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78-542: When the town of Florence was laid out, The Cypress Land Company gave two large lots in the center of the town for school buildings-one for boys and one for girls. On the one donated for a girls' school the citizens built a large, rather imposing structure surrounded by a board colonnade whose colonial columns were two stories high. In this building, the Synodical Female College commenced its existence in October 1854. It

156-453: A college which would not be "religious or theological". By January 1829, the selection of Lawrence Hill on LaGrange Mountain was made for the site of the school. A year later, LaGrange College opened to students of all denominations in two three-story brick buildings. The Rev. Robert Paine was the first president. The North Carolina native was also the professor of moral science and belles lettres and taught geography and mineralogy . He

234-495: A dining area, computer laboratories, super laboratories and lecture halls. The UNA Science and Engineering Technology Building is a FEMA rated storm shelter capable of withstanding an F5 tornado. In June 2018, the building was renamed the Mitchell Burford Science and Technology Building in honor of Mitchell Burford, the largest individual private donor in the university's history. The Wendell W. Gunn University Commons

312-647: A general in the Confederate States Army. LaGrange College and Florence Wesleyan University also produced three other Civil War generals: Confederate Generals Edward A. O'Neal (later an Alabama governor) and John Gregg and Union General Daniel McCook Jr. When the Methodist Church deeded Florence Wesleyan to the State of Alabama in 1872, the institution became the State Normal School at Florence,

390-571: A generation. After the war, the PCUS retained its "Old School" Presbyterian emphasis until the 20th century. The PCUS leaders began to emphasize that they needed to change in light of the changing South, which was undergoing urbanization and industrialization. The Woman's Auxiliary of the Presbyterian Church, U.S. was established in 1912, uniting various PCUS women's groups into one organization. A point of contention were talks of merger between

468-401: A large and flourishing school in that city. Mr. Frierson succeeded as president. The school did not prosper under his administration. His health failed and he remained only a short time. Dr. Bardwell then took charge. He was a Presbyterian minister, and very acceptable as a teacher and presiding officer, but his health failed and in a year or two he died. The trustees made a decided departure from

546-412: A metropolitan area with a combined population of 140,000 people. The University of North Alabama was one of about 180 " normal schools " founded by state governments in the 19th century to train teachers for the rapidly growing public common schools. Some closed but most steadily expanded their role and became state colleges in the early 20th century and state universities in the late 20th century. It

624-692: A minority of Northerners, protested that this action violated the spirituality of the church and required Southerners to commit treason against their home states in order to remain members of the church. After the May meeting of the General Assembly, some presbyteries in the South immediately renounced the jurisdiction of the General Assembly. On August 15, a convention in Atlanta, Georgia, representing 17 presbyteries, encouraged all presbyteries who had not done so to renounce

702-519: A native of nearby Tuscumbia. The building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places . Adjacent to Wesleyan Hall in a specially constructed tower is the Wesleyan Bell, which tolled regularly throughout the last quarter of the 19th century to summon Florence Normal School students to class. Sometime around 1910, the bell was removed from Wesleyan Hall and stored. Rediscovered in 2002,

780-523: A new Graduate Division, the graduate program was launched in the summer of 1957. The same year, the Alabama Legislature voted to change the institution's name to Florence State College to reflect its expanding academic mission. Compared with other southern institutions of higher learning, particularly the universities of Alabama and Mississippi , integration occurred almost painlessly at Florence State College. In 1963, Wendell Wilkie Gunn became

858-712: A proposed "Plan of Union" between the UPCUSA and the PCUS which reportedly had not included an escape clause for congregations that had no desire of being part of the planned denomination, delegates from 260 churches met in Birmingham, Alabama to form the National Presbyterian Church, which would later be renamed the Presbyterian Church in America in 1974. Following the departure of more conservative PCUS members into

