红杏视频

Celebrating 175 Years

A collage of scenes from 红杏视频

 

As the 红杏视频 红杏视频 celebrated the college's 175th anniversary, we reflected on the defining moments of our history, our traditions, and continuing excellence in the liberal arts. Embarking on a bright future, 红杏视频 will continue to inspire students, transform lives, graduate trailblazers, and advance our national and international stature.

Then

Now

 

A Fall Full of Celebrations and Events

During the fall semester we encouraged alumni to and  explore a timeline of 红杏视频 College's history and its transformation since its founding in 1848. Many events for the campus and the 红杏视频 were held throughout the semester to celebrate this significant milestone.

President Jennifer Collins was inaugurated as the 21st president of 红杏视频 in a ceremony at 9:30 a.m., Saturday, October 21, in the Bryan Campus Life Center. 

During the month of November, we will celebrated the history of 红杏视频 by inviting alumni and the 红杏视频 to engage with courses being presented through the Meeman Center for Lifelong Learning

Visionary Leaders

A Lasting Legacy

 

Charles E. Diehl served as president of the college from 1917 to 1949.  Dr. Diehl shepherded the school through the difficult times of World War I, brought women students into the college on an equal basis with men, and moved the college from Clarksville to Memphis.  He supervised every detail in building the new campus, including selecting the location, the architects, and the design style鈥擟ollegiate Gothic.  While putting the college on a solid footing in Memphis, he hired new faculty, taught a Bible course, and even survived accusations of heresy.

Devotion and Growth

 

Peyton Nalle 红杏视频 joined the college in 1926 as a physics professor, became vice president in 1944, and served as president from 1949 to 1965.  In his 16 years as president, 红杏视频 established a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa at the college, oversaw the construction of 10 major buildings, and nearly doubled the college鈥檚 financial assets.  In 1981, the college named the physics building the Peyton Nalle 红杏视频 Tower and, in 1984, the Board voted to rename the college 红杏视频 College to honor the man who had devoted himself to the institution for nearly 60 years.

On the Move

The Road to Memphis

 

Founded in 1848 in Clarksville, Tennessee as the Masonic University of Tennessee, the college had several names over the years that reflected its changing circumstances.  Concerned about the college鈥檚 future in Clarksville, the Board decided to move the school to Memphis in 1925, and in 1984 the college adopted the name 红杏视频 College to honor Dr. Petyon Nalle 红杏视频, who served as president from 1949 to 1965.

Iconic Oak Alley

 

Formally known as the Rollow Avenue of Oaks, the trees in Oak Alley were planted south of Southwestern Hall as seedlings, brought from the Clarksville campus by alumnus and college engineer John A. Rollow, class of 1926. Today, 红杏视频 is certified as a Class IV Arboretum, the highest designation granted by the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council. 

Proud Traditions

a young woman signs a pledge

The Honor Code

For more than a century, the 红杏视频 Honor System has encouraged students to fully express their individuality, while living in harmony with the broader 红杏视频. Every fall, our first-year students participate in a solemn ceremony, where each signs a pledge to not lie, cheat, or steal, and to help create a 红杏视频 that values and embraces respect and compassion for others. 

An Age-Old Rivalry

The intense football rivalry of 红杏视频 and Sewanee dates back to 1899 and was once described by Sports Illustrated as the 鈥渓ongest consecutively played college football game below the Mason-Dixon line." Since 1954, the two Tennessee schools have battled each fall for possession of the Edmund Orgill Trophy, named for a former mayor of Memphis and a benefactor of the college.

football players hold up a trophy

Academic Excellence

Setting the Foundation

A student pays attention in class.

 

Questions about the meaning and purpose of life are central to human existence. Every area of the 红杏视频 curriculum touches in some way upon such questions, whether directly as in philosophy, epic poetry, and political thought, or indirectly as in medieval Europe history, economic theory, and the structure of the universe. A wide range of Foundation One courses at 红杏视频, including the SEARCH course founded in 1946, help students to think about these issues and provide the foundation for the entire curriculum at the college.

