Carolina University (CU), formerly Piedmont International University (PIU), is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

university in

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina and the 91st-most populous city in the Uni ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. Carolina University offers both residential and online programs including dual enrollment, undergraduate, and graduate degrees. It is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) and is a member of the

American Association of Christian Schools The American Association of Christian Schools (AACS) is an American fundamentalist organization based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, that unifies individual conservative Protestant schools and statewide Protestant school associations across the count ...

(AACS).

History

In 1945, Charles Stevens and a group of North Carolina

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

leaders founded Piedmont Bible Schools, Inc. and opened Piedmont Bible Institute. Three years later, the institute added two years of

junior college A junior college is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, a ...

. Although the academy associated with Piedmont Bible Schools, Inc. was discontinued in 1952, the Bible institute and the college continued. In 1956 Piedmont completed the

accreditation Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

requirements of the Accrediting Association of Bible Institutes and Bible Colleges (now The Association for Biblical Higher Education). Their acceptance allowed

Religious Education In secular usage, religious education is the teaching of a particular religion (although in the United Kingdom the term ''religious instruction'' would refer to the teaching of a particular religion, with ''religious education'' referring to t ...

and

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

bachelor's degrees A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Neo-Latin, Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and university, universities upon completion of a course of study lasting ...

to be awarded, starting in 1957, with the acceptance of the State Department of Education. The college added a graduate program in 1994 and joined the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) one year later. In 2004, Spurgeon Baptist Bible College of Mulberry, Florida merged with PIU to create Piedmont's Spurgeon School of Online Education, which allowed several undergraduate and graduate programs to be available entirely online, including a master's degree in Biblical Studies offered in Spanish. The accreditation of two international branch campuses in restricted access nations sprang from partnerships with nationals in Asia and the Middle East. In 2012, Piedmont officially changed their name from Piedmont Baptist College and Graduate School to Piedmont International University. In the mid-2010s, three institutions were merged into Piedmont. In 2015, Tennessee Temple University of

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

, dissolved and merged with Piedmont. Southeastern Bible College of

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

, closed in 2017, merging with PIU later that year. In 2018, John Wesley University, a small evangelical college approximately 19 miles from Piedmont's Winston-Salem campuses, merged with Piedmont. In 2019, PIU started partnerships collaborating with Sheriff's Offices in North Carolina and Tennessee to create a collaborative criminal justice degree program with law enforcement. On June 24, 2020, the Piedmont International University Board of Trustees voted to change the university's name to Carolina University. The Piedmont School of Divinity (or Piedmont Divinity School) was created to "honor Piedmont's historic name and heritage of training ministers and teaching Bible and theology." In July 2024,

Hanesbrands Hanesbrands Inc. is an American multinational clothing company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It employs 65,300 people internationally. On September 6, 2006, the company and several brands were spun off by the Sara Lee Corporation. Han ...

announced it would move its headquarters to the Park Building in downtown Winston-Salem and that Carolina University would take over the Oak Summit headquarters. The university said it had no room to expand where it was, and that Salem Baptist Church would take over the existing campus to expand its Christian school.

Mergers and acquisitions

Several Christian colleges and universities have merged with Carolina University over the years.

Spurgeon Baptist Bible College

Spurgeon Baptist Bible College was established in 1970 in

Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. Located along Interstate 4, I-4 east of Tampa and southwest of Orlando, Florida, Orlando, it is the List of municipalities in Florida, most populous city in Polk County. As of the 2020 ...

, as a college for training preachers and missionaries. The first president of the college was Dr. G. Arthur Woolsey, a Baptist Bible Seminary graduate. The college merged with Piedmont International University in 2003, and PIU's Spurgeon School of Online Education was created as a result of the merger.

Atlantic Baptist Bible College

Atlantic Baptist Bible College was located in

Chester, Virginia Chester is a census-designated place (CDP) in Chesterfield County, Virginia, Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States. Per the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 23,414. History Chester's original "downtown" was a st ...

, where it served to prepare men and women for effective ministry in churches. The school merged with Piedmont International University in December, 2008.

Tennessee Temple University

Tennessee Temple University and Temple Baptist Seminary were located in

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. The university opened in 1946, followed by the opening of the seminary in 1948. During the 65-year life of the school, it served over 100,000 students. TTU became the third school to merge with Piedmont International University, the process of which was completed in 2015. As a result of the merger, degree programs including Sign Language Interpretation were added to PIU's offerings. Additionally, the Temple Baptist Seminary name transitioned to Piedmont International University. The John Wesley School of Leadership was also created from TTU assets.

Southeastern Bible College

Southeastern Bible College was located in

, where they provided Bible, theology, ministry, and missions degree programs. The school was founded in 1935 by Edgar J. Rowe. In 2017, the school closed due to financial struggles, but after three months, SEBC merged with Piedmont International University.

John Wesley University

John Wesley University (located in

High Point, North Carolina High Point is a city in the Piedmont Triad region of the United States, U.S. state of North Carolina. Most of the city is in Guilford County, North Carolina, Guilford County, with parts extending into Randolph County, North Carolina, Randolph, ...

, merged with Piedmont International University in 2018, becoming the fifth school to do so. Founded in 1903, it was the oldest undergraduate theological education institution in North Carolina.

Academics

Carolina University comprises five undergraduate and graduate schools. * School of Arts and Sciences * Patterson School of Business * Moore School of Education * John Wesley School of Leadership * Piedmont Divinity School The School of Arts and Sciences is home to several new undergraduate programs in areas including Public Health, Esports, Information Systems, Psychology, Sociology, Criminal Justice and Interdisciplinary Studies. CU's Patterson School of Business offers both undergraduate and graduate business programs including the BBA and MBA. The Moore School of Education at CU offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. Key programs include the BS in Deaf Studies, the BS in Elementary Education, and the Master of Education. The John Wesley School of Leadership, named as a result of the merger with John Wesley University, is home to two graduate leadership programs: the M.A. in leadership and the Ph.D. in leadership. The Piedmont Divinity School at Carolina University comprises all the ministry and Bible-related degree programs at the university. These schools offer programs such as the 5-Year BA and M.Div., various Biblical Studies degrees, and two Graduate Certificates.

Athletics

The Carolina University athletic teams are called the Bruins. The university participates in the

National Christian College Athletic Association The National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) is an association of Christian universities, colleges, and Bible colleges in the United States and Canada whose mission is "the promotion and enhancement of intercollegiate athletic c ...

(NCCAA) at the Division I level in the South Region. The university currently fields 11 intercollegiate sports teams. Men's sports include

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

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 (appro ...

, cross country,

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

, men's volleyball, and

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

. Women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer,

softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

, track and field, and

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 Summ ...

. The university's athletic department expanded in recent years, growing from three sports in 2017 to nine in two years. CU plans to add several more, including the additions of men's

and women's

cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense Physical exercise, physical activity. It can be performed to motivate s ...

in 2020–21. The university also moved the athletics department from NCCAA Division II to the Division I level and added athletic scholarship opportunities. One notable former coach is Josh Howard, a former

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

All-Star player and

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

player. Howard got his start in collegiate coaching as the CU men's basketball head coach from 2016 to 2020.

References

External links

Official website

Official athletics website
{{authority control Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools Seminaries and theological colleges in North Carolina Baptist Christianity in North Carolina Bible colleges in the United States Universities and colleges established in 1945 Universities and colleges in Winston-Salem, North Carolina 1945 establishments in North Carolina