The College of Charleston (also known as CofC, The College, or Charleston) is a public sea-grant and space-grant university located in historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest college in South Carolina, the 13th oldest institution of higher learning in the United States, and the oldest municipal college in the country. The founders of the college include three future signers of the Declaration of Independence (Edward Rutledge, Arthur Middleton, and Thomas Heyward) and three future signers of the United States Constitution (John Rutledge, Charles Pinckney, and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney). Founded to "encourage and institute youth in the several branches of liberal education," it is one of the oldest universities in the United States.
Organization
College of Charleston Facilities Tour - The College of Charleston is located in the center of historic Charleston, S.C. and a beautiful campus that reflects its founding in 1770. From new residence halls ...
The College of Charleston consists of seven academic schools, as well as the Honors College and the Graduate School of the University of Charleston, S.C.
- The School of the Arts hosts South Carolina’s flagship undergraduate arts program in music, studio art, and theater/dance and also includes one of the few independent art history departments in North America, one of the nation’s only undergraduate arts management programs and a prominent undergraduate program combining historic preservation and community planning. The School of the Arts also administers the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art whose mission is to "advocate, exhibit and interpret visual art, with an emphasis on contemporary art". The Halsey Institute was named in honor of William Melton Halsey who was the founding faculty for the studio art department and taught painting and drawing at the college from 1965-1984.
- The School of Business instructs undergraduate and graduate students in the essential critical-thinking, leadership and communication skills they will need to be responsible, ethical contributors to the global marketplace. The school offers seven undergraduate majors (accounting, business administration, economics, finance, hospitality and tourism management, marketing, and international business), an accelerated master of business administration program, a master of science in accountancy and several minors and concentrations, including finance and entrepreneurship.
- The School of Education, Health, and Human Performance prepares students for careers in education and health professions, such as exercise science and athletic training, through academic coursework, field experience and clinical practice. The school partners with schools and businesses in the Charleston area to provide hands-on learning experiences for students.
- The School of Humanities and Social Sciences cultivates writing and critical-thinking skills in students and offers a number of disciplines traditionally associated with a liberal arts and sciences education, including psychology, anthropology, communication, English, history, philosophy, political science, religious studies and sociology.
- The School of Languages, Cultures, and World Affairs includes one of the most comprehensive language programs in the Southeast, in-depth majors in classical and modern languages, overseas study programs, specialized programs for future language professionals and offerings in several less-commonly taught languages, such as Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew and Hindi.
- The School of Professional Studies provides greater accessibility to adult learners and non-traditional students in the Charleston region and houses the Bachelor of Professional Studies Program and the Center for Continuing and Professional Education.
- The School of Sciences and Mathematics is home to the state’s flagship marine biology program and extremely well regarded departments such as biology, chemistry and biochemistry, computer science, geology, mathematics and physics. The school receives generous external research support each year, giving students opportunities for independent research in addition to significant involvement in inquiry-based learning in the classroom and teaching laboratory.
- The Honors College challenges intellectually talented students to customize and maximize their educations through team-taught Honors classes (with an interdisciplinary focus), research opportunities with top faculty members and an independent-study project that culminates in a bachelor’s essay.
- The Graduate School of the University of Charleston, S.C. offers 19 master’s degree programs and seven certificate programs. Each is designed to take advantage of the unique opportunities provided by the people, institutions and environment of the South Carolina Lowcountry and imparts specialized knowledge and training to its students.
Athletics
The college's 19 varsity sports teams participate in the NCAA Division I Colonial Athletic Association and are known as the Cougars. The Cougars compete at a variety of athletics facilities in the Charleston area, including the TD Arena (formerly the Carolina First Arena), the J. Stewart Walker Sailing Complex, Johnson Center Squash Courts, Patriots Point Athletic Complex and the Links at Stono Ferry. College of Charleston athletics are supported by the Cougar Club, which was established in 1974. During the 1970-71 school year, College of Charleston students voted to change the school nickname from the Maroons to the Cougars, in honor of a cougar that had recently arrived at the Charles Towne Landing zoo. Clyde the Cougar is the college's current mascot.
