Piedmont College

This article is about Piedmont College in Demorest, Georgia. For other colleges known as Piedmont College, see Piedmont College (disambiguation).
Piedmont College
Former names
 J.S. Green Collegiate Institute (1897-1899), J.S. Green College (1899-1902)
Motto Lux (Light)
Type Private College
Established September 1, 1897[1]
Affiliation United Church of Christ and National Association of Congregational Christian Churches
Endowment $52,552,848[2]
President Dr. James F. Mellichamp [3]
Academic staff
 142[4]
Students 2,127[5]
Undergraduates 1,217[6]
Postgraduates 910[6]
Address 1021 Central Ave, Demorest & Athens, Georgia, USA
34°33′58″N 83°32′31″W / 34.566°N 83.542°W / 34.566; -83.542Coordinates: 34°33′58″N 83°32′31″W / 34.566°N 83.542°W / 34.566; -83.542
Campus Rural 300 acres (121.4 ha)[2]
Tuition $21,990 (2015-16)[7]
Colors Dark Green and Gold[8]          
Athletics NCAA Division III; USA South Athletic Conference[9]
Nickname Lions
Mascot Lion,
Website http://www.piedmont.edu

Piedmont College is a private, comprehensive, liberal arts institution located in Demorest and Athens, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1897, Piedmont’s Demorest campus includes 300 acres in a traditional residential-college setting located in the foothills of the northeast Georgia Blue Ridge mountains. The campus includes nine dormitories housing more than 600 students. Academic and athletic facilities are all state-of-the-art. Approximately 50 miles to the south, Piedmont’s Athens campus is located in the heart of Georgia’s Classic City. The Athens campus provides a variety of undergraduate and graduate programs designed for commuting students.

Piedmont College offers more than 50 undergraduate academic programs in the Schools of Arts & Sciences, Business, Education, and Nursing & Health Sciences. Students may earn Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.), Bachelor of Science (B.S.), or Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) degrees. Graduate programs include Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), Master of Arts (M.A.) and Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.), Education Specialist (Ed.S.), and Doctor of Education (Ed.D).

Enrollment is approximately 2,100 students, and the student-faculty ratio is 16:1. While most students come from Georgia, the College attracts applicants from across the U.S. and around the world, creating a diverse academic community made up of a variety of religious and ethnic backgrounds.

History

The college opened as the J.S. Green Collegiate Institute [10] in 1897, founded by residents of the Habersham County, Georgia. The first president was Rev. Charles C. Spence. The American Mission Board of the New England Congregational Churches operated the college from 1901 to 1948 and changed the name to Piedmont College to represent the geographic region. In 1948, under president James Walter, the college became an independent institution, although it maintains an affiliation with the United Church of Christ (UCC) and the related National Association of Congregational Christian Churches (NACCC).[11] Congregationalists took over the school from the Methodists in the early 20th century.[12]

From the 1950s to the 1990s, Piedmont grew slowly and developed a reputation as a small college with high academic standards. The college graduated a large number of teachers who went on to distinguished careers in education across the state. In 1994 the college began to expand, adding schools for Business and Nursing & Health Sciences to its existing programs in the Arts and Sciences and Education. The college also opened a campus in Athens, Georgia, and began offering off-campus graduate education courses across the state. The Demorest campus grew substantially with the addition of the Arrendale Library; Stewart Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology; Swanson Center for Communications and the Performing Arts, Mize Athletic Center, the Smith-Williams Art Studios, and in 2015 the Student Commons. The college also added five new dormitories and 48 apartment-style residences.

Today Piedmont is one of the most dynamic small colleges in the Southeast, known equally for its academic programs in education, business, nursing and health sciences, and the arts and sciences. As a member of the USA South Conference of the NCAA Division III, Piedmont competes in 17 men’s and women’s sports.

Piedmont has a history of more than 111 years of providing education to people from across the world. There have been eleven different presidents of the college who have each helped Piedmont get to where it is now.

Campuses

Piedmont has two campuses, the original one in Demorest and the newer expansion in Athens. Piedmont's Demorest campus is located on roughly 300 acres (121.4 ha) in Habersham County. The Athens campus is located on Prince Avenue near downtown Athens, on the site of the original Prince Avenue Baptist Church.

Demorest

Stewart Hall is one of Piedmont's classroom buildings and houses labs and classroom space for the mathematics and sciences departments

The Demorest campus is primarily a residential campus, with nine dormitories, including Getman-Babcock,[13] Purcell, Wallace, Swanson, Johnson, Mayflower, New Bedford, Plymouth and Ipswich[14] halls that together house about 600 students. The Piedmont Village apartments house an additional 180 students.