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936-463: A reorganization in 1991, the university's administrative structure consists of four divisions: Academic Affairs, Business Affairs, Student Affairs and Advancement, each headed by a vice president. In 1993, the Board of Trustees, anticipating continued and steady enrollment growth, adopted a new master facilities plan to ensure that UNA will be equipped to accommodate 10,000 students. Kenneth D. Kitts became

1014-693: A result, after 1838 most Southern Presbyterians aligned with the Old School Presbyterian Church. The reluctance of the Old School General Assembly to rule on moral and political questions not explicitly addressed in the Bible resulted in the Northern and Southern sections of the Old School Presbyterian Church staying united longer than their New School counterparts. The latter split over slavery in 1858. New School synods and presbyteries in

1092-592: A touchstone dogma. Beginning in 1942, in response to liberal trends in the PCUS, conservative churchmen such as L. Nelson Bell , longtime medical missionary to China and father-in-law of evangelist Billy Graham , began establishing various periodicals and renewal parachurch organizations for conservative clergy and laymen alike. In 1966, conservatives founded Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi . Eventually, in December 1973, prompted both by liberalism, and

1170-413: A vote, with 53 PCUS presbyteries voting in favor of union, and 8 in opposition. On June 10, 1983, the reunion between the "northern" and "southern" Presbyterians was celebrated in Atlanta with the new denomination taking the name of the "Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)". The PCUS was one of the more conservative bodies of Presbyterianism throughout most of its history, with a strong emphasis on subscription to

1248-474: The Covenanter and Seceder traditions of Scottish Presbyterianism. These and other mergers added over 35,000 members and 490 local churches. In the 1880s, the PCUS endured a prolonged battle over Darwinian evolution . James Woodrow , professor at Columbia Theological Seminary , sparked controversy when he suggested that evolutionary thought did not contradict the biblical teachings on creation . In response,

1326-505: The Deep South , founded what today is the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) in late 1973. They cited its rationale as "[a] long-developing theological liberalism which denied the deity of Jesus Christ and the inerrancy and authority of Scripture" on the part of PCUS leaders. Some evangelicals, however, remained in the PCUS in order to contend for their beliefs; this group was more willing to perceive common cause with UPCUSA conservatives. By

1404-641: The Florence Synodical Female College was located and for two Alabama governors. The district, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, also is noted for its residential structures, built between 1908 and 1943 and representing a wide array of architectural styles. UNA's campus facilities master plan was developed by the Olmsted Brothers , the sons of the architect who designed New York City's Central Park . A copy of

1482-701: The Latin and Greek Grammar. Prospective students also were required to demonstrate an ability to translate four books of Caesar's Gallic Wars , six books of Virgil 's Aeneid , Jacob's or Felton's Greek Reader, and at least one of Xenophon 's Anabasis . One hundred and sixty students enrolled in the first year of operation (1855) of Florence Wesleyan University. The school quickly attracted students from five states and two foreign countries. Among Florence Wesleyan's graduates were Alabama governor Emmet O'Neal and Texas governor Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross (the latter of whose tenure as president of Texas A&M University

1560-602: The Old School–New School Controversy . The New School faction advocated revivalism and a softening of traditional Calvinism , while the Old School was opposed to the extremes of revivalism and desired strict conformity to the Westminster Confession , the Presbyterian Church's doctrinal standard. Many New School Presbyterians were also supportive of moral reform movements, such as abolitionism . As

1638-677: The Presbyterian Synod of Nashville, Tennessee , and all powers concerning property usually conferred upon trustees were granted to this board; also all legal title to property heretofore donated or conveyed to the Synod of Nashville by the president and trustees of the Florence Female Academy or by the mayor and aldermen of Florence, or by any others, was vested in the President and Trustees of Florence Synodical Female College. In addition,

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1716-587: The United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (UPCUSA) to form the Presbyterian Church (USA) . The Presbyterian Church in the United States grew out of regional and theological divisions within the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA), the first national Presbyterian denomination in the U.S., founded in 1789. In 1838, the PCUSA divided along theological lines due to

