Limestone University, formerly Limestone College, is a private Christian university in

Gaffney, South Carolina Gaffney is a city in and the seat of Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States, in the Upstate region of South Carolina. Gaffney is known as the "Peach Capital of South Carolina". The population was 12,539 at the 2010 census, with an esti ...

. It was established in 1845 by Thomas Curtis, a distinguished scholar born and educated in England. Limestone was the first women's college in

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

and one of the first in the nation; it is the third-oldest college in South Carolina. Ten buildings on the campus, as well as the Limestone Springs and limestone quarry itself, are on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. In the 1960s, Limestone became fully coeducational and in 2020 its name changed from Limestone College to its current name of Limestone University. In addition to its traditional Day Campus located in Gaffney, SC, the university provides an Online Program degree path, along with Student Service Centers in Charleston, Columbia, Gaffney, Greenville, and Florence.

Academics

Over 80% of the faculty at Limestone hold the

terminal degree A terminal degree is a college degree that is the highest level college degree that can be achieved and awarded in a specific academic or professional field. In other cases, it is a degree that is awarded when a candidate completes a certain amou ...

in their field, and the student/faculty ratio is 14:1. Limestone offers students 57 majors in four different divisions of study: Arts and Letters, Natural Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Professional Studies. Additionally, in addition to free, reasonable accommodations through the Accessibility Office, Limestone University offers a comprehensive support program, LEAP (Learning Enrichment & Achievement Program), for Day Campus students with learning and attention challenges. The new 58,000-square-foot Hines-Riggins Center was completed in 2021 and houses the campus library, campus store, student center, art gallery, meeting and study rooms, and dining options. It serves as the academic and social hub of the campus. Limestone offers an online Master of Business Administration, as well as an MBA concentration in Healthcare Administration. A Master of Social Work degree is also available online, along with an RN-to-BSN Nursing Program. In December 2019, Limestone announced an articulation agreement with the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM), which is a doctoral-level osteopathic medical college with a nearby campus in Spartanburg. Limestone’s partnership with VCOM provides its Pre-Medical students an opportunity to receive a Guaranteed Admissions Interview, as well as take part in an Early Admission Program.

Athletics

Limestone plays sports in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC). Limestone offers competitive opportunities at the

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

level for men in football, soccer,

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

, cross country,

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

, and

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

and for women in golf, volleyball, basketball,

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

, tennis, soccer, cross country, lacrosse, cheerleading, track and field, acrobatics/tumbling, wrestling, and

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...

. Limestone has an indoor Olympic-size pool for intramural and recreational use, along with a Physical Education facility containing classrooms, offices, locker rooms, Athletic Training Education facilities for the school's fully accredited Athletic Training program, a fitness center, and a wrestling practice facility.

Clubs and organizations

Clubs and organizations at the university include academics, religious, leadership, musical, theatre, and special interest affiliations. Students also contribute to a yearbook and a literary magazine of poems, essays, short stories, and art. The college has a

Reserve Officers' Training Corps The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in al ...

program for students interested in serving in the military or reserves.

Notable alumni

* Jay Byars, '09, reality TV show contestant, '' Survivor: One World'' *

Lois Collier Lois Collier (born Madelyn Earle Jones; March 21, 1919 – October 27, 1999) was an American actress born in Salley, South Carolina. She was sometimes credited as Lois Collyer. Early years Collier's father was Ernest Jones, a pharmacist, of S ...

, actress * Alphonza Gadsden, bishop of the

Reformed Episcopal Church The Reformed Episcopal Church (REC) is an Anglican church of evangelical Episcopalian heritage. It was founded in 1873 in New York City by George David Cummins, a former bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church. The REC is a founding member ...

* Ann Gordon McCrory, First Lady of North Carolina * Mark Mathabane, South African author * Bob Peeler, '74, former Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina *

Gaylord Perry Gaylord Jackson Perry (September 15, 1938 – December 1, 2022) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right-handed pitcher for eight different teams from 1962 to 1983. During a 22-year baseb ...

, Hall of Fame Major League Baseball player *

Kevin Pucetas Kevin Randall Pucetas (born November 27, 1984) is an American professional baseball pitcher. Career Pucetas attended Broome High School and Limestone College. Pucetas was selected in the 17th round of the 2006 MLB amateur entry draft. He par ...

, '06, professional baseball player, Kansas City Royals * Eleanor P. Sheppard, first female mayor of Richmond, Virginia *

Vyncint Smith Vyncint Smith (born June 9, 1996) is an American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). Smith was born in Germany while his US army parents were stationed there, but he grew up in South Carolina ...

, NFL wide receiver, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

References

External links

*
Official athletics website
{{Coord, 35.0548131, -81.6487135, display=title Private universities and colleges in South Carolina Education in Cherokee County, South Carolina Educational institutions established in 1845 Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Buildings and structures in Cherokee County, South Carolina 1845 establishments in South Carolina