North Greenville University

North Greenville University

Former name	North Greenville High School (1892–1915) North Greenville Baptist Academy (1915–1950) North Greenville Junior College (1950–1972) North Greenville College (1972–2006)
Motto	Christ Makes the Difference
Type	Private liberal arts college
Established	October 14, 1891;132 years ago (1891-10-14)
Religious affiliation	South Carolina Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention)
President	Gene Fant Jr.
Provost	Hunter Baker [1]
Students	2,125 [2]
Undergraduates	1,839
Postgraduates	286
Location	Tigerville , South Carolina , United States 35°4′9″N82°22′20″W / 35.06917°N 82.37222°W / 35.06917; -82.37222
Campus	Rural
Colors	Red, Black & White
Nickname	Trailblazers
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division II – Carolinas
Website	ngu.edu

North Greenville University is a private Baptist liberal arts college in Tigerville, South Carolina. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and awards bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. ^{[3] [4]}

History

NGU was founded in 1892 ^[5] and named North Greenville High School, the first high school in the northern portion of Greenville County. Benjamin F. Neves donated land for the school. It was operated by the North Greenville Baptist Association and was established to expand educational offerings in the mountainous northern portion of Greenville County.

The school received a state charter in 1904. It was taken over by the Southern Baptist Convention's Home Mission Board a year later and renamed North Greenville Baptist Academy in 1915. The North Greenville Baptist Association reassumed control of the school in 1929. ^[6]

In 1934, the academy was expanded to include a junior college. In 1949, it was transferred to the South Carolina Baptist Convention, which renamed the school North Greenville Junior College a year later. In 1957, it was accredited as a two-year college, and high school courses were dropped altogether. It was renamed simply North Greenville College in 1972. ^[7]

NGC began offering its first junior- and senior-level classes in 1992 in Christian studies and church music and added a teacher education program in 1997. In the following years, various other bachelor's degree programs were added, including English, History, Spanish, Psychology, Business, Economics, Criminal Justice, Theatre, Communications, Outdoor Leadership, Interdisciplinary Studies, Biology, and Mathematics, among other subjects. The institution's name changed to North Greenville University in 2006, and it began granting master's degrees as well. ^[8]

NGU was granted an exception to Title IX in 2015, which some groups, such as Campus Pride, allege allows them to legally discriminate against LGBTQ students. ^[9] Homosexual acts and all sex outside of marriage are grounds for expulsion from the school. ^[10]

It was recently ranked 36th in U.S. News & World Report's “Best Regional Universities” in the South, ^[11]

Accreditation

It is affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention). ^[12]

Athletics

Main article: North Greenville Trailblazers

Younts Stadium

The North Greenville (NGU) athletic teams are called the Trailblazers— they were previously known as the Crusaders until 2024. ^[13] . The institution is a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the Conference Carolinas (CC; formerly known as the Carolinas–Virginia Athletic Conference (CVAC) until after the 2006–07 school year) since the 2011–12 academic year. ^[14] They were also a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the South Region of the Division I level. The Trailblazers previously competed as a member of the Mid-South Conference (MSC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1995–96 to 2000–01.

NGU competes in 20 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, track & field, and volleyball, while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball; and co-ed sports include cheerleading. ^[15]

Baseball

The baseball team won the national NCAA Division II baseball tournament in 2022. ^{[16] [17]}

Notable alumni

• Mac Brunson, 1978, Senior Pastor of Valleydale Baptist Church, Alabama; former Senior pastor of FBC Dallas and FBC Jacksonville.
• Seth Condrey, Christian musician.
• Donna Scott Davenport, embattled Rutherford County, Tennessee, juvenile court judge.
• Clayton Holmes, former NFL player.
• Josh Kimbrell, 2007, the youngest Senator in the South Carolina legislature.
• Freddie Martino, NFL player.
• John Michael McConnell, 1964, former US Director of National Intelligence.
• Chris Sligh, 2003, songwriter, recording artist, and Season Six American Idol finalist.
• Bob Richey, 2006, head basketball coach for Furman University
• Willy Korn, 2011 Offensive Coordinator for Liberty University

References

1. O'Gwynn, Marty. "Noted Evangelical Scholar Hunter Baker Named NGU Provost". NGU.edu. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
2. "College Navigator - North Greenville University". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved Apr 17, 2021.
3. "North Greenville University". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
4. "North Greenville University - Top University in United States of America - GoToUniversity". www.gotouniversity.com. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
5. "North Greenville College". South Carolina Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
6. "North Greenville University History: Founding, Timeline, and Milestones - Zippia". www.zippia.com. 2020-08-27. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
7. Project, SC Picture (2016-11-04). "North Greenville University". SC Picture Project. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
8. "ABOUT NGU: A CHRISTIAN COLLEGE". North Greenville University. 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
9. Staff, The Charlotte Observer (2016-08-29). "Eight Carolinas colleges included on 'Shame List' for LGBT discrimination". www.wbtv.com. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
10. Cary, Nathaniel (August 10, 2015). "Why same-sex ruling has SC's religious-based schools fearing loss of tax exemption". The Greenville News. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
11. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/regional-universities-south
12. Southern Baptist Convention, Colleges and Universities, sbc.net, USA, retrieved October 22, 2022
13. O'Gwynn, Marty (April 30, 2024). "North Greenville Seeks to Honor History, Blaze Trail With New Mascot" (Press release). North Greenville University . Retrieved April 30, 2024.
14. "North Greenville University Athletics". ngcrusaders.com. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
15. "North Greenville University | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
16. Morris, Julia (June 11, 2022). "North Greenville baseball team wins national championship". WYFF . Retrieved June 11, 2022.
17. Howell, LaVerne (2022-06-14). "National Champions: NGU Wins NCAA DII Baseball". North Greenville University. Retrieved 2023-09-12.

External links

• Official website
• Official athletics website