1794-576: The Westminster Confession and interest in Calvinist scholasticism, particularly as expressed in Common Sense Realism and later the Princeton Theology . In fact, as their northern counterparts in Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. began to modify Calvinism, and experiment with confessional revision, in the later part of the 19th and into the early 20th centuries, the PCUS prided itself in being

1872-627: The "northern" Presbyterian Church, known as the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America after 1958 (despite the common reference as "northern", the UPCUSA had congregations in all 50 states by the 20th century, with most of its southern churches the result of a 1906 merger with most of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church or the affiliation of African-American churches in the South Atlantic states after

1950-472: The 130-year-old Wesleyan Bell was restored to a prominent place on campus following construction of the Smith Bell Tower in 2004. Rogers Hall, another one of UNA's most distinctive structures, was constructed by planter George Washington Foster in 1855 at the summit of Court Street (hence its original name, Courtview). Because construction would result in the permanent obstruction of a major thoroughfare,

2028-594: The 1983 merger, as the Confession of 1967 was retained in the new denomination's Book of Confessions . University of North Alabama The University of North Alabama ( UNA ) is a public university in Florence, Alabama . It is the state's oldest public university. Occupying a 130-acre (0.5 km ) campus in a residential section of Florence, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Tuscumbia , Sheffield and Muscle Shoals . The four cities compose

2106-564: The 2000s, some churches from both lines began to depart from the post-merger denomination over similar concerns and moral disputes, namely in favor of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church . After the conservatives left the PCUS mainly for the PCA, but a minority for the EPC, it became easier for the remainder to work on union with the UPCUSA. Eventually, in 1983, the "Plan of Union" came up to

2184-733: The 20th president of the University of North Alabama in March 2015. Kitts formerly worked as provost at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke . Kitts also taught at Francis Marion University in South Carolina, the University of South Carolina , and Appalachian State University in North Carolina. The UNA campus is adjacent to the Seminary-O'Neal Historic District, named for the street on which

2262-460: The Alabama Legislature removed jurisdiction for the college from the State Board of Education and vested it in a board of trustees. A year later, the new board voted for another name change to Florence State University, once again symbolizing the steady expansion of the institution's academic offerings and mission. Ethelbert Brinkley "E.B." Norton, who was serving as president at the time this name

2340-514: The Alabama governor to enroll the 35th Alabama Infantry from faculty, cadets, and enlistees from surrounding counties. On April 28, 1863, the buildings were destroyed by Union soldiers of the 10th Missouri Cavalry , including a library of 4,000 volumes. Among LaGrange's alumni were several generals, Alabama governors Edward A. O'Neal and David P. Lewis , Alabama Supreme Court justice William M. Byrd and U.S. Senator Jeremiah Clemens , who wrote

2418-610: The Civil War). In 1946, with cooperation of three other denominations, it formed the United Andean Indian Mission , an agency that sent missionaries to Ecuador. Among some of the other liberalizing trends were the ordination of women in 1964, the ratification of a pro-choice position on abortion by the General Assembly, and the rejection by that assembly of the plenary verbal inspiration of the Bible , considered by conservatives as

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2496-601: The Civil War, Wesleyan Hall was occupied by both Union and Confederate armies. General William Tecumseh Sherman is considered the most famous Civil War-era occupant of Wesleyan Hall. After the war, the building was deeded to the state of Alabama and thereafter served as a state normal school. It currently serves as the center for Foreign Languages (French, German, and Spanish), Psychology, and Geography. Wesleyan Hall houses personal effects and mementoes of former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice and U.S. Senator Howell Heflin ,

2574-591: The College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering are housed in the building. Coby Hall was donated to the university in 1990 by David Brubaker in memory of his wife, Coby Stockard Brubaker. Built by John Simpson on the site of his earlier home in 1843, the Simpson House/Irvine Place, as it had been known, later was purchased by George W. Foster, builder of Courtview, for his daughter, Virginia, and her husband, James B. Irvine. The University Admissions office

