Warren Wilson College

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Warren Wilson College


Motto	We're not for everyone... but then, maybe you're not everyone
Established	1894
Type	Private Liberal Arts
President	Sandy Pfeiffer
Faculty	~60 full-time, ~15 part-time
Undergraduates	837
Postgraduates	70
Location	Swannanoa, NC, USA
Campus	Rural
Colors	Blue █ and Gold █
Nickname	Owls
Affiliations	Presbyterian
Website	www.warren-wilson.edu

Warren Wilson College is a small liberal arts college in Swannanoa, North Carolina just a few miles east of Asheville near Black Mountain Highway. It is known for its curriculum of work, academics, and service, called "the Triad." The Triad requires every student to work an on-campus job, perform one hundred hours of community service over four years and complete a requisite course of academic work in order to graduate.

Wilson is one of only six colleges in the United States requiring students to work for the institution in order to graduate. It is part of the Work College Consortium, which also includes Alice Lloyd College, Berea College, Blackburn College, College of the Ozarks and Sterling College. The college still operates a working farm.

1 History
2 Notable alumni
3 References
- 3.1 Sources

[edit] History

The property was purchased in 1893 by the Women's Board of Home Missions of the Presbyterian Church. The women of the church were concerned that many Americans in isolated areas were not receiving a proper education. The women decided to establish church supported schools in areas where there were no public services. There was a need for a nonconventional grading system as the young people who came to these mission schools usually had no prior formal education.

In 1894 the Asheville Farm School officially opened with 25 boys attending and a professional staff of three. It was not until 1923 that the school graduated its first class. The first post-high school programs offering vocational training began in 1936. It was hoped that this type of training would give the students more prospects in the job market.

In 1942 the junior college division was established. That same year the Asheville Farm School merged with the Dorland-Bell School of Hot Springs, which brought high school age girls to campus. The Farm School and junior college operated under a common administration.

After World War II, the public education system in North Carolina improved dramatically and the need for the mission's high school diminished. The last high school class at WWC graduated in 1957.

In 1952, WWC made history by becoming one of the first segregated college or junior college to self-integrate, when it invited Alma Shippy, an African-American, to attend.^[1]

WWC was a junior college until March 1966 when it was established as a four year college, offering six majors. The first Bachelor's degrees were awarded in 1969. In 1972, the National Board of Missions deeded the WWC property over to the college's Board of Trustees.

Since that time, the College has grown into a small (approximately 800 student) liberal arts school with some nationally known programs. In contrast to its original student population of underprivileged mountain youth, Warren Wilson now enrolls students from many different areas and class backgrounds. It confers both bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees, as well as the master of fine arts in creative writing. In addition to traditional majors such as biology and English, undergraduates have the option of majoring in outdoor leadership or environmental studies.

Warren Wilson College is renowned for its environmental commitment. The College's farm was recently named "Outstanding Conservation Farm Family" for the Mountain Region of North Carolina. The recently dedicated Doug and Darcy Orr Cottage is only the second building in North Carolina to receive the prestigious "Gold" level certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.

The School has been featured in Outside Magazine, which listed the college as fourth out of forty schools in which "here you can hit the books and the backcountry."

The College maintains a working relationship with the North Carolina chapter of Outward Bound. Outdoor Leadership students from Warren Wilson enjoy the option of experiencing an Outward Bound course during their time at WWC. The Warren Wilson WorldWide Program also offers an Outward Bound course as one of their biannual offerings. North Carolina Outward Bound is located approximately one mile from the Warren Wilson campus, off Riceville Road.

William Sanborn "Sandy" Pfeiffer, Ph.D. began serving as the college's sixth President in July 2006.