Catawba College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in Salisbury, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1851 by the North Carolina Classis of the Reformed Church in Newton, the college adopted its name from its county of origin, Catawba County, before moving to its current home of Salisbury in 1925.
Today, Catawba College still holds loose ties with the successor to the Reformed Church, the United Church of Christ, and offers over 70 undergraduate degrees. It also recently added a nursing program.
History
Catawba College was founded by the North Carolina Classis of the Reformed Church in the United States in 1851. The years following the opening of the college were years of growing prosperity for the school, but the Civil War changed this as funds and students became less available. During the war years, the college became an academy, operating as Catawba High School from 1865 until 1885, whereupon it resumed operations under its original charter as Catawba College. Catawba became coeducational in 1890. Even with the addition of women to the student body, the College struggled to overcome the depletion brought on by the war. Responding to the offer of a partially constructed dormitory-administration building and several acres of land in Salisbury, trustee, college, and church officials closed the campus in Newton in 1923 and re-opened in Salisbury in 1925.
The college is now affiliated with the United Church of Christ, the successor to the Evangelical and Reformed Church, itself the successor to the Reformed Church in the United States.
Academics
Catawba College offers over 70 fields of study in a variety of disciplines, including Accounting, Administration of Justice, Athletic Training, Biology, Business Administration with concentrations in Accounting, Communication, Economics, Entrepreneurship, General Management, Information Systems, International Business, Marketing, Entrepreneurship; Chemistry, Communication Arts, Computer Science, Economics and Finance, Education: Elementary K-6, Education: Middle School 6-9 with specializations in Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies; Education: Special Education, Licensure Programs (Secondary Subjects 9-12), Special Subjects (K-12), Environment and Sustainability with concentrations in Environmental & Outdoor Education, Environmental Science, Natural Resource Management, Sustainable Planning & Leadership, Exercise Science, History, Integrated Marketing Communication, Literature, Mathematics, Mathematical Finance, Music with concentrations in: Music Business, Music Education, Music Performance, Popular Music, Sacred Music, and Worship Arts; Musical Theater, Nursing, Physical Education, Politics with concentrations in Pre-Law and Public Administration; Psychology, Recreation, Religion and Philosophy with concentrations in Christian Ministries and Theology/Philosophy; Sociology, Spanish, Sports Management, Theatre Arts with specializations in Theatre Arts, Performance, and Design/Production; Theatre Arts Administration, Theatre Arts Education, Therapeutic Recreation, and Writing.
A variety of minors are also available. Other special programs and college centers include the Lilly Center for Vocation and Values, the Writing Center, the Math Center, Sustainable Catawba, Volunteer Catawba, the Center for the Environment, Career Services, the Curriculum Materials Center, Summer School, and Winter Term.
For working adults, Catawba's School of Evening and Graduate Studies offers the Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.), with concentrations in Business Management, Information Systems, and Administration of Justice. In conjunction with the Department of Teacher Education, the Bachelor of Arts in Education (B.A.E.) degree may be earned with a major in Birth-Kindergarten Education; at the graduate level, the Master of Education degree in elementary education is also offered. A RN to BSN degree is offered as well as part of the evening program.
Honors program
The honors program seeks to help students who want to pursue challenging educational experiences through interdisciplinary and intellectually challenging courses. Most classes are instructed by more than one professor, each providing input from their specific field of study. The program includes travel abroad opportunities to enrich the educational experience (i.e. Greece, Germany, Britain, Arizona, and more destinations both nationally and internationally). Students can be invited into the program as incoming freshmen, or students can apply any time during their education at Catawba. Incoming freshmen seeking acceptance into the Honors Program must have a 3.5 or higher weighted GPA, 1150 or higher SAT, and/or 25 ACT score.
Ketner School of Business
The school of business was named after Ralph W. Ketner, who was the co-founder and former CEO of Food Lion. The school of business provides students with a rigorous and challenging curriculum in many different areas of the business world. These areas are Accounting, Economics and Finance, Entrepreneurship, Integrated Marketing Communication, Communication Arts with concentrations in communications and sports communications, and Business Administration with concentrations in Accounting, Communications, Economics, General Management, Information Systems, International Business, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship. The school also offers the Center for Entrepreneurship and Experimental Development (CEED) and the Institute of Business and Accounting. Further information on internships, mentoring program, latest news, and scholarships can be found on the business school's website.