2652-573: The General Assembly's jurisdiction. It also recommended that the constitution of the church remain unchanged, with the exception of replacing the phrase "Presbyterian Church in the United States of America" with the name "Presbyterian Church in the Confederate States of America". A general assembly was scheduled to meet in Augusta, Georgia, on December 4, and by that time 47 presbyteries and 10 synods had severed ties to PCUSA. The first General Assembly of

2730-561: The Ku Klux Klan to propel his ascendancy to the Governor's office. Once in office, Graves's passage of the largest education budget in Alabama history led to the moniker as the "Education Governor", Graves's support for education led to recognition on virtually every Alabama college campus. The Office of the President, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs, Human Resources, and

2808-459: The PCA, the PCUS drafted a "Declaration of Faith", which paralleled the social concerns expressed in the UPCUSA's Confession of 1967 . While it was approved by the General Assembly of 1976, it failed to receive a requisite supermajority of the presbyteries (largely due to opposition states where loyalist conservatives remained), and the 1977 General Assembly instead approved it for study purposes, without binding authority. That issue became moot upon

2886-534: The South established the pro-slavery United Synod of the South. Old School Presbyterians remained united until after the start of hostilities in the American Civil War . In May 1861, the Old School General Assembly passed the controversial Gardiner Spring Resolutions that called on Presbyterians to support the Federal Government of the United States as a religious duty. Southerners, with support from

2964-581: The Southern Presbyterian Church accepted the recommendations of the convention and elected Benjamin M. Palmer its first moderator . After the Confederacy's defeat, the church renamed itself as the "Presbyterian Church in the United States". The denomination grew during its early years in part due to the absorption of a number of smaller Presbyterian groups. In 1864, the church re-united with Southern New School Presbyterians when it merged with

3042-460: The Synod of South Carolina, in which the seminary was located, prohibited the teaching of evolution in 1884. Similar actions were taken by the synods of Georgia, South Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. Columbia's board of directors was reorganized, and it voted to fire Woodrow. He refused to vacate his position and appealed to Augusta Presbytery, which exonerated him of any heresy in August 1886. This decision

3120-511: The UPCUSA in the Consultation on Church Union in 1962, a group begun by UPCUSA stated clerk Eugene Carson Blake . Eventually, by 1968, union churches and presbyteries were formed (that is, members of both the UPCUSA and the PCUS), and in 1970, a "Plan of Union" was drawn up. Union did not take place for another thirteen years. Another important event occurred in 1965, when Rachel Henderlite became

3198-782: The United Synod of the South. Between 1867 and 1874, the church welcomed the Patapsco Presbytery of Maryland, the Kentucky Synod , and the Missouri Synod after those jurisdictions withdrew from the Old School PCUSA in protest over political actions taken by that denomination. Between 1867 and 1870, the church absorbed the Alabama and Kentucky Presbyteries of the Associate Reformed Church , a denomination with roots in

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3276-442: The bastion of "Old School" Presbyterianism, stoutly resisting calls for change to accommodate liberalizing sensibilities. However, in the immediate years after World War II , many ministers and churches, especially in larger cities, began to embrace, or at least tolerate, modernist and neo-orthodox understandings of doctrine and church life. One important product of this liberalization was ecumenism , expressed in merger talks with

3354-680: The building was renamed the Wendell W. Gunn University Commons in honor of Wendell Gunn, the first African-American student to enter Florence State College (now the University of North Alabama) in 1963. Mattielou and Olive residence halls were completed in fall 2015 and spring 2016, respectively. The new residence halls are located on the extreme north end of campus, behind Covington and Hawthorne halls. Mattielou has 335 spaces and Olive has 429 spaces. These buildings were built primarily for incoming freshmen students. There are double and limited single rooms and each unit has its own bathroom. Harrison Plaza

