Former names | Boys Industrial School (1902–1926) Martha Berry School for Girls (1909–1926) |
---|---|
Motto | Not to be Ministered Unto, but to Minister |
Type | Private college |
Established | 1902 |
Religious affiliation | Non-denominational Christian |
Endowment | $1.21 billion (2021) [1] |
President | Stephen R. Briggs |
Students | 2,367 |
Location | , , United States 34°17′24″N85°11′20″W / 34.290°N 85.189°W |
Campus | Rural; more than 27,000 acres (110 km2) |
Colors | Blue and silver [2] |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division III |
Mascot | Victor the Viking |
Website | berry |
Berry College is a private liberal arts college in the Mount Berry community adjacent to Rome, Georgia. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Berry College was founded on values based on Christian principles in 1902 by Martha Berry.
In 1902, Martha Berry, daughter of a prominent local business owner, founded the Boys Industrial School on 83 acres of land inherited from her father. In exchange for an education, students of the school would work to help build, run, and maintain the new school. In 1909, the Martha Berry School for Girls was added, and collectively with the boys school, it came to be known as the Berry Schools. The free labor provided by the students helped to keep construction and operating costs for the schools low. In 1926, the school became a junior college and several years later, a senior college, graduating its first class in 1932. During the 1930s, the school campus grew to 30,000 acres, helped by a large donation from Henry Ford. In 1957, Berry College became accredited by the SACS. During the 1960s, Berry College began paying student workers instead of crediting accounts and ended mandatory religious services for students. [3]
Berry College is situated near the city of Rome in northwestern Georgia, 59 miles (95 km) northwest of Atlanta, Georgia and 53 miles (85 km) south of Chattanooga, Tennessee. [4] The campus consists of more than 27,000 acres of land - including fields, forests, and Lavender Mountain - making it the largest contiguous college campus in the world. [5] Designated portions are open to the public for hiking, cycling, horseback riding, and other outdoor activities. The campus is also home to a large population of deer (estimates range between 1,500 and 2,500).
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources oversees about 16,000 acres of the campus, conducts managed hunts, and provides recreational opportunities. The land encompassing the academic buildings and other public spaces is a wildlife refuge in which no hunting is allowed.[ citation needed ] In September 2011, Travel+Leisure ranked Berry among the most beautiful college campuses in the United States, noting its numerous fountains and pools among its English Gothic-style buildings. [5] [6]
Berry College offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science, Master of Business Administration, Master of Education, and Education Specialist degrees from the four schools making up its academic program. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and is a member of the Annapolis Group, an organization of more than 120 liberal arts colleges nationwide. The student-faculty ratio at Berry College is 11:1, and the school has 58.9% of its classes with fewer than 20 students, and 99.6% of its classes with fewer than 50 students. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 83%. U.S. News & World Report in its 2021 Best Colleges ranks Berry College #4 in Regional Universities South, #3 in Best Undergraduate Teaching, and #1 in Best Value Schools. [7]
Berry offers degrees in the following schools:
A minor degree can be obtained in 36 different courses of study throughout the four schools. Berry also offers an undergraduate degree in interdisciplinary studies.
Berry's Honors Program is an undergraduate program designed to give qualified students a chance to learn in an intellectually challenging environment with their peers and professors. The Honors Program allows the students to take Honors-only classes, Honorized classes, and to study abroad in Honors-only programs. During their last year at Berry, Honors students must complete and defend a senior thesis. Upon graduation, they receive an Honors diploma.
Berry offers a Master of Arts in Teaching program and an Education Specialist certification in the Charter School of Education and Human Sciences that is accredited by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCATE).
