Lees-McRae College

Infobox University
name = Lees-McRae College
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motto = "In Montibus, Ex Montibus, Pro Montibus" (Latin: "In the Mountains, Of the Mountains, For the Mountains")
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established = 1900
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type = private, coeducational, undergraduate
affiliation = Presbyterian Church (USA)
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endowment = $19.3 millioncite web |url=http://www.petersons.com/ugchannel/code/instvc.asp?inunid=7138 |title=Lees-McRae College - College Overview |accessdate=2007-07-09 |date=2007-03-09 |publisher=Petersons]
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chairman =
chancellor =
president = Dr. David W. Bushman
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provost = Dr. Debra Thatcher
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faculty = 56
staff =
students = 882
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city = Banner Elk
state = North Carolina
country = flagicon|US United States
address = PO Box 128 Banner Elk, NC 28604-0128
coordinates = coord|36.1620705|-81.8756686|display=inline,title|type:edu
campus = Rural, 400 acres (1.619 km²)
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free =
sports =
colors = Green and Gold Colorsample|#006056 Colorsample|#C6930A [ [http://www.lmc.edu/sites/Communications/PublicationGuidelines.htm Lees-McRae College: Communications: Publication Guidelines] . Retrieved on 2007-07-09.]
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mascot = Bobcat
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athletics = NCAA Division II
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website = http://www.lmc.edu/

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Lees-McRae College is a private four-year college in Banner Elk, North Carolina affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Lees-McRae College has the highest elevation of any college or university in the United States east of the Mississippi River [cite web |url=http://www.bonner.org/directories/campus/lees-mcraecollege.html |title=Lees-McRae College |accessdate=2007-07-09 |work=Bonner Program Campus Contacts |publisher=The Bonner Foundation] at 3720 ft (1134 m) above sea level [cite web |url=http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1012804 |title=Geographic Names Information System Feature Detail Report |accessdate=2007-07-09 |date=1980-06-17 |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey] . It is one of the few colleges to be named after two women, Suzanna Lees and Elizabeth McRae. In 2005, Lees-McRae became the first expansion site for New Opportunity School for Women, a program that helps educate and employ women in Appalachia. [cite news |title=Program At Lees-McRae College To Provide New Opportunities To Women In Need |url=http://www.mountaintimes.com/mtweekly/2005/0113/lmc.php3 |work=The Mountain Times |date=2005-01-13 |accessdate=2007-07-09]

History

Lees-McRae College was founded in Banner Elk as an all-female high school in 1899 by Reverend Edgar Tufts, a Presbyterian minister. He named the school The Elizabeth McRae Institute after a well-respected educator in 1900. School benefactor Suzanna Lees' name was added in 1903 and the school's name became the Lees-McRae Institute when the school was chartered by the state in 1907.

An all-male branch was founded during 1907 in Plumtree, North Carolina. The Plumtree facility was destroyed in a 1927 fire, leading the two campuses to merge at the Banner Elk site. After the merge, the high school program was phased out and the institute was renamed in 1931 to Lees-McRae College, an accredited, coeducational junior college.

Lees-McRae began moving toward offering a four-year program in the late 1980s and the school's president made the recommendation to the board of trustees in 1987 [cite news |first=Pam |last=Kelley |title=Lees-McRae Might Convert To 4-Year College |work=The Charlotte Observer |page=1C |date=1987-03-20 |accessdate=2007-07-09] . The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools granted Lees-McRae status as a four-year college in 1990.

Campus

Landmarks on campus include the historic Rock House, built in 1920 of native stone; Tufts Tower, a former water tower that houses the campus chimes; and the North Carolina Building, completed in 1922 and one of three permanent buildings planned by the college's founder.

The College's Bookstore, named The Exchange, accepted chickens, pigs, grain, etc for education costs in the early years of the college's history.

In 2003, the college saw its first major construction in 20 years with the opening of the Arthur-Lauritsen-Sanders Track and Field Venue [cite news |title=Lees-McRae College Dedicates New Track And Field Venue |url=http://www.mountaintimes.com/mtweekly/2003/1009/lmc_track.php3 |work=The Mountain Times |date=2003-10-09 |accessdate=2007-07-09 ] .In 2008, the William Reynolds Gymnasium, originally built in 1938 with the aid of students, was renovated as part of the new Carol and Glenn Arthur Student Recreation Complex.

Organization

The college has two academic schools: The School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Professional Studies. The college offers 24 majors, including Wildlife Rehabilitation, Wildlife Biology, Performing Arts Studies, Business, and Elementary Education.

During its junior college days, the College awarded the AA (Associate of Arts) or AS (Associate of Science) degree. Beginning in 1990 the Associate degree programs were abandoned and students began courses of study for Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degrees.

The college offers degree completion programs in elementary education, criminal justice, and nursing at four community college sites in Western North Carolina.

ports, clubs, and traditions

The Lees-McRae Bobcats compete in NCAA Division II play in Conference Carolinas. Teams are fielded in intercollegiate competition in basketball, cross-country, men's golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball; all are eligible for athletic scholarships. The College is also home to a cycling team which competes in Division I and holds national championships.

Intramural opportunities are available for several sporst. The newest of these is the competitive rock climbing team.

Several programs are available to students interested in leadership, service and the outdoors. These programs range from the school's own Campus After The Class Hours (CATCH), KIBO Emerging Leaders, and Outdoor Programs to national programs like AmeriCorps Bonner Leaders.

Student groups on campus include:
* Backpacking Club
* Beta Omega Kappa
* Cheerleading
* Chess Club
* Choral Group (The Highlanders)
* Dance Team (The Roar)
* Delta Omicron Theta
* Fellowship of Christian Athletes
* International Club
* InterVarsity/Approaching the Throne
* Nu Delta Alpha
* Order of the Tower
* Pep Band
* Rock Climbing Club
* SPECTRUM
* Student Ambassadors
* Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SACC)
* Students Against a Vanishing Environment
* Student Government Association
* Theater
* Xi Mu Eta

Noted alumni

*Thomas Ferebee (1937), bombardier aboard the "Enola Gay"

*Scott A. Church (2001) Film Director, Author of "Key West and Other Heartaches" (Lulu,2007)

References

External links

* [http://www.lmc.edu Lees-McRae College official website]