Lander University
 | |
| Type | Public university |
|---|---|
| Established | 1872 |
| Endowment | $16.1M |
| President | Dr. Richard Cosentino |
Academic staff | 138 |
| Students | 3,227[1] |
| Location | , , United States 34°12′1″N 82°9′56″W / 34.20028°N 82.16556°WCoordinates: 34°12′1″N 82°9′56″W / 34.20028°N 82.16556°W |
| Colors | Blue and Gold |
| Nickname | LU |
| Mascot | Bearcat |
| Website | www.lander.edu |
 | |
Lander University is a public university in Greenwood, South Carolina. It is the state's second-smallest publicly funded baccalaureate institution.
History[]
Lander University was founded as a college for women by Methodist clergyman in 1872 as Williamston Female College in Williamston, South Carolina. It was re-named Lander College in 1904. Men were admitted in starting in 1943 and it became a university in 1992.[2]
Lander University has had twelve presidents serve since its founding. They are: Samuel Lander (1872–1904); John O. Willson (1904–1923); B. Rhett Turnipseed (1923–1927); R. H. Bennett (1927–1932); John W. Speake (1932–1941); John Marvin Rast (1941–1948); Boyce M. Grier (1948–1966); E. Don Herd, Jr. (1966–1973); Larry A. Jackson (1973–1992); William C. Moran (1992–2000); Daniel W. Ball (2000–2015); and Richard E. Cosentino (2015–present).[2]
Campus and housing[]
Six major buildings have been added since 1973, as well as new housing complexes, athletics fields and parking lots.[2]
Lander University has eleven housing areas. They are distributed between freshman housing and upperclassman housing. All first-time students are required to live on campus in one of the four designated dorms. Freshmen have a choice among New Residence Hall, Centennial Hall, Chipley Hall (female-only), Brookside (with scholarship), and Williamston. These are all first-come, first-served. These dorms are for one year only, with the exceptions of Williamston and Brookside. The residence halls vary in styles, offering suites or apartment-style living.[3] The costs for each type of housing varies.
Upperclassmen housing facilities offer more units with a feeling of independent living. The seven housing areas include Bearcat Village and McGhee Court, the most recent addition. These two are both located off campus. On-campus housing includes Lide Hall, Thomason, University Place, and Williamston. As of 2019, Landers College housing is at 99.5% capacity.[4]
In July 2021, Lander announced that the state legislature has appropriated new funding for the University, which includes dollars that will be used to construct a brand new, state-of-the-art nursing building on Lander’s campus in Greenwood.[5]
Students[]
About 3,227 students are enrolled with gender distribution of 31% male and 69% female. Lander University has 43.1% of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Lander are business administration and management, nursing, exercise science, sociology, and early childhood education and teaching. But even though those are popular majors, Lander is known for being a liberal arts school. For the 3rd year in a row, this will be the largest freshman class in Lander's history.[6]
The Division of Student Affairs provides a well-balanced program of co-curricular activities and encourages student participation in these and other aspects of University life. As members of the University community, students have opportunities to gain valuable experience in leadership and human relations skills that can enrich their lives far beyond their college years. Registered student organizations, intramural sports, and athletics are just a few of the many opportunities offered at Lander.
Rankings[]
In the 2018 edition of U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges rankings, Lander ranked 29 in Regional Colleges of the South and 6 in Best Colleges for Veterans.[6]
Faculty[]
Lander has 138 full-time faculty members, the majority of whom hold terminal degrees in their areas.
Academics[]
More than 60 areas of undergraduate study are offered, as well as a diverse selection of master's programs.[7]
Lander’s six academic colleges, school of nursing and honors college provide students with an education that integrates the liberal arts and sciences with professional studies; brings them into frequent contact with diverse ideas and culture; and guides them in developing communication skills and the ability to work well with others,[8] Each college is home to teaching and learning in a wide-ranging variety of subject areas such as:
- College of Arts and Humanities
- Department of Art
- Department of English and Foreign Languages
- Department of Mass Communications and Media Studies
- Department of Music
- College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
- Department of Government, Criminology, and Sociology
- Department of History and Philosophy
- Department of Psychological Sciences
- Department of Military Science and ROTC
- College of Business
- College of Education
- Department of Teacher Education
- Department of Physical Education and Exercise Studies
- College of Science and Mathematics
- Department of Biology
- Department of Physical Sciences
- Department of Mathematics and Computing
- College of Graduate & Online Studies
- Department of Graduate Studies
- Department of Online Studies
- William Preston Turner School of Nursing
Within the 5 colleges at Lander there are 7 graduate study programs. They are; MSN, Clinical Nurse Leader; MS Emergency Management; MSM, Management; MEd Montessori Education; MEd, Teaching and Learning; MFA, Visual Arts; MBA, Business Administration.
