Summary
William Carey University is a private Christian liberal arts college located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi in the United States, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Mississippi Baptist Convention. The main campus is located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi; there are two subsidiary campuses in Gulfport, Mississippi and New Orleans, Louisiana. It was founded 1906 as the Mississippi Woman's College, but changed its name to William Carey College in 1954 when the college became coeducational. In 2006, the school became William Carey University.
The college offers baccalaureate degrees in the areas of arts, humanities, and sciences; education and psychology; business; religion; music; and nursing. The M.B.A, M.Ed., M.S. in psychology, and M.S.N. degrees and a specialist degree in elementary education are also offered. Three trimesters of eleven weeks each comprise the academic year. Two summer sessions, a J-term, and a May Term session are also offered. In 2009 William Carey opened its College of Medicine with emphasis on Osteopathic Medicine.
History
It was founded 1906 as the Mississippi Woman's College, but changed its name to William Carey College in 1954 when the college became coeducational. The school is named for the Englishman whom some consider to be the founder of modern Protestant evangelical missions, William Carey D.D. (1761-1834.)
In 1939, the school, which was then called the Mississippi Woman's College, took third place in the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, and it remains the only women's college to ever place in that competition.
On August 14, 2006, William Carey University celebrated its Centennial. This day also marked the transition of William Carey College to William Carey University.
Accreditation
William Carey University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor and Masters degrees. William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine was awarded provisional accreditation status by the Council on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) on September 13, 2009. William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine becomes the 29th Osteopathic medical school in the country.
WCU College of Osteopathic Medicine
On October 23, 2007, the Board of Trustees at William Carey University (WCU) unanimously voted to authorize Dr. Tommy King, president, to employ a dean for the College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM). The rationale was to open the COM to address the severe shortage of physicians in Mississippi and surrounding states and to impact the healthcare of rural Mississippians.
In January 2008, Michael K. Murphy, D.O., was employed to aid in accomplishing this goal. On March 3, 2008, the College was officially established. Press conferences were held in Jackson at the Mississippi Baptist Convention Building and on the Hattiesburg campus of WCU on March 7, 2008. The President announced the establishment of the College and introduced Dr. Murphy, the founding dean. William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine was awarded provisional accreditation by the American Osteopathic Association's Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation at its meeting September 12-13, 2009.
William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine is the state’s second medical school and the first in the region to focus on osteopathic medicine.[5] The first class of WCUCOM will graduate in 2014 and graduates will receive the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree.[6] First year enrollment includes 109 students.[7]
The Cooper School of Missions and Biblical Studies
Established in 1991, The Cooper School of Missions and Biblical Studies seeks to inform and enrich every student's understanding of the Judeo-Christian historical, literary, and theological heritage. Furthermore, the school prepares undergraduate religion majors for graduate study in addition to preparing students for ministerial positions.[8]
School of Music
The Winters School of Music is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music. The music therapy program is accredited by the American Music Therapy Association.
Department of Theatre & Communication and Carey Dinner Theatre
William Carey University's Department of Theatre & Communication began in 1915, by Kate Downs P'Pool, and has garnered a reputation for outstanding work. Since 1994, the department has become actively involved in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. In 2001, William Carey's production of And David Danced was selected for presentation at the National Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival in Washington, D.C. In the same year, the department was honored with the Mississippi Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. The department has also twice taken faculty and students to Nairobi, Kenya, to produce the musical Smoke on the Mountain. The department produces three productions per year, normally a drama, a children's theatre piece, and a comedy or musical. Their venue is the O.L. Quave Theatre, named after former department chair/emeritus faculty member Obra L. Quave.
Carey Dinner Theatre began in 1974 as the "Carey Summer Showcase" under the management of Obra Quave. The longest-running dinner theatre in the state of Mississippi (30+ years), CDT brings professional summer theatre to WCU and the surrounding community. Two CDT alumni (Phillip Fortenberry and Keith Thompson) have gone onto professional Broadway music careers. CDT produces two shows per summer, normally light-hearted comedies or musicals.
School of Nursing
Joseph and Nancy Fail School of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, by the board of trustees, Institutions of Higher Learning of the State of Mississippi, and approved in New Orleans by the Louisiana State Board of Nursing.
Campus life
The Student Government Association, SGA, is the head of all campus organizations. The SGA hosts Welcome Week, Homecoming Week (along with the Alumni office), and various activities throughout the year. In addition to activities, the SGA works as a liaison between the students and administration. Past presidents include Brian Brister, Jessica Cofield, Raymond Mark Wooten, and Chelsey Maywalt. The 2012-2013 President is Patrick Earley.
William Carey University operates in accordance with its Baptist affiliation and has many programs for its 3200 students. CareyBSU offers Bible studies, ministry to the surrounding area and apartments, mission opportunities, and "Priority Lunch". It also offers campusLink which is a worship service time.
The university is served by a newspaper, The Cobbler, which publishes once a month and alternates between a print and online edition. The current editor-in-chief is Joshua Wilson, who has served in that role since February 2011. The Cobbler has been in existence since the 1950s; prior to the name change to WCU, it was known as The Scissors and operated from the 1920s until the 1950s.
The name of the yearbook is The Crusader (it was known as The Pine Burr in the MWC days). There is also a literary magazine, The Indigo, and an alumni magazine, Carey.
Other campus organizations are: African-American Culture Society Plus, Association of Campus Presidents (President’s Round Table, Association of Church Musicians Carey Carillon, Carey Chorale, Carey Connection, Carey Jitsu, Carey Scholars, Carpenter’s Wood, Chapel Choir, Cheerleading, Church Related Vocations, Crusader for Life, Diamond Girls, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Instrumental Chamber Ensemble, International Student Organization, Music Educators National Conference, Panhellenic Council, Piano Ensemble, Pine Belt Reading Council, Serampore Players, Society for Advancement of Management, Speech and Debate (Joe Roberts Forensics Society), Student Music Therapy Association, and Student Nurses Association
Greek life
Three Christian-oriented organizations exist on campus. Gamma Chi is one sorority focused on sisterhood and service. Gamma Chi's colors are red, black, and white and the mascot is a panda. Pi Omega is a social and service sorority. Kappa Tau Xi is a social and service fraternity.
Athletics
William Carey teams are known as the Crusaders. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), competing in the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC). The Crusaders formerly competed in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis and track & field.
Most of the teams are nationally ranked within the N.A.I.A. structure and typically move on to the conference play-offs and the national championship rounds. The athletic department maintains its own website separate from the main university site.[9] The Student Services administration also organizes various indoor and outdoor sports and games through its intramural program.