Higher Education
The region has three major public universities. Appalachian State University is located in Boone, and has 17,344 students. Western Carolina University is located in Cullowhee, and has 9352 students. UNC Asheville is located in Asheville, and has 3,595 students. All three are part of the UNC system. Several small, private colleges are also located in the region. Mars Hill College, affiliated with the North Carolina Baptist Convention, is located 15 miles (24 km) north of Asheville. Founded in 1856, it is the oldest college or university in western North Carolina. Montreat College, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, is located 15 miles (24 km) east of Asheville. Lees-McRae College, located in Banner Elk, is also affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. Warren Wilson College, located in Swannanoa, is noted for its strong pro-environment policies and social liberalism. Brevard College, located in Brevard, is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Lenoir-Rhyne University, located in Hickory, is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Starting in 2012, Lenoir-Rhyne University has opened a Center for Graduate Studies in Asheville and offers master's level programs in Public Health, Nursing, Counseling and others.
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Famous quotes containing the words higher and/or education:
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Being less than angel is,
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—William Robert Rodgers (1909–1969)
“I think the most important education that we have is the education which now I am glad to say is being accepted as the proper one, and one which ought to be widely diffused, that industrial, vocational education which puts young men and women in a position from which they can by their own efforts work themselves to independence.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)