History
Mars Hill College was founded in 1856, and it is the oldest college or university in western North Carolina. The college started as the French Broad Baptist Institute, sharing a name with the nearby French Broad River. In 1859, the college 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 college was closed for two years, but it reopened after the war. From 1897 to 1938 the college, 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 college's president; he holds a doctorate in education, Ed.D, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Under Dr. Lunsford, the college has constructed a new dormitory and science building, greatly upgraded its athletic facilities, tripled its endowment, and seen an increase in student enrollment. Mars Hill is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
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