The Academic buildings include Daniel Hall, which houses the R.H. Daniel School of Nursing, the humanities Department, and administrative offices. Stewart Hall houses the science and math departments. The School of Education is located in the Arrendale Library. The Walker School of Business is located in Camp Hall, which is adjacent to the President’s Home. The Music department is located in the Center for Worship and Music, which includes classroom and performance space, as well as the Sewell Pipe Organ, a 3,675-pipe organ built by the Casavant Frères company of Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec.

The Art department is located in the newly constructed Smith-Williams Studios and adjacent Martens Hall. The Mason-Scharfenstein Museum of Art is located in downtown Demorest. It features a large permanent collection and hosts numerous exhibits throughout the year.

The Mass Communications and Theatre departments are located in the Swanson Center for Performing Arts and Communication, a $14-million building[15] which features two theaters and editing rooms for print, video and web productions. Next door is the Arrendale Amphitheater, a 500-seat outdoor venue.[16] WPPR, the college-operated Georgia Public Broadcasting radio station, is housed in the Swanson Center along with the student station, WPCZ.

The campus also includes Walker Fields for softball, soccer and lacrosse, as well as Loudermilk Baseball Stadium for baseball. The Johnny Mize Athletic Center houses the O’Neal Cave Arena for basketball and volleyball. The Mize Center includes a museum featuring displays of Mize’s baseball memorabilia collected during his career at Piedmont and as a Hall of Fame player in the major leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants (New York Giants) and New York Yankees.

The pedestrian footbridge at Piedmont College connects to pieces of campus which are separated by Historic U.S. 441 Highway.

There are also a few general purpose buildings. The Lane Student Center, which faces the quad, is the remodeled old gym. There is also the Neilson Dining Hall where the cafeteria is located.[17] There is also the President's House, the Admissions building and the pedestrian bridge which crosses Historic U.S. 441.[18] The bridge was assembled off-site and lowered into place by crane.[19] The bridge was modeled after the Vanderbilt University 21st Avenue Pedestrian Bridge. The installation of the bridge was a joint project of the Georgia Department of Transportation, Piedmont College and the city of Demorest.

Much of Piedmont's Demorest property is now wetlands. The wetlands area was once the site of Lake Demorest from 1890-2008.[20] The Lake was drained due to an irreparable dam, and the property was turned into a wetlands for students and faculty to use in their studies.

Athens

The College opened a small outreach facility [21] in 1996 and now occupies seven buildings near the heart of downtown Athens on Prince Avenue.[22] The campus offers four-year undergraduate programs designed for both traditional and non-traditional students. For graduate students, there are programs in business (M.B.A.), nursing (B.S.N. and M.S.N.), and education. (MA, MAT, EDS, and EDD).

The Athens campus includes Commons Hall, which houses the majority of classrooms and faculty offices, as well as a large assembly room and dining hall. The School of Business is located in Rogers Hall, and there is a large recreation center for intramural and fitness activities. Lane Hall on North Milledge Avenue[23] houses the library and facilities for the School of Nursing and Health Sciences.

Academic profile

The Swanson Center, built in 2007, is home to the Mass Communications department and Performing Arts.

Piedmont is known for providing individual attention and one-on-one instruction from professors whose first commitment is teaching. The student-faculty ratio is 16:1, and most professors hold a doctorate or terminal degree in their field. Piedmont is accredited by the following boards: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS);[24] National League of Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC); and the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).

Schools

Piedmont College is composed of four schools: the School of Arts & Sciences, the School of Education, the Harry W. Walker School of Business, and the R.H. Daniel School of Nursing & Health Sciences.[25]

School of Arts and Sciences

Students can take courses in 9 departments that comprise the School of Arts and Sciences. These departments include: Art, Humanities, Interdisciplinary Studies, Mass Communications, Mathematics & Physics, Music, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Theatre. Through these departments, students can earn the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts, B.A., Bachelor of Fine Arts, B.F.A, and Bachelor of Science, B.S.

Walker School of Business

The Harry W. Walker School of Business received national accreditation in November 2007 from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) for the undergraduate and graduate business programs at both Piedmont’s Demorest and Athens Campuses.[26] Through the School of Business, students can earn a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Business Administration or a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. The BA program includes concentrations in accounting, finance, general business, management, and marketing.

School of Education

The School of Education offers bachelor's degree programs in fields including Early Childhood, Middle Grades, Drama, Secondary, and Spanish education. Students can also earn Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) or Master of Arts (MA) degrees in a variety of areas. Beyond the master's degree, the school offers Education Specialist (EdS) and Doctor of Education (EdD) degree programs.[27][28]

Students from Piedmont College's Nursing Department participate in an annual disaster drill to practice their triage skills. The 2015 drill simulated a gas tank explosion!

