Hiwassee College

History

Hiwassee College’s early history is linked very closely with the founding in 1826 of Tullagalla Academy, a school for boys, located in the Fork Creek Community some five miles from the site of the present campus. At about this same time, a group of Methodist settlers set aside land near a bubbling spring for a camp meeting place that eventually came to be called Bat Creek Campground. Over the years, a church and other structures were erected and used by persons who assembled annually for “camp meeting services.” By 1845, the enrollment of the academy exceeded its capacity to accommodate the students so the school moved to Bat Creek Campground and utilized the facilities available there. This area is located across the road from the present location of the Hiwassee campus.

When the academy director left in 1848, a group of five local Methodist leaders worked to continue a school at the campgrounds, but at the college level. Thus, in 1849, the college was organized, replacing and expanding the academy’s program. The new institution was named Hiwassee, taken from the Cherokee word “Ayuwasi,” which means “meadow place at the foot of the hills” and is reflective of the beautiful region at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains where the campus is located. They selected as their first president, Dr. Robert E. Doak, a twenty-five-year-old Presbyterian scholar. This act proclaimed to the entire region that the emphasis at the college was to be on Christian education and not on denominationalism.

Hiwassee College was chartered by the State of Tennessee in 1850 and thus, began a long history of meeting the educational needs of young men and, later on, young women of the area. For many years, Hiwassee College offered training beginning with elementary school and continuing through the bachelor's degree. At some periods in its history, the college granted the master's degree. Currently, Hiwassee College offers programs of study leading to a two-year or four-year degree.

Although closely tied to the Methodist Church since its founding, it was not until 1908 that the Trustees of Hiwassee College and the Holston Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church-South entered into an agreement for joint operation of the institution. At the time, the college was leased to the Holston Conference, a new charter was issued, and the college reorganized as a junior college. Hiwassee College came under the complete control and ownership of the Methodist Church-South in 1937. Prior to 1980, the three United Methodist-related colleges in the Holston Conference (a geographic region that includes East Tennessee and small parts of Southwest Virginia, and North Georgia) were governed by a unified Board of Trustees. In 1980, the Board of Trustees established a separate Board of Governors for each institution, and by 1990, each of the three colleges operated under a separate, independent Board of Trustees.

Founded in 1849, Hiwassee College is historically the oldest private two-year institution in the State of Tennessee. Its campus has grown from the original seven acres donated by The Reverend Daniel B. Carter to start the college to a campus of eighteen buildings situated on 60 acres of a 400-acre tract of land located just one mile north of the town of Madisonville. Now in its 164th year, the college offers a variety of university parallel and career/vocational programs leading to the Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Science, Bachelor of Arts, or Bachelor of Science degrees.

Current campus and programs

Its campus has grown from the original 7 acres (28,000 m²) donated by Reverend Daniel B. Carter to start the College to a campus comprising 18 buildings situated on 60 acres (240,000 m²) of a 400-acre (1,600,000 m²) tract of land located one mile (1.6 km) north of the town of Madisonville. The College offers a variety of university-parallel and career/vocational programs leading to the Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Science, Bachelor of Arts, or Bachelor of Science degrees.

Accreditation

Prior to 2008 Hiwassee College was accredited with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, but in that year their accreditation was withdrawn. On November 3, 2009 it attained candidacy status for accreditation as a Category II institution by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS);. Full accreditation was obtained through TRACS October 2013. This indicates that the institution is in compliance with the standards and criteria, has been evaluated by an on-site peer team, and in the professional judgment of the evaluation team and the Accreditation Commission, the institution provides sound instruction and student services.

Hiwassee College is listed by the University Senate of The United Methodist Church. The senate is an elected body of professionals in higher education created by the General Conference to determine which schools, colleges, universities, and theological schools meet the criteria for listing as institutions affiliated with The United Methodist Church.

United Methodist Church affiliation and governance

Although closely tied to the Methodist Church since its founding, it was not until 1908 that the Trustees of Hiwassee College and the Holston Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South entered into an agreement for joint operation of the institution. Hiwassee College came under the complete control and ownership of the Methodist Church-South in 1937, shortly before its reunion with its northern counterpart in 1939. Prior to 1980, the three United Methodist-related colleges in the Holston Conference (a geographic region that includes East Tennessee and small parts of southwest Virginia and north Georgia) were governed by a unified Board of Trustees. In 1980, the Board of Trustees established a separate Board of Governors for each institution, and by 1990, each of the three colleges operated under a separate, independent Board of Trustees.

Notable alumni