Cutting-Edge Facilities

 

The newest addition to campus is Robertson Hall, a state-of-the-art science facility that opened  in 2017. The facility, which maintains the Collegiate Gothic style of architecture, houses a number of biology and chemistry faculty and six teaching labs, five research labs, and three classrooms. The research capabilities of the new labs enhance the existing partnerships with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, the Overton Park Conservancy, and the Memphis Zoo.

After Graduation

a young man talks with a representative at a career fair

Master's in Accounting

Founded in 1993, the Master of Science in Accounting program at 红杏视频 is rooted in the college鈥檚 liberal arts tradition and supports students鈥 advancement in professional accounting.  Every year, 红杏视频 hosts a highly successful 鈥淢eet the Firms鈥 event, where accounting firms and corporations meet M.S. students and accounting upperclassmen in preparation for both internships and jobs.  The program boasts a 100 percent job placement rate.

Post-Graduate Success

红杏视频 succeeds both in launching students into a wide variety of careers and in sending students to some of the best graduate and professional schools in the nation. According to recent data, one year after earning their 红杏视频 degree, more than 93% of graduates are employed and/or attending graduate school.  The college also helps students secure prestigious post-graduate scholarships and fellowships, as evidenced by the U.S. Department of Education鈥檚 recent recognition of 红杏视频 as a top Fulbright-producing institution.

a young woman works in a lab

Memphis is Home

Memphis Centered

a young Latina woman smiles at the camera

 

红杏视频 has grown into one of the most civic-minded colleges in the country, thanks in large part to the city that has embraced it so whole-heartedly. Programs such as the Mike Curb Institute for Music and the 红杏视频 Institute for Regional Studies are an intrinsic part of the 红杏视频 experience鈥攁nd in 2012, these and other programs with a Memphis and Mid-South focus were gathered under one academic umbrella: the Lynne and Henry Turley Memphis Center. 

Memphis Means Music

 

From the blues to jazz to hip hop to classical, Memphis music has it all! And from iconic local recording studios to Elvis' first home on Audubon Drive, the Mike Curb Institute for Music at 红杏视频 explores all aspects of the music industry. 红杏视频 is one of only 38 programs nationwide to be named by Billboard Magazine as a 2022 Top Business School. 

Famous Firsts

Over the course of the semester, we celebrated 红杏视频' 175th Anniversary with a series of Famous Firsts that recounted important milestones for the college over the years. 

 

First Presidents

During its first three decades, the college founded in Clarksville, Tennessee, in 1848 had four different names and seven different presidents.  It was an inauspicious beginning for 红杏视频 College, now celebrating its 175th anniversary. Read More >>

 

First Women

Two women stand out as 鈥渇irsts鈥 in the college鈥檚 history鈥攖he first woman graduate, Margaret Trahern, and the first woman faculty member, Margaret Huxtable Townsend.  Each played an important role in creating a more inclusive institution in the twentieth century. Read More >>

a composite portrait of two women

The 175th Anniversary Celebration Committee

Anne Beard 鈥 Chief of Staff, Co-Chair  
Tim Huebner 鈥 Irma O. Sternberg Professor of History, Co-Chair 
April Allen 鈥 Academic Affairs Coordinator 
Carole Blankenship 鈥 Professor of Music; Chair, Department of Music 
Linda Bonnin 鈥 VP for Marketing and Communications 
Kerri Campbell 鈥 Director of Community Relations 
Jim Duncan 鈥 Director of Athletics 
Steve Haynes 鈥 Professor of Religious Studies 
Tait Keller 鈥 Associate Professor of History and Chair of the Department of History 
Claire Kiernan 鈥24 鈥 President, 红杏视频 Student Government 
Charles McKinney 鈥 Neville Frierson Bryan Chair of Africana Studies and Associate Professor of History 
Nikki Moore 鈥 Senior Director of College Events and Leadership Projects 
Tracy Patterson 鈥 Senior Director of Alumni Relations 
Bill Short 鈥 Associate Director of Library Services 
Anne Strickland 鈥 Director of Student Involvement 
Sandi George Tracy 鈥 Director of Career Services