Mississippi College

Founding Provine Chapel On January 24, 1826, the college received its first charter, signed by Mississippi Governor David Holmes . In 1827, the name was changed from Hampstead Academy to Mississippi Academy at the request of the board of trustees . [ 8 ] On December 18, 1830, having become a college , the name was changed to Mississippi College. It offered degrees in arts, sciences, and languages. [ 9 ] In 1831, Mississippi College became the first coeducational college in the United States to award a degree to a female student. That year it granted degrees to two women, Alice Robinson and Catherine Hall. [ 10 ] In the beginning, Mississippi College was not church-related. For a number of years, it was affiliated with the Methodist and Presbyterian churches. Since 1850, Mississippi College has been affiliated with the Mississippi Baptist Convention , and the board of trustees oversees the institution. [ 9 ]

Classes were not held during the Civil War , and the buildings deteriorated. Many students joined with faculty, a school trustee and townspeople to form the Mississippi College Rifles, a company of the 18th Mississippi Infantry Regiment during the war years or signed up with other units. [ 9 ] In the half-century after the war, the college enrollment and campus slowly recovered. The college president Walter Hillman helped refurbish the buildings by securing Northern financing prior to being offered the college presidency. [ 11 ] The endowment fund was renewed, and the physical structures were renovated. [ 9 ] From 1911 through 1932, the construction of Provine Science Building, Lowrey Hall, Alumni Hall and Farr-Hall Hospital was completed. The college endowment grew to $500,000 and in 1922, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools approved accreditation for the college. Enrollment reached 400 students. [ 9 ]

Mississippi College in 1942 In 1942, Mississippi College acquired Hillman College . A new Nelson Hall administration building was erected in 1948, and new residence halls were built. [ 9 ] Nelson Hall In 1943, MC was among 131 colleges and universities nationwide taking part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program , which offered students a path to a Navy commission. During the V-12 period, the Navy had exclusive use of Chrestman, Alumni Hall, and the cafeteria. During World War II , enrollment was between 550 and 600 students. After the war ended and veterans returned, enrollment increased. About 1,000 students were enrolled in 1950, and 1,581 students by fall 1956. [ 9 ] Mississippi College was one of the last private colleges in the country to drop its segregation policy, and did not do so until the 1969–70 school year. [ 12 ] From 1957 through 1968, the college built the B.C. Rogers Student Center, Hederman Science Building, Self Hall, and a pair of residence halls. Provine Chapel was restored. The School of Nursing began in 1969. MC purchased the former Jackson School of Law in 1975, leading to the Mississippi College School of Law . In 1975, the division of business became the School of Business. In 1977, the division of education became the School of Education. In 1982, the 12 remaining departments were grouped into the College of Arts and Sciences. [ 9 ] In May 1992, MC absorbed Clarke College after the smaller school was forced to close due to declining enrollments. Throughout the 1990s, the college renovated and expanded; work was carried out on the library, electronic media center, Cockroft Hall (for the School of Nursing), A.E. Wood Coliseum, the Law School building in downtown Jackson, the New Men's Residence Hall, the New Women's Residence Hall, Jennings Hall, and Latimer House (a Victorian house later used for alumni receptions). [ 9 ]

From 2002 to 2015, the college's enrollment grew from 3,227 to 5,152. The number includes a record of 618 freshmen. The number of international students rose from nine [ when? ] to a record 505 students from more than two dozen nations in fall 2015. The college added a physician assistant program in 2011. MC was the first institution in Mississippi to offer such a degree. MC now offers doctorates in educational leadership and professional counseling. [ 9 ] Mississippi College was granted an exception to Title IX in 2015, which allows it to legally discriminate against LGBT students for religious reasons. [ 13 ] As part of a restructuring process for the school's bicentennial in 2026, the school's name will be changed to Mississippi Christian University starting that academic year. [ 14 ] [ 15 ]