Queens University of Charlotte

Queens University of Charlotte is a private, Presbyterian-affiliated university located in the Myers Park neighborhood of Charlotte, North Carolina. It was founded in 1857 as an all-female institution, and has evolved hence into a co-ed university.

The Institution

Queens University of Charlotte was founded in 1857 as the Charlotte Female Institute, located at College and 9th Streets near the center of the city. From 1891–1896, it was called the Seminary for Girls. In 1896, the Concord and Mecklenburg Presbyteries chartered the Presbyterian Female College. The Seminary for Girls merged with this new college. In 1912, anticipating the move to the present campus in the Myers Park residential area, it became Queens College.

The name Queens College was adopted for three reasons: in response to the request of the Alumnae Association to disarm prejudice, in deference to other Presbyterian colleges which claimed an equal right to the denominational name, and in commemoration of Queen’s Museum, a classical school established in Charlotte in 1771 and named in honor of the British Queen, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the Queen consort of George III.

Although Queens College was endorsed by the General Assembly of the Colony of North Carolina, King George III revoked the charter in 1772, doubting the wisdom of creating a Scots-Irish Presbyterian institution that could perpetuate anti-royalist views in the colony.

The Trustees continued to apply for a charter and operated the school under the unusual name of Queen’s Museum. During the Revolution, the Trustees sympathized with the colonial cause and many future leaders, including General William Lee Davidson, General Joseph Graham, General William R. Davie, and Andrew Jackson were educated there. When independence was declared, the school became known as Liberty Hall Academy. It closed in 1784, shortly after moving to Salisbury, North Carolina.

In 1821 the Male and Female Academy Corporation was chartered to operate the two institutions to educate men and women. The Charlotte Female Academy is a predecessor of the Charlotte Female Institute. In 1851 sessions were suspended due to an epidemic in Charlotte and a fire that decimated the school building. It took six years to re-establish a school for women in Charlotte.

By 1857, the Trustees of Charlotte Female Institute organized a stock company, erected a building on College and 9th Streets, and recruited Rev. Robert Burwell and his wife, Margaret Anne, to head the Institution. The Burwells ran the Charlotte Female Institute until 1872, when Rev. Burwell left to head Peace Institute. Dr. William Atkinson headed the school from 1878–1891. In 1891, Dr. Atkinson left the Charlotte Female Institute to found the Presbyterian College for Women in Columbia SC, located on the grounds of the Hampton Preston Mansion.

Miss Elizabeth Webb Long Long re-organized the school under the name Seminary for Girls and kept the institution open during these difficult times. In 1896, when the Concord and Mecklenburg Presbyteries chartered the Presbyterian College for Women, the Seminary for Girls merged with Presbyterian College; Miss Long served as the president from 1896–1899. She was Lady Principal until her retirement in 1910.

In 1930, Queens became related to the Presbyterian Synod of South Carolina through a merger with Chicora College Dr. Atkinson’s Presbyterian College for Women, Columbia in Columbia, S.C.. The motto from Chicora College, Non ministrari sed ministrare – “Not to be served but to serve” – replaced the Queens College motto 1903–1930 – Nisi Dominus frustra –“Unless the Lord is with us, our efforts are in vain.”

With the creation of the Synod of the Southeast in 1973, Queens’ official church relationship was extended to include Presbyterians in Georgia as well as those in the Carolinas. Subsequent restructuring of the Presbyterian Church has given Queens ties to both the South Atlantic and the Mid-Atlantic synods.

In the aftermath of World War II, Queens admitted its first male students in a non-residential status. In addition, a co-educational Evening College was established in 1948 that provided instruction for adults. It was the forerunner of the New College, which was inaugurated in 1979 as an undergraduate evening program designed for working adults. In 1995, New College was renamed the Pauline Lewis Hayworth College.

In 1979, the traditional undergraduate liberal arts college at Queens was renamed the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). It began admitting resident males in 1987 when Queens went co-educational. In 1989, CAS adopted the innovative Foundations of Liberal Learning program, which is now known as the Core Program in Liberal Arts.

The International Experience Program, now known as the John Belk International Program, was established in 1989. The goal of the John Belk International Program is to encourage students to broaden their perspective through study abroad. Juniors and Seniors participate in a variety of study programs from three- and four-week study tours in different countries, four- and five-week language programs, a special month-long environmental studies program in Micronesia, to summer-long foreign internships, and semester or year-long study abroad exchanges in Australia, Hong Kong and Ireland.

