Mars Hill University
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| Motto | Pro Christo Adolescentibusque "For Christ and For Youth" |
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| Type | Private |
| Established | 1856 |
| President | Dr. Dan G. Lunsford |
| Students | 1,444 |
| Location | , , |
| Colors | Blue and Gold[1] |
| Nickname | Mountain Lions |
| Affiliations | South Atlantic Conference, National Collegiate Cycling Association |
| Website | www.mhu.edu |
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Mars Hill College Historic District
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| Location | Bet. Bailey and Cascade Sts. N and S, Mars Hill, North Carolina, United States |
| Area | 27.2 acres (11.0 ha) |
| Built | 1892 |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Classical Revival, etc. |
| NRHP Reference # | 06000865[2] |
| Added to NRHP | September 12, 2006 |
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Mars Hill University is a private, coed, liberal arts university. The university is located in the town of Mars Hill, North Carolina, United States, 15 miles (24 km) north of Asheville. From 1859 to 2013 the school was called Mars Hill College; in August 2013 it officially changed its name to Mars Hill University.[3]
Contents
History
Mars Hill University was founded in 1856, and it is the oldest college or university in western North Carolina. It started as the French Broad Baptist Institute, sharing a name with the nearby French Broad River. In 1859, the university changed its name to Mars Hill, in honor of the hill in ancient Athens on which the Apostle Paul debated Christianity with the city's leading philosophers. During the American Civil War the university was closed for two years, but it reopened after the war. From 1897 to 1938 the university, under the leadership of Dr. Robert Moore, enjoyed substantial financial and physical growth. In 1921 Mars Hill became an accredited junior college. Dr. Hoyt Blackwell served as president from 1938 to 1966, and under his leadership Mars Hill became an accredited four-year college in 1962. From 1966-1996 Dr. Fred Bentley served as the college's president. Dr. Bentley was, at the time of his appointment in 1966, the youngest college president in the United States. Dr. Dan Lunsford, a 1969 graduate of Mars Hill, is currently the university's president; he holds a doctorate in education, Ed.D, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Under Dr. Lunsford, Mars Hill University has constructed a new dormitory and science building, greatly upgraded its athletic facilities, tripled its endowment, seen an increase in student enrollment, and started a school in nursing and a graduate school in education. Mars Hill is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
Mars Hill University today
The university's enrollment is typically around 1,000 traditional students, and more than 200 students in its nontraditional degree program. In its annual survey of "America's Best Colleges," Mars Hill is listed by U.S. News and World Report as a "first-tier" regional (Southern) liberal-arts college. In 2012 and 2014 Mars Hill also ranked among the Top 20 baccalaureate colleges (out of 100 surveyed) in Washington Monthly's annual survey of the nations' best colleges.[1][2] Mars Hill has been named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll five times since the award's inception in 2006, including twice "with distinction" for general community service. The university offers six degrees (Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Education), and 33 majors. In May 2013 the university awarded its first M.Ed degrees.[3] The most popular majors are in the fields of education, natural sciences, and music; the university is known for its excellent departments in music and other fine arts. In 1932 Lamar Stringfield, a Mars Hill alumnus, formed the North Carolina Symphony, the first state-supported orchestra in the nation. The "Bailey Mountain Cloggers," the university's dance team, have won 21 national championships in clogging[4][5], and they have performed all over the United States and internationally in Canada, Mexico, England, Scotland, Austria, and Ireland [6]. In 2002 the university opened the Ramsey Center for Regional Studies. Named after an alumnus who served a record four terms as the Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, the center is dedicated to preserving the heritage and culture of the people of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.
The university has a scenic 180-acre (0.7 km2) campus; most of the dormitories are located atop two hills, named "men's hill" and "women's hill" respectively. The main campus is located in a small valley between the two hills. The university is surrounded by the Appalachian Mountains; from various points on campus, it is possible to see Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi River. Bailey Mountain (nicknamed "Old Bailey") is located less than a mile (1.5 km) from campus and is a local landmark.
In 2008, Mars Hill gained autonomy from the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina when the state convention voted to eliminate the requirement that it have final approval over who could serve as trustees for the school; this would allow the university to choose non-Baptists as trustees. The state convention also agreed to start transferring funds traditionally given directly to the university to a scholarship fund for Baptist students. The move was made in conjunction with the four other remaining N.C. Baptist Colleges - Gardner-Webb University, Campbell University, Wingate University, and Chowan University.
