Catawba College is a

private college Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...

Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury ( ) is a city in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County, North Carolina, Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. ...

. Founded in 1851 by the North Carolina Classis of the Reformed Church in

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: People * Newton (surname), including a list of people with the surname * ...

, the college adopted its name from its county of origin,

Catawba County Catawba County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 160,610. Its county seat is Newton, and its largest community is Hickory. The county is part of the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC ...

, before moving to its current home of Salisbury in 1925. Catawba College still holds loose ties with the successor to the

Reformed Church Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyterian, ...

, the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a socially liberal mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Restorationist, Continental Reformed, and Lutheran t ...

. It offers over 70 undergraduate degrees. As of August 2024, Catawba has an endowment over $580 million.

History

Catawba College was founded by the North Carolina Classis of the

Reformed Church in the United States The Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS) is a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. The present RCUS is a conservative, Reformed denomination. It affirms the principles of the Reformation: ''Sola scriptura'' (Scriptur ...

in 1851. The years following the opening of the college were years of growing prosperity for the school, but the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

changed this as funds and students became less available. During the war years, the college became an academy, operating as Catawba High School from 1865 until 1885, whereupon it resumed operations under its original charter as Catawba College. Catawba became

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

in 1890. Even with the addition of women to the student body, the college struggled to overcome the depletion brought on by the war. Responding to the offer of a partially constructed dormitory-administration building and several acres of land in Salisbury, trustee, college, and church officials closed the campus in Newton in 1923 and re-opened in Salisbury in 1925. The college is now affiliated with the

, the successor to the

Evangelical and Reformed Church The Evangelical and Reformed Church (E&R) was a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. It was formed in 1934 by the merger of the Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS) with the Evangelical Synod of North America (ESNA). ...

, itself the successor to the Reformed Church in the United States.

Academics

Catawba College offers over 70 fields of study in a variety of disciplines. Special programs and college centers include the Lilly Center for Vocation and Values, the Writing Center, the Math Center, Sustainable Catawba, Volunteer Catawba, the Center for the Environment, Career Services, the Curriculum Materials Center, Summer School, and Winter Term. For working adults, Catawba's School of Evening and Graduate Studies offers the Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.). In conjunction with the Department of Teacher Education, the Bachelor of Arts in education (B.A.E.) degree may be earned with a major in Birth-Kindergarten Education; at the graduate level, the Master of Education degree in elementary education is also offered. A RN to BSN degree is offered as well as part of the evening program. Catawba College is ranked by ''

U S News & World Report ''U.S. News & World Report'' (''USNWR'', ''US NEWS'') is an American media company publishing news, consumer advice, rankings, and analysis. The company was launched in 1948 as the merger of domestic-focused weekly newspaper ''U.S. News'' and ...

'' in Best Colleges as #6 in Regional Colleges South, #22 in Best Value Schools, and #2 in Best Colleges for Veterans, further noting that the college has a student-faculty ratio of 12:1, and has 60.4% of its classes with fewer than 20 students.

Honors program

Most classes are instructed by more than one professor, each providing input from their specific field of study. The program includes travel abroad opportunities (i.e. Greece, Germany, Britain, Arizona, and more destinations both nationally and internationally). Students can be invited into the program as incoming freshmen, or students can apply any time during their education at Catawba. Incoming freshmen seeking acceptance into the Honors Program must have a 3.5 or higher weighted GPA, 1150 or higher SAT, and/or 25 or higher ACT, score.

Ketner School of Business

The school of business was named after Ralph W. Ketner, who was the co-founder and former CEO of

Food Lion Food Lion is an American regional supermarket Chain store, chain headquartered in Salisbury, North Carolina, that operates over 1,000 supermarkets in 10 states: Delaware, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsyl ...

. The school of business provides students with a curriculum in many different areas of the business world. These areas are Accounting, Economics and Finance, Entrepreneurship, Integrated Marketing Communication, Communication Arts with concentrations in communications and sports communications, and Business Administration with concentrations in Accounting, Communications, Economics, General Management, Information Systems, International Business, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship. The school also offers the Center for Entrepreneurship and Experimental Development (CEED) and the Institute of Business and Accounting. Further information on internships, mentoring program, latest news, and scholarships can be found on the business school's website.

Shirley Peeler Richie Academy for Teaching

Catawba created the West Scholars Program in 2006. The program offers a scholarship for North Carolina residents, in addition to "leadership seminars, community, service, scholarly researched presentations" and various other benefits. Catawba was one of 18 institutions in North Carolina to offer a N.C. Teaching Fellows program. That program was ended by the

state legislature A state legislature is a Legislature, legislative branch or body of a State (country subdivision), political subdivision in a Federalism, federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of ...

in 2011.

Center for the Environment

The Center for the Environment at Catawba College was established in 1996 to educate the local and campus community about environmental stewardship and sustainability. The center aims to advance sustainable solutions and maintain a leadership role in the region on issues such as air and water quality, land preservation, sustainable development, and solar initiatives. The Center for the Environment houses the Geographic Information Systems and Technology minor at Catawba College. Catawba College achieved full carbon neutrality in 2023, seven years ahead of its 2030 commitment. The facility that houses the center opened in 2001, hailed by the top state environmental official as "the wave of the future in resource and energy efficiency." Sustainable building materials, green furnishings, geothermal heating and cooling were used when constructing the Center for the Environment building. Adjacent to the center is the 187-acre Fred Stanback Jr. Ecological Preserve, which consists of mature hardwood and floodplain forests. The preserve is recognized by the NC Natural Heritage Program as a significant natural area under management by Catawba College.

