Montreat College
Encyclopedia
Montreat College is a private, four-year, liberal arts Christian
college with campuses located in Black Mountain
, Asheville
and Charlotte
, North Carolina
, United States
and its primary campus in Montreat, North Carolina
. The college offers on-campus traditional four-year degrees, an adult studies program, and courses in team and professional development. Montreat's traditional program student body consists of around 450 undergraduate students, with a beautiful campus built in the early 20th century primarily out of mica-laden mountain stone.
led Congregationalist minister John C. Collins to form the Mountain Retreat Association
in 1897 “for the encouragement of Christian work and living through Christian convention, public worship, missionary work, schools, and libraries.” By 1907, J. R. Howerton of Charlotte, North Carolina
, conceived and carried out the idea of purchasing Montreat for the Presbyterian Church in the United States. Then, in 1913, Dr. Robert C. Anderson, president of the Mountain Retreat Association, proposed that the grounds and facilities of the Association be used for a school during the academic year. In 1915, the General Assembly decreed “that the property of the Mountain Retreat Association be used for a Normal School and that the establishment of the school be referred to the Synods.”
The Synods of Appalachia
, Georgia
, Alabama
, North Carolina
, Tennessee
and Virginia
elected trustees who met in Montreat on May 2, 1916, and elected Dr. Robert F. Campbell of Asheville, North Carolina
, chairman, Mr. W. T. Thompson Jr. of Knoxville, Tennessee
, secretary, and Ruling Elder T. S. Morrison of Asheville, treasurer. The Montreat Normal School, a four-year preparatory and two-year college combination, opened its first session in October 1916 with eight students. Montreat Normal School continued to grow over the years. Throughout times of war, economic fluctuations, and rapid social change, the school sought to provide a Christian
setting in which to prepare young women to become teachers.
In 1934, during Dr. Robert C. Anderson’s tenure as president, Montreat Normal School (College Department) was renamed Montreat College. The college grew as its academic program expanded. It began a four-year degree program in 1945. After 14 years as a four-year women’s college, the college was restructured in 1959 as a coeducational junior college and was given a new name, Montreat-Anderson College.
In 1986, the college Board of Trustees, realizing the demands and changing circumstances in higher education, made the decision to become again a baccalaureate institution. The dream of its first president, Dr. Anderson, was for the college to serve as an accredited baccalaureate institution. The college has realized that dream. It returned to the original name of Montreat College in August 1995, sharing the original vision and identity. The change reflects the Montreat College of today, a four-year college with several growing campuses and a graduate program.
Montreat College's School of Professional and Adult Studies began offering classes on September 19, 1994. The college's Charlotte campus was officially opened on September 11, 1995, and the Asheville campus held its grand opening on October 8, 1996. The School of Adult and Graduate Studies offers an MBA, M.A. Education, and M.S. Management.
In June 1998 Montreat College was accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools as a level three institution to offer the master's degree in business administration (MBA).
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
college with campuses located in Black Mountain
Black Mountain, North Carolina
Black Mountain is a town in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,511 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is named for the Black Mountain range of the Blue Ridge range in the Southern Appalachians.-History:Black...
, Asheville
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
and Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and its primary campus in Montreat, North Carolina
Montreat, North Carolina
Montreat is a town in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 696 in 2008. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. The college offers on-campus traditional four-year degrees, an adult studies program, and courses in team and professional development. Montreat's traditional program student body consists of around 450 undergraduate students, with a beautiful campus built in the early 20th century primarily out of mica-laden mountain stone.
History
The beauty and tranquility of the Blue Ridge MountainsBlue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
led Congregationalist minister John C. Collins to form the Mountain Retreat Association
Montreat Conference Center
Montreat Conference Center located in Montreat, North Carolina, United States, is a conference center serving the Presbyterian Church...
in 1897 “for the encouragement of Christian work and living through Christian convention, public worship, missionary work, schools, and libraries.” By 1907, J. R. Howerton of Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, conceived and carried out the idea of purchasing Montreat for the Presbyterian Church in the United States. Then, in 1913, Dr. Robert C. Anderson, president of the Mountain Retreat Association, proposed that the grounds and facilities of the Association be used for a school during the academic year. In 1915, the General Assembly decreed “that the property of the Mountain Retreat Association be used for a Normal School and that the establishment of the school be referred to the Synods.”
The Synods of Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
elected trustees who met in Montreat on May 2, 1916, and elected Dr. Robert F. Campbell of Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
, chairman, Mr. W. T. Thompson Jr. of Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, secretary, and Ruling Elder T. S. Morrison of Asheville, treasurer. The Montreat Normal School, a four-year preparatory and two-year college combination, opened its first session in October 1916 with eight students. Montreat Normal School continued to grow over the years. Throughout times of war, economic fluctuations, and rapid social change, the school sought to provide a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
setting in which to prepare young women to become teachers.
In 1934, during Dr. Robert C. Anderson’s tenure as president, Montreat Normal School (College Department) was renamed Montreat College. The college grew as its academic program expanded. It began a four-year degree program in 1945. After 14 years as a four-year women’s college, the college was restructured in 1959 as a coeducational junior college and was given a new name, Montreat-Anderson College.
In 1986, the college Board of Trustees, realizing the demands and changing circumstances in higher education, made the decision to become again a baccalaureate institution. The dream of its first president, Dr. Anderson, was for the college to serve as an accredited baccalaureate institution. The college has realized that dream. It returned to the original name of Montreat College in August 1995, sharing the original vision and identity. The change reflects the Montreat College of today, a four-year college with several growing campuses and a graduate program.
Montreat College's School of Professional and Adult Studies began offering classes on September 19, 1994. The college's Charlotte campus was officially opened on September 11, 1995, and the Asheville campus held its grand opening on October 8, 1996. The School of Adult and Graduate Studies offers an MBA, M.A. Education, and M.S. Management.
In June 1998 Montreat College was accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools as a level three institution to offer the master's degree in business administration (MBA).
External links
- Montreat College
- Montreat CLIMBE environmental education for secondary school students
- Montreat Team and Leadership Center
- Montreat Athletic Website