The Hugh L. McColl Jr. School of Business was established in 1993 to unify and strengthen the college’s programs in accounting and business administration. In 1996, the Internship and Career Development Program, now nationally recognized, began requiring a minimum of six credit hours for all students enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences. It has since then been changed to a 4 credit hour requirement with the opportunity to earn 10 total academic credit hours for an internship.

In the summer of 2001, Queens leased space on the upper level of Morrison Hall to provide Charlotte with an extension campus for Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education. Based in Richmond, Virginia, Union-PSCE is a theological institution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). It prepares men and women for ministry as pastors, Christian educators, chaplains, missionaries, and in many other roles. The first class, named the ‘Genesis Class,’ began in February 2002.

Queens’ first master’s degree program, the Master of Business Administration, began in 1980. Since then, Queens has added the Master of Education (1983); the Master of Arts in Teaching (1992); the Master of Science in Nursing (1998); the Master of Arts in Organizational Communication (1999); and the Low-Residency Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (2001). With the additional master’s degree programs, Queens realized a university level rank in the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the U.S. News & World Report.

Because of these rankings, and after intensive study, discussion and market research, the Board of Trustees voted in the Spring of 2002 to recognize Queens’ university status and, consequently, to change the institutional name from "Queens College of Charlotte" to "Queens University of Charlotte." This act officially changed the status of Queens on June 1, 2002, to reflect the true nature of the institution as a university. At the same time, it maintains the rich history of the institution in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community by retaining the name Queens.

Student Life

Greek Life

Queens University of Charlotte has four sororities and one fraternity.

Sororities

Alpha Delta Pi
Chi Omega
Kappa Delta
Phi Mu

Fraternities

Pi Kappa Phi

Clubs/Organizations

Queens University of Charlotte maintains a broad and diverse list of student organizations, ranging from musical ensembles to nature groups. Politcally-minded students spar in debate between the College Republicans and College Democrats; aspiring journalists write pieces for the Queens Chronicle; service-minded students go on trips to help needy families in Guatemala; Campus Union Board plans on-campus activities; and the school's own QFLAG (Queens Students for Lesbians and Gays) takes on the hot-button issue of gay rights. There is truly something for every individual at Queens.

Athletics

Queens University of Charlotte's athletic teams take the identity of the Queens Royals on the field and cheer their teams on via their mascot, Rex. Queens is a member of the NCAA's Division II program nationally; regionally, the Royals participate in the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference (CVAC).

Men's Sports

Basketball
Cross-Country
Golf
Lacrosse
Soccer
Tennis
Track & Field

Women's Sports

Basketball
Cross-Country
Golf
Lacrosse
Soccer
Softball
Tennis
Track & Field
Volleyball

Curriculum

Many of Queens University's students are enrolled in either the Business and Marketing programs (33% of undergraduates) or the Communications and Journalism programs (15% of undergraduates). Rounding out the top three most popular majors are the Health Professions, which are studied by approximately 10% of the undergraduate population according to the College Board. ^*

Core Program

Queens University employs a set of core classes required of each undergraduate student, as is commonplace in the Ameican system of higher education. This program includes topics in history, American experience, ethics, literature and art. The purpose of any core program is develop a well-rounded, as well as well-specialized, student of the liberal arts.

Admissions

Queens University of Charlotte operates on a rolling admissions basis, with decisions beginning in early September during the Fall of the student's senior year.

Test Scores

The following are the middle percentile of SAT scores for Queens University of Charlotte as provided by the Princeton Review.

Average SAT: Not Reported
Average Writing SAT: 540-630
Average Verbal SAT (25-75%): 480-570
Average Math SAT (25-75%): 490-560
Average ACT (25-75%): 19-24
Average High School GPA: 3.40
^*

High School Performance

The following statistics are provided by the College Board.

32% had h.s. GPA of 3.75 and higher
12% had h.s. GPA between 3.5 and 3.74
14% had h.s. GPA between 3.25 and 3.49
19% had h.s. GPA between 3.0 and 3.24
18% had h.s. GPA between 2.5 and 2.99
5% had h.s. GPA between 2.0 and 2.49^*

Percentage Admitted

Queens University of Charlotte accepts 67% of freshman applicants and 34% of transfer applicants, according to College Board. ^*

Rankings

U.S. News and World Report

In the 2006 edition of U.S. News and World Report's "America's Best Colleges," Queens University of Charlotte is ranked as a "selective" school. It ranks number 30 in the category of Universities - Master's: South. ^*

Princeton Review

On admissions selectivity, the Princeton Review ranks Queens University of Charlotte "79" on a scale of 60 - 99. This is a mid-range selectivity rating.

External links

Queens University of Charlotte

Universities and colleges in North Carolina

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