Lander University

Lander University

Old Main Building
Type	Public 4-year university
Established	1872
President	Dr. Richard Cosentino
Academic staff	136
Students	3,000
Address	320 Stanley Ave. , Greenwood , South Carolina , United States
Colors	Blue and Gold
Nickname	Bearcats
Website	http://www.lander.edu

Lander University is a public university located in Greenwood, South Carolina. It is the state's second-smallest publicly funded baccalaureate institution.

History

Lander University was founded by Methodist clergyman Samuel Lander in 1872 as Williamston Female College in Williamston, South Carolina. It remained a private institution for 26 years. In 1898 the College gained the support of the South Carolina Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The college moved to Greenwood in 1904 and was renamed Lander College in honor of its founder who died in the same year. It remained a women's college until 1943 when men were first admitted.

In 1948, when the Methodist Conference, pursuant to a policy of consolidation of its education efforts decided to end support of Lander College, interested citizens of Greenwood formed the Lander Foundation as a non-profit corporation and leased the College from the Church.

In 1951, the Greenwood County obtained the College name and property from the Methodist Conference. The South Carolina General Assembly created the Greenwood County Education Commission, known as the Lander Foundation, to serve as the board of control of the College. Lander thus became the only four-year liberal arts college in the United States to be controlled and financed by a county government.

In 1973, Lander College became a state-supported college and in 1992 its name was changed to Lander University. The institution is now completely co-educational.

Campus

Lander is situated on a wooded site near the middle of the City of Greenwood, of approximately 123 acres (50 ha). The Lander College Old Main Building consists of three distinct sections displaying an eclectic blending of elements of the Romanesque Revival and Georgian Revival styles. Two of the sections—Greenwood Hall and Laura Lander Hall—were built in 1903-04; Willson Hall was added in 1911. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. In addition to six major buildings erected since 1973, campus improvements have included extensive renovations to a number of older facilities, new housing complexes, athletics fields and parking lots. Lander created a new 10-year Campus Master Plan in 2003. The first phase of the plan, the creation of a campus entrance, is complete, and a new residence hall for 300 students opened in 2006. An expanded dining hall opened in January 2007.

Students

Enrollment is approximately 3,000 with a student body representing 23 states and 16 foreign countries. Minorities make up 25 percent of the student body; 67 percent of the student body is female and 33 percent is male. Campus residence halls accommodate approximately 1,600 students. Due to the dramatic increase of incoming freshmen during the 2009 and 2010 academic years, the university housing department has leased several apartment complexes.

Faculty

Lander has a student/faculty ratio of 19:1 with 123 full-time faculty members, the majority of whom hold terminal degrees in their areas. The average class size is 23.

Academics

More than 60 areas of undergraduate study are offered, as well as a diverse selection of master's programs. Three programs are offered completely online: the R.N. to B.S.N. completion option, the criminal justice management bachelor’s degree, and the health care management certificate. Many areas of study require or strongly recommend internship experiences, and there is an active study abroad program.

Athletics

File:LanderBearcats.png

Official athletics logo.

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 and soccer teams, and it has an intramural program open to all students, faculty and staff.

In March 2007, Lander won the Peach Belt Conference Men's Basketball tournament. They advanced to the NCAA tournament against the defending national champions, Virginia Union. The Lander women's basketball team won the Peach Belt regular season title in 2008 and conference tournament title in 2008 and 2009.

The Lander men's tennis team won eight consecutive NCAA Division II national championships from 1993 through 2000.

The Lander nickname is the Bearcats and used to be the Senators.

Accreditation

Lander is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's and master's level degrees.

All but one of its academic programs, for which there is an accrediting body, are accredited. The University's programs in Business Administration, Nursing, Teacher Education, Music, Visual Arts, and Theatre are accredited respectively by the appropriate national accrediting agencies (the AACSB, the NLNAC, the NCATE, the NASM, the NASAD, and the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST).

See also

• List of colleges and universities in South Carolina
• List of current and historical women's universities and colleges

External links

• Lander University
• Lander University Athletics