The Campbell School of Business offers a Master of Business Administration program that is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
In 2021, Berry College accepted 77% of all applicants. Admitted students have an average GPA of 3.7, a mean ACT score of 27 and a mean SAT score of 1175. [8] [ third-party source needed ]
Berry College's tuition is $38,430 a year, before any financial aid, grants, or scholarships. In 2021, tuition increased 1.9%, from $37,720 in 2020 to the current rate of $38,430. On average, college tuition rises about 3 percent a year. [8]
Berry College has the same tuition for Georgia residents as for students from other states and international students. [9]
In addition to tuition, students at Berry can expect to pay around $13,620 a year for room and board, which covers the cost of on-campus housing and a meal plan. Students who live off campus but still want to eat on campus can pay $6,180 a year for a meal plan. [8]
Berry College Elementary and Middle School is a private school located on Berry College's mountain campus across from Frost Chapel. Established in 1977, the school was initially called the Berry College Academy - which held a variety of students from preschool to high school. [10] The academy was meant to follow British enfant school practices. [11] Using a Lilly Foundation Grant, the school was called the Early Learning Center in the Westcott Building and taught kindergarten and first grade students. Furthermore, the high school students were engaged in Bible study. [10]
Berry abruptly closed the academy in 1983, and all 144 students left to attend school elsewhere. In 1988, the school moved locations from the Westcott Building to Hamrick Hall, where it is now located. By this time the age range had expanded to teach children up until fifth grade. Since 2002, it has enrolled students in up to the eighth grade. A year later, the older students were moved from Hamrick Hall to the newly built Cook Building on Main Campus to form their own separate middle school. [12] A series of reunion events were held for former students, parents, teachers and directors in 2007 for the thirty year anniversary. [11] The names of the schools were merged into one, Berry College Elementary and Middle School. [13]
Currently, the school is home to 129 elementary and middle school students with a 1:12 teacher to student ratio. During the 180 days in the school year, the students attend class for seven hours compared to the normal six for other elementary schools in the area. [14] The Middle Schoolers were also known for annually producing short films, with the eight graders receiving a "Martha" award for their achievements. [15]
Berry College has a total of 1,943 undergraduate students for the 2019–2020 academic year. There are 91 graduate students. There is a 66:34 female to male ratio, and 69 percent of the students are in-state residents. Students come from 35 states and at least 18 foreign countries.[ citation needed ]
Berry College has more than 80 miles of hiking, biking and horseback riding trails, and two disc golf courses; all are open to the Berry community and to the public. The Victory Lake Campground located in the heart of Berry's campus is available to Berry student use only. Berry offers an intramural program with men, women and co-educational play for many sports.
Berry College's student work program, called LifeWorks, guarantees every student a job on campus for those interested in participating. The work program is based upon the original idea the school was formed around. The founder, Martha Berry, would educate local children for free if they would work around campus. This continues to help offset the tuition cost to this day. [16]
Berry College has been used as a site for the filming of several movies, in addition to music videos by bands such as Casting Crowns. The most notable films are Remember the Titans and Sweet Home Alabama . [17] Disney's Perfect Harmony (1991) was filmed almost entirely on campus at buildings such as Oak Hill, Frost Chapel, the Old Mill, and the Ford Buildings. A short scene from Dutch was filmed on the Berry campus. In addition, scenes for the Fox series, The Following, starring Kevin Bacon, were filmed here. In the Constantine television series, the Ford Buildings and the Old Mill were used as the settings for Ravenscar Asylum and John Constantine's hideout, respectively. [18] The Netflix Original Stranger Things filmed parts of its fourth season at the Ford Complex.
Berry College's mission statement espouses "values based on Christian principles." [19] The college board chose to shutter the middle and high school academy, and used that campus property to court leadership of Chick Fil-A, a Christian-run business, through its WinShape foundation programs. [20] The campus has a chaplain, four chapels, and an active religion-in-life program supporting all Christian denominations and religions outside of Christianity. The school recognizes the Student Association for an Inter-Religious Community, which is a student organization that encourages dialogue between religions represented on campus.
