Meredith College


Meredith College is a women's liberal arts college and coeducational graduate school in Raleigh, North Carolina. Meredith enrolls approximately 1,600 women in its undergraduate programs and 300 men and women in its graduate programs.

History

Chartered by the First Baptist Church the Baptist Female University opened in 1891 in a facility in downtown Raleigh. In 1904, the name was changed to Baptist University for Women. The name "Meredith College" was chosen in 1909 to honor Thomas Meredith who was the founder of the Baptist newspaper The Biblical Recorder.
In 1997, the college moved away from a direct connection with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.
Meredith began construction at the current location on Hillsborough Street near North Carolina State University in 1924, and students began attending classes there in 1926. The campus covers and is located in close proximity to both Raleigh-Durham International Airport and Research Triangle Park.
In 1980 an angel was chosen as the school sports mascot, but in the summer of 2007 this was changed to the "Avenging Angels".

Academics

37 majors are offered at Meredith, as well as licensure, graduate, and pre-professional programs. According to U.S. News & World Report the most popular majors are Psychology, Biology/Biological Sciences, Business Administration and Management, Interior Design and Social Work.
Upon completion of an undergraduate major, students can receive a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Music, or Bachelor of Social Work. The John E. Weems Graduate School is coeducational.
Undergraduate students who wish to study engineering can participate in a five-year dual-degree program, whereby they can receive degrees from both Meredith and North Carolina State University's College of Engineering. To do this, students must major in either chemistry or mathematics at Meredith. Through this arrangement, students receive a B.A. from Meredith in chemistry or mathematics and a B.S. from NCSU in engineering.
The college's Undergraduate Research Program supports student/faculty partnerships for the purposes of academic research and creative activity in all fields. College funds support these projects and underwrite travel costs for students presenting their work at conferences. The college hosts an annual one-day research conference in April to present work of Meredith students.
In 2001, Meredith became the first women's college to adopt a campus-wide laptop program through the Meredith Technology Initiative. Students received an IBM ThinkPad loaded with professional and educational software. Internet access was provided through the campus wireless network. In Spring 2013, the laptop program was discontinued, and the wireless network on campus began major upgrades.

Student life

Meredith College is noted for its traditions, which range from the Honor Code at the beginning of each student's time at Meredith to Cornhuskin', a yearly weeklong festival encouraging competition between graduating classes. Each student has the opportunity to enroll in the "Big Sis, Little Sis" program, which has a junior "big sister" pair up with one or two "little sisters" as a mentor and friend. Meredith College also holds events in February of each year to celebrate its Founder's Day and to encourage giving by alumnae, families, friends, and current members of the community. During each college generation, faculty will perform Alice in Wonderland for the students, keeping their involvement in the production a secret up until the students see them on stage.
A Meredith woman can be spotted by her class ring, a black onyx with an engraving of the Meredith shield. The current design, the work of Meredith alumna Ann Lovell, has been the same for every Meredith onyx since 1953. Today, this small symbol connects all Meredith women, reminding them of their connection to history and to all other women that wear the Onyx ring. "Ring Dinner," when the students first receive their Onyx, is held in the fall of junior year and is one of the most important traditions at Meredith College.
Meredith College is also noted for its Honor Code, which each student signs at an Honor Code ceremony at the beginning of her first semester at Meredith.

Rankings and classifications

Meredith College is ranked #60 in the category of Best Undergraduate Teaching by U.S. News & World Report, is ranked #119 by Forbes among "In The South", and is categorized by The Princeton Review in the Best Southeastern category.
Meredith College was ranked #5 among regional colleges in the South in the 2016 edition of U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges rankings. Meredith College is not included in this ranking as a southern regional university.

Athletics

Meredith athletes compete in basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field and volleyball. In August 2014 Meredith College announced the addition of track and field and in September 2019 announced the addition of golf as well as field hockey.
A member of the USA South Athletic Conference since 2007, Meredith has claimed tournament titles in lacrosse, soccer and tennis, two regular season soccer championships, and three consecutive cross country championships. In 2015, Meredith claimed the USA South Women's President's Cup. Meredith is the first single-gender institution to win the USA South Women's President's Cup.

Notable people

Administration