Lander University is a
public university
A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...
in
Greenwood, South Carolina, United States. It was founded in 1872. Its intercollegiate athletic teams compete in
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 ...
.
History
Lander University was founded as a college for women by
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
clergyman
Samuel Lander in 1872 as Williamston Female College in
Williamston, South Carolina. It was re-named Lander College in 1904. Men were admitted starting in 1943 and it became a university in 1992.
Lander University has had twelve presidents serve since its founding. They are: Samuel Lander (1872–1904); John O. Willson (1904–1923); B. Rhett Turnipseed (1923–1927); R. H. Bennett (1927–1932); John W. Speake (1932–1941); John Marvin Rast (1941–1948); Boyce M. Grier (1948–1966); E. Don Herd, Jr. (1966–1973); Larry A. Jackson (1973–1992); William C. Moran (1992–2000); Daniel W. Ball (2000–2015); and Richard E. Cosentino (2015–present).
Campus
Lander University is located approximately one half-mile from uptown Greenwood, South Carolina. The main campus sits on 190 acres of land, though this does not include its many off-campus locations.
Lander University has ten residence halls. Residence halls include Bearcat Village, Brookside, Centennial Hall, Chipley Hall, Lide Apartments, McGhee Court, New Hall, Thomason, University Place, and Williamston. The
Lander College Old Main Building is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
In July 2021, Lander announced that the state legislature has appropriated new funding for the University, which includes money that will be used to construct a nursing building on Lander's campus in Greenwood. Additional funding was appropriated in 2022, including $8 million for a new information commons that will take the place of Jackson Library. An additional $6 million will be used to renovate the existing library into academic space.
Academics
More than 90 areas of undergraduate and graduate studies are offered.
* College of Arts and Humanities
* College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
* College of Business
* College of Education
* College of Graduate & Online Studies
* College of Science and Mathematics
* Honors College
* William Preston Turner School of Nursing
Rankings
In 2025,
U.S. News and World Report's college and university rankings listed Lander fourteenth among regional colleges in the south and third among public regional colleges in the south.
Athletics
Varsity athletic teams have reaped honors at district and national levels, including 12 national championships in men's tennis, and, most recently, in men's wrestling. A member of 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 ...
, Lander plays in the
Peach Belt Conference and fields teams in men's and women's basketball, lacrosse, soccer, and tennis; men's baseball and golf; and women's cross country, softball, and volleyball. Lander also offers club sports that include equestrian, ultimate disc, rugby, bass-fishing, lacrosse, soccer, water skiing, running, Cross-Fit, baseball, and women's volleyball and it has an intramural program open to all students, faculty, and staff.
Student life
Sorority and fraternity organizations are under three different councils, these being the
National Pan-Hellenic Council
The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) is a coalition, collaborative umbrella council composed of historically African American fraternities and sororities, commonly called the Divine Nine, and also referred to as Black Greek Letter Organi ...
(NPHC),
National Panhellenic Conference
The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) is an umbrella or trade association for 26 national and international women's sororities throughout the United States and Canada. '' Panhellenic'' () refers to the group's members being autonomous social ...
(NPC), and
Interfraternity Council (IFC).
Notable people
Alumni
*
Adam Arthur, professional soccer player
*
Martin Barba, professional tennis player
*
Joshua Bertie, professional soccer player
*
Chris Blair, radio broadcaster for the
LSU Tigers athletics
*
Richard Bryan
Richard Hudson Bryan (born July 16, 1937) is an American retired politician and attorney who served as the 25th Governor of Nevada from 1983 to 1989 and as a United States Senator representing Nevada from 1989 until 2001. A Democrat, Bryan pr ...
, professional soccer player
*
Stacey Copeland,
professional boxer
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...
and soccer player
*
Fraser Ellard, professional baseball player
*
Billy Garrett, member of the
South Carolina Senate
The South Carolina State Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives. It consists of 46 senators elected from single member districts for four-year terms at ...
*
Darlene Goff, first female general officer of the
South Carolina
South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
National Guard
National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards.
...
*
Olivier Guéguen, professional soccer player
*
Brett Jankouskas, professional soccer player
*
Luke Jordan, professional football player
*
Steve Kennedy, professional tennis player
*
Jim Lander,
South Carolina Senate
The South Carolina State Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives. It consists of 46 senators elected from single member districts for four-year terms at ...
between 1993 and 1999 and former
Comptroller General of South Carolina
*
Leon Lott, commander of the
South Carolina State Guard and the
sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...
of
Richland County, South Carolina
Richland County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 416,147, making it the second-most populous county in South Carolina, behind only Greenville County. The county seat and larg ...
.
*
Stephen Magennis, professional soccer player and assistant soccer coach at
Georgia Gwinnett College
*
Tom Marriott, professional soccer player
*
Michael Pitts, former member of the
South Carolina House of Representatives
The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections.
Unlike many legislatures, seatin ...
*
Wendy Lee Queen,
chemist
A chemist (from Greek ''chÄ“m(Ãa)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...
,
material scientist. and
assistant professor
Assistant professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea.
Overview
This position is generally taken after earning a doct ...
at the
École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne
The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (, EPFL) is a public university, public research university in Lausanne, Switzerland, founded in 1969 with the mission to "train talented engineers in Switzerland".
Like its sister institution E ...
*
Catharine Rembert, artist, designer, and art educator
*
Clément Simonin, professional soccer player
*
Jordan Skelton, professional soccer player
*
Louie Smothermon, professional soccer player
*
Molly Spearman, educator and
South Carolina Superintendent of Education from 2015 to 2023
*
Miriam Stevenson, television host, actress, former model, and
Miss Universe 1954
*
Everett Stubbs, member of the
South Carolina Senate
The South Carolina State Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives. It consists of 46 senators elected from single member districts for four-year terms at ...
*
Hanin Tamim, professional soccer player
Faculty and staff
Lander has 178 full-time faculty members. Notable current and former faculty and staff include:
*
Christina Jeffrey, political science lecturer
*
Helen Lemme, faculty and
civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...
advocate
*
Stephen Magennis, soccer coach
*
John R. McCravy III, attorney, member of the
South Carolina House of Representatives
The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections.
Unlike many legislatures, seatin ...
, and law professor
*
Mike McGuire, baseball coach
*
Billy Mims, basketball coach
*
Les Robinson, interim athletic director
*
Kermit Smith, baseball coach
*
Rusty Stroupe, baseball coach
*
Eugene Van Taylor, soccer coach
*
Beverly J. Warren, professor
See also
*
List of colleges and universities in South Carolina
*
List of current and historical women's universities and colleges
References
External links
*
Athletics website
{{authority control
Public universities and colleges in South Carolina
Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Methodism in South Carolina
Buildings and structures in Greenwood, South Carolina
1872 establishments in South Carolina
Universities and colleges established in 1872