Daniel School of Nursing

The R.H. Daniel School of Nursing & Health Sciences offers the B.S.N. degree for students preparing for initial licensure. Separate BSN tracks are also available for students who already hold RN or LPN degrees. [29]

Every spring semester, the nursing department conducts a disaster drill where the senior nursing majors have to diagnose a large group of patients. Past themes for the drill have including a boiler explosion,[30] a car accident at an outdoor concert,[29] a small plane crash and a gas tank explosion.[31]

Student life

In addition to clubs and service organizations, Piedmont offers a number of creative outlets for singers, musicians, and actors. All students can be part of the 100-voice Piedmont Chorale, which performs several concerts each year. The Piedmont Singers is a 50-member ensemble of selected students that performs on campus and each year tours in the U.S. or abroad. Performance groups also include the 10-member Cantabile a cappella singers, Piedmont Camerata chamber ensemble, a Wind Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, and a String Ensemble.

Students interested in theatre may join the Piedmont College Theatre and the Alpha Pse Omega theatre honor society, which together performs a succession of plays each year from Shakespeare to children’s theatre.

Students interested in writing, photography, radio, television, and web production can also participate in a number of student-run organizations including the student newspaper, The Navigator; the Yonahian yearbook, and student radio and TV stations.[32]

Magazine

The first publication for the college was The Mountain Lantern, which was named for a common firefly in the surrounding area. The Lantern started out as a monthly magazine in 1912. In 1913, The Lantern became the college's yearbook. There would not be a magazine again until spring semester of 2006, when a mass communications major published PC Magazine as her senior capstone project. In fall of 2007, the magazine was renamed Pause, which came out twice each semester; two print and two online. "Pause" has since been out of production.

Yearbook

The Mountain Lantern lasted for only a short period until 1915. A yearbook was again issued in 1920, and the name was changed to the Yonahian. The odd-sounding name was derived from nearby Mount Yonah. Since 1920, the Yonahian has been published every year and provides a general record of students and faculty over the years.

Newspaper

The first newspaper of Piedmont was The Hustler, which lasted from 1908 to 1909. There was no newspaper until 1917, when a bi-weekly newspaper named The Padded Hammer appeared in September. Later in 1917, after a vote on the name of the paper, it was changed to The Piedmont Owl. The name "Piedmont Owl" was chosen as a reference to the concept of wisdom. This name became the name of Piedmont's athletic teams as well, until 1921, when the Student Association adopted the name Mountain Lions, later shortened to Lions.[33]

The Piedmont Owl lasted for 67 years until the name was changed to match Piedmont's newer mascot. The paper became The Lion's Roar for 21 years until 2005, when it was changed to The Navigator. The name is a reference to the Mayflower ship of the Pilgrims, honoring Piedmont's relationship to American Congregationalism. In fall 2015, all the college's media outlets were consolidated under the umbrella name of "The Roar."

Religious Life

The Office of the Chaplain provides a variety of opportunities for religious expression among students. As a church-related college, Piedmont recognizes that faith and learning are frequently intertwined. In keeping with Congregationalism, the college acknowledges that each individual understands and relates to God in a unique way and that the student body will always represent a breadth of religious backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences.

Athletics

Piedmont College is an NCAA Division-III member school, home to 17 intercollegiate athletic programs.

Piedmont College teams participate as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III. The Lions are a member of the USA South Athletic Conference. Intercollegiate sports include men’s and women’s basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, and track and field; women’s volleyball and softball; and men’s baseball. The college also offers a wide range of intramural sports competitions each year.

Piedmont was a charter member of the Great South Athletic Conference (GSAC) until the 2012-13 school year.

