Converse University is a

private university 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 grant (money ...

Spartanburg, South Carolina Spartanburg is a city in and the seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest city in the state. For a time, the Of ...

. It was established in 1889 by a group of Spartanburg residents and named after textile pioneer Dexter Edgar Converse. It was originally a women's college but now admits men and women to its undergraduate college and its graduate, online, and summer programs.

History

Converse College opened on October 1, 1890, with a student body of 168 women and 16 faculty members. The college only admitted women students and operated as a "stock company" with the board of directors composed entirely of residents of Spartanburg. Dexter Edgar Converse, a native of

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...

who had settled in Spartanburg before the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

and had become a successful pioneer in the cotton mill industry, served as the head of the first board of directors. On January 2, 1892, fire destroyed the college's main building. The building was enlarged during its reconstruction. In 1896, the college was incorporated in South Carolina and a self-perpetuating

board of trustees A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit org ...

was named. In 1964, the college introduced

graduate programs Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and struc ...

. The Converse College Historic District was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1975. It encompasses eight contributing buildings dated between 1891 and 1915. They are the Main Building (Wilson Hall) (1892), Annex (Pell Hall, 1891), Twichell Auditorium (1898–1899), Carnegie Library (1905), Cleveland House (c. 1905), Judd Science Hall (1915), Dexter Hall (1899) and Towne House (1898). The buildings are representative of the Romanesque Revival,

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

, and Neo-Classical styles. an
accompanying map
/ref> The college changed its name to "Converse University" in the summer of 2021. The college also "expanded its undergraduate residential program from single-gender to co-ed" by admitting male undergraduate students in the fall of 2021.

Presidents

Academics

Converse University has an undergraduate enrollment of about 750 students and a graduate enrollment of about 645 students. The academic programs are organized in the following departments: *Art and Design *Biology, Chemistry and Physics *Economics, Accounting and Business *Education *English/Creative and Professional Writing *Languages, Cultures and Literature *Health and Physical Education *History and Politics *Mathematics and Computer Science *Psychology *Religion and Philosophy *Theater and Dance *Music

Athletics

Converse athletic teams are known as the Valkyries. The university is a member of the Division II level of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

(NCAA), primarily competing in the

Conference Carolinas Conference Carolinas, formerly known as the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference (CVAC) or the Carolinas Conference, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) primarily at the Divisi ...

. Women's sports include acrobatics and tumbling, basketball, cross country, equestrian, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, track and field (indoor and outdoor), golf, tennis, swimming and volleyball. The inaugural men's sports are basketball, cross country, soccer, tennis, track and field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball. Converse's equestrian program is coeducational, though only women participate in NCAA-recognized competition. The university also has a coeducational varsity esports team.

Notable alumnae

Julia Peterkin Julia Peterkin (October 31, 1880 – August 10, 1961) was an American author from South Carolina. In 1929 she won the Pulitzer Prize for Novel/Literature for her novel '' Scarlet Sister Mary.'' She wrote several novels about the plantation Sout ...

, Class of 1896 and winner of the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made ...

in 1929. *

Kimilee Bryant Kimilee Karyn Bryant (born June 22, 1969) is an American actress, singer and former Miss South Carolina.Kimile ...

, Broadway actress and Miss South Carolina 1989 * Lynette Eason, Christian novelist and teacher *Phyllis Harris '82, senior vice president and general counsel of legal administration for Walmart Stores. * Sutton Stracke '93, socialite and television personality

Notable faculty

* Julia Klumpke, concert violinist and composer * Andrew Blanchard, printwork artist

References

External links

*
Official athletics website

History and Photos – Converse College, Spartanburg, S.C.
{{authority control Private universities and colleges in South Carolina Former women's universities and colleges in the United States Educational institutions established in 1889 Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Education in Spartanburg County, South Carolina Buildings and structures in Spartanburg, South Carolina 1889 establishments in South Carolina Conference Carolinas schools Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Romanesque Revival architecture in South Carolina Gothic Revival architecture in South Carolina Neoclassical architecture in South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Spartanburg, South Carolina