William Peace University

History

The institution that eventually became William Peace University was founded in 1872 as Peace Institute by a group of men within the Presbyterian Synod of North Carolina. The leading donation of $10,000 USD ($257 thousand in 2017 terms) came from William Peace, a prominent local merchant and a founding member of the First Presbyterian Church of Raleigh. Peace was a member of the second class of the University of North Carolina (class of 1800), and a longtime proponent of education as a benefactor of Raleigh Academy, a school primarily for boys.

Additionally, Peace donated 8 acres (32,000 m²) for the campus site. Main Building, a red brick, white-columned Greek revival building was built between 1859–1862, but was commandeered by the Confederate States government early in the Civil War to be used as an army hospital. The Main Building was designed and built by the Holt Brothers, Thomas and Jacob, who were notable builders from nearby Warrenton, NC.

The Civil War and Reconstruction Era delayed the opening of the school, but Peace Institute opened in January 1872. The first president was John Burwell, assisted by his son Robert. The Burwells, and his successor, James Dinwiddie, served the school until 1910, and were strong Presbyterians and descendants of old Virginia families.

The name of the school changed from Peace Institute to "Peace College" in 1943.

A member of the Women's College Coalition, Peace College was one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States. It was the second-oldest in North Carolina, predated only by Salem College (the first school for girls in the United States, founded in 1772).

Name change

The school began admitting men in the fall of 2012. Initial announcements of the change included a controversial promise to "offer select single-gender courses in targeted disciplines, where research shows that women and men learn differently and that each benefit from a single-gender classroom," a plan that critics believe may run afoul of equal opportunity laws such as Title IX, Concurrent with its announcement that it will begin admitting men, Peace College changed its name to "William Peace University" in 2011, but the class years of 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 will have the option to receive diplomas from Peace College or William Peace University.

Becoming coeducational

The college has always educated women, with the only exception being the admittance of some boys in primary grades from its opening years through the 1920s when the school served levels from Kindergarten through junior college years. Today, the college maintains records of nearly 10,000 living alumnae, including many who were pioneers in public service. In the 1930s, Gertrude Dills McKee, a graduate of the 1890s, became the first woman elected to the North Carolina Senate. Lilly Morehead Mebane was one of the first woman elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives. Jane Simpson McKimmon became the youngest graduate of Peace College, when she finished the then 2-year college program at age 16; she later became the first woman to graduate from NC State University. McKimmon became a leader in "home economics" and greatly advanced the state agriculture department's home extension service. NC State University's conference and continuing education center is named for her and the chair of Peace's Leadership Studies program is named for McKimmon. Addie Worth Bagley Daniels, the spouse of Raleigh News & Observer publisher, Josephus Daniels, served for many years during the first half of the 20th century on the Peace College Board of Trustees, a rare role for women in that era.

The administration announced it plans to begin admitting male students at the start of the fall 2012 semester. The college determined this transition would make them a more attractive option for potential applicants, stating that only 2% of female applicants are likely to consider applying to a women's college, whereas 98% would only consider attending coeducational institutions.

Academics

Peace offers majors in the following areas:anthropology, biology, business administration, communication, criminal justice, education, English, liberal studies, BFA: Musical Theatre, theatre, politics and public affairs, and psychology.

As an exclusively undergraduate college, Peace offers only Bachelor's degrees. The most popular majors at the college are in the field of communications, where one quarter of all students focus their studies. Peace also offers an honors program for academically-advanced students.

All Bachelor of Arts candidates must complete an internship. The college also encourages study abroad, paying 15% of all costs for qualified students who want to study outside of the United States.

Rankings

U.S. News & World Report, placed Peace 36th out of the 53 colleges in its "Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelor's (South)" category in their America's Best Colleges rankings for 2006.

Athletics

William Peace competes in the USA South Athletic Conference as a Division III school in the NCAA. Teams are fielded in basketball, cross country, softball, soccer, tennis, and volleyball. Peace has been a full member of the NCAA since 2002, after having been granted provisional membership in 1995. Prior to that, Peace had competed in Region X of the NJCAA dating back on 1973. USA South membership was granted in 2003, making it the first women's college in the state to join a co-educational conference.

Beginning with the 2012–13 academic year, William Peace will sponsor men's sports in basketball, cross country and golf. There are also plans to add soccer, lacrosse, and baseball to the cadre of men's sports.