Notable people

Alumni

Faculty

References

  1. ↑ Lovett, Warren Pound (1943). History of Piedmont College. Athens, Ga.: University of Georgia (Master's Thesis).
  2. 1 2 "America's Best Colleges 2015: Piedmont College". U.S. News & World Report. U.S.News & World Report, L.P. 2015. Retrieved 2015-08-23.
  3. ↑ "Mellichamp named president at Piedmont College". Piedmont News. Piedmont College. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  4. ↑ "College Closeup: Piedmont College". Peterson's. NelNet, Inc. Archived from the original on November 28, 2007. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
  5. ↑ "Piedmont College reports record enrollment". The Toccoa Record. 2008-09-11. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
  6. 1 2 "Piedmont College At a Glance". College Board. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  7. ↑ "Piedmont College: Financial Aid and Tuition for In-State and Out-of-State Students". College Toolkit. LunchMoney.com Inc. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
  8. ↑ "Piedmont College". Piedmont Athletics Department. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
  9. ↑ http://www.piedmontlions.com
  10. ↑ Suda, Tim (2008-03-17). "J.S. Green: the College and the man". The Navigator. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  11. 1 2 Lane, Mary Charlotte Ed.D (1997). Centennial History of Piedmont College: 1897-1997. Demorest, Ga.: Piedmont College. pp. 1–228.
  12. ↑ Lane, Mary Charlotte Ed.D (1993). Piedmont College History 1897-1990. Demorest, Ga.: Piedmont College.
  13. ↑ "Piedmont plans 'Haunted Hotel'". The Northeast Georgian. Community Newspapers Inc. 2008-10-21. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
  14. ↑ "REsidence Life Home". Piedmont College. Retrieved 9/2/13. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  15. ↑ "Business resource seminar set Nov. 5 at Piedmont College". The Northeast Georgian. Community Newspapers INC. 2009-10-29. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
  16. ↑ Brown, Kimberly (2009-03-24). "Progressing Toward Premier". The Northeast Georgian. Community Newspapers Inc. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
  17. ↑ "Piedmont cafeteria raises funds for Haiti". The Northeast Georgian. Community Newspapers Inc. 2010-01-29. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
  18. ↑ Moore, Rob (2008-08-04). "Pedestrian Bridge Installation Rescheduled". The Northeast Georgian. Community Newspapers, Inc. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
  19. ↑ "Demorest Bridge Installation Delayed". Access North Georgia. Jacobs Media. 2008-07-30. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
  20. ↑ Moore, Rob (2008-08-19). "Demorest lake drained for wetlands". The Northeast Georgian. Community Newspapers Inc. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
  21. ↑ Quigley, Rebecca (22 February 2007). "Piedmont College begins push to lure its first freshman class". Athens Banner Herald. Online Athens. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  22. ↑ Quigley, Rebecca (12 September 2007). "College-bound teens scout options". Athens Banner Herald. Online Athens. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  23. ↑ "Atlanta Legal Nurse Consultant Attends 2nd Annual "Illicit Drug" Conference". Webwire. 9 June 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  24. ↑ Piedmont College Catalog 2006-2007. Demorest, Ga.: Piedmont College. 2006. p. 7.
  25. ↑ Piedmont College. "Academics".
  26. ↑ Piedmont College. "School of Business".
  27. ↑ "Education Doctorate in Teaching and Learning" (PDF). Piedmont College Journal. Piedmont College. 2009-02-27. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
  28. ↑ "Piedmont College to offer education doctorate program". The Northeast Georgian. Community Newspapers Inc. 2009-03-26. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
  29. 1 2 Brown, Kimberly (19 March 2009). "Piedmont nurses prepare for the worst". The Northeast Georgian. Community Newspapers Inc. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  30. ↑ "Drilling for disaster". The Northeast Georgian. Community Newspapers Inc. 22 April 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  31. ↑ Price, David (1 April 2015). "Student nurses, HCMC respond to 'disaster'". Institutional Advancement. Piedmont.
  32. ↑ Suda, Tim (2008-01-14). "Publishing Piedmont". The Navigator. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
  33. ↑ Rountree, George Wilburn (1965). Piedmont College: its history, resources, and programs. Athens, Ga.: University of Georgia (Doctrinal Dissertation).
  34. ↑ Phelps, Myron (2008-02-11). "Johnny Mize Collection". The Navigator. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
  35. ↑ Suda, Tim (2008-01-28). "History of Sports". The Navigator. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
  36. ↑ "Johnny Mize Athletic Center and Museum". Georgia Tourism. Web.Georgia.Org. 2007-09-24. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
  37. ↑ Wilkes, Angela; Brandy Savarese; Andrew Lemons; Gilbert Head (2005-07-07). "Jonathon Clark Rogers Papers". Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Libraries. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  38. ↑ "Diana Palmer — Biography". dianapalmer.com. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
  39. ↑ "Lillian Smith (1897-1966)". The New Georgia Encyclopedia. Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press. 2008-09-02. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
  40. ↑ Vardeman, Johnny (2009-02-08). "How Madame Chiang Kai-chek landed at Piedmont College". Gainesville Times. The Times. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
  41. ↑ Cook, Joan (1990-11-22). "Phil Landrum, 83, Former Lawmaker From Georgia, Dies". New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
  42. ↑ "Marvin Hudson 51". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media, LP. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
  43. ↑ "Atlanta Silverbacks Men Coaching Staff". atlantasilverbacks.com. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
  44. ↑ Cheesman, Heather (2009-02-23). "Know your neighbor conference: Teaching tolerance and interfaith in today's diverse community". The Navigator. Piedmont College. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
  45. ↑ Lumpkin, Elise (2008-02-25). "Faculty uncovers 'Christ-haunted' South". The Navigator. Piedmont College. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
  46. ↑ "Piedmont Professors' book signings". The Navigator. Piedmont College. 2005-03-21. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
  47. ↑ Davis, David J. (April 1928). "Professor Campbell". Mountain Life and Work. 4 (1).
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