The college has housing for employees. [21]
Faculty housing on the Berry College property is zoned to Floyd County School District for public school (for dependents of college employees living on the property). [22] The zoned secondary schools for Berry College's housing are Armuchee Middle School and Armuchee High School. [23]
The Berry athletic teams are called the Vikings. The college is a member of the Division III level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) as a founding member since the 2012–13 academic year. The Vikings previously competed as an NCAA D-III Independent from 2010–11 to 2011–12; and in the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC; formerly known as Georgia–Alabama–Carolina Conference (GACC) until after the 2003–04 school year) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2004–05 to 2009–10. The school's mascot is the Viking.
Berry competes in 22 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, beach volleyball, cross country, equestrian, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field and volleyball.
Berry has won three NAIA national championships in women's soccer (1987, 1990 and 1993), one national title in women's basketball (1976), one NAIA national crown in men's golf (1998), and three IHSA national championships in equestrian (2011, 2015, 2016). In addition, Berry student-athletes Michelle Abernathy (marathon, 1999), Caio Soares (3,000 meter race-walk, 2004), Michelle Tuggle (high jump, 1984) and Nicole Wildes (women's golf, 2004) have all won individual national championships. The Berry College women's basketball team won the AIAW Small College National Championship in 1976. [24]
In 2018 Elijah Hirsh in men's basketball broke the single-game record for blocks in Berry's NCAA DIII era with 10 blocks. [25] [26] In 2019 he averaged 9.2 rebounds (leading the SAA), and was named SAA Player of the Year, SAA All-First Team, and National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District South First Team. [27] [25] [26] [28]
The Berry College Board of Trustees voted to add football beginning in the fall of 2013, with a track and field athletic program to be added soon after. [29] Due to the financial expense and the traditions of the school, the decision to add football was controversial and met with opposition from a significant portion of the student body, faculty, and alumni. According to the school newspaper, The Campus Carrier, adding football will not affect issues related to equal sports opportunity under the Title IX regulations. [30]
A new stadium, known as "Valhalla", has been built on Berry's campus. The facility is used by the college's football, track, and lacrosse programs. [31]
The stadium was originally intended to be built near the Cage Center, but in 2012 a pair of bald eagles established their nest near the site. They returned and successfully raised chicks in 2013 and 2014. The school moved the stadium site to a new location well removed from the eagles, which have become a symbol of the school. [32] Groundbreaking was held on October 17, 2014, and the stadium was completed for the 2015 football season. [33]
The Cage Center is Berry's 131,000-square-foot athletic facility that houses a performance gymnasium, a natatorium with observation seating, a fitness center, racquetball courts, an indoor track and classrooms. The Cage was named after Berry College alumnus and trustee Steven Cage, whose $10 million donation kicked off the project.
Berry College | |
---|---|
Country | United States |
State | Georgia |
County | Floyd |
Elevation | 614 ft (187 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 1,565 |
Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
GNIS feature ID | 2806017 [37] |
Berry College CDP is a census-designated place (CDP) and the official name for an area covering the Berry College campus, in Floyd County, Georgia, United States.
It first appeared as a CDP in the 2020 Census with a population of 1,565. [38]
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
2020 | 1,565 | — | |
U.S. Decennial Census [39] 2020 [40] |
Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2020 [40] | % 2020 |
---|---|---|
White alone (NH) | 1,228 | 78.47% |
Black or African American alone (NH) | 122 | 7.80% |
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 3 | 0.19% |
Asian alone (NH) | 36 | 2.30% |
Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 1 | 0.06% |
Some Other Race alone (NH) | 60 | 3.83% |
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 3 | 0.19% |
Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 112 | 7.16% |
Total | 1,565 | 100.00% |
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. After being chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolling students in 1795, making it one of the oldest public universities in the United States.
Alcorn State University is a public historically black land-grant university adjacent to Lorman, Mississippi. It was founded in 1871 and was the first black land grant college established in the United States. The university is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
Kean University is a public university in Union, Elizabeth, and Hillside, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education and is a state-designated research university.
Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in University Park, Florida. Founded in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest university in Florida and the eighth-largest public university in the United States by enrollment. FIU is a constituent part of the State University System of Florida.
