 | |
| Motto | Sapientia Ipsa Libertas (Latin) Ædes Mores Juraque Curat (Latin) |
|---|---|
Motto in English | "Wisdom Itself is Liberty" "She Cares for Her Temples, Customs and Rights" |
| Type | Public university |
| Established | 1770; 255 years ago (1770) |
| Accreditation | SACS |
Academic affiliations | |
| Endowment | $147.4 million (2024)[1] |
| President | Andrew Hsu |
Administrative staff | 899 |
| Students | 11,926 (fall 2024)[2] |
| Undergraduates | 10,880 (fall 2024) |
| Postgraduates | 1,046 (fall 2024) |
| Location | , South Carolina ,United States |
| Campus | Midsize city[3], 80 acres (0.32 km2) |
| Newspaper | The College Today |
| Colors | Maroon and white [4] |
| Nickname | Cougars |
Sporting affiliations | |
| Mascot | Cougar |
| Website | cofc |
 | |
College of Charleston | |
| Location | Glebe, George, St. Philip and Green streets,Charleston, South Carolina |
| Area | 4 acres (1.6 ha)[5] |
| Built | 1827 |
| Architect | Edward B. White; George E. Walker |
| Architectural style | Early Republic |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000748 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 11, 1971[6] |
| Designated NHL | November 11, 1971[7] |
 | |
TheCollege of Charleston (CofC orCharleston) is apublic university inCharleston, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university inSouth Carolina, the13th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States, and the country's oldestmunicipal college.
The founders of the College of Charleston included sixFounding Fathers of the United States, including three who signed theDeclaration of Independence:Thomas Heyward Jr.,Arthur Middleton, andEdward Rutledge; and three who signed theConstitution of the United States:Charles Pinckney,Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, andJohn Rutledge.
The College of Charleston was founded in 1770, making it the 13th-oldest institution ofhigher education and oldestmunicipal college in the nation.[8][9] The college's original structure, located at the site of what is now Randolph Hall, was designed similar to abarracks. In March 1785, theSouth Carolina General Assembly issued acharter to the college, which officially opened in 1790 and hosted its first commencement in 1794. The first president of the college wasRobert Smith, who served in the position from 1790 to 1797.
A second charter was issued by the general assembly in 1791 stipulating that the college would not discriminate on the basis of religion. During theAntebellum era, further development efforts in the college resulted in the construction of Randolph Hall and the President's House, both of which were built usingslave labor.
In 1837, the Charleston municipal government assumed control over the college. During the mid-20th century, severalAfrican Americans attempted to apply to theracially segregated college as part of theDouble V campaign againstracism in the United States, but they were all rejected. Though the college became a private institution to avoid beingracially integrated during thecivil rights movement, black students were admitted starting in 1967 as a result of external pressure.[10][11]
The College of Charleston's main campus in downtownCharleston, South Carolina, includes 156 buildings, a mix of modern and historic buildings built between 1770 and 2015. The average building is over 100 years old, and 20 buildings are under historic, protective easements. The College of Charleston downtown campus is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places, as isWilliam Blacklock House.
Outside of downtown Charleston, the campus includes the Grice Marine Lab on James Island, the J. Stewart Walker Sailing Center and the Patriots Point Athletic Complex in Mount Pleasant and the 881-acre (357 ha) Stono Preserve.[12]
The College of Charleston was named"America's Most Beautiful College Campus" by Travel + Leisure in 2017, a title it also held in 2019 asCountry Living magazine's "Most Beautiful Campus" in the South. More recently,MSN named it the most beautiful campus in South Carolina in 2021
TheMace Brown Museum of Natural History is a public natural history museum located on the campus. The collection's focus is on the paleontology of North American mammals, and specifically theSouth Carolina Lowcountry. The museum has more than 30,000 vertebrate and invertebrate fossils.[13]
| Academic rankings | |
|---|---|
| Master's | |
| Washington Monthly[14] | 302 |
| Regional | |
| U.S. News & World Report[15] | 8 |
| National | |
| Forbes[16] | 294 |
| WSJ/College Pulse[17] | 501–600 |
The College of Charleston consists of eight academic schools, as well as the Honors College and the Graduate School.
The Bully Pulpit Series is hosted jointly by the College of Charleston's School of Humanities & Social Sciences, Departments of Political Science and Communication. The series welcomes U.S. presidential candidates from the two major political parties to the campus.
In the 2020 presidential campaign, the series hosted Michael Bennet,Joe Biden, Cory Booker,Pete Buttigieg, Julian Castro, John Delaney,Tulsi Gabbard, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O'Rourke,Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Andrew Yang.
Part of Charleston's annual Piccolo Spoleto Festival (May/June), our Piccolo Spoleto Young Artists Series features emerging artists in the area. These advanced College of Charleston students perform concerts ranging from classical and jazz ensembles to voice recitals and a new steel band.
The institution's 19 varsity sports teams participate in theNCAA Division ICoastal Athletic Association and are known as the Cougars. The Cougars compete at a variety of athletics facilities in the Charleston area, including theTD Arena,[18] the J. Stewart Walker Sailing Complex, Johnson Center Squash Courts, Patriots Point Athletic Complex, White Horses, LLC and the Links at Stono Ferry.
College of Charleston athletics are supported by the College of Charleston Athletic Fund,[19] which was established in 1974. During the 1970–71 school year, College of Charleston students voted to change the nickname from the Maroons to the Cougars, in honor of a cougar that had recently arrived at the Charles Towne Landing Animal Forest. Clyde the Cougar is the current mascot.[20]
The men's basketball team is ranked No. 6 for the highest winning percentage in NCAA Division I men's college basketball history.
| Race and ethnicity | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 78% | ||
| Hispanic | 7% | ||
| Black | 5% | ||
| Two or more races | 4% | ||
| Asian | 2% | ||
| Unknown | 2% | ||
| International student | 1% | ||
| Economic diversity | |||
| Low-income[a] | 21% | ||
| Affluent[b] | 79% | ||
Greek life has been active on campus for 120 years. Currently, the college has 8 Panhellenic, 8 IFC and 8 NPHC fraternities and sororities.
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help) andAccompanying four photos, exterior and interior, from 1970 (1.43 MB)32°47′3″N79°56′17″W / 32.78417°N 79.93806°W /32.78417; -79.93806
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