 William peace univ seal.png | |
Former names | Peace Institute (1857–1930) Peace Junior College (1930–1943) Peace College (1943–2011) |
|---|---|
| Motto | Esse Quam Videri (Latin) |
Motto in English | To be, rather than to seem |
| Type | Private college |
| Established | 1857; 168 years ago (1857) |
Religious affiliation | Presbyterian Church (USA) |
| Endowment | $55 million (2022)[1] |
| President | Lynn Morton |
| Undergraduates | 713[2] |
| Location | , North Carolina ,United States |
| Campus | Urban |
| Colors | Green and white |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division III -USA South |
| Mascot | Pacer |
| Website | peace.edu |
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William Peace University is aprivate college inRaleigh, North Carolina, United States. Affiliated with thePresbyterian Church, it offers undergraduate degrees in more than 30 majors and its School of Professional Studies (SPS) offers accelerated bachelor's degrees that are online or hybrid for working adults. The institution adopted its current name in 2012, concurrent with its decision to begin admitting men to its day program; it was previously a women's college known as "Peace Institute", "Peace Junior College", and "Peace College".
The institution that eventually became William Peace University was founded in 1857 as "Peace Institute" by a group of men within thePresbyterianSynod of North Carolina. The leading donation of $10,000 (equivalent to $337,500 in 2024) came from William Peace, a prominent local merchant and a founding member of theFirst Presbyterian Church of Raleigh.[3] Peace is believed to have been in the first class of the University of North Carolina,[4] and was a longtime proponent of education as a benefactor ofRaleigh Academy, a school primarily for boys.[5]
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Peace donated 8 acres (32,000 m2) for the campus site.[6]Main Building, a red brick, white-columned Greek revival building, was built between 1859 and 1862, but was commandeered by theConfederate States government early in theAmerican Civil War to be used as an army hospital. The Main Building was designed and built by the Holt Brothers, Thomas andJacob, who were notable builders from nearby Warrenton, NC.[citation needed]
The Civil War andReconstruction 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.[citation needed]
The name of the school changed from Peace Institute to "Peace College" in 1943.[7]
A member of theWomen's College Coalition, Peace College wasone of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States. It was the second-oldest in North Carolina, predated only bySalem College (the first school for girls in the United States, founded in 1772).[8]
The school began admitting men in the fall of 2012.[9] 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 asTitle IX,[10] Concurrent with its announcement that it will begin admitting men, Peace College changed its name to "William Peace University" in 2011,[9] but the class years of 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 had the option to receive diplomas from Peace College or William Peace University.[11]
University president Brian Ralph said on March 22, 2022, that "listening sessions" were planned to determine whether the university's name should be changed again. A statue of Peace was taken down that same day because Peace ownedslaves and a major campus building was built with slave labor.[12][13]
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 theNorth Carolina Senate.[14] Lilly Morehead Mebane was one of the first women elected to theNorth Carolina House of Representatives. Jane Simpson McKimmon became the youngest graduate of Peace College, when she finished the then two-year college program at age 16; she later became the first woman to graduate fromNC State University. McKimmon became a leader in "home economics" and greatly advanced the state agriculture department's home extension service.[citation needed] 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 ofRaleigh News & Observer publisherJosephus 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 planned to begin admitting male students at the start of the fall 2012 semester.[needs update] It was determined that this transition would make the college 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.[15][16]
As an exclusively undergraduate college, Peace offers onlybachelor's degrees. All traditional undergraduate candidates must complete aninternship.[17]
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William Peace University competes in theUSA South Athletic Conference as aDivision III school in theNCAA. Teams are fielded inbasketball,cross country,softball,soccer,tennis,volleyball,swimming,track and field, andlacrosse.
William Peace fields men's sports inbaseball, basketball, cross country,golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, and track and field.[18]
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 theNJCAA dating back to 1973. USA South membership was granted in 2003, making it the first women's college in the state to join aco-educational conference.[19]
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