Athletics[]
Varsity athletic teams have reaped honors at district and national levels, including 12 national championships in men's tennis. A member of the NCAA Division II, Lander plays in the Peach Belt Conference and fields teams in men's and women's basketball, soccer and tennis; men's baseball and golf; and women's cross country, softball and volleyball. Lander also offers club sports that include equestrian, ultimate disc, rugby, bass-fishing, lacrosse, soccer, water skiing, running, Cross-Fit, baseball, women's volleyball and it has an intramural program open to all students, faculty and staff. In particular the men's soccer team is very successful. The men's soccer team holds the record for fewest goals conceded in the 2016 season in the NCAA. The men's soccer team also has two Southeast Regional titles, one was won in 1997 and the other in 2018. The baseball program was founded in 1998. The 2019–2020 academic year is the first year Lander will have Men's and Women's Lacrosse and Wrestling.
| Men's Sports | Women's Sports |
|---|---|
| Baseball | Basketball |
| Basketball | Cross Country |
| Cross Country | Golf |
| Golf | Lacrosse* |
| Lacrosse* | Soccer |
| Soccer | Softball |
| Tennis | Tennis |
| Volleyball* | Volleyball |
| Wrestling* | |
| rugby | club rugby |
| *These sports will begin competing in the 2019-2020 Academic Year. | |
Greek life[]
Sorority and Fraternity organizations are under three different councils being the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), National Panhellenic Council (NPC),[9] and Interfraternity Council (IFC)
NPC[]
- Phi Mu
- Zeta Tau Alpha (Lander founding 1986)
- Gamma Phi Beta (Lander founding 1996)
NPHC[]
IFC[]
- Delta Sigma Phi (Lander founding 2016)
- Alpha Tau Omega (Lander founding 2020)
Religious organizations[]
- Baptist Collegiate Ministry[10]
- Chi Sigma Christian Sorority[11]
- Collegians for Christ[12]
- Newman Club - Bearcat Catholics
Accreditation[]
Lander University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award Baccalaureate and master's degrees.
College of Arts and Humanities it is accredited by:
- National Association of Schools of Arts and Design (NASAD)
- National Association of Schools of Music (NASM)
College of Business and Public Affairs:
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
College of Education:
- Montessori Accrediting Council for Teacher Education (MACTE)
- Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
School of Nursing:
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
See also[]
- List of colleges and universities in South Carolina
- List of current and historical women's universities and colleges
References[]
- ^ "Lander University".
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Lander University - About - History of Lander". Lander.edu. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- ^ "Lander University - Resident Housing - Freshman Housing". Lander.edu. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- ^ "Lander University - Resident Housing - Upperclassman Housing". Lander.edu. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- ^ "Lander University receives funding to construct new nursing building on campus | Lander University". www.lander.edu. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Best Colleges Rankings". Usnews.com. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- ^ "LANDER UNIVERSITY : 2017-2018 GRADUATE CATALOG" (PDF). Lander.edu. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- ^ "Lander University - Academics - Current Catalogs". Lander.edu. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
- ^ "Lander University - Greek Life". Lander.edu. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- ^ "Baptist Collegiate Ministry".
- ^ "Chi Sigma". Lander University.
- ^ "Collegians for Christ Campus Ministry". www.cfccampusministry.com. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
External links[]
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- Lander University
- Educational institutions established in 1872
- Public universities and colleges in South Carolina
- Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
- Methodism in South Carolina
- Buildings and structures in Greenwood, South Carolina
- 1872 establishments in South Carolina