GUILFORD COLLEGE

'Guilford College' is a small, private, four-year liberal arts college in Greensboro, North Carolina founded by the Religious Society of Friends (the Quakers). Founded in 1837 as the New Garden Boarding School, its name was changed to Guilford College in 1888 when the academic program expanded considerably.
Guilford College is listed in Loren Pope's ''Colleges That Change Lives''.

Contents

Student body

Athletics

Campus events

The Quaker Man

The Fighting Quaker

Notable alumni

Notable students

External links

Notes and references

Student body

Only about ten percent of the student body are Quakers; however, the institution is governed by Quaker principles. It is the oldest co-educational institution of higher learning in the Southeast, and the fourth-oldest institution of higher learning in North Carolina. Its academic atmosphere, like that of many Quaker colleges, is open and informal; for example, many professors encourage students to call them by their first names.
The college is also noted for its left-leaning, liberal student body and faculty. Views on campus tend to be progressive and the student body is actively vocal in protesting war and social injustice. Students often organize in peaceful protests on campus and around the country to bring about social change. Political activism is immensely popular at Guilford, which is considered one of the most progressive schools in the South thanks to its Quaker heritage. Its current president is Kent John Chabotar.
In recent years, the school's focus on athletics has created conflict with its traditional liberal culture.

Athletics

Guilford competes as an NCAA Division III and Old Dominion Athletic Conference member. The school has won five national championships, including the 1973 NAIA men's basketball title, the 1981 NAIA women's tennis title and the 1989 (NAIA), 2002 and 2005 (NCAA Division III) men's golf titles.

Campus events

In the past decade, Guilford's Bryan Series has brought many notable speakers to the campus and city for an annual public lecture series. Past speakers have included Desmond Tutu, Mikhail Gorbachev, Colin Powell, Madeleine Albright and Ken Burns. Bryan series speakers for the 2006-2007 year will include former president of Ireland Mary Robinson and Pulitzer Prize winning authors David McCullough and Toni Morrison.
Every summer, the college hosts the five-week-long Eastern Music Festival, where both professional and student musicians come together for seminars and public performances. In 2005, EMF featured more than 70 concerts and music-related events on- and off-campus.

The Quaker Man

The Quaker Man (or just "The Quaker") is the mascot of Guilford College. He is often depicted with a tall hat and buckled shoes reminiscent of the Quaker Oats man, despite the fact that the Quaker Oats man was a not a Quaker and was dressed in Puritan Style clothing instead of traditional Quaker garb. He usually is seen carrying a bell or other noisemaker. He always wears the school colors of maroon and gray.

The Fighting Quaker

One of the more notable nicknames for the Quaker Man is the "Fighting Quaker." This name is more well known and popular than the official name; "The Quaker." This name is oxymoronic as Quakers, by nature, are pacifists. This is not the official name of the mascot however, as the Fighting Quaker is the official mascot of Earlham College.

Notable alumni

★ Chip Hester: '92, head football coach, Catawba College

★ Arthur L. Chase: '91, Sports Information Director, Duke University

★ Mike Waddell: '91, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, University of Cincinnati

★ Heidi Meroth: '91, Tennis Professional, USPTA

★ Junior Lord '98, Arena Football player

★ Tony Womack: '92, major league baseball player

★ Mary Ann Akers: '91, reporter for ''Roll Call''

★ Steve Wilmot: '83, tournament director, Verizon Heritage (PGA Tour)

★ William Queen: '81, author of New York Times bestseller ''Under and Alone''

★ World B. Free (née Lloyd Free): '76, former NBA player

★ Greg Jackson: '74, former [NBA] player

★ Keith Holliday: '75, mayor of Greensboro, North Carolina

★ Harrison Hickman: '75, political advisor and pollster

★ Rick Elmore: '74, Judge, North Carolina Court of Appeals

★ M.L. Carr: '73, former ABA/NBA player, head coach and executive

★ Ronnie Lowenstein: '73, director, New York City Independent Budget Office

★ Marilyn McIntyre: '71, actress in stage, television and film

★ E.V. "Rick" Goings: '70, chairman and CEO of Tupperware

★ Penelope W. Kyle: '69, president of Radford University

★ Bob Kauffman: '68, three-time NBA All-Star and former NBA head coach/general manager

★ Dave Odom: '65, head men's basketball coach, University of South Carolina

★ Warren Mitofsky: '57, inventor of the exit poll

★ Howard Coble: '53, member of U.S. House of Representatives (6th District, N.C.)

★ Rick Ferrell: '28, former major league baseball player and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame

★ Ernie Shore: '13, former major league baseball player and teammate of Babe Ruth

★ Joseph M. Dixon: 1889, U.S. representative, Senator and Governor of Montana

★ Brian Lowit: '98, owner of Lovitt Records

Notable students

★ Nathaniel Heatwole, a Guilford student, pleaded guilty in 2003 of placing box cutters and other banned items in commercial aircraft. In e-mail to the Transportation Security Administration, he stated his "public disobedience" was intended to highlight flaws in airport security.

★ On January 31, 2005, sophomore Jordan Snipes, a guard on the Guilford basketball team, made an 87-foot full-court shot to win the game against Randolph-Macon College with 0.6 seconds remaining. Video footage was caught by WRIC-TV, the ABC affiliate in Richmond, Virginia, and was widely broadcast, including on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays and Marv Albert's Sports Bloopers on "The Late Show with David Letterman."

External links

★ Guilford College official site

★ Student newspaper The Guilfordian official site

★ Jordan Snipes' famous full-court, game winning shot

Notes and references