Lander University was founded as a college for women by Methodist clergyman Samuel Lander in 1872 as Williamston Female College in Williamston, South Carolina. It was re-named Lander College in 1904. Men were admitted starting in 1943 and it became a university in 1992.[3]
Lander University has had twelve presidents serve since its founding. They are: Samuel Lander (1872–1904); John O. Willson (1904–1923); B. Rhett Turnipseed (1923–1927); R. H. Bennett (1927–1932); John W. Speake (1932–1941); John Marvin Rast (1941–1948); Boyce M. Grier (1948–1966); E. Don Herd, Jr. (1966–1973); Larry A. Jackson (1973–1992); William C. Moran (1992–2000); Daniel W. Ball (2000–2015); and Richard E. Cosentino (2015–present).[3]
Campus
Lander University is located approximately one half-mile from uptown Greenwood, South Carolina. The main campus sits on 190 acres of land, though this does not include its many off-campus locations.
Lander University has ten residence halls. Residence halls include Bearcat Village, Brookside, Centennial Hall, Chipley Hall, Lide Apartments, McGhee Court, New Hall, Thomason, University Place, and Williamston. The Lander College Old Main Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In July 2021, Lander announced that the state legislature has appropriated new funding for the University, which includes money that will be used to construct a nursing building on Lander's campus in Greenwood.[4] Additional funding was appropriated in 2022, including $8 million for a new information commons that will take the place of Jackson Library. An additional $6 million will be used to renovate the existing library into academic space.[5]
Academics
More than 90 areas of undergraduate and graduate studies are offered.
College of Arts and Humanities
College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
College of Business
College of Education
College of Graduate & Online Studies
College of Science and Mathematics
Honors College
William Preston Turner School of Nursing
Rankings
In 2025, U.S. News and World Report's college and university rankings listed Lander fourteenth among regional colleges in the south and third among public regional colleges in the south.[6]
Varsity athletic teams have reaped honors at district and national levels, including 12 national championships in men's tennis, and, most recently, in men's wrestling. A member of the NCAA Division II, Lander plays in the Peach Belt Conference and fields teams in men's and women's basketball, lacrosse, soccer, and tennis; men's baseball and golf; and women's cross country, softball, and volleyball. Lander also offers club sports that include equestrian, ultimate disc, rugby, bass-fishing, lacrosse, soccer, water skiing, running, Cross-Fit, baseball, and women's volleyball and it has an intramural program open to all students, faculty, and staff.
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