COLLEGE Issued December 20, 2007. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Inc.
- ^ Commission on Colleges Actions taken by the SACS COC Board of Trustees June 25, 2009
- ^ NRHP building number #84000032.
External links
- National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
- Universities and colleges in Virginia
- Universities and colleges affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention
- Former women's universities and colleges in the United States
- Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
- Educational institutions established in 1884
- Buildings and structures in Bristol, Virginia
- Education in Bristol, Virginia