'Covenant College' is a four-year Christian college that emphasizes the
liberal arts. Founded in
1955 in
Pasadena,
California, the college moved its campus to
Lookout Mountain, Georgia in 1965
[1]. It is an educational institution of the
Presbyterian Church in America. Covenant stands in the
Reformed and
Presbyterian traditions, and is distinct among small Christian colleges for its commitment to a
Reformed understanding of
doctrine,
piety, and
culture.
Academics
The college offers
Associate of Arts,
Bachelor of Arts,
Bachelor of Science,
Bachelor of Music, and
Master of Education degrees, and several pre-professional programs. The college also has two adult education programs, Quest (established
1984) and The Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education (BSECE), a degree completion program in early childhood education for professionals. In addition, Covenant is home to the
Chalmers Center for Economic and Community Development (established
1999), which offers courses and programs in community and economic development in the urban United States and throughout the
developing world.
Covenant's faculty is composed of 58 full-time teaching faculty members, 88% of whom hold doctorates or terminal degrees in their fields. The student-faculty ratio is 14:1.
The college has over 5,000 alumni living both in the United States and abroad. Alumni are employed in a variety of fields, such as education, ministry, music, business, the military, science, and journalism. Over 60% of graduates go on to earn graduate degrees.
The college has been
accredited since 1971 by the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
[2]
Niel B. Nielson has been president of Covenant since
2002. The college's previous presidents are Robert G. Rayburn (1955-
1965), Marion Barnes (1965-
1978), Martin Essenburg (1978-
1987), and Frank Brock (1987-2002).
Athletics
Covenant has sports teams that compete intercollegiately in men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's basketball, men's golf and baseball and women's volleyball. Covenant competes in the
Appalachian Athletic Conference and the
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. College teams are known as the Scots and Lady Scots.
Campus
The campus is located atop
Lookout Mountain, Georgia.
Carter Hall
Carter Hall is the signature building on campus. It was originally named The Lookout Mountain Hotel and was built by
Paul Carter, for whom the building is now named, in 1928. It was popularly known as the "Castle in the Clouds." However, since it was completed less than a year before the
Great Depression, the hotel soon went bankrupt. It opened and closed several times prior to 1960, when it shut down for the last time. Bill Brock, the grandfather of the college's fourth president, Frank Brock, served on the original board of the hotel.
[3]
Both the exterior and interior of Carter Hall are Austro-Bavarian Gothic revival in style. The building has had two towers in its history. The first tower was similar in design to the
Frauenkirche (Cathedral of Our Lady) in Munich. Poor maintenance before acquisition by the college required it to be rebuilt. The new tower, though considerably simpler in style, maintains the architectural style of the original tower.
Covenant College bought the building in 1964, upon relocating to
Lookout Mountain, Georgia. At this time, the building was renamed Carter Hall, after
Paul Carter, the
Chattanooga, Tennessee businessman who originally planned, built, and owned the Hotel. During the first few years of Covenant's operation on the mountain, all the functions of the college were contained within Carter Hall. At that time, it housed the
chapel, the library, the classrooms, the professors' offices, and all of the dorm rooms, as well as the dining hall and administrative offices, which are still located there today.
Founders Hall
Founders Hall contains three wings, each named for members of the founding generation of Covenant College.
Belz Hall, the first to be built, was completed in 1972, is named after pastor and Christian educator
Max Belz, a member of Covenant College’s original Board of Trustees. Belz hall houses approximately 100 students and was originally known as the Men’s Dorm. In 1990 and 1993, two new wings were added to the structure and the building became known as Founders Residence Hall.
Schmidt Hall was completed in 1990 and is named for Rudy and Collyn Schmidt, co-founders and long-time friends of the college who were actively involved with it since its inception.
Rayburn Hall was completed in 1993 and is named for
Robert G. Rayburn, the founding president of Covenant College.
Maclellan/Rymer Hall
Maclellan/Rymer Hall is the newest residence hall. The Maclellan wing of the hall, built in 1998, was named in honor of the
Maclellan Foundation, a longtime supporter of Covenant College. The Rymer wing of the building, completed in 2000, was given by Ann Caudle Rymer and her son, S. Bradford Rymer, Jr.
Accreditation non-compliance issues
In December
2005, SACS reviewed the college and found the college had "significant non-compliance with the core requirements."
[4] As a result, its accreditation was given the status of warning, pending a follow up review, and the warning was removed in
December 2006.
[5]
Soulforce Equality ride visit
On April 2,
2007 a
gay rights group, Soulforce Equality Ride, visited Covenant to confront the college about its stance on
homosexual behavior.
[6] College officials offered the group a room on campus for dialogue, but this offer was rejected. College officials informed Soulforce that they would not be welcome on campus.
[7] The morning of their visit, several dozen students and faculty members conversed with Soulforce members at the entrance to the college. Later in the day four Soulforce members crossed on to college property and were arrested by local officials.
[8]
Notable alumni
★
Michael Cromartie, chairman,
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
★
Joel Belz, founder of God's World Publications and former editor of
World (magazine).
References
1. Covenant College History
2. Institution Details: Covenant College
3.
4. SACS Public Disclosure
5. Accrediting Up and Downs
6. Equality Ride Stops at Covenant
7. Gay activists charged with trespassing at Covenant College in Ga.
8. Soulforce Barred From College Grounds
External links
★
Covenant College website
★
★
50th Anniversary Website
★
★
''WKLT Scots Radio'', Covenant's radio station
★
Chalmers Center website
★
''The Bagpipe'', Covenant's student
newspaper
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