Athletics
The university is a Division II member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and it is also a member of the South Atlantic Conference. Mars Hill's sports mascot is the Mountain Lion; the university's colors are blue and gold. In May 2011 the cycling team won the USA Cycling Collegiate Division II national championship; in 2012 they finished in second place. In May 2015 the Mars Hill cycling team finished the season ranked in first place nationally among Division II teams. The Mountain Lions football team tied for the South Atlantic Conference championship in November 2011 and competed in the Division II national football playoffs. In December 2011, running back Jonas Randolph won the prestigious Harlon Hill Trophy, which is given each year to the best player in Division II football. The men's cross country team have also been highly successful over the last decade; they have won 18 straight conference titles and have competed in the NCAA Division II meet 10 times in the last 11 years. In 2014 the men's cross country team won the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional championship and advanced to the Division II national championship meet.
Notable Alumni
- John S. Battle, (1890 - 1972), Governor of Virginia from 1950 to 1954, served on President Dwight D. Eisenhower's Civil Rights Commission. Attended Mars Hill when it was a junior college, later earned a law degree from the University of Virginia.
- William L. Brown, (1922 - 2005), President and CEO of the Bank of Boston from 1971 - 1989. Doubled the bank's assets from $18 billion to $36 billion before his retirement.
- Archie Campbell (1914 – 1987) was an American comedian, writer, and star of Hee Haw, a popular, long-running country-flavored network television variety show. He was also a recording artist with several hits on the RCA label in the 1960s.
- Woodrow W. Jones, (1914 - 2002), United States Congressman from North Carolina from 1950 to 1957. Served as the Chairman of North Carolina's Democratic Party Executive Committee; was appointed by President Lyndon Johnson as the judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina in 1968. He served as a federal district judge until his retirement in 1985.
- Brent B. Kincaid (born 1931), retired President and CEO of Broyhill Furniture Industries.
- Dr. Dan Locklair (born 1949), Professor of Music at Wake Forest University, internationally-known composer who has won awards from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. His work "The Peace May Be Exchanged" was performed at the funeral service for President Ronald Reagan at the Washington National Cathedral.
- Graham Martin, (1912 - 1990), Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Ambassador to Thailand (1963-1969); U.S. Ambassador to Italy (1969-1973); last U.S. Ambassador to South Vietnam (1973-1975). He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
- Dr. Wayne Oates (1917 - 1999), psychologist and minister at the University of Louisville medical school who fused psychology and theology to create many of the practices used in modern pastoral counseling. He is also credited with coining the word "workaholic".
- Dr. Kenneth E. Peacock (born 1948), Chancellor of Appalachian State University from 2004 to 2013.
- Erwin Potts (born 1933), President and CEO of the McClatchy Company, the second-largest newspaper chain in the United States. Became president of the company in 1989 and was CEO from 1996 until his retirement in 2001. The company owns 30 daily newspapers in 15 states.
- Dr. David Price (born 1940), United States Congressman from North Carolina's Fourth District from 1987-1995 and 1997 to the present. After graduating from Mars Hill, he earned divinity and doctoral degrees from Yale University and taught political science at Duke University.
- Dr. H. Dean Propst (born 1934), Chancellor Emeritus of the University System of Georgia; holds a doctorate in education from Vanderbilt University.
- Liston B. Ramsey (1919 - 2001), North Carolina state legislator who served 19 terms in the state assembly. He was elected Speaker of the State House of Representatives four times in the 1980s, and was the first legislator in the state's history to have been elected to the Speaker's office for four terms.
- Jonas Randolph (born 1990), winner of the 2011 Harlon Hill Trophy, the NCAA Division II equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. As a running back for the Mars Hill football team he gained 5,608 yards from 2008-2011, a school and South Atlantic Conference record.
- Eugene L. Roberts, Jr., (born 1932), National Editor of The New York Times from 1969 - 1972; Executive Editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer from 1972 - 1990; Managing Editor of The New York Times from 1990 - 1997. In 2007 he won the Pulitzer Prize in history for his book The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation.
- Lacy Thornburg (born 1929), North Carolina State Attorney General from 1985 - 1993; United States Federal District Judge for Western North Carolina, 1995-2009.
References
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- ↑ http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/07/03/4145933/mars-hill-becomes-a-university.html
- Mars Hill University website
External links
- Mars Hill University website
- Mars Hill University athletics website
- Mars Hill College Yearbooks: 1917-2011
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- Pages with broken file links
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- University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina
- Colonial Revival architecture in North Carolina
- Neoclassical architecture in North Carolina
- Mars Hill College
- Buildings and structures in Madison County, North Carolina
- National Register of Historic Places in Madison County, North Carolina
- Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina
