Brevard College is a

private college Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public student loans, and grants. De ...

Brevard, North Carolina Brevard is a city in Transylvania County, North Carolina, United States, with a population of 7,609 as of the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Transylvania County. Brevard is located at the entrance to Pisgah National Forest and has becom ...

. The college grants the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.

History

Brevard College Campus in Brevard, North Carolina

Brevard College was named for Ephraim Brevard, a teacher and one of the local leaders that produced the

Mecklenburg Resolves The Mecklenburg Resolves, or Charlotte Town Resolves, were a list of statements adopted at Charlotte, in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina on May 31, 1775; drafted in the month following the fighting at Lexington and Concord. Similar lists of r ...

Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence is a text published in 1819 with the now disputed claim that it was the first declaration of independence made in the Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolution. It was supposedly signed on May 20, ...

in 1775. Brevard College traces its origins to three institutions: Weaver College, a two- and four-year school, which was founded in Weaverville,

Buncombe County Buncombe County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is classified within Western North Carolina. The 2020 census reported the population was 269,452. Its county seat is Asheville. Buncombe County is part of the Ashevill ...

, in 1853 by the "Brothers of Temperance;" Rutherford College, which was founded as the Owl Hollow School in 1853 in Burke County (and gave its name to Rutherford College, North Carolina); and the Brevard Institute, a high school inaugurated in 1895 by

Asheville Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

businessman Fitch Taylor and his wife, Sarah.NCpedia - Brevard College
/ref> In 1933, the

Western North Carolina Annual Conference The Western North Carolina Conference is an Annual Conference (regional episcopal area, similar to a diocese) of the United Methodist Church. This conference serves the western half of the state of North Carolina, with its administrative offices ...

decided to merge Weaver and Rutherford Colleges to create a single coeducational Methodist

Junior college A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in su ...

on the site of the old Brevard Institute.NCPedia - Rutherford College
/ref> In fall of 1934, Brevard College was established after five Weaver faculty and 30 Weaver students moved to the new location as part of an opening that included 24 faculty and 394 students. The Brevard College Stone Fence and Gate was erected by the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

in 1936-1937 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

Library

J. A. Jones Library, named after James Addison Jones,J. A. Jones Library
serves students at Brevard College and supports community borrowers as well. In addition to its print and digital collections, it provides historical information on

Transylvania County Transylvania County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census the population is 32,986. Its county seat is Brevard. Transylvania County comprises the Brevard Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included i ...

, study accommodations for group or individual work in public or private space, classrooms for library instruction, and interlibrary loan privileges. J. A. Jones Library is a member of the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

, Appalachian College Association, Carolina Consortium,

Lyrasis Lyrasis is a non-profit member organization serving and supporting libraries, archives, museums, and cultural heritage organizations around the world. Lyrasis is based in the United States. It was created in April 2009 from the merger of SOLINET a ...

, and North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities.

Athletics

The Brevard athletic teams are called the Tornados. The college is a member of the NCAA Division III ranks, primarily competing in the

USA South Athletic Conference The USA South Athletic Conference (formerly the Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference or the Dixie Conference) is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member schools are located in North Carolina and Virginia ...

(USA South) since the 2017–18 academic year. The Tornados previously competed in the

South Atlantic Conference The South Atlantic Conference (SAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the southeastern United States. The SAC was founded in 1975 as a ...

(SAC) of the NCAA Division II ranks from 2007–08 to 2016–17; as an NCAA D-II Independent during the 2006–07 school year; and in the

Appalachian Athletic Conference The Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Members of the conference are located in the Southeastern United States in Tennessee, Kentuc ...

(AAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2000–01 to 2005–06. Athletics play a large role in the Brevard College campus life scene and are an important part of the institution's history. Brevard competes in 22 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports compete in baseball, basketball, cheerleading, climbing, cross country, cycling, football, lacrosse, soccer, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cheerleading, climbing, cross country, cycling, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball.

Football

The fall of 2006 saw the college field a football team for the first time since the 1950s.

Disc golf

Disc golf is also a popular leisure activity on campus; Brevard competes in several annual tournaments with other local colleges.

Mountain biking

In the fall of 2009, the Tornados mountain biking team (in only their third season) won their first national championship after improving on a fourth-place finish in 2008 and an eighth-place finish in 2007. The team received their second national championship win in 2010. In 2012 the team won their third national championship.Brevard College wins national mountain bike title
/ref>

Notable alumni

* Alphonce Swai, distance runner * Kody Kinsley, Secretary, NC Department of Health and Human Services

References

External links

*
Official athletics website
{{authority control Private universities and colleges in North Carolina Universities and colleges affiliated with the United Methodist Church Educational institutions established in 1934 Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Education in Transylvania County, North Carolina Buildings and structures in Transylvania County, North Carolina 1934 establishments in North Carolina Universities and colleges formed by merger in the United States