Christian university in Murfreesboro, North Carolina, US
Chowan University
Former name
Chowan Baptist Female Institute (1848–1850) Chowan Female Collegiate Institute (1850–1867) Chowan Baptist Female Institute (1867–1910) Chowan College (1910–2006)
Chowan was founded by Godwin Cotton Moore in 1848 as Chowan Baptist Female Institute, a four-year women's college. It traces its roots to the Hertford Academy.[3] The McDowell Columns building, which houses the administrative offices of the college, was constructed in 1851. Between 1850 and 1867, the school changed names to the Chowan Female Collegiate Institute, then switched back to the Chowan Baptist Female Institute.[citation needed] The school takes its name from the Chowanoke tribe of indigenous people who previously inhabited the land on which Murfreesboro and Chowan University stand.[4]
The school was renamed Chowan College in 1910 when it began awarding baccalaureate degrees, and began admitting male students in 1931. Financial strain from the effects of the Great Depression forced the school to become a two-year institution in 1937.
Chowan College in 1940
In 1992, the college returned to four-year status when it admitted a junior class. The college's board of trustees elected to officially change the name to Chowan University on April 6, 2006, and the change in status took place on September 1, 2006.[citation needed]
In 2007, Chowan University, along with four other private North Carolina Christian universities (Mars Hill University, Campbell University, Wingate University, and Gardner-Webb University), began a process to change their relationships with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, to obtain more academic freedom and select their own trustees. The state convention also agreed to start transferring funds traditionally given directly to the universities into a new scholarship fund for Baptist students.[citation needed] Two years later, the universities gained autonomy from the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and established a "good faith and cooperative" relationship with it.[citation needed]
In December 2023, Rosemary M. Thomas was named as its 24th president and the first woman to serve in the role.[5] She took office on March 11, 2024.[6]
Chowan University has the following athletic teams: Women's Soccer, Men's Soccer, Football, Volleyball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Softball, Baseball, Men's and Women's Golf, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men's and Women's Lacrosse, Women's Bowling, Women's Acrobatic and Tumbling, Men's and Women's Swimming, co-ed Esports and Cheerleading.
↑unknown. "Freeman House"(PDF). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. Archived(PDF) from the original on 2019-05-08. Retrieved 2015-01-01.
↑"About Us". Chowan University. 19 July 2021. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
12345678"Chowan in the NFL"(PDF). Chowan University. 2007-09-20. Archived from the original on 2015-05-11. Retrieved 2017-01-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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