Belhaven University

In 1894, the college opened under the name "Belhaven College for Young Ladies" at its current location in Jackson, Mississippi on Peachtree Street in the historic Belhaven Neighborhood. [ 2 ] Confederate veteran, businessman, and state senator Jones S. Hamilton , whose mansion housed the school and gave it its Belhaven University name The school opened in the residence of Colonel Jones S. Hamilton , a Confederate veteran who became a millionaire after the war through investments in railroads run by convicts he leased . [ 3 ] The school took the name Belhaven in honor of Hamilton's mansion, which was named after his ancestral home in Scotland. [ 4 ] It was established in 1883 from the merger of Mississippi Synodical College and McComb Female Institute. Dr. Lewis Fitzhugh was president. J. R. Preston acquired the school and served as its president until it was destroyed by a fire in 1910. [ 5 ] He went on to serve as superintendent of schools in Mississippi. In 1921, Guy T. Gillespie of Lexington, Mississippi, began a 33-year presidency during which Belhaven was first accredited, an endowment fund begun, and scholarships made available. In 1939, Belhaven was merged with the Mississippi Synodical College , a college in Holly Springs, Mississippi that opened in 1883. [ 6 ] This date was adopted by the board of trustees as the official founding date of Belhaven as it represented the oldest founding date of all of the institutions which were eventually absorbed into the college. A major fire devastated the college on August 9, 1927, when lightning struck the school's only building. The columns that stand in the middle of campus are the approximate site of the fire. Today, Fitzhugh and Preston Halls are the remnants of the main building destroyed in the fire. In 1954, the board of trustees voted to allow the enrollment of male students, making Belhaven a fully co-educational institution. The school added men's basketball and men's tennis as intercollegiate sports in 1956.

McFerran Crowe succeeded Gillespie as president and over the next six years he expanded and upgraded the faculty, while also reorganizing and modernizing business operations. [ 2 ] The first singing Christmas tree in the world debuted at Belhaven in 1933. From 1960 to 1961, Robert F. Cooper served as acting president until the board selected Howard J. Cleland, then principal of nearby Murrah High School, to replace him. Under Cleland's 17-year tenure, an ambitious expansion program resulted in six major new buildings, while enrollment and the college budget tripled. In 1965, a faculty member was dismissed for being gay. [ 7 ] In 1972, the Synod of Mississippi officially transferred ownership of the college to the board of trustees, making Belhaven a fully independent college. In March, 1978, Doctor Verne R. Kennedy became the first Belhaven alumnus to serve as the chief executive of Belhaven College. In his eight years as president he reaffirmed the commitment to Christian service and the covenant relationship with the Presbyterian Church, and installed a more efficient administrative structure. In June 1986, another alumnus of Belhaven, Newton Wilson, became president. His nine-year term saw the greatest growth in the history of the college, from just over 600 students to more than 1,100. [ 2 ] Verne R. Kennedy followed as president, and was the first Belhaven alumnus to serve as the school's chief officer. Kennedy reaffirmed the college's commitment to Christian service and its relationship with various Presbyterian denominations. Under Kennedy, Belhaven joined the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. By 1995, over 80 percent of Belhaven's faculty held doctoral or equivalent degrees. Daniel C. Fredericks served as acting president in 1995. In January 1996, Doctor Roger Parrott became the tenth president of the college, with about 1,300 enrolled students.

Under his leadership, Belhaven has added seven major buildings, a variety of new undergraduate academic majors and graduate programs, intercollegiate football, campuses in Memphis, Orlando, Houston, Chattanooga, and Atlanta, online programs, the "Christian Worldview Curriculum", and earned national accreditation in all four of the major arts ( Music , Theater , Visual Arts , and Dance ). The size of the student body has nearly quadrupled during his tenure. [ 2 ] The school maintains a close church connection. Many faculty and staff members are drawn from various Presbyterian denominations , primarily the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) , the Presbyterian Church in America , and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church . The college receives both financial support and students from these three denominations as well. Name changes Four major name changes have taken place, although the name "Belhaven" has been common to them all. The school was founded as "Belhaven College for Young Ladies" in 1894. After the original location burned in a fire in 1910, Belhaven was reopened as the "Belhaven Collegiate and Industrial Institute" in 1911 at its current location on Peachtree Street in the historic Belhaven Neighborhood in Jackson. In 1915, the board of trustees further changed the school's name to "Belhaven College". In December 2009, President Roger Parrott announced that the board of trustees had voted unanimously to change the name from Belhaven College to the current name of Belhaven University, effective January 1, 2010. Among the reasons cited for the name change were the addition of several new graduate programs of study and a total enrollment of more than 3,000 students across four locations, including over 500 graduate students. [ 2 ]

Stone sign Fountain McCravey-Triplett Student Center Belhaven University offers bachelor's degrees in 27 major areas of study. [ 8 ] Master's degrees are offered in business administration , leadership , public administration , teaching , and education , among others, [ 9 ] and Doctorate degrees are offered in business administration and education. [ 10 ] Fine arts Belhaven University is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design , [ 11 ] the National Association of Schools of Music , [ 12 ] the National Association of Schools of Dance [ 13 ] and the National Association of Schools of Theater , [ 14 ] making Belhaven one of only 36 colleges and universities accredited in the all four of the major arts ( visual arts , music , dance and theater ).