Athletics

Catawba's athletic teams compete in the

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...

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 ...

as the Catawba Indians, named after the Catawba Indian Tribe that is native to the piedmont regions of the southeastern USA. Catawba features 22

men's and women's sports. Men's sports: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field and volleyball. Women's sports: basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball Co-ed programs: cheerleading The Catawba College football team holds the distinction of winning not only the inaugural, but also the second annual Tangerine Bowl, now known as the

Citrus Bowl The Citrus Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The bowl is operated by Florida Citrus Sports, a non-profit group that also organizes the Pop-Tarts Bowl and Florida Classic. The g ...

, while allowing only six points. On January 1, 1947, they defeated

Maryville College Maryville College is a Private college, private liberal arts college in Maryville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1819 by Presbyterian minister Isaac L. Anderson for the purpose of furthering education and enlightenment into the West. The colleg ...

31–6 and on January 1, 1948, they defeated

Marshall University Marshall University is a public university, public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice of the Uni ...

7–0. The current coach is

Tyler Haines Tyler Haines (born ) is an American college football coach. He is the head football coach for Catawba College, a position he has held since 2023. He was the head football coach for Urbana University from 2015 until its closure in 2019. He also c ...

. Catawba College has fielded an eSports team since 2018.

Catawba Indians nickname

In 2005, the NCAA cited Catawba College as a school with a "hostile" or "abusive" nickname. While the NCAA cannot force a school to change a nickname, it has promised to deny post-season hosting privileges to schools in violation. In response to the designation, Catawba College officials filed a formal appeal to continue the use of the "Catawba Indians" name. Citing the approval of the Catawba Indian Nation, the NCAA granted the appeal on the condition the college use the tribe-specific nickname of the Catawba Indians when referring to the nickname as opposed to simply the "Indians."

Notable alumni

Vern Benson Vernon Adair Benson (September 19, 1924 – January 20, 2014) was an American infielder/outfielder, coach, scout and interim manager in Major League Baseball. During his playing career, he stood tall, weighed , batted left-handed, and threw rig ...

, professional baseball player and coach * Katie Carpenter, actress, costume designer, and film producer * Charlie Coiner, professional football coach * Phil Kirk, chairman of North Carolina Board of Education; Chief of Staff for Governors Jim Martin and Jim Holshouser and U.S. Senator Jim Broyhill. *

Tara LaRosa Tara Nicole LaRosa (born January 8, 1978) is an American mixed martial artist and grappler whose most high-profile successes occurred while competing in BodogFight, where she became the first and only BodogFight Women's Bantam ...

, field hockey player and

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

L. J. McCray James Oneil "L. J." McCray II (born June 18, 1991) is an American former professional football safety who played for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Catawba College. He also played for ...

, professional football player *

Pat McCrory Patrick Lloyd McCrory (born October 17, 1956) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 74th governor of North Carolina from 2013 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 53rd mayor of Charlotte ...

, Mayor of

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

from 1995 to 2009;

Governor of North Carolina The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the United States, U.S. state of North Carolina. Seventy-five people have held the office since the first state governor, Richard Caswell, took office in 1777. The governor serves a ...

from 2013 to 2017 *

Jasika Nicole Jasika Nicole is an American actress and illustrator from Birmingham, Alabama. She is known for her role as Agent Astrid Farnsworth on the Fox series ''Fringe''. She has guest-starred in ''Scandal'' as Kim Muñoz. She starred as Carly Lever, the ...

, actress *

Bucky Pope Frank Buckley "Bucky" Pope (born March 23, 1941) is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams and the Green Bay Packers. He is mostly known for his 1964 season and nickna ...

, professional football player * Edward F. Rector, United States Army Air Corp World War II Fighter Ace * Dave Robbins, college basketball coach * Gil Robinson, professional football player * Jumal Rolle, professional football player * T. J. Rooney, chair of Pennsylvania Democratic Party; member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives *

Jerry Sands Gerald Robert Sands (born September 28, 1987) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 25th round of the 2008 MLB Draft out of Catawba College and made his Major L ...

, professional baseball player *

Clarence O. Sherrill Clarence O. Sherrill (May 24, 1876 – February 6, 1959) was an American military officer, city manager, and lobbyist. The son of a North Carolina politician and Civil War veteran, Sherrill attended colleges in his home state before transferring t ...

, military officer, city manager, and lobbyist *

William Lacy Swing William Lacy Swing (September 11, 1934 – June 12, 2021) was a diplomat and former United States Ambassador, and United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Under Secretary General. He was the Director-General of the In ...

United States Ambassador Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the president to serve as the United States' diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as ambassadors-at-large. Under Article II, Section 2 of th ...

and

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

Special Representative of the Secretary-General A special representative of the Secretary-General is a highly respected expert who has been appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General, Secretary-General of the United Nations to represent them in meetings with heads of state on critical huma ...

* David Taylor, professional football player *

Johnny Temple John Ellis Temple (August 8, 1927 – January 9, 1994) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a second baseman from 1952 to 1964, most prominently as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, where ...