Peace College

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Peace College
Motto:	Esse Quam Videri (To Be Rather Than To Seem)
Established:	1857
Type:	Private
President:	Laura Carpenter Bingham '77
Undergraduates:	700
Postgraduates:	0
Location:	Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Campus:	Urban
Colors:	Green and white
Mascot:	Pacer
Website:	peace.edu

Peace College is a small liberal arts women's college located in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and is a member of the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities.[1] As of 2006, Peace College has a student body of approximately 700 women and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.[2][3]

[edit] History

The college was founded in 1857 as Peace Institute by prominent men within the Presbyterian Synod of North Carolina. The leading donation of $10,000 USD ($205,000 in 2005 dollars) came from William Peace, a prominent local merchant. Peace was a member of the second class of the University of North Carolina (class of 1800) and a longtime proponent of education as a benefactor of Raleigh Academy, a school primarily for boys.

Additionally, Peace donated 8 acres for the campus site.[4] Main Building, a red brick, white-columned Greek revival building was built between 1859-1862,but was commandeered by the Confederate States government early in the Civil War to be used as an army hospital. Main Building was designed and built by the Holt Brothers, Thomas and Jacob, who were notable builders from nearby Warrenton, NC.

The Civil War and Reconstruction Era delayed the opening of the school, but Peace Institute opened in January of 1872. The first president was John Burwell, assisted by his son Robert. The Burwells, and his successor James Dinwiddie, served the school until 1910 and were strong Presbyterians and descendants of old Virginia families.

A member of the Women's College Coalition, Peace is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States. It is the second-oldest in North Carolina, predated only by Salem College (the first school for girls in the United States, founded in 1772) [5].

[edit] Academics

Peace offers majors in the following areas: biology, business administration, child development, communication, English, graphic design, human resources, leadership studies, liberal studies, music performance, politics and public affairs, psychology, Spanish, History, and Anthropology .[6]

Minors offered include the following: anthropology, biology, business administration, chemistry, communication, English, French, history, human resources, information systems and services, music, psychology, religion, Spanish, theatre, and visual communication.[7]

As an exclusively undergraduate college, Peace offers only Bachelor's degrees. The most popular majors at the college are in the field of communications, where one quarter of all students focus their studies.[8] Peace also offers an honors program for academically-advanced students, as well as a teaching licensure program for aspiring educators.[9]

All Bachelor of Arts candidates must complete an internship while at Peace.[10] The college also encourages study abroad, paying 15% of all costs for qualified students looking to study outside of the United States.[11]

[edit] Rankings

U.S. News & World Report placed Peace 36th out of the 53 colleges in its "Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelor's (South)" category in their America's Best Colleges rankings for 2006, deeming it a "less selective" school in terms of admissions standards.[12] It was tied with Elizabeth City State University, also located in North Carolina.[13]

In November 2005, Peace was named one of the top schools out of 528 surveyed for Indiana University's annual National Survey of Student Engagement, ranking in the top 10% for student-faculty interaction, active and collaborative learning, and supportive campus environment.[14]

[edit] Campus life

There are approximately 30 student-run clubs and organizations at Peace. These groups include political clubs, like the College Democrats and College Republicans; religious clubs, like the Peace Student Christian Association; academic clubs, like the Psychology Club and the Technical Awareness Club; and arts clubs, like the Peace College Chamber Singers and the Peace College Theatre. There are also sports groups, governance committees, ethnic organizations, and various others, such as Spectrum, the LGBTQ club on campus.

The three student publications at Peace are The Peace Times, the student newspaper; The Lotus, the yearbook; and The Prism, a literary magazine.[15]

Peace competes in the USA South Athletic Conference as a Division III school in the NCAA. Teams are fielded in basketball, cross country, softball, soccer, tennis, and volleyball. Peace has been a full member of the NCAA since 2002 after having been granted provisional membership in 1995. Prior to that, Peace had competed in Region X of the NJCAA dating back to 1973. USA South membership was granted in 2003, making it the first women's college in the state to join a co-educational conference.[16]

[edit] Traditions

Like most women's colleges, Peace has a number of campus traditions. These include the Fall Cocktail, a formal dance held each year; Father/Daughter Weekend, Mother/Daughter Weekend, and Little Sister Weekend, held to encourage family ties and involvement while at Peace; Honor Day, when all first-year students sign the college's code of honor; and the Red Rose Ball, a formal dance held each spring.

Another tradition is the wearing of special colored robes at Commencement. Before the elimination of the Associates degree at Peace, Women receiving them wore long white dresses and carried red roses. Currently, women receiving Bachelor's degrees wear green heirloom academic robes, with the names of the graduate who wore the robe previously embroidered on the sleeve. Additionally, upon graduation, all Peace College women are gifted with a personalized bible. [17]

During the entire year of 2007, Peace celebrated its Sesquicentennial with a variety of campus and public events and a special Founders' Day ceremony in March at which a bronze statue of founding benefactor William Peace was unveiled. The statue of Mr. Peace seated on a bench became immediately popular as a place to sit or to pose for photos. The bronze of William Peace by artist Chas Fagan is often decorated with an array of hats, Hawaiian leis, scarfs, and other garments.

[edit] Alumnae

Peace has always educated women, with the only exception being the admittance of some boys in primary grades from its opening years through the 1920s when the school served levels from Kindergarten through junior college years. Today, the college maintains records on nearly 10,000 living alumnae.

Peace alumnae were pioneers in public service. In the 1930s, Gertrude Dills McKee, a graduate of the 1890s, became the first woman elected to the North Carolina Senate. [18] Lilly Morehead Mebane was one of the first women elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives. Jane Simpson McKimmon became the youngest graduate of Peace College when she finished the then 2-year college program at age 16; she later became the first woman to graduate from NC State University. McKimmon became a leader in "home economics" and greatly advanced the state agriculture department's home extension service. NC State University's conference and continuing education center is named for her and the chair of Peace's Leadership Studies program is named for McKimmon. Addie Worth Bagley Daniels, the spouse of Raleigh News & Observer publisher, Josephus Daniels, served for many years during the first half of the 20th century on the Peace College Board of Trustees, a rare role for women in that era.

[edit] External links

• Peace College - official college website
• Go Peace Pacers! - official athletics website