Agnes Scott College
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Agnes Scott College is a women's liberal arts college in Decatur, Georgia, near Atlanta. The college currently enrolls over 1,000 students. Agnes Scott is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The undergraduate school offers 30 majors and 25 minors. Students who graduate from Agnes Scott receive a Bachelor of Arts degree. 87% of the faculty are full-time, and 100% of the tenure-track faculty hold terminal degrees. The student-to-faculty ratio is 11:1.
History
The college was founded in 1889 as Decatur Female Seminary by Presbyterian minister Frank H. Gaines. In 1890, the name was changed to Agnes Scott Institute to honor the mother of the college's primary benefactor, Col. George Washington Scott. The name was changed again to Agnes Scott College in 1906. Agnes Scott (Main) Hall, the oldest building on campus, was built in 1891 and once housed the entire school.Agnes Scott is considered the first higher education institution in the state of Georgia to receive regional accreditation. The current president is Dr. Mary Brown Bullock, a 1966 Phi Beta Kappa graduate. President Bullock will be stepping down from her decade long position effective August 1, 2006. Dr. Elizabeth Kiss, Director of the Kenan Institute for Ethics, has been selected to succeed her.
Undergraduate campus life
Students at Agnes Scott are known as "Scotties." The school colors of Agnes Scott are purple and white, while the mascot is Irvine, a Scottish Terrier. Each incoming class is assigned a class color out of red, yellow, blue, or green and votes on a class mascot that correlates with that color. The colors and mascots are intended to establish class pride, particularly during one week of fun-filled activities called Black Cat. Black Cat occurs every fall and culminates in a series of skits written, directed, and performed by the junior class. If there is dissatisfaction with a class mascot, the class is given the option to revote and choose a different mascot their second year.Class mascots are often popular culture icons:
- 1956: blue: Pogo
- 1957: yellow: Dennis the Menace
- 1958: red: Droopy
- 1959: green: Casper
- 1960: blue: Charlie Brown
- 1961: yellow: Eloise
- 1962: red: Yogi Bear
- 1963: green: Winnie-the-Pooh
- 1964: blue: Harvey the Invisible Rabbit
- 1965: yellow: Dennis the Menace
- 1966: red: Madeline
- 1967: green: Peter Pan
- 1968: blue: Popeye
- 1969: yellow: Raggedy Ann
- 1970: red: Christopher Robin
- 1971: green: Jiminy Cricket
- 1972: blue: Huckleberry Hound
- 1973: yellow: Daisy Mae Scraggs
- 1974: red: Mickey Mouse
- 1975: green: Johnny Appleseed
- 1976: blue: Raggedy Ann
- 1977: yellow: Dennis the Menace
- 1978: red: Hot Stuff (the Little Devil)
- 1979: green: Jiminy Cricket
- 1980: blue: Keystone Kops
- 1981: yellow: Yellow Pages
- 1982: red: Peppermint Patty
- 1983: green: Scout troops
- 1984: blue: Cracker Jack sailors
- 1985: yellow: Sundance kids
- 1986: red: Scottish Highlanders
- 1987: green: Merry Men
- 1988: blue: Pilots
- 1989: yellow: Cheshire Cat
- 1990: red: Mighty Mounties
- 1991: green: Jiminy Cricket
- 1992: blue: Blues Brothers
- 1993: yellow: Woodstock
- 1994: red: Cat in the Hat
- 1995: green: Peter Pan
- 1996: blue: Road Runner
- 1997: yellow: Solid Gold Dancers
- 1998: red: Wonder Women
- 1999: green: Green Berets
- 2000: blue: Blues Brothers
- 2001: yellow: Sun Goddesses
- 2002: red: Queen of Hearts
- 2003: green: Poison Ivy
- 2004: blue: Sirens
- 2005: yellow: Queens of the Nile
- 2006: red: Vixens
- 2007: green: 007 Bond Girls
- 2008: blue: Lunas
- 2009: yellow: Muses of Apollo
Agnes Scott's NCAA Division III sports teams include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, and volleyball.
