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Former names | Oglethorpe College (1965–1972) |
|---|---|
| Motto | Nescit Cedere |
| Type | Privateliberal arts college |
| Established | 1835; 190 years ago (1835) |
| Endowment | $35 million[1] |
| President | Kathryn McClymond[2] |
| Students | 1,500 |
| Location | ,, United States 33°52′30″N84°19′59″W / 33.875°N 84.333°W /33.875; -84.333 |
| Campus | Suburban, 700 acres (2.8 km2) |
| Colors | Black and gold[3] |
| Nickname | Stormy Petrels |
Sporting affiliations | NCAADivision III –SAA |
| Mascot | Petey |
| Website | oglethorpe.edu |
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Oglethorpe University Historic District | |
    | |
| Location | 4484 Peachtree Rd. NE.Brookhaven, Georgia United States |
|---|---|
| Built | 1915, 1929, 1940 |
| Architect | Leavitt, Charles W. Jr., Morgan and Dillon |
| Architectural style | LateGothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 94000779 |
| Added to NRHP | 1994 |
Oglethorpe University is aprivateliberal arts college inBrookhaven, Georgia, United States. It was chartered in 1835 and named in honor of GeneralJames Edward Oglethorpe, founder of the Colony ofGeorgia.
Oglethorpe University was chartered in 1834 inMidway (now known as Hardwick), Georgia just south ofMilledgeville, then the statecapital. The school was built and, at that time, governed by thePresbyterian Church, making it one of the South's earliest denominational institutions.[4] TheAmerican Civil War led to the school's closing in 1862.
The college followed the relocation of the capital to Atlanta. In 1870, it began holding classes at the present site of AtlantaCity Hall. Plagued by financial difficulties, the school closed its doors for a second time in 1872.
Oglethorpe College was re-chartered as a non-denominational institution in 1913 by Thornwell Jacobs, whose grandfather Ferdinand Jacobs had served on the faculty of Old Oglethorpe.[citation needed] In 1915, the cornerstone to the new campus was laid at its present location on Peachtree Road in Brookhaven. The cornerstone-laying ceremony took place atNorth Avenue Presbyterian Church.[5] Jacobs would serve as president for nearly 30 years.
In the early 1940s Oglethorpe University had a medical school. Under the direction of John Bernard, the university was given several elephants for research that were discovered to have been poisoned at aRingling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus event nearby. After the students finished dissecting the animals they were buried under what is known today as the Philip Weltner Library.[6]
In 1936,William Randolph Hearst gifted 400 acres (160 ha) to the university, and in 1948 he made a donation of $100,000; the university administration building was subsequently named in honor of Hearst's mother,Phoebe Hearst.[7][8]
Oglethorpe University became Oglethorpe College in 1965, and reclaimed the designation "university" in 1972. Oglethorpe's campus buildings were built in a Gothic revival architecture style. This area of the 100-acre (40 ha) campus is listed in theNational Register of Historic Places.[9]
The college is accredited by theSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools.[10]
Oglethorpe's collegiate coat-of-arms is emblazoned with three boars' heads and the Latin inscriptionNescit Cedere, meaning "He does not know how to give up."
The Conant Performing Arts Center, completed in 1997, served as the seasonal home ofGeorgia Shakespeare until fall 2014.
The Oglethorpe University Museum of Art opened in 1984 and is located on the top floor of the Philip Weltner Library. The two galleries, the South and Skylight, and gift shop cover 7,000 square feet. Bringing in thousands of visitors each year, the museum has become an important point of interest in Atlanta's art community.
In 1994,Lupton Hall,Phoebe Hearst Hall, Lowry Hall and Hermance Stadium were added to theNational Register of Historic Places. In addition, ahistoric district including part or all of the 100-acre (0.40 km2) campus was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.
Other academic buildings include Goslin Hall, primarily used for science courses, and J. Mack Robinson Hall, primarily used for Communication and Art classes.
Oglethorpe University is home to theCrypt of Civilization, the first and most completetime capsule ever created, according to theGuinness Book of World Records. Scheduled to be opened in AD 8113, it is located in the basement of Phoebe Hearst Hall. Oglethorpe University is also home to theInternational Time Capsule Society, arepository of time capsule projects worldwide.
The Turner Lynch Campus Center opened in the fall of 2013. The IW "Ike" Cousins Center for Science and Innovation (an expansion of a building constructed in 1970) opened in 2019. In addition to science facilities, it houses the Q. William Hammack Jr. School of Business.[11]
From its opening in 1990 until 2003,[12] theSeigakuin Atlanta International School was located on the property of Oglethorpe University, in a former public school building.[13] Also from 1974 to 1981, Georgia Japanese Language School was located on campus before it moved to another property.[14]
In early February, the college hosts events to celebrate the anniversary of James Oglethorpe's founding of the colony of Georgia. The annual "Petrels of Fire" race, an homage toTrinity College'sGreat Court Run portrayed in the movieChariots of Fire, features students attempting to run the 270-yard (250 m)perimeter of the AcademicQuad before the Lupton Hallbelltower finishes its noon chimes.[15]
Held on the first Friday of December, this event is modeled after the Boar's Head Gaudy ofQueen's College,Oxford, Boar's Head is the traditional start to the Christmas season at Oglethorpe. Festivities include a concert featuring the University Singers, student organizations and performers from the community, as well as the lighting of the college's Christmas tree. Newlyinitiated members ofOmicron Delta Kappa receive recognition and, as arite of initiation, kiss the ceremonial boar's head.
Oglethorpe University teams compete as a member of theSouthern Athletic Association (SAA) at theNCAA Division III level and are known as the Stormy Petrels. The Stormy Petrels were a member of theSouthern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) until 2012. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis and track & field; women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, track & field, and volleyball.
In 2011, the men's soccer program won its first conference championship in school history with a 1–0 victory overCentre College. This win sent them to theNCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship, also a first in school history for the program. Later on in the spring of 2013, Mark Lavery, an alumnus and All-American member of the 2011 team signed with theAtlanta Silverbacks, a professional soccer team in theNorth American Soccer League (NASL). Lavery became the first Oglethorpe graduate to play soccer professionally.
In the fall of 2013, the men's soccer team won its second conference championship in school history with a 3–1 victory overMillsaps College. They compiled an 11–3–3 record over the season. The team did not receive a bid into the NCAA national tournament because theSouthern Athletic Association was in its second phase of a new-conference transition stage. The men's soccer team won the SAA championship for the second time in 2017 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament, losing to hostWashington and Lee University in a penalty shootout after beatingNorth Carolina Wesleyan College in the first round. They finished first in SAA regular season play each season from 2015 to 2018.
More recently, the program saw a resurgence with back-to-back trips to the national tournament in 2018 and 2019, and an SAA championship in 2018. The team advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2019, beatingThe University of Chicago in the opening round before falling to hostTransylvania University in the second round.
Thornwell Jacobs chose an unusualmascot to represent Oglethorpe's athletic teams: the Stormy Petrel. According to popular legend, James Oglethorpe had observed theWilson's storm petrel during his voyage to the New World and admired the diminutive seabird for its hardiness and courage during stormy weather.[16] In March 2002,ESPN's David Lloyd named the Stormy Petrel as one of the most memorable college mascot names of all time, second only to the Banana Slugs ofUC Santa Cruz.[17]
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