Mars Hill College Today
The college's enrollment is typically around 1,000 traditional students, and more than 200 students in its nontraditional degree program. In its annual survey of "America's Best Colleges," Mars Hill is listed by U.S. News and World Report as a "first-tier" regional (Southern) liberal-arts college. In 2012 Mars Hill also placed 18th nationally among baccalaureate colleges (out of 100 surveyed) in Washington Monthly's annual survey of the nations' best colleges. The college offers five degrees (Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Bachelor of Social Work), and 33 majors. In 2011 the college started a graduate program to offer the M.Ed degree. The most popular majors are in the fields of education, natural sciences, and music; the college is known for its excellent departments in music and other fine arts. In 1932 Lamar Stringfield, an MHC alumnus, formed the North Carolina Symphony, the first state-supported orchestra in the nation. The "Bailey Mountain Cloggers," the college's dance team, have won 20 national championships in clogging, and they have performed all over the United States and internationally in Canada, Mexico, England, Scotland, Austria, and Ireland. In 2002 the college opened the Ramsey Center for Regional Studies. Named after an MHC alumnus who served a record four terms as the Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, the center is dedicated to preserving the heritage and culture of the people of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.
The college has a scenic 180-acre (0.7 km2) campus; most of the dormitories are located atop two hills, named "men's hill" and "women's hill" respectively. The main campus is located in a small valley between the two hills. The college is surrounded by the Appalachian Mountains; from various points on campus, it is possible to see Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi River. Bailey Mountain (nicknamed "Old Bailey") is located less than a mile (1.5 km) from campus and is a local landmark.
In 2008 MHC gained considerable autonomy from the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina when the state convention voted to eliminate the requirement that it have final approval over who could serve as trustees for the college; this would allow the college to choose non-Baptists as trustees. The state convention also agreed to start transferring funds traditionally given directly to the college to a scholarship fund for Baptist students. The move was made in conjunction with the four other remaining N.C. Baptist Colleges - Gardner-Webb University, Campbell University, Wingate University, and Chowan University.
Read more about this topic: Mars Hill College
Famous quotes containing the words mars, hill, college and/or today:
“What makes the United States government, on the whole, more tolerable—I mean for us lucky white men—is the fact that there is so much less of government with us.... But in Canada you are reminded of the government every day. It parades itself before you. It is not content to be the servant, but will be the master; and every day it goes out to the Plains of Abraham or to the Champs de Mars and exhibits itself and toots.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“One hill will not hold two tigers.”
—Chinese proverb.
“The logical English train a scholar as they train an engineer. Oxford is Greek factory, as Wilton mills weave carpet, and Sheffield grinds steel. They know the use of a tutor, as they know the use of a horse; and they draw the greatest amount of benefit from both. The reading men are kept by hard walking, hard riding, and measured eating and drinking, at the top of their condition, and two days before the examination, do not work but lounge, ride, or run, to be fresh on the college doomsday.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“That we can come here today and in the presence of thousands and tens of thousands of the survivors of the gallant army of Northern Virginia and their descendants, establish such an enduring monument by their hospitable welcome and acclaim, is conclusive proof of the uniting of the sections, and a universal confession that all that was done was well done, that the battle had to be fought, that the sections had to be tried, but that in the end, the result has inured to the common benefit of all.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)