Carsonâ€"Newman University is a historically Baptist liberal arts college located in Jefferson City, Tennessee, United States. A new enrollment record of 2,528 was set in August 2015. Studies are offered in approximately 90 different academic programs. The university has a current retention rate of 70%. Recent rankings include: A Best College in the Southeast (The Princeton Review), 7th Best Baccalaureate College in the U.S., and America's number 2 ranked baccalaureate college for community service (Washington Monthly). Currently, the five most popular majors are: Nursing, Education, Business, Pre-Medicine/Biology, and Psychology. The school holds overall institutional accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Administration
On July 8, 2008, the trustees appointed Baylor University Provost Dr. J. Randall O'Brien as the 22nd president of the college.
History
Following a ten-year effort of five early East Tennessee Baptists, the school was established as Mossy Creek Missionary Baptist Seminary in 1851, the school began by holding classes in a local Baptist church. Within a few years the institution became Mossy Creek Baptist College and occupied its own buildings on the site of the present campus.
In 1880, the university was named Carson College for James Harvey Carson (1801â€"1880), who left $15,000 of his estate to the school. For several years it existed alongside Newman College, a separate facility for the education of women named for William Cate Newman, who had donated money to the women's college. In 1889, the two colleges united as one of the first coeducational institutions in the South. The institution operated as Carsonâ€"Newman College until 2012 when the board of trustees voted to acknowledge recent organizational changes by changing the name to Carsonâ€"Newman University.
In 1919, Carsonâ€"Newman became officially affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention. The college was admitted to membership in the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1927 and the Association of American Colleges in 1928.
During World War II, Carsonâ€"Newman was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission.
During most of its history, Carsonâ€"Newman University has served as a residential four-year, liberal arts college with courses of study leading to the baccalaureate degree.
More recently, the university has been recognized for its student based Hunger Games. In keeping with its commitment to service learning, Carsonâ€"Newman has held the Hunger Games each fall since 2011 in order to raise funds for local charities. In 2014, over 12,000 USD was raised from the games.
In 2015 the school applied for and received a Title IX exemption so that it could maintain its status as a private Christian institution and also granting it the right to reject "gay students, unwed mothers, women who've had an abortion and even students who may be pregnant" should it so choose to do so. President O'Brien states that the decision was made based on the advice of legal counsel and that the school does not discriminate and does not plan to.
Academics
Carsonâ€"Newman's Mathematics program is home to American statistician Kenneth Massey. The Army ROTC Nursing program is the largest in Tennessee.
Campus
The campus is located in Jefferson City, Tennessee, between Overlook Ave (West) and Meadow Spring Ave (East), and between Ellis St (South) and Deborah St (North).
Athletics
Carsonâ€"Newman is a member of the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) and fields 18 varsity teams in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II competition. Men's varsity sports at Carson-Newman are: Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, and Track & Field. Women's sports are: Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Track & Field, and Volleyball. In the spring of 2015 the volleyball program expanded to include a beach volleyball program, being one of around 40 schools in the United States to offer the sport.
Notable alumni
- Dana X. Bible â€" American football, baseball and basketball coach and athletic administrator
- Millard F. Caldwell â€" 29th Governor of Florida, member of the U.S. Representative and Florida Supreme Court justice
- Michael Eric Dyson â€" author, Professor at Georgetown University
- Helen Timmons Henderson â€" educator, one of the first two women elected to the Virginia House of Delegates
- Ben W. Hooper â€" 28th Governor of Tennessee from 1911 to 1915
- Chris Marion â€" member of classic rock band, Little River Band
- T. B. Maston â€" Christian ethicist, writer, and professor
- Garnett S. Stokes â€" Interim President of Florida State University
- Mary McDonald â€" musician and composer
- Bernie Moore â€" SEC commissioner, LSU track and field coach
- B. Carroll Reece â€" Member, US House of Representatives from Tennessee, 1921â€"1931 and 1933â€"1947
- John Q. Tilson â€" Member, US House of Representatives, 1909â€"1913 and 1915â€"1932; House Majority Leader 1925â€"1932
- Herbert S. Walters â€" United States Senator from Tennessee from 1963 to 1964
Athletics alumni
- Doug Belk â€" current West Virginia University Defensive Backs coach. Prior coaching experience at Valdosta State University and University of Alabama
- Shonie Carter â€" professional Mixed Martial Artist from 1997 to 2015 becoming the WEC Welterweight Champion and competed in the UFC
- Steve Cishek â€" current Major League Baseball pitcher for the Seattle Mariners
- Todd Collins â€" former NFL football player and Super Bowl Champion with the St. Louis Rams
- Joe Fishback â€" former NFL football player & Super Bowl Champion with the Dallas Cowboys
- Boyce Green â€" former NFL player with the Cleveland Browns
- Junior Glymph â€" former NFL football player
- Sylvia Hatchell â€" Head Women's Basketball Coach at UNC, 1986â€"present
- Clayton Holmes â€" former NFL football player and Super Bowl Champion with the Dallas Cowboys
- Darren Hughes â€" gridiron football player
- Cedric Killings â€" former NFL football player
- Vernon Turner â€" former NFL football player (Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, Detroit Lions, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- Leonard Weaver â€" former NFL fullback
- Clyde Wright â€" former Major League Baseball pitcher
- Tim George â€" former NFL wide receiver
- Anthony Toribio â€" former Kansas City Chiefs Defensive Tackle
- Chris Jones â€" Dallas Cowboys punter
- Sanders Shiver â€" former NFL football player and Super Bowl Champion with the Baltimore Colts.
- David Pool â€" former NFL football player 1990-1994
References
External links
- Official website
- Carsonâ€"Newman Athletics website