Lees–McRae College is a

private college Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...

Banner Elk, North Carolina Banner Elk is a town in Avery County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,028 at the 2010 census. Banner Elk is home to Lees–McRae College. History The area surrounding the Elk River was inhabited by the Cherokee before we ...

, affiliated with the

Presbyterian Church (USA) The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PCUSA, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination in the Religion in the United States, United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States too. Its th ...

. Lees–McRae College sits in the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

at above sea level, the highest elevation of any American college or university east of the Mississippi River. It is one of the few colleges to be named after two women, Suzanna Lees and Elizabeth McRae.

History

Lees–McRae College was founded in Banner Elk as an all-female

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

in 1899 by the Reverend Edgar Tufts, a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

minister. He named the school "The Elizabeth McRae Institute" after a well-respected educator in 1900. The name of school benefactor Suzanna Lees was added in 1903, and the school became "The Lees–McRae Institute" when it was chartered by the state in 1907. An all-male branch was founded in 1907 in nearby Plumtree, North Carolina. The Plumtree facility was destroyed in a 1927 fire, leading the two campuses to merge at the Banner Elk site. After the merger, the high school program was phased out, and in 1931 the institute was renamed "Lees–McRae College" as an accredited, coeducational

junior college A junior college is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, a ...

. Lees–McRae began moving toward offering a four-year program in the late 1980s, and the school's president made the recommendation to the board of trustees in 1987. The

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...

granted Lees–McRae status as a four-year college in 1990. In 2005, Lees–McRae became the first expansion site for New Opportunity School for Women, a program that helps educate and employ women in Appalachia. File:North Carolina Building.JPG, North Carolina Building File:Campus Church.JPG, Banner Elk Presbyterian Church File:Tuft Tower.JPG, Tufts Tower

Athletics

The Lees–McRae Bobcats compete in

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

Division II as a member of

Conference Carolinas Conference Carolinas, formerly known as the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference (CVAC) or the Carolinas Conference, is a List of NCAA conferences, college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) ...

. All athletic teams are eligible for athletic scholarships. The college is also home to a cycling team, which competes in Division I and holds national championships. The varsity sports teams are listed below.

Notable alumni

* Brent Bookwalter, professional cyclist *

Troy Brown Troy Fitzgerald Brown (born July 2, 1971) is an American professional football coach and former player who serves as an offensive assistant for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played as a wide receiver and return s ...

, professional football player *

Thomas Ferebee Thomas Wilson Ferebee (November 9, 1918 – March 16, 2000) was the bombardier aboard the B-29 Superfortress, '' Enola Gay'', which dropped the atomic bomb " Little Boy" on Hiroshima in 1945. Biography Thomas Wilson Ferebee was born on a ...

, bombardier aboard the ''

Enola Gay The ''Enola Gay'' () is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of the pilot, Colonel (United States), Colonel Paul Tibbets. On 6 August 1945, during the final stages of World War II, it became the Atomi ...

'' *

Clark Gaines Clark Daniel Gaines (born February 1, 1954) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He was also a coach in the United States Football League (USFL). He played for the New ...

, professional football player (transferred to

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University (WFU) is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The R ...

) *

Roy Lassiter Roy Lee Lassiter (born March 9, 1969) is an American former professional soccer player. who played as a forward. He played the first few years of his professional career in Costa Rica. He returned to the United States to play in Major League ...

, professional soccer player and Olympian *

Will MacKenzie Will Mackenzie (born July 24, 1938) is an American television director and actor. Life Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Mackenzie began his professional career as an actor, making his Broadway theatre, Broadway debut in 1965 in the original p ...

, professional golfer * Khano Smith, professional soccer player * John B. Stephenson, former professor at LMC * Carla Swart, professional cyclist *

Andrew Talansky Andrew Talansky (born November 23, 1988) is a former professional cyclist. Between 2011 and 2017, he competed for on the UCI World Tour, cycling's highest road racing category. Early life and education Talansky was born in Manhattan, New York ...

, professional cyclist * Leonard Wheeler, professional football player

References

External links

*
Athletics website

Lees–McRae Yearbooks
1930-2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lees-McRae College Educational institutions established in 1900 Universities and colleges affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) Private universities and colleges in North Carolina Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Education in Avery County, North Carolina Buildings and structures in Avery County, North Carolina Liberal arts colleges in North Carolina 1900 establishments in North Carolina