Summary
Sweet Briar College is a liberal arts women's college in Sweet Briar, Virginia, United States, about 12 miles (19 km) north of Lynchburg, Virginia. The school's Latin motto translates as: "She who has earned the rose may bear it."
The college is on 3,250 acres (13,152,283 m2) donated by the founding family of Indiana Fletcher Williams. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
History
The school is named after the former Sweet Briar plantation, the former plantation of Elijah Fletcher and his family. Fletcher was a 19th century teacher, businessman, and mayor of Lynchburg. His wife, Maria Crawford, is credited with naming the land Sweet Briar. By the mid-19th century, Fletcher had between 80 and 100 slaves at the plantation. After their emancipation in 1865, several continued to work for pay and live at Sweet Briar. On Elijah Fletcher's death, his daughter, Indiana, inherited the plantation.
When she passed in 1900, she willed the land and much of her assets to starting a college for women, as her daughter Daisy had passed at 16 and, therefore, never had a chance to attend college.
Architecture
The campus is situated on 3,250 acres (13 km2) in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The college's architecture is dominated by the work of Ralph Adams Cram, who also lent his architectural expertise to the campuses of Princeton University and West Point, among others. The campus property also includes the Sweet Briar plantation burial ground, in which upwards of sixty slaves are buried; according to some, an authentic slave cabin remains on the land, but this is probably not the case as the cabin does not follow building techniques associated with cabins of the day. The techniques used actually reflect modern techniques and may simply be an early reproduction. Archaeologists have uncovered many slave artifacts. Twenty one of the thirty buildings on campus were designated as the "Sweet Briar College Historic District" by the National Register of Historic Places.[4]
Rankings
Sweet Briar has continually ranked high across the board by several organizations.
Academics
The school operates 50 undergraduate courses of study as well as 3 pre-professional programs: Pre-Law, Pre-Medicine and Pre-Veterinary and two graduate degrees. Both programs are co-ed and in the field of education.
Campus life
Sweet Briar is a residential campus, and nearly all students live on campus during their time at SBC. [15] There are 7 standard dormitories, and more independent living available in the Green Village and Patteson House, available to upperclasswomen. The school has over fifty clubs and organizations.
The Honor Code
First-years are required to memorize the Honor pledge and take a test on it before they are allowed to hand in and Pledge any academic work. All academic work must be Pledged, and the consequences for violating that pledge are severe. Because of the high standards held by the honor code at Sweet Briar, students are able to take unproctored, self-scheduled exams. The Honor Code has non-academic applications as well.
Athletics
Sports teams are known as the Vixens. Sweet Briar is a member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
Sweet Briar has 7 Varsity Sports: Field Hockey, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis and Volleyball. Sweet Briar also has Fencing as a club sport.
Students also participate in recreational sports through the Sweet Briar Outdoor Program (SWEBOP). SWEBOP organizes many trips throughout the year including hiking, fly fishing, caving, rock climbing and weekly kayaking and skiing.[16]
Riding
The school operates a horseback riding program,[17] which focuses on show and field hunters, huntseat equitation, and show jumping. The school has 7 riding teams. These include a jumper team, hunter show team, JV hunter show team, Affiliated National Riding Commission (ANRC) team, field team, and Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) team. As part of its program, students can study for an Equine Studies Certificate with a focus in either training or equine management.[17]
ANRC Accolades include 9 ANRC Team national championship titles (1978, 1979, 1980, 1986, 198, 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1999),[18] and 10 ANRC Team reserve national championships titles (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005). Sweet Briar students have been individual national champions nine times (1978- Jamie Plank, 1979- Jamie Plank, 1980- Kathy Tayleor, 1981- Jamie Plank, 1986- Pam Ward, 1987- Gail Phillips, 1988- Pam Ward, 2000- Jen Lampton, and 2004- Karen Dennehy).[19] Sweet Briar students have been individual reserve ANRC national champions seven times (1980- Pam Kobrock, 1985- Laurie Woolverton, 1986- Georgianna Congers, 1989- Pam Ward, 1990- Kerstin Chrisman, 2001- Cara Meade).
IHSA In 2006,[20] Sweet Briar's IHSA team won their region (Zone 4, Region 1), and placed second at Zones, qualifying them for the Nationals Competition. The team placed third overall, with Jodie Weber '06 claiming a fourth overall in the Cacchione Cup competition. Weber also claimed the Open Over Fences Championship that catapulted the team into the third place position. In 2008,[21] Sweet Briar IHSA won their region again, and proceeded to Nationals, where team members collected individual ribbons.[22]
Equestrian center features include: