Converse College will become Converse University

Jeannie Putnam reported for the Greenville (SC) Journal on June 29, 2021 that Converse College in Spartanburg, SC become Converse University on July 1st. 

Converse trustees approved a number of changes over a year ago to recognize over fifty years as a graduate degree-granting institution. In addition to the name change, Converse will maintain a Converse College for Women and expand its international school into an international college. 

Converse was founded in 1890 and you can visit the "Our History" web page to read more about the institution's history.

Individuals can also consult the Index of Colleges and Universities that have Closed, Merged, or Changed Names to see more information on institutions that have closed or changed names. There are separate pages for each of the states and the District of Columbia.

Voorhees College Announces Name Change

Voorhees College announces that the institution will change its name  to Voorhees University next April 2022 during its 125th Anniversary Founder’s Week. 

Voorhees is located in Denmark, SC and was founded as the Denmark Industrial School in 1897. The name was changed to Voorhees Industrial School in 1902. The first post-secondary instruction began in 1929 and the name was changed to Voorhees Normal and Industrial School. Other name changes followed, Voorhees School and Junior College in 1947 and then, Voorhees College in 1962. The first baccalaureate degree was awarded in 1969.

You can also learn more about the institution in a couple of earlier College History Garden posts:

• September 20, 2011  Voorhees College (SC)
• April 1, 2016  Historical Marker Honors Educator and Founder of Voorhees College

Individuals can also consult the Index of Colleges and Universities that have Closed, Merged, or Changed Names to see more information on institutions that have closed or changed names. There are separate pages for each of the states and the District of Columbia.

A Window Into The Breach: Fascinating Timeline Created at Columbia Theological Seminary

C. Benton Kline, Jr. Special Collections created a fascinating timeline, "A Window Into The Breach," looking at racism and the institution of slavery in the 19th century as it relates to the history of Columbia Theological Seminary. Many of the slides focus on the earliest and largest donations that the seminary received prior to emancipation, as well as events and individuals who did much to shape the life of the institution. The timeline was created using open-source Knight Lab TimelineJS.

Columbia Theological Seminary was founded in 1828 in Lexington, Georgia. The seminary was moved to Columbia, South Carolina in 1830. It then moved to its current location in Decatur, GA in 1927.

College of Chaleston Launches New Website and Mobile Apps as part of 250th Anniversary Celebration

The Charleston Chronicle published "New College of Charleston History Website Discovers Hidden Stories" with details of an initiative to provide a better understanding of the College of Charleston's history.

The web site was developed as part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the College’s founding in 1770 and is known as Discovering Our Past. 

It includes a mobile app for Apple and Android smartphones and is presented as a series of multimedia essays that can be accessed individually or as part of a self-guided tour of 13 campus locations. Each essay is accompanied by historical images, drawings, documents and maps as well as contemporary photos.

You can also find links to additional resources related to the 250th anniversary by visiting an early College History Garden post from January 4, 2020, "College of Charleston Celebrates 250th Anniversary." The post includes links to several institutional histories and other information. 

College of Charleston Celebrates 250th Anniversary

The Charleston Chronicle posted, "College of Charleston Prepares to Celebrate 250th Anniversary in 2020," with a summary of activities planned to commemorate the institution's founding in 1770 as the College of Charles Town.

You can visit the 250th anniversary web pages for upcoming events, a timeline of key dates and other historical information.

The History and Traditions web page includes links to a brief history of the college, information on institutional traditions, notable alumni, and presidents who have served the college.

A 1935 sesquicentennial history written by J.H. Easterby, A History of the College of Charleston, is available in various formats through the Internet Archive.

You can also find copies of more recent histories through Abe Books:

• College of Charleston Voices: Campus and Community Through the Centuries by Katherine E. Chaddock and Carolyn B. Matalener and published by The History Press in 2006.
• College of Charleston with authors Lleana and Katina Strauch published by Arcadia Publishing in 2000.
  

50th Anniversary for Francis Marion University

Francis Marion University is beginning a year long celebration of its founding in 1970.

FMU can trace its history a few years earlier to 1957 when, at the behest of local Florence citizens, the University of South Carolina established a “freshman center” at the Florence County Library.

In 1961, a permanent campus for what was then known as USC-Florence was established seven miles east of Florence on donated land and this campus is the current location of FMU.

Enrollment at USC-F grew steadily, reaching 350 by the mid-1960s. Francis Marion College was founded by special legislative act on July 1, 1970 as a part of South Carolina’s system of public colleges and universities. Francis Marion gained university status in 1992.

150th Anniversary for Claflin University in 2019

Claflin University is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its founding in 1869. Dr. Henry N. Tisdale, Claflin president, unveiled an anniversary sign in late 2018 and a number of activities are planned for the rest of this year.  You can read more in an article published in Orangeburg's The Times and Democrat, "Claflin celebrating 150 years; Tisdale says university has created leaders from the beginning."

