The University of Charleston (UC) is a private non-profit university with its main campus in
Charleston, West Virginia. The university also has a location in
Beckley, West Virginia, known as UC-Beckley.
History
The school was founded in 1888 as the Barboursville Seminary of the Southern Methodist Church. In 1901, it was renamed Morris Harvey College, in honor of a devoted supporter.
![Universityofcharlestoncampusdrone](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Universityofcharlestoncampusdrone.jpg)
In 1935 the school moved to downtown Charleston and affiliated with the Mason College of Fine Arts and Music. In 1940, it became independent of the
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
Church. In 1947, the school moved to its present campus in the Kanawha City section of Charleston across the river from the State Capitol. In 1951, it purchased the
Young-Noyes House as the home of the college president.
It was listed 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 1978.
The college fell on hard times after the end of the military draft and college deferment during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
and offered itself to the state in 1975, which refused the gift. In December 1978, the school changed its name to the University of Charleston. Beginning with the inauguration of President Dr. Edwin H. Welch in 1989, the school has undergone a physical and academic transformation. Four new residence halls, a parking garage, a fitness center, an academic building housing the library, computer and science labs, and a new school of pharmacy have been built since 1998.
UC established campuses on
Mountain State University
Mountain State University (MSU) was a private university in Beckley, West Virginia. It closed in 2013. It was formerly named Beckley College and then The College of West Virginia.
Its Beckley campus is now occupied by West Virginia University ...
's former Beckley and
Martinsburg, West Virginia
Martinsburg is a city in and the seat of Berkeley County, West Virginia, in the tip of the state's Eastern Panhandle region in the lower Shenandoah Valley. Its population was 18,835 in the 2021 census estimate, making it the largest city in the E ...
, locations on January 1, 2013. UC later vacated the former MSU Martinsburg campus (the property was sold to a third-party buyer), and established a new location in Martinsburg, known as UC-Martinsburg. UC vacated the former MSU Beckley campus after the 2014–15 academic year and established a new campus in Beckley.
On December 15, 2017, the board of trustees named Martin S. Roth to succeed Dr. Edwin Welch as the president of the university. He began on June 30, 2018. Roth left his position as the dean of the business school at the University of Hartford.
Academics
The University of Charleston is accredited by the
Higher Learning Commission
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...
.
The university employs a unique outcomes-based model of education whereby students learn and master six competencies by graduation: citizenship, communication, creativity, critical thinking, ethical practice, and science.
There are over twenty undergraduate major programs at UC, with two majors being somewhat unusual to the region, with few other colleges offering similar programs: interior design and radiologic science. Besides these two programs, other top majors at UC include English, sports administration, education, communications, accounting, nursing, and athletic training.
Rankings
In 2012, UC was ranked 14th by ''
U.S. News & World Report'' for regional colleges in the South. In 2011, UC was the top ranked regional college in West Virginia, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Graduate schools
In 2006, UC opened its first doctoral program, the UC School of Pharmacy. In 2008, the university opened a graduate business school which grants four business master's degrees: Master of Business Administration and Leadership (MBAL), Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA), Executive Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Management (EMBA- PHM), and Executive Master of Forensic Accounting (EMFA).
In 2012, the school announced a new Physician Assistant program.
Athletics
![Soccernationalchampionsucwv](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Soccernationalchampionsucwv.jpg)
UC's athletic teams, known as the Golden Eagles, mostly compete in the
Mountain East Conference
The Mountain East Conference (MEC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level and officially began competition on September 1, 2013. It consists of 12 schools, mo ...
(MEC) in
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 ...
. In June 2012, UC was one of nine members of the
West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
The West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) was a collegiate athletic conference which historically operated exclusively in the state of West Virginia, but briefly had one Kentucky member in its early years, and expanded into Pe ...
(WVIAC) that announced their plans to leave to form a new Division II conference. Two months later, the new conference was unveiled as the MEC, with UC as one of 12 charter members. The men's volleyball team, which was elevated from a club team to full varsity status for the 2015 season (2014–15 school year), plays at the
National Collegiate (
Division I/II) level; after playing in 2015 as an independent, it joined the
Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
The Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) is a college athletic conference whose member schools compete in men's volleyball. Its member institutions are located in the Northeast United States.
The EIVA Tournament champion receives ...
. University of Charleston achieved its first division II national championship in men's soccer in 2017 defeating
Lynn University
Lynn University is a private university in Boca Raton, Florida. Founded in 1962, the university awards associate, baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees. It is named for the Lynn family (Christine E. and Eugene M. Lynn). It has a total ...
in the finals.
In 2005, UC entered into a partnership with the local school board to refurbish the school board–owned
Laidley Field
The University of Charleston Stadium at Laidley Field is an 18,500-capacity stadium located in downtown Charleston, West Virginia, near the West Virginia State Capitol complex. It features a FieldTurf playing field for football and facilities for ...
, which was renamed University of Charleston Stadium. The campus also boasts new or renovated softball, football, baseball, and soccer fields, and competes in 18 Division II sports.
Notable alumni
References
External links
*
University of Charleston Athletics website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charleston, University of
University of Charleston
The University of Charleston (UC) is a private non-profit university with its main campus in Charleston, West Virginia. The university also has a location in Beckley, West Virginia, known as UC-Beckley.
History
The school was founded in 1888 as ...
Educational institutions established in 1888
University of Charleston
The University of Charleston (UC) is a private non-profit university with its main campus in Charleston, West Virginia. The university also has a location in Beckley, West Virginia, known as UC-Beckley.
History
The school was founded in 1888 as ...
Education in Kanawha County, West Virginia
Buildings and structures in Kanawha County, West Virginia
Tourist attractions in Kanawha County, West Virginia
1888 establishments in West Virginia