Shirley Peeler Richie Academy for Teaching
Catawba created the West Scholars Program in 2006. The program offers a scholarship for North Carolina residents, in addition to "leadership seminars, community, service, scholarly researched presentations" and various other benefits. Catawba is one of 18 institutions in North Carolina to offer a N.C. Teaching Fellows program.
Center for the Environment
The Center for the Environment at Catawba College was established in 1996 to educate the local and campus community about environmental stewardship and sustainability. The Center aims to advance sustainable solutions and maintain a leadership role in the region on issues such as air and water quality, land preservation, sustainable development, and solar initiatives.
The facility that houses the Center opened in 2001, hailed by the top state environmental official as "the wave of the future in resource and energy efficiency." Sustainable building materials, green furnishings, geothermal heating and cooling were used when constructing the Center for the Environment building. Adjacent to the Center is the 187-acre Fred Stanback Jr. Ecological Preserve, which consists of mature hardwood and floodplain forests. The preserve is recognized by the NC Natural Heritage Program as a significant natural area under management by Catawba College.
Athletics
Catawba's athletic teams compete in the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Conference as the Catawba College Indians, named after the Catawba Indian Tribe that was native to the piedmont regions of the southeastern USA.
Catawba features 22 NCAA Division II men's and women's sports.
Men's sports: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, and tennis
Women's sports: basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, and volleyball
Co-ed programs: cheerleading
The Catawba College football team holds the distinction of winning not only the inaugural, but also the second annual Tangerine Bowl, now known as the Citrus Bowl, while allowing only six points. On January 1, 1947, they defeated Maryville College 31â€"6 and on January 1, 1948, they defeated Marshall University 7â€"0.
Indians nickname
In 2005, the NCAA cited Catawba College as a school with a "hostile" and/or "abusive" nickname. While the NCAA cannot force a school to change a nickname, it has promised to deny post-season hosting privileges to schools in violation. In response to the designation, Catawba College officials filed a formal appeal to continue use of the "Catawba Indians" name. Citing the approval of the remaining members of the Catawba Indian tribe, the NCAA granted the appeal on the condition the college use the tribe-specific nickname of the Catawba Indians when referring to the nickname as opposed to simply the "Indians."
Notable alumni
- Vern Benson, MLB player and coach
- Charlie Coiner, tight ends coach for the Buffalo Bills of the NFL
- Dwight Durante, first-team NAIA All-American at Catawba; member of the Catawba sports hall of fame; played for the Harlem Globetrotters
- Phil Kirk, former chairman of NC Board of Education; Vice President of External Relations for Catawba College
- Tara LaRosa (physical education '00), field hockey player; current mixed martial artist
- L. J. McCray, NFL player for the San Francisco 49ers
- Pat McCrory, Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina from 1995â€"2009; Republican Governor of North Carolina
- Jasika Nicole, actress on Fringe
- Bucky Pope, National Football League player for the Los Angeles Rams and Green Bay Packers; "The Catawba Claw"
- Dave Robbins, retired basketball coach for Virginia Union University; won over 700 games and three national championships
- Gil Robinson, NFL player
- Jumal Rolle, NFL player for the Houston Texans
- T. J. Rooney, former chair of Pennsylvania Democratic Party; member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
- Jerry Sands, outfielder/first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers
- Ahmaad Smith, football player
- William Lacy Swing, former United States Ambassador and United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General
- David Taylor, retired NFL football player
- Johnny Temple, Major League Baseball second baseman for the Cincinnati Redlegs, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles and Houston Colt .45's
- Jim Tomsula, former head coach for the San Francisco 49ers
- Rodney Wallace, finished college football career as school's all-time leading rusher; former UFC light heavyweight fighter
References
Further reading
- Francis B. Dedmond, Catawba: The Story of a College. Boone, NC: Arromondt House, 1989.
External links
- Official website
- The Pioneer - Catawba College online school newspaper
- Catawba Athletics - official website
- The School of Evening and Graduate Studies
- Center for the Environment