Claflin, located in Orangeburg, SC, is an HBC&U and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.  It was founded in 1869 and was known as Claflin College until 1999 when the name changed to Claflin University.  You can visit the institutional web site for a timeline of key dates and information on the individuals who have served in the office of the president.

Claflin also offers a .pdf version of Claflin University: A Brief Historical Reference, a 44-page document that can be download.  The book is revised and published by the Office of Communications.  

Coker College Trustees Approve Name Change

WBTW-TV, "Coker College has a new name," and WPDE-TV, "Coker College Board of Trustees approves name change, school to operate as Coker University," both of Florence, SC, reported this week that the Board of Trustees of Coker College approved a name change. The name change will occur in 2019.

Coker College is located in Hartsville, SC and was founded in 1896 as Welsh Neck Academy. It became Coker College for Women in 1908 and the name changed to Coker College in 1970. It was affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention, but has been non-denominational since 1944.  It officially became co-educational in 1969, although men had been attending since the end of World War II.

Education Corporation of America Closes over 75 Campuses

The Education Corporation of America headquarter in Birmingham, AL announced today that it will close more than 75 sites that enroll roughly 20,000 students.  The company began the process of notifying students and employees.  The sites include those operating as Brightwood College, Brightwood Career Institute, Ecotech Institute, Golf Academy of America and Virginia College.

You can read more at Inside Higher Ed in an article that was posted earlier today, "Large For-Profit Chain to Close."  WSFA-TV in Montgomery, AL posted a short video with an article, "Virginia College closing in Montgomery, nationwide."

KCRA-TV in Sacramento, CA posted "Brightwood College closing Modesto, Sacramento campuses" on its website.

Thirty-two sites are listed for Brightwood College in eight states on the IPEDS College Navigator site and twenty-seven sites in eleven states are listed for Virginia Colleges.

	Brightwood College Sites	Virginia College Sites
Alabama		4
California	10
Florida		3
Georgia		4
Indiana	2
Louisiana		2
Maryland	3
Mississippi		2
Nevada	1
North Carolina	1	1
Ohio	1
Oklahoma		1
South Carolina		5
Tennessee	1	2
Texas	13	2
Virginia		1
Totals	32	27
# states	8	11

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers,and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page. There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions. Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Trustees of Limestone College Approve Name Change

The Limestone College Board of Trustees approved plans that include a name change to Limestone University in 2020.  The moves were adopted to coincide with the 175th anniversary of the institutional founding in 1845.

Limestone College is located in Gaffney, South Carolina and enrolls 3,015 students.  You can also read, "Limestone College aims at university status," from The Gaffney Ledger.

The Citadel Commemorates Its 175th Anniversary

The Post and Courier of Charleston, SC published several interesting historical sketches of The Citadel corresponding with the 175th anniversary of the institution's founding in 1842.  Links to the articles follow later in this post.  

You can also visit an anniversary page on The Citadel's web site for a timeline of key dates, vintage photographs, upcoming events, and other resources.

An excellent short YouTube video is also available, "Commemorating The Citadel's 175th Anniversary."

Articles from The Post and Courier:

 "After the Civil War and Reconstruction, The Citadel reboots and version 2.0 takes shape," by Robert Behre

"From the Mexican-American War to the War on Terror, Citadel alumni have fought and died in every U.S. conflict," by Paul Bowers

"Citadel ranks emptied during World War II for sacrifices overseas," by Schuyler Kropf

"Military history shaped The Citadel and vice versa: 'When Country Calls, The Citadel answers," by Paul Bowers

Robert Mills House in South Carolina...Long History of Use by Higher Education Institutions

Several institutions that were located for a time on the property of the Robert Mills House in Columbia, South Carolina are featured in an article in the Columbia Star.  the Robert Mills House and Gardens are one of five historic properties maintained for public use by Historic Columbia.  You can click on the image accompanying the article to see a large panoramic view of the site in 1920.  The photograph is part of a forthcoming exhibit that will illustrate the Columbia Theological Seminary’s (CTS) long and important 95-year history at the site.

CTS continues to serve students today from Decatur, Georgia and is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church.  CTS was founded in Lexington, Georgia in 1828.  It moved to Columbia, SC two years later and and then moved to Decatur, Georgia in 1927.

Columbia Bible College (now, Columbia International University) later used the property for housing of male students until 1960.  Columbia Bible College changed its name to Columbia International University in 1994.

Historical Marker Honors Educator and Founder of Voorhees College

Elizabeth Evelyn Wright will be honored with the unveiling of a historical marker April 3, 2016 in her hometown of Talbotten, Georgia.  Wright established the Denmark (South Carolina) Industrial School in 1897 that ultimately became the present day Voorhees College.

