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Christian university in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, US From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gardner–Webb University (Gardner–Webb, GWU, or GW) is a private Christian liberal arts university in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. It was founded as Boiling Springs High School in 1905. Gardner-Webb is a classified among "Doctoral/Professional Universities".
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Former names |
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Motto | Pro Deo et Humanitate |
Motto in English | For God and Humanity |
Type | Private university |
Established | 1905 |
Religious affiliation | Baptist |
Endowment | $79.7 million[1] |
President | William Downs |
Provost | Karen Aubrey |
Students | 3,124 (Fall 2023)[2] |
Location | , , United States |
Colors | Scarlet and black |
Nickname | Runnin' Bulldogs |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division I – Big South Conference |
Mascot | Mac and Lulu (costumed bulldogs) and Bo is the Live mascot |
Website | www |
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Over 3,000 students attend Gardner–Webb, including undergraduate, graduate, and online students. Nine colleges and schools offer more than 80 undergraduate and graduate major fields of study.[3] GWU's Runnin' Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I as a member of the Big South Conference in most sports, although the men's and women's swim teams compete in the Coastal Collegiate Swim Association and the wrestling team competes in the Southern Conference.
On December 2, 1905, the Boiling Springs High School was chartered as a result of an initiative sponsored by the Kings Mountain Baptist Association (Cleveland County) and the Sandy Run Baptist Association (Rutherford County). The institution served as a place "where the young...could have the best possible educational advantages under distinctive Christian influence."[4] In May 1905, Boiling Springs Baptist Church voted to offer its old church house, five acres of land, and $2,700 to the institution,[5][6] and on July 10, 1905, Boiling Springs was officially chosen for the site of the school. The location of the High School was essential, as it was located near the border of the school's sponsors, Kings Mountain and Sandy Run, and had easy access to brick building materials.[7] The institution's name, Boiling Springs High School, was decided on October 27, 1905, and its charter was accepted less than two months later by the school's trustees. Willard Winslow Washburn, the man who first set forth the idea of a Christian school at Boiling Springs, and the first man to sign the certificate of incorporation would go on to serve on the board of trustees for the first 30 years of its existence. The town of Boiling Springs is named after the natural springs that can be found on campus. They provided clean water for the school when it began operation in 1907.
J.D. Huggins was made the High School's first principal on July 25, 1907.[6][8] The complete faculty, which consisted of only five teachers, including Huggins, was hired by the fall of 1907. Classes started in October of the same year, although the main building, the Huggins-Curtis Building, was not complete. Students lived in various homes in the community and used classrooms from the nearby elementary school until the building's completion in 1908. The building included classrooms, auditoriums, a chapel, library, principal's office, cafeteria, living quarters, literary societies, a music room, and parlors.[9] Although it burned down in 1957, it signified the promise and progress of the school so far.
Boiling Springs High School focused on Christian education, as evident in the school's motto, Pro Deo et Humanitate (for God and Humanity). These words were inscribed upon "the ageless granite arch" on campus, which still exists today.[10] Original tuition was $76.05 for a term of nine months, and although the school attracted a wide variety of students with varied interests, its focus centered around ministerial education.[11]
The high school became Boiling Springs Junior College on Sept. 3, 1928 due to the changing educational needs of the area. The Great Depression created many obstacles for the college, but its survival was secured by the sacrifices of loyal supporters.[4] The college began with seven departments: English, mathematics, natural science, foreign language, social science, Bible, and education.[12] The first graduating class consisted of roughly 200 students, with one of the earliest graduates being W. J. Cash, author of The Mind of the South.[13]
In 1942, Governor O. Max Gardner began devoting his energy, time, and wealth to strengthening the college. On June 15, the trustees voted to change the name to Gardner–Webb Junior College in honor of Gardner and his wife, Fay Webb-Gardner. That officially took effect on Aug. 27, 1942. During the following year, the institution embarked on a $300,000 financial campaign. At the conclusion of this initiative the trustees announced the school to be debt-free.[14]
The decades following World War II were years of physical growth and academic development. New buildings went up as enrollments increased. On Oct. 23, 1969, Gardner-Webb filed with the register of deeds for an official name change from Gardner-Webb Junior College to Gardner-Webb College in preparation for the first four-year class (for students earning bachelor's degrees) in 1971. A major step in the institutions' development was its full accreditation as a senior college in December 1971, gaining the name Gardner–Webb College. In 1980, the college began a graduate program, which became the Graduate School in the 1990s.[15] The School of Divinity was also founded during this time. On Nov. 12, 1991 Gardner-Webb was approved to seek university status by the Board of Trustees. The institution officially became known as Gardner–Webb University in January 1993, culminating years of preparation, and by the early 2000s the school had more than 3,200 students and 135 faculty members.
