Wesleyan College is a private, liberal arts women's college located in Macon, Georgia, United States. The Wesleyan College Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 2, 2004. It is the oldest member of the prestigious Seven Sisters of the South colleges.
History
The school was chartered on December 23, 1836, as the Georgia Female College, and opened its doors to students on January 7, 1839. The school was renamed Wesleyan Female College in 1843, while changing hands from the Methodist-Episcopal Church to the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Later the college shortened to the present name Wesleyan College in 1917.
Wesleyan has the world's oldest alumnae association, begun in 1859. Seniors are inducted into the association during a candle lighting ceremony on Alumnae Weekend.
Wesleyan College is the birthplace of the first sororities: the Adelphean Society in 1851, now known as Alpha Delta Pi and the Philomathean Society in 1852, now known as Phi Mu. The two sororities together are referred to as the "Macon Magnolias". The school no longer has sororities (as of 1914), and instead uses a class system to assign all students with a class name.
Incoming first years are assigned a class based on the outgoing seniors of the previous school year. The classes are the Green Knights, the Purple Knights, the Red Pirates (formerly the Tri-K pirates until the late 20th century), and the Golden Hearts. Further, each of these classes is paired with another: the Green Knights and Purple Knights are sister classes, and the Golden Hearts and Red Pirates are sister classes. The incoming first year class of 2016 will be the Green Knights.
Academics
Wesleyan College has an undergraduate student population of around 700. It has a student-faculty ratio of 8:1 and an average class size of 20 students. Students from more than 20 states and over 20 countries around the world attend the school each year. Wesleyan offers 35 majors, 29 minors, and pre-professional programs for its students. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
Wesleyan College was named among the Best 361 colleges in 2007, 2008, and 2009 by Princeton Review. In 2009, Forbes ranked Wesleyan #15 on its list of best college buys.
Campus
Wesleyan College has a 200-acre (800,000 m²) campus dotted with revivalist Georgian style brick buildings. The campus features a 6.3 acre (25,000 m²) lake, Foster Lake, the Nancy Ellis Knox Equestrian Center, Porter Gymnasium, Anderson Cabin, Jones Hall, home of the Lane Center for Community Engagement and Service, and Matthews Athletic Complex. It also has five academic buildings, Tate Hall, Taylor Hall, Murphey Art Building, Porter Fine Arts Building, and the Munroe Science Center which opened in the fall of 2007. The campus also has 5 dormitories for students. Banks Hall and Wortham Hall house first year students. Persons Hall, Jones Hall and Hightower Hall house upperclasswomen. Corn North and South Apartments house juniors and seniors.
Student life
There are four major student boards: CRU (Council on Religious Unity), CJA (Council on Judicial Affairs), CAB (Campus Activities Board), SRC (Student Recreation Council) which are represented as a part of SGA (Student Government Association). Wesleyan boasts the Nu Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi, the professional business fraternity. It also has over 25 special interest clubs, academic honor societies including the Phi Kappa Phi, Beta Beta Beta and Omicron Delta Epsilon, musical groups, art clubs, service organizations, religious groups, and departmental leadership groups. It also three publications: The Veterropt (yearbook), The Wesleyan Word (newspaper), and the Visionary (creative arts magazine).
Midsummer Macon, a music and arts program for children and young adults, is held here every summer. There are several popular events of the International Cherry Blossom Festival every springtime, such as the annual hot air balloon launch. Porter Auditorium was once the home of the Macon Symphony Orchestra and it still hosts many musical and theatrical events and competitions.
Although Wesleyan was the birthplace of the two oldest national sororities, Phi Mu and Alpha Delta Pi, it no longer has Greek organizations.
Athletics
Wesleyan's athletes were Pioneers until becoming Wolves in fall 2013. They play in the NCAA Division III. The Wolves have 6 varsity sports: basketball, cross-country, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball, and the IHSA equestrian team. Wesleyan competes in the Great South Athletic Conference of NCAA Division III.
The school colors are deep purple and lavender.
Notable alumnae
- Catherine Brewer Benson, first woman to earn a college degree at Wesleyan (1840)
- Kathryn Stripling Byer, poet and teacher; 2001 North Carolina Award in Literature and North Carolina Poet Laureate, 2005â€"09
- Toni Jennings, Lieutenant Governor of Florida
- Neva Jane Langley, Miss America (1953)
- Ellamae Ellis League, architect from Macon, first woman FAIA from Georgia
- Shanna Malcolm, YouTube comedy star known for her work on HeyYoShanna
- Sara Branham Matthews, microbiologist
- Phaedra Parks, Entertainment attorney and star of The Real Housewives of Atlanta
- Hazel Jane Raines, first woman in Georgia to receive a pilot's license (1936)
- The Soong sisters, significant political figures in early 20th Century Chinese history
See also
- Women's Colleges in the Southern United States
References
External links
- Wesleyan College Official Website
- Wesleyan College Official Athletics Website
- Wesleyan College historical marker