Anderson University - Moving Forward on Solid Ground
Merging a solid history with an inspiring vision for the future, Anderson University looks to its motto, "Knowledge for the Journey," as its guiding force. This mantra guides the entire college community in the pursuit of education, a rewarding life beyond Anderson, and the larger "Christian Journey" espoused by the South Carolina Baptist Convention, with which Anderson is affiliated.
Anderson University's roots extend back to the 1840s, to the Johnson Female Seminary in Anderson, S.C. This school closed its doors during the Civil War and remained defunct following the war, until the collaboration of education-minded citizens and the South Carolina Baptist Convention led to the founding of a new institution of higher learning in 1910. Two years later, Anderson College opened as a four-year women's college.
Anderson went through numerous shifts in the twentieth century. In 1929, the school's format changed to a two-year junior college -- the first of its kind in South Carolina. One year later, Anderson went co-ed. This two-year, co-educational system remained for more than 60 years until 1991, when the school returned to a four-year format. Finally, to reflect its addition of graduate programs and reorganization of academic divisions into colleges, Anderson College began the new millennium with a name change, becoming Anderson University on January 1, 2006.
Today, Anderson University is a private institution offering 50 areas of study with an enrollment of approximately 1,800. Its undergraduate school is committed to liberal arts as a means of preparing students fully for the world beyond education -- community, work, family and church. For those students who have found their ideal field of study, Anderson also offers professional studies and graduate programs.
Anderson is consistently ranked in the Top Tier of Southern Comprehensive Universities by U.S. News & World Report, and has been recognized for its emphasis on community service among students -- the Anderson University student body volunteers approximately 15,000 hours of service per year, helping to earn the school a place on the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.
To extend these achievements into the future, in 2004, Anderson University created a 10-year plan for the school entitled "Vision 2014." Its mission is "to enlarge [the University's] service to and impact on individuals, the local region, society and the church," through a number of forward-thinking initiatives. Among its many goals, Anderson aims to increase enrollment beyond 2,000, to create and implement additional high-quality undergraduate majors and graduate programs, and to continue to climb in rankings, while maintaining its high level of respect within the Christian community.
If you are looking for a school standing on a strong foundation of learning and leadership while actively pursuing a bright future for its students and the world at large, check out Anderson University.