Converse College

Converse College

Type	Women's Undergraduate College. Co-Ed Graduate Programs
Established	1889
Endowment	$78.24 million^[1]
President	Krista Newkirk
Provost	Jeffrey Barker
Students	1,389
Undergraduates	822
Postgraduates	567
Location	Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States 34°57′16.59″N 81°55′01.51″W / 34.9546083°N 81.9170861°W / 34.9546083; -81.9170861
Campus	Urban 70 acres (0.3 km²)
Colors	Purple and Gold
Sports	Softball, Basketball, Soccer, Cross Country, Tennis, Volleyball, Swimming, Lacrosse, Equestrian, Golf, Track & Field
Mascot	Valkyries
Affiliations	Conference Carolinas
Website	converse.edu

Converse College is a liberal arts masters university in Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. Converse consists of an undergraduate women's college as well as co-ed graduate, online and summer programs. It was established by a group of Spartanburg residents and named after textile pioneer Dexter Edgar Converse.

History


Converse College Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district

Show map of South Carolina Show map of the US
Location	580 E. Main St., Spartanburg, South Carolina
Area	20 acres (8.1 ha)
Built	1891 (1891)-1915
Architect	Hook, Charles
Architectural style	Late Gothic Revival, Romanesque, Richardson Romanesque
NRHP Reference #	75001706^[2]
Added to NRHP	November 12, 1975

Converse College opened on October 1, 1889, with a student body of 168 and 16 faculty members. The college operated as a "stock company" with the board of directors composed entirely of residents of Spartanburg. Dexter Edgar Converse, a native of Vermont who had settled in Spartanburg before the American Civil War and had become a successful pioneer in the cotton mill industry, served as the head of the first board of directors. On January 2, 1892, fire destroyed the college's main building. The building was enlarged during its reconstruction. In 1896, the college was incorporated in South Carolina and a self-perpetuating board of trustees was named. In 1964, the college introduced graduate programs.

The Converse College Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.^[2] It encompasses eight contributing buildings dated between 1891 and 1915. They are the Main Building (Wilson Hall) (1892), Annex (Pell Hall, 1891), Twichell Auditorium (1898-1899), Carnegie Library (1905), Cleveland House (c. 1905), Judd Science Hall (1915), Dexter Hall (1899) and Towne House (1898). The buildings are representative of the Romanesque Revival, Gothic Revival, and Neo-Classical styles.^[3]^[4]

Description

It has an undergraduate enrollment of about 800 women who come from throughout the United States. The graduate enrollment of about 550 students is made up of both men and women.

Departments

Art and Design
Biology, Chemistry and Physics
Economics, Accounting and Business
Education
English/Creative and Professional Writing
Languages, Cultures and Literature
Health and Physical Education
History and Politics
Mathematics and Computer Science
Psychology
Religion and Philosophy
Theater and Dance
Music

Athletics

Official athletics logo.

Converse College teams participate as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division II. The Valkyries are a member of the Conference Carolinas. Women's sports include basketball, cross country, equestrian, lacrosse, soccer, softball, track and field, golf, tennis, swimming and volleyball.

Presidents

Name	Years served
Benjamin F. Wilson	1890–1902
Robert Paine Pell	1902–1932
Edward Moseley Gwathmey	1933–1955
Oliver Cromwell Carmichael, Jr.	1956–1960
Robert T. Coleman, Jr.	1961–1989
Ellen Wood Hall	1989–1993
Sandra C. Thomas	1994–1998
Nancy Oliver Gray	1999–2005
Elizabeth A. Fleming	2006—2016

Notable alumnae

Kimilee Bryant, Broadway actress and Miss South Carolina 1989^[5]
Phyllis Harris '82, senior vice president and general counsel of legal administration for Walmart Stores.^[6]

Notes

The concert hall, Converse College

↑ As of June 30, 2013. "Converse College Best Colleges US News". US News and World Report. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
1 2 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
↑ Mary Ann Eaddy and Georgianna Graham (May 1975). "Converse Heights Historic District" (pdf). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. Retrieved 2014-07-01.
↑ "Converse College Historic District, Spartanburg County (Spartanburg)". National Register Properties in South Carolina. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Retrieved 2014-07-01. and accompanying map
↑ "Broadway actress Kimilee Bryant returns to Greenville". The Greenville News. 10 June 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
↑ "Phyllis P. Harris". Retrieved 17 February 2016.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Converse College.

Colleges and universities in South Carolina

Public institutions	The Citadel Clemson Coastal Carolina College of Charleston Francis Marion Lander South Carolina State USC Aiken USC Beaufort USC Columbia USC Lancaster USC Salkehatchie USC Sumter USC Union USC Upstate Winthrop

Private institutions	Allen Anderson Benedict Bob Jones Charleston Southern Claflin Columbia Columbia International Coker Converse Erskine Furman Limestone Morris Newberry North Greenville Presbyterian Sherman Southern Wesleyan Spartanburg Methodist Voorhees Wofford

Technical Colleges	Aiken TC Central Carolina TC Denmark TC Florence-Darlington TC Greenville TC Horry-Georgetown TC Midlands TC Northeastern TC Orangeburg-Calhoun TC Piedmont TC Spartanburg CC TC of the Lowcountry Tri-County TC Trident TC Williamsburg TC York TC

Seminaries, graduate, and professional institutions	Charleston School of Law Erskine Theological Seminary Geneva Reformed Seminary Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary Medical University of South Carolina USC School of Law

Current women's universities and colleges in the United States

Agnes Scott
Alverno
Assumption
Barnard
Bay Path
Bennett
Brenau
Bryn Mawr
Cedar Crest
Chatham
Columbia
Converse
Cottey
Hollins
Judson
Mary Baldwin
Meredith
Midway
Mills
Moore
Mount Holyoke
Mt. Mary
Mt. St. Mary's
New Rochelle
Notre Dame
Russell Sage
St. Benedict
St. Catherine
St. Elizabeth
St. Joseph
St. Mary-of-the-Woods
St. Mary
St. Mary's
Salem
Scripps
Simmons
Smith
Spelman
Stephens
Stern
Sweet Briar
Trinity
Ursuline
Wellesley
Wesleyan
Women's College of the University of Denver

U.S. National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina

Topics	Contributing property Keeper of the Register Historic district History of the National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Property types

Lists by county	Abbeville Aiken Allendale Anderson Bamberg Barnwell Beaufort Berkeley Calhoun Charleston Cherokee Chester Chesterfield Clarendon Colleton Darlington Dillon Dorchester Edgefield Fairfield Florence Georgetown Greenville Greenwood Hampton Horry Jasper Kershaw Lancaster Laurens Lee Lexington Marion Marlboro McCormick Newberry Oconee Orangeburg Pickens Richland Saluda Spartanburg Sumter Union Williamsburg York

Lists by city	Charleston Columbia Greenville North Charleston Rock Hill

Other lists	Bridges National Historic Landmarks

Keeper of the Register History of the National Register of Historic Places Property types Historic district Contributing property

Conference Carolinas

Members	Barton Bulldogs Belmont Abbey Crusaders Converse Valkyries Emmanuel Lions Erskine Flying Fleet King Tornado Lees–McRae Bobcats Limestone Saints Mount Olive Trojans North Greenville Crusaders Pfeiffer Falcons Southern Wesleyan Warriors

Affiliates	Chowan Hawks

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