E. B. Hamrick Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.[16]
In 2007, Gardner–Webb University, along with four other private North Carolina Christian colleges, began a process to change their relationships with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, in order to obtain more academic freedom and select their own trustees. The state convention also agreed to start transferring funds traditionally given directly to the universities into a new scholarship fund for Baptist students.[17][18][19]
In 2009, the schools gained autonomy from the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and established a “good faith and cooperative” relationship with it. The four other schools were, Mars Hill University, Campbell University, Wingate University, and Chowan University.[citation needed]A year later in 2010 the Tucker Student Center, was named after Robert B. Tucker following his 5.5 million dollar donation.[20]
In 2021, Gardner–Webb University purchased nearly two acres of land in Boiling Springs for the construction of an amphitheater complex.[21] The State of North Carolina allocated $500,000 towards the outdoor amphitheater project in July 2022.[22]
In February 2014, openly gay minister and Gardner–Webb alumnus Cody Sanders[23] was invited to speak about his recent book "Queer Lessons for Churches on the Straight and Narrow: What All Christians can Learn from LGBTQ Lives"[24] as a part of the Life of the Scholar speaker series.[25] Sanders's invitation to Gardner–Webb received greater attention after a letter to the editor titled "Where are the wise at Gardner–Webb?" was published in The Biblical Recorder, the bi-weekly newspaper of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSCNC).[26] This prompted Gardner–Webb University's president at the time, Frank Bonner, to publish a response in the same paper affirming the University's stance that marriage is to be between one man and one woman.[27]
The main campus in Boiling Springs is situated on 225 acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains between Charlotte and Asheville. There is an additional satellite campus in Charlotte.[28]
There are over 3,000 students[32] enrolled at Gardner–Webb, including the day program, graduate studies, Gardner-Webb Online, and the Degree Completion Program (designed for adult learners seeking to finish their degree). Out of these students, 66% are female and 34% are male, and in all come from a total of 42 foreign countries, 37 states and 90 North Carolina counties.[32] There are nine colleges and schools that offer nearly 80 undergraduate and graduate major fields of study. The top majors for GWU[33] students are nursing, biology, exercise science, psychology and business.[34] The top five academic departments[33] and programs are Business, Nursing, Natural Sciences, Exercise Sciences and Communication Studies.
As of 2023, there were 144 full-time faculty members; 70% of full-time faculty have a Ph.D. or an equivalent degree; the average class size is 17 students.[35]
Academic rankings | |
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National | |
U.S. News & World Report[36] | 356 (tie) of 394 |
Washington Monthly[37] | 294 of 442 |
In the 2024 college rankings of U.S. News & World Report, Gardner–Webb was ranked tied for 356 of 394 in a list of national universities.[38] GWU's core curriculum ranks in the nation's top two percent for quality and breadth, according to the What Will They Learn? [39] study by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. The study rated schools on an "A" through "F" scale, where Gardner–Webb has been the only school in the Carolinas,[40] to earn an "A"[41][42] from 2011 to 2021.
