Established 1889 President Krista Newkirk Students 1,389 Acceptance rate 53.5% (2014) Total enrollment 1,269 (2010) Colors Purple, Gold | Endowment $78.24 million Provost Jeffrey Barker Undergraduate tuition and fees 16,500 USD (2015) Mascot Valkyries Phone +1 864-596-9000 | |
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Type Women's Undergraduate College. Co-Ed Graduate Programs Address 580 E Main St, Spartanburg, SC 29302, USA Notable alumni Ellen Bryant Voigt, Julia Peterkin, Kimilee Bryant, Kathleen Parker, Lily Strickland Similar Wofford College, University of South Carolina, Spartanburg Methodist College, North Greenville University, Erskine College Profiles | ||
Converse college move in 2016
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.
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History
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. 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.
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
Athletics
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.