Special curricula
Coeducational graduate programs:- Master of Arts in teaching secondary English
- Master of Arts in teaching secondary math and science
- Post-baccalaureate pre-medical program
- combined bachelor and master's degree in art and architecture with Washington University
- BA/BSN degree with Emory School of Nursing
- BA/BS degree in engineering with the Georgia Institute of Technology
- exchange program with Mills College
- Washington Semester: students spend one semester at American University in Washington DC
Rankings
According to the 2006 US News and World Report rankings, Agnes Scott is ranked the 55th best liberal arts college in the country.Princeton Review's 2006 The Best 361 Colleges ranked the college as the nation's second most beautiful campus, behind Pepperdine University in Malibu. The college also made The Review's list of the 140 colleges named a Best Southeastern College
Similarly, the Princeton Review ranks the college as:
No. 9 for "Diverse Student Population"
No. 10 for "Students Happy With Financial Aid"
No. 11 for "Dorms Like Palaces"
No. 13 for "Best Quality of Life"
Financial status
In 2005, Agnes Scott's endowment was $305 million. In 2004, the college ranked second among women's colleges, seventh among national liberal arts colleges, and 27th overall in endowment per full-time enrolled student.More than 50% of students receive need- and/or merit-based assistance.
Notable achievements
- The 2004 edition of US News and World Report's rankings for best liberal arts colleges placed Agnes Scott as tied for number 50 in the country, and that year promotional information and school merchandise advertised the college's place among the "top 50."
- New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, herself a graduate of Wellesley College, delivered Agnes Scott's May 2005 commencement address. At the ceremony, she and playwright Marsha Norman received the first honorary degrees conferred by the college.
- Agnes Scott's $125 million building program has led to the creation of a new parking facility, Public Safety office, planetarium, student campus center, science building, tennis courts, and improved landscaping and the renovation of the dining hall, observatory, and library. $1.6 million was spent on renovating three Victorian homes for student housing. Renovation of the Alumnae House and creation of a new chapel, office space, residence hall, theatre, and dance facilities have also been planned.
- In 1995, approximately 600 students were enrolled at Agnes Scott. In fall 2004, for the first time in the school's history, enrollment reached 1,000 students.
Notable alumnae
- Nathalie Anderson, poet and author
- Oshja Anderson, Miss Georgia 1999
- Ila Burdette, Georgia's first female Rhodes scholar
- Katherine Harris, U.S. Representative
- Rachelle Henderlite, the first woman to be ordained a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA)
- Katherine "Kay" Krill, CEO of Ann Taylor Corporation
- Michelle Malone, musician (did not graduate)
- Catherine Marshall, author of the book Christy, later made into a TV Series, Christy (TV series)
- Joanna Cook Moore, actress and mother of Tatum O'Neal
- Jennifer Nettles, country music star
- Marsha Norman, playwright
- Susan Philips, the first woman to chair a financial regulatory agency (the Commodity Futures Trading Commission)
- Saycon Sengbloh, Broadway star and recording artist.
- Jean H. Toal, Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court
Miscellaneous
- The college's science building contains a three-story rendering of part of the nucleotide sequence from Agnes Scott's mitochrondrial DNA. The DNA came from a blood sample of an ASC alumna who is a direct descendant of the college's namesake.
- American poet Robert Frost was an annual visitor at Agnes Scott from 1945 to his death in 1962. During his visits, he would read poetry in Presser Hall. A statue of the poet sculpted by George W. Lundeen sits in the alumnae gardens. A collection of Frost's poetry and letters can be viewed at McCain Library.
- The college was featured in Scream 2, Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius, and A Man Called Peter, as well as several TV shows and made-for-TV-movies filmed in the Atlanta area.
- Tradition dictates that students who get engaged are thrown into the alumnae pond by their classmates.
- Seniors at Agnes Scott traditionally ring the bell in Agnes Scott Hall's bell tower upon acceptance to graduate school or a job offer. Students who ring the bell sign their names on the walls of the tower.
References
- Earnshaw, Rebecca Lee. Students at Agnes Scott College During the 1930s. Decatur, GA: Agnes Scott College, 1988.
- McNair, Walter Edward. Lest We Forget: An Account of Agnes Scott College. Decatur, GA: Agnes Scott College, 1983.
- Noble, Betty Pope Scott. The Story of George Washington Scott, 1829-1903: A Family Memoir. Decatur, GA: Agnes Scott College, 2002.
- Sayrs, M. Lee. A Full and Rich Measure: 100 Years of Educating Women at Agnes Scott College, 1889-1989. Atlanta, GA: Susan Hunter, Inc., 1990.
External links
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