Pepperdine University is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the Pacific Coast Highway near Malibu, California. Founded by entrepreneur George Pepperdine in South Los Angeles in 1937, the school expanded to Malibu in 1972. Courses are now taught at a main Malibu campus, three graduate campuses in Southern California, a center in Washington, D.C., and international campuses in Buenos Aires, Argentina; London, United Kingdom; Heidelberg, Germany; Florence, Italy; and Blonay – Saint-Légier, Switzerland.
The University of West Georgia is a public university in Carrollton, Georgia. The university offers a satellite campus in Newnan, Georgia, select classes at its Douglasville Center, and off-campus Museum Studies classes at the Atlanta History Center in Atlanta, Georgia. A total of 12,769 students, including 8,454 undergraduate and 4,315 graduate, were enrolled as of Fall 2023. The university is also one of four comprehensive universities in the University System of Georgia.
Northern Arizona University (NAU) is a public research university based in Flagstaff, Arizona. Founded in 1899, it was the final university established in the Arizona Territory.
St. Joseph's University, New York is a private Catholic university in New York State, with campuses in Brooklyn and Long Island. The university provides education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, offering degrees in more than 54 majors and other programs.
Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) is a public university in Lee County, Florida near Fort Myers. It is part of the State University System of Florida and is its second youngest member. The university was established on May 3, 1991, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). It offers 58 bachelor's degree programs, 25 master's degree programs, 6 doctoral degree programs, and 12 graduate certificates.
Utah Tech University (UT), formerly known as Dixie State University (DSU) and similar names, is a polytechnic 4-year public university in St. George, Utah. The university offers doctoral degrees, master's degrees, bachelor's degrees, associate degrees, and certifications. As of fall 2022, there are 12,556 students enrolled at UT.
Fort Valley State University is a public land-grant historically black university in Fort Valley, Georgia. It is part of the University System of Georgia and a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
Crown College is a private Evangelical Christian college in St. Bonifacius, Minnesota. It is affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Augusta University (AU) is a public research university and academic medical center in Augusta, Georgia. It is a part of the University System of Georgia and has satellite medical campuses in Savannah, Albany, Rome, and Athens. It employs over 15,000 people, has more than 56,000 alumni, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Shorter University is a private Baptist university in Rome, Georgia. It was founded in 1873 and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees through six colleges and schools. In addition Shorter operates the Robert H. Ledbetter College of Business and the School of Nursing at off-campus facilities in the Rome area.
Marietta College (MC) is a private liberal arts college in Marietta, Ohio. It offers more than 50 undergraduate majors across the arts, sciences, and engineering, as well as Physician Assistant, Psychology, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and Athletic Training graduate programs. Its campus encompasses approximately three city blocks next to downtown Marietta and enrolls 1,200 full-time students.
Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is a private university between Manchester and Hooksett, New Hampshire. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, along with national accreditation for some hospitality, health, education and business degrees. SNHU is one of the fastest-growing universities nationwide with 135,000 online students and 3,000 on campus.
Bishop McNamara High School(BMHS, McNamara, or Mac) is a private, Catholic coed high school in Forestville CDP in unincorporated Prince George's County, Maryland.
Loyola University Chicago is a private Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic universities in the United States. Its namesake is Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Loyola's professional schools include programs in medicine, nursing, and health sciences anchored by the Loyola University Medical Center. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".
The University of North Georgia (UNG) is a public senior military college with multiple campuses in Georgia, United States. It is part of the University System of Georgia. The university was established on January 8, 2013, by a merger of North Georgia College & State University and Gainesville State College. Campus locations include Dahlonega, Oakwood, Watkinsville, Blue Ridge, and Cumming.
Elijah Hirsh is an American-Israeli basketball player for Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He plays the forward position.
Berry men's basketball alumnus Elijah Hirsh signed a two-year deal with Israel's Elitzur Kiryat Ata