Rust College

Last updated
Rust College
RustCollegeSeal.jpg
Seal of Rust College
Former names
Shaw University (1870–1892)
Rust University (1892–1915)
MottoBy Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them
Type Private historically black college
Established1866;158 years ago (1866)
Affiliation UNCF
Religious affiliation
United Methodist Church
Endowment $43.4 million (2019) [1]
President Dr. Robert M. Dixon (Interim)
Students700 to 900 (fluctuates from module to module)
Location, ,
United States

34°46′29″N89°26′54″W / 34.774746°N 89.44829°W / 34.774746; -89.44829
Colors Royal Blue & White
   
Nickname Bearcats
Sporting affiliations
NAIAHBCUAC
Website www.rustcollege.edu

Rust College is a private historically black college in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Founded in 1866, it is the second-oldest private college in the state. Affiliated with the United Methodist Church, it is one of ten historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) founded before 1868 that are still operating.

Contents

History

One of the oldest colleges for African Americans in the United States, Rust was founded on November 24, 1866, by Northern missionaries with a group called the Freedman's Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1870, the college was chartered as Shaw University in 1870, honoring the Reverend S. O. Shaw, who made a gift of $10,000 to the institution which, adjusted for inflation, is the equivalent of approximately $240,000 in 2023. [2]

In 1892, to avoid confusion with Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, the institution changed its name to Rust University—a tribute to Rev. Richard S. Rust of Cincinnati, Ohio, a preacher, abolitionist, and the secretary of the Freedmen's Aid Society, who helped found the college. In 1915, the institution assumed the name Rust College. [2] Rust College is the oldest of the 11 historically black colleges and universities associated with The United Methodist Church, the second oldest private college in Mississippi. [3]

The college welcomed their new President Ivy Taylor on June 1, 2020. [4]

Academics

McCoy Administration Building on the Rust College campus Rust College Admin Bldg.jpg
McCoy Administration Building on the Rust College campus

Rust College maintains five divisions or departments of study: Division of Education, Division of Humanities, Division of Science and Mathematics, Division of Social Sciences, and the Division of Business. Degree programs are offered in 16 areas of study. Upon completion of their studies at Rust, students can receive associates or bachelor's degrees. [5]

Rust College operates on what is called a module system, which is an 8-week semester class system that allows the college to constantly enroll a steady stream of transfer students every 8 weeks.

Campus

Rust College occupies approximately 126 acres (51 ha). Some buildings on campus were erected in the mid-1800s, such as the alumni and public relations center. Others were recently built, such as the Hamilton Science Center, a three-story addition to the McDonald Science Building. In 2008, Rust College acquired the campus of the former Mississippi Industrial College, located adjacent to the campus. [6]

In 2011, the college acquired Airliewood, an antebellum former slave plantation estate located near Rust College campus. Built in 1858, Airliewood served as living quarters for Ulysses S. Grant during the Civil War, and currently serves as the official residence of the college president. [7] There are five gender-segregated dorms, with about 900 spaces. Two historic markers honoring the Council of Federated Organizations and those involved in the 1964 Freedom Summer Project in Holly Springs were unveiled on campus in 2014. [8]

Students

About 70% of students are in a traditional age range of 18 to 21, and 10% are age 25 or older. [9] About 35% of students are from Mississippi, 30% from Tennessee, and 15% from Illinois. [9]

Athletics

The Rust athletic teams are called the Bearcats. The college is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC), formerly the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC), since the 2018–19 academic year, after spending as an NAIA Independent within the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) during the 2017–18 school year when they joined the NAIA. The Bearcats previously competed in the NCAA Division III ranks as an NCAA D-III Independent until after the 2016–17 school year; and in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) from 1978–79 to 1987–88, which is currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.

For certain single sports, the Rust Bearcats softball team competed in the defunct D-III Great South Athletic Conference (GSAC) as an affiliate member from 2013–14 to 2014–15.

Rust competes in 11 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, tennis and track & field (outdoor); while women's sports include basketball, cross country, softball, tennis, track & field (outdoor) and volleyball.

Accomplishments

In 1984, the women's basketball team won their first national championship with a 51-49 win over Elizabethtown College.

Notable alumni

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference</span> Collegiate athletic conference

The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Formed in 1913, it consists mostly of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), with all but one member located in the Southern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference</span> U.S. collegiate conference

The West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) was a collegiate athletic conference which historically operated exclusively in the state of West Virginia, but briefly had one Kentucky member in its early years, and expanded into Pennsylvania in its final years. It participated in the Division II ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), originally affiliated in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) until 1995, but held its final athletic competitions in spring 2013, and officially disbanded on September 1 of that year. Its football-playing members announced in June 2012 that they planned to withdraw to form a new Division II conference at the end of the 2012–13 season; this led to a chain of conference moves that saw all but one of the WVIAC's members find new conference homes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wiley University</span> Private historically black college in Marshall, Texas

Wiley University is a private historically black college in Marshall, Texas. Founded in 1873 by the Methodist Episcopal Church's Bishop Isaac Wiley and certified in 1882 by the Freedman's Aid Society, it is one of the oldest predominantly black colleges west of the Mississippi River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics</span> North American college athletics association

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to their student athletes. Around $1.3 billion in athletic scholarship financial aid is awarded to student athletes annually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roberts Wesleyan University</span> Methodist institute of higher education in Chili, New York

