History
In 1894, Belhaven College was chartered by Dr. Lewis Fitzhugh as the "Belhaven College for Young Ladies" in a house on Boyd Street in Jackson, Mississippi. The name "Belhaven" was chosen as it was the ancestral home of Colonel Jones S. Hamilton in Scotland, the former owner of the house. A fire destroyed the main building in February, 1895, but with the help of Jackson citizens, the college reopened in the fall of 1896 at the same site. Fitzhugh served as president until his death in 1904, upon which his heirs sold the college to Dr. J. R. Preston, who operated the school until it was again destroyed by a fire in 1910. Preston then donated the title of the College to the Presbyterian Church, marking the beginning of Belhaven's religious affiliation.[2]
In September, 1911, the school was reopened by The Central Mississippi Presbytery as Belhaven Collegiate and Industrial Institute at the current site on Peachtree Street in the historic Belhaven Neighborhood. It was then merged with The McComb Female Institute. Dr. R. V. Lancaster became the third president as the two institutions merged. In 1915 the Board of Trustees changed the school's name to Belhaven College. During these years improved curricula guidelines and student services were established. Dr. W. H. Frazier succeeded Lancaster as president from 1918–21, and during his tenure enrollment grew to 230 students.[3]
In 1921, the Reverend Guy T. Gillespie of Lexington, Mississippi, began a thirty-three-year presidency during which Belhaven was first accredited, an endowment fund begun, and scholarship aid made available. In 1939, Belhaven was merged with the Mississippi Synodical College, which had been opened in 1883. This date was adopted by the Board of Trustees as the official founding date of Belhaven as it represented the oldest founding date of all of the institutions which were eventually absorbed into the college. In 1954, the Board of Trustees voted to allow the enrollment of male students, making Belhaven a fully co-educational institution. Dr. McFerran Crowe succeeded Gillespie as President and over the next six years he expanded and upgraded the faculty, while also reorganizing and modernizing business operations.[4]
From 1960 to 1961, Dr. Robert F. Cooper served as acting president until the Board selected Dr. Howard J. Cleland to replace him. Under Cleland's seventeen-year tenure an ambitious expansion program resulted in six major new buildings, while enrollment and the college budget tripled. In 1972, the Synod of Mississippi officially transferred ownership of the college to the Board of Trustees, making Belhaven a fully independent college. In March, 1978, Dr. Verne R. Kennedy became the first Belhaven alumnus to serve as the chief executive of Belhaven College. In his eight years as president he reaffirmed the commitment to Christian service and the covenant relationship with the Presbyterian Church, and installed a more efficient administrative structure. In June, 1986, another alumnus of Belhaven, Dr. Newton Wilson, became president. His nine-year term saw the greatest growth in the history of the college, from just over 600 students to more than 1,100.[5]
By 1995, over 80 percent of Belhaven's faculty held doctoral or equivalent degrees. The College also extended its outreach in nontraditional venues, with expanded course offerings for adult and evening students. Dr. Daniel C. Fredericks served as acting president in 1995. In January, 1996, Dr. Roger Parrott became the tenth president of the college, with about 1,300 enrolled students. Under his leadership, Belhaven has added seven major buildings, a variety of new undergraduate academic majors and graduate programs, intercollegiate football, campuses in Orlando, Houston, Chattanooga, and Atlanta, online programs, the "Christian Worldview Curriculum", and earned national accreditation in all four of the major arts (Music, Theater, Visual Arts, andDance). The size of the student body has nearly tripled during his tenure.[6]
Today, many faculty and staff members are drawn from various Presbyterian Denominations, primarily the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), The Presbyterian Church in America, and The Evangelical Presbyterian Church. The college receives both financial support and students from these three denominations as well.
[edit]Academics
Belhaven University offers Bachelor's Degrees in twenty-seven different major areas of study including Accounting, Art (Visual Arts), Arts Administration, Biblical Studies and Ministries, Biology, Business Administration, Chemistry, Classical Education, Communication, Creative Writing,Dance, Elementary Education, English, Graphic Design, History, Humanities, International Studies, Mathematics, Music, Philosophy, Political Science,Psychology, Social Services, Sports Administration, Sports Medicine and Exercise Science, Sports Ministry and Theater. Pre-Professional Programs are also offered in Christian Ministry, Medicine, Dentistry, Law, Nursing, and Medical Technology.[7]
Master's Degrees are offered in Business Administration, Leadership, Public Administration, Teaching, and Education, among others.[8]
Students graduating with a high grade point average (GPA) may receive Latin Honors during graduation, including Cum Laude for a GPA above 3.4, Magna Cum Laude for a GPA above 3.7, and Summa Cum Laude for a GPA above 3.9. Students who have transferred to Belhaven and who have earned a GPA of 3.4 or higher but have not earned more than sixty-four hours of credit at the university may graduate "with honors", although this is not considered a Latin Honor.[9]Belhaven University students may be invited to participate in Belhaven's Honors College during their Freshman or Sophomore year provided they have a GPA of 3.5 or higher and an ACT score of 27 or higher or an SAT score of 1220 or higher as well as the sponsorship of at least one professor.[10]
The five most popular majors among 2009 graduates were Visual and Performing Arts (22%), Business, Management, Marketing, and related support services (17%), Health and Physical Education/Fitness (11%), Education (9%), and Psychology (8%).[11]
[edit]Accreditation
Belhaven is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Departments offering specific majors are further accredited as follows: The Department of Music is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music, the Department of Art is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, the Department of Dance is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD), and the Department of Theater is accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Theater.[12]
Belhaven University, through its School of Business Administration, has the following degree programs accredited by the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education: Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), Master of Science in Leadership, Master of Science in Management, Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Bachelor of Business Administration, and Bachelor of Science in Management.[13]
[edit]Athletics
Belhaven University's athletic teams compete in the NAIA's Mid-South Conference for Football and the NAIA's Southern States Athletic Conference for all other sports. Men's athletics include Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Soccer and Tennis. Women's athletics include Basketball, Cross Country, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, and Volleyball. The Football program, established in 1998 under head coach Norman Joseph, remains the largest and most popular sports team on campus. The Belhaven Blazers are the mascots for all teams and Belhaven's colors are Green and Gold.[14]
[edit]Fine Arts
Belhaven University is nationally accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design,[15] the National Association of Schools of Music,[16] the National Association of Schools of Dance[17] and the National Association of Schools of Theater,[18] making Belhaven one of only thirty colleges and universities accredited in the all four of the major arts (Visual Arts, Music, Dance and Theater). Belhaven is also the only Christian University in the United States offering a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Creative Writing.
[edit]Name Changes
Like many Universities, Belhaven has gone through various name changes over the years. Four major name changes have taken place, although the name "Belhaven" has been common to them all. The school was originally founded as "Belhaven College for Young Ladies" in 1894. After the original location burned in a fire in 1910, Belhaven was reopened as "The Belhaven Collegiate and Industrial Institute" in 1911 at its current location on Peachtree Street in the historic Belhaven Neighborhood in Jackson, Mississippi. In 1915, the Board of Trustees further changed the school's name to "Belhaven College". In December, 2009, President Roger Parrott announced that the Board of Trustees had voted unanimously to change the name from "Belhaven College" to the current name of "Belhaven University", effective on January 1, 2010. Among the reasons cited for the name change were the addition of several new graduate programs of study and a current total enrollment of more than 3,000 students across four campus locations, including over 500 graduate students.[