William Peace University 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 ...

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Sout ...

. Formerly affiliated with the

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

, it offers undergraduate degrees in more than 30 majors and the School of Professional Studies (SPS) offers accelerated bachelor degrees that are online or hybrid for working adults. The institution adopted its current name in 2012, concurrent with its decision to begin admitting men to its day program; it was previously known as Peace Institute, Peace Junior College, and Peace College. William Peace University Library

History

The institution that eventually became William Peace University was founded in 1857 as Peace Institute by a group of men within the

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their n ...

Synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin word mean ...

of North Carolina. The leading donation of $10,000 () came from William Peace, a prominent local merchant and a founding member of the First Presbyterian Church of Raleigh. Peace is believed to have been in the first class of the University of North Carolina, and was a longtime proponent of education as a benefactor of Raleigh Academy, a school primarily for boys. Additionally, Peace donated for the campus site. Main Building, a red brick, white-columned Greek revival building, was built between 1859 and 1862, but was commandeered by the Confederate States government early in 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 ...

to be used as an army hospital. The Main Building was designed and built by the Holt Brothers, Thomas and

Jacob Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. ...

, who were notable builders from nearby Warrenton, NC. The Civil War and

Reconstruction Era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

delayed the opening of the school, but Peace Institute opened in January 1872. The first president was John Burwell, assisted by his son Robert. The Burwells, and his successor, James Dinwiddie, served the school until 1910, and were strong Presbyterians and descendants of old Virginia families. The name of the school changed from Peace Institute to "Peace College" in 1943. A member of the Women's College Coalition, Peace College was one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. It was the second-oldest in North Carolina, predated only by Salem College (the first school for girls in the

, founded in 1772).

Name changes

The school began admitting men in the fall of 2012. Initial announcements of the change included a controversial promise to "offer select single-gender courses in targeted disciplines, where research shows that women and men learn differently and that each benefit from a single-gender classroom," a plan that critics believe may run afoul of equal opportunity laws such as

Title IX Title IX is the most commonly used name for the federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other educat ...

, Concurrent with its announcement that it will begin admitting men, Peace College changed its name to "William Peace University" in 2011, but the class years of 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 had the option to receive diplomas from Peace College or William Peace University. Timeline of Name Changes * Peace Institute (1872-1930), Awards first junior college degrees in 1925 * Renamed in 1930: Peace, a Junior College for Women * Peace Junior College renamed Peace College in 1943 * Peace College accredited by SACS in 1947 * Peace College adds the School of Professional Studies in 2009 (which admits men) * Peace College renamed William Peace University, July 2011 University president Brian Ralph said March 22, 2022 that "listening sessions" were planned to determine whether the university's name should be changed again. A statue of Peace was taken down that same day because Peace owned

slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

and a major campus building was built with slave labor.

Becoming coeducational

The college has always educated women, with the only exception being the admittance of some boys in primary grades from its opening years through the 1920s when the school served levels from kindergarten through junior college years. Today, the college maintains records of nearly 10,000 living alumnae, including many who were pioneers in public service. In the 1930s, Gertrude Dills McKee, a graduate of the 1890s, became the first woman elected to the North Carolina Senate. Lilly Morehead Mebane was one of the first women elected to the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, ...

. Jane Simpson McKimmon became the youngest graduate of Peace College, when she finished the then two-year college program at age 16; she later became the first woman to graduate from NC State University. McKimmon became a leader in "home economics" and greatly advanced the state agriculture department's home extension service. NC State University's conference and continuing education center is named for her and the chair of Peace's Leadership Studies program is named for McKimmon.

Addie Worth Bagley Daniels Addie Worth Bagley Daniels (née Adelaide Worth Bagley; May 1, 1869 - December 19, 1943) was an American suffragist leader and writer. She attended the Eighth Conference of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance in 1920 as the US delegate, the a ...

, the spouse of '' Raleigh News & Observer'' publisher Josephus Daniels, served for many years during the first half of the 20th century on the Peace College Board of Trustees, a rare role for women in that era. The administration announced it planned to begin admitting male students at the start of the fall 2012 semester. It was determined that this transition would make the college a more attractive option for potential applicants, stating that only 2% of female applicants are likely to consider applying to a women's college, whereas 98% would only consider attending coeducational institutions. William Peace University

Academics

As an exclusively undergraduate college, Peace offers only

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

s. All traditional undergraduate candidates must complete an

intern An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gove ...

ship.

Athletics

William Peace University competes 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 ...

as a Division III school in the

NCAA 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 ...

. Teams are fielded in

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

, cross country,

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

, swimming,

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

, and

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

. William Peace fields men's sports in

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

, basketball, cross country,

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, and track and field. Peace has been a full member of the NCAA since 2002, after having been granted provisional membership in 1995. Prior to that, Peace had competed in Region X of the NJCAA dating back on 1973. USA South membership was granted in 2003, making it the first women's college in the state to join a co-educational conference.

Notable alumni

* Lisa Stone Barnes (born 1966), businesswoman, politician, and member of the

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the bicameral legislature of the State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The General Assembly meets in the North Caroli ...

* Mary Lily Kenan Flagler Bingham (1867-1917), philanthropist and heiress * Alice Willson Broughton (1889–1980), First Lady of North Carolina * Carrie Lougee Broughton (1879–1957), North Carolina State Librarian * Eleanor Layfield Davis (1911–1985), painter * Fortune Feimster (born 1980), actress and comedienne *

Gail Godwin Gail Godwin (born June 18, 1937) is an American novelist and short story writer. Godwin has written 14 novels, two short story collections, three non-fiction books, and ten libretti. Her primary literary accomplishments are her novels, which have ...

(born 1937), writer *

Mary Hilliard Hinton Mary Hilliard Hinton (June 7, 1869 – January 6, 1961) was an American painter, historian, clubwoman, and anti-suffragist. She was a leader in North Carolina's Anti-suffragism, anti-suffragist movement and an outspoken white supremacist, co-fou ...

(1869–1961), historian, painter, and anti-suffragist * Gertrude Dills McKee (1885–1948), politician and member of the North Carolina State Senate * Jane Simpson McKimmon (1867–1957), writer and educator * Lily Morehead Mebane (1869–1943), politician and relief worker *

Jacqueline Novogratz Jacqueline Novogratz (born 1961) is an American entrepreneur and author. She is the founder and CEO of Acumen, a nonprofit global venture capital fund whose goal is to use entrepreneurial approaches to address global poverty. Early life Novogra ...

(born 1961), businesswoman and writer * Annie Land O'Berry (1885–1944), philanthropist and activist *

Agnes Sanford Agnes Mary Sanford (November 4, 1897 – February 21, 1982) was an American Christian writer. She is most known for founding the Inner Healing movement, a process she described as the healing of memories. Education Agnes attended the Shanghai A ...

(1897–1982), writer * Lura S. Tally (1921–2012), politician and member of the

References

External links

Official websiteOfficial athletics website
{{authority control Universities and colleges in the Research Triangle Former women's universities and colleges in the United States Liberal arts colleges in North Carolina Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Universities and colleges affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) Educational institutions established in 1857 Universities and colleges in Raleigh, North Carolina 1857 establishments in North Carolina Private universities and colleges in North Carolina