Roberts Wesleyan University is a private Christian university in Rochester, New York anchored in the liberal arts. It was the first educational institution established for Free Methodists in North America. Roberts is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Roberts Wesleyan enrolled 1621 students in the fall of 2023 in undergraduate, graduate, adult degree completion and doctoral programs. It offers over 100 programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NAIA independent schools</span> Informal athletic conference member schools

NAIA independent schools are four-year institutional members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) that do not have formal conference affiliations. NAIA schools that are not members of any other athletic conference are members of the Continental Athletic Conference (CAC), formerly the Association of Independent Institutions (AII), which provides member services to the institution and allows members to compete in postseason competition. The CAC has one member institution in Canada's British Columbia. It provides services to the member institutions that are not fitting in any other NAIA conference and allows members to compete in postseason competition. The AII renamed itself the Continental Athletic Conference at the end of June 2021, citing the need to identify as a proper conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spring Hill College</span> Jesuit college in Mobile, Alabama, US

Spring Hill College is a private Jesuit college in Mobile, Alabama. It was founded in 1830 by Michael Portier, Bishop of Mobile. Along with being the oldest college or university in the state of Alabama, it was the first Catholic college in the South, is the fifth-oldest Catholic college in the United States, and is the third-oldest member of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lambuth University</span> Methodist college in Jackson, Tennessee, US

Lambuth University was a private Methodist university in Jackson, Tennessee. It was active from 1843 to 2011 and was supported by the Memphis Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. The university began as the Memphis Conference Female Institute in 1843 and was later renamed in honor of Walter Russell Lambuth (1854–1921), a Methodist missionary who traveled globally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentucky Wesleyan College</span> Methodist college in Owensboro, Kentucky, US

Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC) is a private Methodist college in Owensboro, Kentucky. Fall 2018 enrollment was 830 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iowa Wesleyan University</span> Private university in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, US

Iowa Wesleyan University was a private university in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, United States. It was Iowa's first co-educational institution of higher learning and the oldest of its type west of the Mississippi River. The institution was affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It closed at the end of the 2022–23 academic year due to financial challenges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Tennessee Southern</span> Public university in Pulaski, Tennessee

The University of Tennessee Southern is a public college in Pulaski, Tennessee. Founded in 1870, for over 150 years it was a private institution until joining the University of Tennessee system in 2021. For many years it was a junior college but is now a baccalaureate institution providing more than thirty academic majors. The college also has an MBA program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakwood University</span> Seventh-day Adventist historically black university in Huntsville, Alabama, US

Oakwood University is a private, historically black Seventh-day Adventist university in Huntsville, Alabama. It is the only HBCU owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stillman College</span> Historically black private college in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA

Stillman College is a private historically black Presbyterian college in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It awards Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in 22 programs housed within three academic schools. The college has an average enrollment of 728 students and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

McKendree University (McK), formerly McKendree College, is a private university in Lebanon, Illinois. Founded in 1828 as the Lebanon Seminary, it is the oldest college or university in Illinois. The school was renamed McKendree University beginning in the 2007–08 academic year. McKendree enrolls approximately 1,960 students representing 25 countries and 29 states. In the undergraduate program, on average there are 51% females and 49% males. The institution remains affiliated with the United Methodist Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allen University</span> Historically black university in Columbia, South Carolina, US

Allen University is a private historically black university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. It has more than 600 students and still serves a predominantly Black constituency. The campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Allen University Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Waters University</span> Private historically Black college in Jacksonville, Florida

Edward Waters University is a private Christian historically Black university in Jacksonville, Florida. It was founded in 1866 by members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church as a school to educate freedmen and their children. It was the first independent institution of higher education and the first historically black college in the State of Florida. It continues to be affiliated with the AME Church and is a member of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philander Smith University</span> Historially Black university in Little Rock, Arkansas, US

Philander Smith University is a private historically black college in Little Rock, Arkansas. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is a founding member of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). Philander Smith College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern States Athletic Conference</span>

The Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The 13 member universities that compete in 19 sports are located in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Basketball teams compete as a single division in the NAIA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HBCU Athletic Conference</span>

The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC), formerly known as the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, is a college athletic conference made up entirely of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that is affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas as well as the U.S. territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McKendree Bearcats</span> Athletic teams representing McKendree University

The McKendree Bearcats are the intercollegiate athletic programs that represent McKendree University, located in Lebanon, Illinois, United States, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) as a provisional member since the 2012–13 academic year.

References

  1. As of June 30, 2019. "U.S. and Canadian 2019 NTSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2019 Endowment Market Value, and Percentage Change in Market Value from FY18 to FY19 (Revised)". National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Bay, Mia (2009). To Tell the Truth Freely: The Life of Ida B. Wells. New York: Hill and Wang. ISBN   978-0-8090-9529-2.
  3. Hill, Levirn (1994). Black American Colleges and Universities: Profiles of Two-Year, Four-Year, & Professional Schools . Gale Group. ISBN   0-02-864984-2.
  4. "Former San Antonio mayor named first female president of Rust College". 8 May 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  5. "Rust College - Profile, Rankings and Data". Colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com. U.S. News & World Report L.P. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  6. "Rust College buys land across street". Mississippi-umc.org. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  7. "Rust College - Where Tomorrow's Leaders Are Students Today". Rustcollege.edu. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  8. "Civil Rights corner gets markers - South Reporter". Archived from the original on June 9, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  9. 1 2 "Rust College Diversity: Racial Demographics & Other Stats". www.collegefactual.com. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  10. Cleveland, Rick (June 4, 2019). "From Macon to MIT: Larry Anderson's Amazing Story" . Retrieved 5 June 2019.

Further reading