Campus
The College of Charleston’s main campus in downtown Charleston includes 11 residence halls, 19 historic homes, five fraternity houses and nine sorority houses. It contains a mix of modern and historic buildings. In 1971, the college demolished four antebellum buildings at 6 Green Street (c. 1815), 14 College Street (c. 1845), a kitchen house behind 10 Green Street, and a carriage house behind 10 Green Street.
Outside of downtown Charleston, the college campus includes the Grice Marine Lab on James Island, the J. Stewart Walker Sailing Center and the Patriots Point Athletic Complex in Mount Pleasant, the North Campus in North Charleston and the 862-acre (349Â ha) Dixie Plantation on the Stono River.
The College of Charleston downtown campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Additionally, the Avery Institute, which is now the home to the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, and the William Blacklock House are also listed individually on the register.
The College of Charleston has been noted for its beautiful campus. In 2014, it was ranked as one of the top 10 best landscaped colleges on the east coast. In 2017, Travel + Leisure magazine named the College "America's Most Beautiful College Campus."
College of Charleston and the media
Due to the historic look and beauty of the campus, many movies and television shows have been filmed at the College of Charleston, including General Hospital, North and South, The View, Cold Mountain, The Patriot, White Squall, Wife Swap, O, The Notebook, Dear John, and Mandie. The most popular scene location is Randolph Hall. In 2008, productions shooting on campus thus far include the television show Army Wives and the feature film The New Daughter, starring Kevin Costner.
In 2004, the first televised debate between U.S. Senate candidates Jim DeMint and Inez Tenenbaum was filmed in Alumni Hall. ABC's The View and CNN's Crossfire also took up residence on the College of Charleston Cistern Yard before the South Carolina presidential primary in 2000. John Kerry officially endorsed presidential candidate Barack Obama in the Cistern Yard in 2008.
"The Bully Pulpit Series: Reflections on Presidential Communication" is hosted by the College of Charleston and its Department of Communication and welcomes presidential candidates from the two major political parties to the campus to discuss the importance of presidential communication. Candidates speak with students and Charleston community members on such topics as the frequency of press conferences, the candidate's relationship with journalists and the power of the president to persuade. Major candidates appearing in the 2007â€"2008 series included Senator John McCain, Congressman Ron Paul, President Barack Obama and Senator John Edwards. Sponsored by the Allstate Insurance Company in 2007â€"08, the series has drawn over 6,000 attendees and received national and international media coverage. Major candidates appearing in the 2015-16 series included Senator Lindsey Graham and former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley.
In August 2017, the College hosted NASA for its live coverage of the solar eclipse.
Student life
Student media
Student media has actively consolidated to a single network under the name CisternYard Media. Under this umbrella is a student-run newspaper called CisternYard News which is online with a quarterly print insert called The Yard. There is also a student-run radio station called Cistern Yard Radio. CisternYard Video and a literary organization called Miscellany are also included under the CisternYard Media umbrella. The English Department at the College of Charleston publishes Crazyhorse, a national literary magazine.
Greek life
Greek life has been active on campus for 120 years. There are ten active IFC fraternities, ten active panhellenic sororities, and seven NPHC fraternities and sororities on campus.
The College of Charleston is home to the Alpha Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi, founded in 1904 at the college. The Alpha Chapter House is located on Coming Street adjacent to the college.
Notable people
References
External links
- Media related to College of Charleston at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website
- Charleston athletics website
- College of Charleston, Charleston County (Charleston), including 19 photos, at South Carolina Department of Archives and History
- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. SC-175, "College of Charleston, 66 George Street, Charleston, Charleston County, SC", 7 photos, 2 data pages, 1 photo caption page, supplemental material