The acceptance rate at Gardner-Webb is 60%, admissions are conducted on a rolling basis.[43] The average admissions statistics for the class of 2025 are: SAT: 1015; ACT: 22; GPA: 3.72.[44]
Gardner–Webb students are expected to follow a strict honor code, signing a pledge upon enrollment to "uphold honesty, integrity, and truthfulness in all realms of University life."[45]
Gardner–Webb is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.[46]
In addition, several departmental programs are accredited by the appropriate state or national agencies. The education program is accredited by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). The music and nursing programs are accredited respectively by the National Association of Schools of Music and the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. The School of Divinity is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools of the United States and Canada. The athletic training program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). The School of Business is accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). The university is authorized by the immigration authorities of the United States for the training of foreign students.[47]
It is affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (Southern Baptist Convention) [48] the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina,[49] the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship,[50] and the Baptist General Association of Virginia.[50]
Gardner-Webb hosts students from 37 different states, 42 foreign countries, and 90 North Carolina counties.[3][51][52][53] The student body is approximately 66% female and 34% male[51] and the racial makeup of the student body is 52% White, 25% Black, 15% Unclassified, 3% Hispanic, 2% Asian, 2% Multiracial, 1% American Indian.[54][55]
Gardner–Webb offers recreational activities designed to "enrich the quality of physical, mental, spiritual, and social life of University community members."[56] Fitness classes, like crossfit, zumba, aerobics, yoga, and dance, are available, as well as individual training sessions offered through the Suttle Wellness Center.[57][58]
The Life of the Scholar Multidisciplinary Conference (LOTS-MC) is an academic conference founded in 1997 that is held on campus every year for undergraduate and graduate students to present their work. This conference is divided up into academic fields such as Religion & Philosophy, Natural Sciences, and English Language & Literature to name a few. The field of students is often large and the event lasts all day. At the end of the program, an award is given for the best-written paper by a graduate student, and a prize is given for the best presentation by a graduate student. The 20th Anniversary LOTS-MC was held in 2017 and honored the founders of the conference Les and Joyce Brown.[59]
Gardner–Webb offers 21 varsity sports at the NCAA Division I level, including football, basketball, baseball, soccer, wrestling, swimming, track and field, cross country, softball, tennis, volleyball, lacrosse, cheerleading, and golf. Ten of these are men's and eleven are women's.[60]
The athletic teams are known as the Runnin' Bulldogs and support the school colors of scarlet, black and white. The bulldogs are part of the Big South Conference, although the men's and women's swim teams belong to the Coastal Collegiate Swim Association, and the wrestling team belongs to the Southern Conference.
Conference Titles:[74]
· 1930, 1932
· 1951, 1952, 1955, 1956
· 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966
· 1987
· 1992—Team finished as NAIA national runner-up had a school record for wins (12).
· 2002—Inaugural Big South Conference championship team has the best record (9-1) in senior college history.
· 2003—‘Dawgs ranked #25 in the 2003 USA Today Coaches Poll, a preseason national poll. They finished the season 8-4 and 4-0 in the Big South.
· 2022—GW was 5-0 in league play behind a record-setting offense and a hard-nosed defense.
· 2023—The team finished the regular season 5-0 at home—the first time GWU went undefeated at home since the 2003 season, when the Runnin' Bulldogs were 6-0 at home.
For over a century, the bulldog mascot has been associated with Gardner-Webb. Athletic marks, living animals, and costumed versions of the mascot have represented Gardner-Webb on the field of play and within the community. The first reported use of the mascot for Gardner-Webb was in 1922.[86][citation needed]
Throughout the decades, the Gardner-Webb live bulldog mascots have carried names like Butch, Chins, Victor, Barney, Roebuck and Bo. The costumed mascots have been known as Mack, Mac and Lulu, while the trademarked Runnin’ Bulldog logo has been referred to by Mack and Mac.[87]
In 2021, the University Gardner-Webb introduced the newest official live mascot, “Bo”,[88] an English Bulldog. Bo makes appearances at home athletic events, campus and community activities.
This section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2016) |
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