Catholic Higher Education in the American South, 1830-1930

Kathryn Mary Wrightson's 2003 Ph.D. dissertation for the University of Georgia, Toward a History of Catholic Higher Education in the American South:  Essays on Sources and Context, is available for those interested in the history of southern colleges.  The author identified fifty-five Catholic institutions that opened during the period between 1830-1930.  Ten of these are still operating and the others tended to close after brief periods due to the isolation and poverty of the areas served.

Wrightson begins with an overview of 19th century religious life in the region.  The third chapter provides brief historical sketches of the Catholic colleges founded in nine states.  The fourth and fifth chapters focus respectively on the structures and "souls" of Catholic colleges.  She concludes by analyzing institutional success and closure in a variety of ways.  Wrightson also includes comments on the state of available sources for information and offers useful suggestions for additional research.

South Carolina Colleges that have Closed, Merged, or Changed Names

This table below includes institutions that have closed, merged, or changed their names.  If you note a need for changing or updating information, please notify ray01brown@gmail.com or leave a comment below.

An index with links to separate pages for other states and countries is available.

There is a College History Garden Facebook group or you can view and follow multiple College History Garden boards on Pinterest or there is a board specifically devoted to South Carolina colleges.

Thanks for your interest and suggestions!

Challenges of HBCUs Affiliated with Episcopal Church

The Episcopal News Service posted an interesting article by Sharon Sheridan on February 28, 2014 that explores the challenges of historically black institutions affiliated with the Episcopal Church.  Sheridan focuses on St. Paul’s College in Lawrenceville, VA that closed in June, 2013, St. Augustine’s University in Raleigh, NC, and Voorhees College in Denmark, SC.  She also includes comments by Dr. Belle Wheelan, president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

Changing Course: Reinventing Colleges, Avoiding Closure

There is a certain ebb and flow in the number of articles calling for significant changes or highlighting the financial stress of small colleges or universities.  We certainly appear to be in one of those periods where a new article or blog posting seems to surface every few days.  In a recent example, Nathan Harder writing for the The American Interest predicts, "In fifty years, if not much sooner, half of the roughly 4,500 colleges and universities now operating in the United States will have ceased to exist."

I found Changing Course: Reinventing Colleges, Avoiding Closure to offer a timely and interesting selection of case studies and essays edited by Alice W. Brown and Sandra L. Ballard.  Intended as a wake-up call, readers can certainly benefit from the experiences of the various authors involved with institutions that either closed or almost closed.

The book was published in 2011 as part of the Jossey-Bass New Directions for Higher Education series.  Chapters include:

1. Case Study of a College that Closed: Saint Mary's College, Alice W. Brown
2. Bradford College: Requiem for a College, Arthur Levine
3. A College that Reinvented Itself: The Wilson College Story, Mary-Linda Merriam Armacost
4. Case Study of Reinvention: College of Charleston, Alice W. Brown
5. Reinventing Black Colleges in Postethnic America: The Case of Knoxville College, Barbara R. Hatton
6. Antioch College: A Celebrated History and an Uncertain Future, Elizabeth R. Hayford
7. Advice to Presidents of Struggling Colleges, Michael J. Puglisi

Civil War Impacts Colleges

Michael David Cohen comments on the Civil War and the impact on colleges for the New York Times.  South Carolina College (Columbia, SC), Pennsylvania College (Gettysburg, PA), Wesleyan Female College (Macon, GA), Columbian College (D.C.), and Corona Female College (Corinth, MS) are mentioned.

Friendship College (SC)

A web site has been created to honor the memory of Friendship College in Rock Hill, South Carolina.  The institution was founded in 1891 as Friendship Institute.  In 1906 it was chartered as Friendship Normal and Industrial College.  Fire destroyed the main academic building in 1967.  Friendship College ultimately closed in December 1981 after a number of years of financial struggles.

Participants in a civil rights sit-in by eight Friendship students and another young African American in 1961 are now known as the Friendship Nine.

Chicora College (SC)

The Historic Columbia Foundation in South Carolina maintains the Hampton-Preston mansion and gardens.  The estate housed several institutions including the College for Women (1890-1915), Chicora College (1915-1930), Westerveldt Academy (1931-1935), and Columbia Bible College for overflow housing (1938-1946).

Chicora College for Young Ladies was originally founded by the Presbyterian Synod of South Carolina established  in 1893 in Greenville, SC.  Its sixteen acre campus eventually included a 1200 seat auditorium, a dormitory, administration building, and a president's home. Liberal arts subjects, business courses (including typewriting and bookkeeping), photography, and music were taught to more than 200 young women each year. The college moved to Columbia in 1915 and later merged with Queens College in Charlotte, NC in 1933.