I. The College Of Charleston

A. Approved College History

Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, the College of Charleston is the oldest institution of higher education south of Virginia and the 13th oldest in the United States. During the colonial period, wealthy families sent their sons abroad for higher education. By the mid-18th century, many leading citizens supported the idea of establishing an institution of higher learning within the state. On January 30, 1770, Lieutenant Governor William Bull recommended to the colony’s general assembly the establishment of a provincial college. However, internal disagreements, political rivalries and the American Revolution delayed its progress. After the war, South Carolina citizens returned their attention to establishing a college. On March 19, 1785, the College of Charleston was chartered to “encourage and institute youth in the several branches of liberal education.”

Several of the College’s founders played key roles in the American Revolution and in the creation of the new republic. Three were signers of the Declaration of Independence, and another three were framers of the U.S. Constitution. Other founders were past, present and future federal and state lawmakers and judges, state governors, diplomats and Charleston councilmen and mayors. Robert Smith served as the College’s first president. Educated in England, he was ordained as a priest in the Anglican Church and relocated to Charleston, where he served as rector of St. Philip’s Church. During the American Revolution, he supported the patriot cause and even served as a soldier during the siege of the city. He later became the first Episcopal bishop of South Carolina.

The first classes were held on the ground floor of Reverend Smith’s home on Glebe Street (now the residence for College of Charleston presidents). Later, rooms for the College were fashioned out of an old military barracks located on the public land that is now the Cistern Yard. Instruction began there in January 1790. The College graduated its first class in 1794, which consisted of six students. By 1824, the College offered a curriculum broad enough to grant degrees regularly. During Reverend Jasper Adams’ tenure as president, he reorganized the College and orchestrated the construction of the first building specifically designed for teaching – today’s Randolph Hall.

In 1837 the College became the nation’s first municipal college when the City of Charleston assumed responsibility for its support. The City provided funds, for example, in 1850 to enlarge the main academic building (Randolph Hall), to construct Porters Lodge and to fence in the Cistern Yard, the block that is still the core of the campus. It remained a municipal college until the 1950s, when the College again became a private institution.

During the Civil War, many students and faculty left to serve the Confederacy. Despite dwindling student numbers and a long-running siege of the city by Federal troops, there was no suspension of classes until December 19, 1864, two months before the city was evacuated. Classes resumed on February 1, 1866, and over the next four decades, the College weathered several financial crises, Reconstruction, hurricanes and the devastating earthquake of 1886. Until the 20th century, students who attended the College were primarily Charlestonians.

Harrison Randolph (president, 1897–1945) changed that by building residence halls and creating scholarships to attract students from other parts of the state. Under President Randolph, women were admitted to the College and the enrollment increased from just 68 students in 1905 to more than 400 in 1935. For many institutions of higher education across the South, integration took place in the late 1960s. For the College, the first black students enrolled in 1967.

The enrollment remained at about 500 until the College became a state institution in 1970. According to the 1970 legislative decree that incorporated the College of Charleston into the South Carolina system, the College was given a mandate to develop flagship programs in academic areas that capitalize on the unique natural and cultural strengths of Charleston and the Lowcountry, especially marine biology and fine arts. Today, the College’s Grice Marine Laboratory is one of the Eastern Seaboard’s leading research centers in the marine sciences, while the School of the Arts has grown from a fine arts department with a limited focus into one of the most comprehensive arts schools in the nation.

During Theodore Stern’s transformational presidency (1968–1978), the number of students increased to about 5,000 and the physical facilities expanded, from fewer than 10 buildings to more than 100. The first graduate programs were established in 1972. Between 1978 and 2001, enrollments continued to increase, climbing to more than 10,000 and attracting undergraduate and graduate students from across the country and around the world.

In 1992, the University of Charleston, South Carolina, was established by the Board of Trustees as a component of the College of Charleston. The University of Charleston, South Carolina, or UCSC, houses the graduate and research functions of the College, including the Graduate School. The Graduate School now offers over 20 degree and certificate programs.

In 2001, the College embarked on a multi-year plan designed to enhance the overall student experience, increase the faculty and student support staff and upgrade and expand facilities. The College renovated many historic structures and opened several new buildings, including two new residence halls, the Beatty Center; the Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library; the Marion and Wayland H. Cato Jr. Center for the Arts; a new science center; and new facilities for the School of Education, Health, and Human Performance. Other significant building and renovation projects have been undertaken during the twenty-first century.

Today, the College continues to embrace and improve its liberal arts and sciences core, while also creating new and innovative professional programs in support of its evolving student population and the dynamic economy of Charleston and the South Carolina Lowcountry.

B. Accreditation

The College of Charleston is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award the Artium Baccalaureatus, the Bachelor of Arts, the Bachelor of General Studies, the Bachelor of Professional Studies, the Bachelor of Science, the Master of Arts, the Master of Arts in Teaching, the Master of Business Administration, the Master of Education, the Master of Fine Arts, the Master of Public Administration, and the Master of Science. Contact information for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges is available on the College’s website at oiep.cofc.edu.

C. Statement of Institutional Purpose (Mission Statement)

The College of Charleston is a state-supported comprehensive institution providing a high-quality education in the arts and sciences, education and business. The faculty is an important source of knowledge and expertise for the community, state, and nation.

Consistent with its heritage since its founding in 1770, the College retains a strong liberal arts undergraduate curriculum. Located in the heart of historic Charleston, it strives to meet the growing educational demands primarily of the Lowcountry and the state and, secondarily, of the Southeast. A superior undergraduate program is central to the mission of the College of Charleston. As a prominent component of the state’s higher education system, the College encourages and supports research.

In addition to offering a broad range of baccalaureate degree programs, the College incorporates the University of Charleston, South Carolina (UCSC), established by state statute in 1992, which serves as a research institution where the graduate and research programs associated with the College are housed. UCSC provides master’s degree programs and anticipates offering a limited number of doctoral degrees should location and need warrant. The College also provides an extensive credit and non-credit continuing education program and cultural activities for residents of the Lowcountry of South Carolina.

The College of Charleston seeks applicants capable of successfully completing degree requirements and pays particular attention to identifying and admitting students who excel academically. The College of Charleston serves a diverse student body from its geographic area and also attracts students from national and international communities. The College provides students a community in which to engage in original inquiry and creative expression in an atmosphere of intellectual freedom. This community, founded on the principles of the liberal arts tradition, provides students the opportunity to realize their intellectual and personal potential and to become responsible, productive members of society.

(This Mission Statement (also called the Statement of Purpose) has been approved or revised by the State College Board of Trustees or the College of Charleston Board of Trustees on Jan. 16, 1974; Mar. 12, 1986; Jan. 16, 1991; Feb. 15, 1994; July 13, 2006; July 23, 2014; and Aug. 25, 2014. The current Mission Statement was approved by the Commission on Higher Education on Sept. 4, 2014.)