3432-485: The chapel were enjoyed by large and appreciative audiences. Light operas were rendered, when the girls dressed in the required costumes. A native Frenchman, Monsieur De Soto, taught French, and creditable recitations were given, and compositions read in French, at the entertainments of the school, and these were frequent. The president of the board of trustees was Hon. Robert M. Patton , afterward Governor . Dr. Rogers resigned

3510-513: The city had to secure the approval of the Alabama Legislature before work could begin. In the fall of 1864, the residence served as the headquarters of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest . Courtview was occupied by members of the Foster family until 1900, when it became the home of Alabama Gov. Emmet O'Neal . In the 1920s, the residence was acquired by Thomas M. Rogers Sr., and in 1948 by

3588-658: The college had moved north across the Tennessee River to Florence. The section of Franklin County containing LaGrange Mountain is now Colbert County . LaGrange College, which became Florence Wesleyan University in 1855, is now the University of North Alabama. LaGrange College arose from the idea offered at a November 28, 1826 meeting of the Tennessee Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church to establish

3666-555: The college was suspended and re-established as the LaGrange College and Military Academy, with James W. Robertson as superintendent. Under its new name, additional buildings were constructed and the school reached its highest prosperity. The state of Alabama made provision for two cadets from each county to be enrolled, and by 1861 47 of its 171 students were state cadets. The school suffered a loss of enrollment again when Alabama seceded, and in March 1862 Robertson received approval from

3744-455: The curriculum was expanded again to include A.B. and B.S. degree programs in fields other than teacher training. Progress continued apace toward the comprehensive university the institution would ultimately become. In 1956, the institution crossed another academic milestone with the formation of a graduate course of study in education leading to the Master of Arts degree. With the establishment of

3822-639: The doors forever. The last newspaper announcement regarding the institution's new school year occurred on September 3, 1896. Presbyterian Church in the United States The Presbyterian Church in the United States ( PCUS , originally Presbyterian Church in the Confederate States of America ) was a Protestant denomination in the Southern and border states of the United States that existed from 1861 to 1983. That year, it merged with

3900-445: The episode as "the easiest case of my civil rights career." Gunn, who subsequently earned degrees from Florence State College and the University of Chicago , went on to a distinguished career in banking and finance, including an appointment as international trade adviser to President Ronald Reagan in 1982. Wendell Gunn was appointed to the board of trustees of the University of North Alabama by Governor Kay Ivey in 2019. In 1967

3978-420: The establishment of separate schools within the university. Less than a decade later, on August 15, 1974, the university underwent another change of name to the University of North Alabama, symbolizing its coming of age as a comprehensive, regional university. The following year, the graduate curriculum again was expanded with the introduction of the master's degree program in business administration. Following

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4056-436: The first American Civil War novel and the first western novel. LaGrange graduate Richard H. Rivers , after becoming president of the college, led most of the students and all but one faculty member from the mountain in late 1854 to relocate to Florence. The school was re-incorporated as Florence Wesleyan University. Admission to Florence Wesleyan required an acquaintance with English grammar , arithmetic , geography and

4134-497: The first African-American student to enroll at the college. Gunn had initially been denied admission. Then-President E.B. Norton sent Gunn a letter informing him that the Alabama Legislature and Board of Education would not allow the college to accept his application. Speaking at UNA in 2005, famed civil rights attorney Fred Gray , who represented Gunn, recalled that the hearing that integrated UNA lasted only ten minutes, after which Gunn returned to campus and enrolled. Gray described

4212-401: The first building would be advantageous. They borrowed money to make the improvement, and thus encumbered the property with debt, which they were unable to liquidate. After the 1872 establishment of the State Normal in Florence (now part of the University of North Alabama ), and the public school, the attendance at the Synodical College steadily decreased until it was thought advisable to close

4290-500: The first state-supported teachers college south of the Ohio River . Shortly thereafter, it became one of the first co-educational institutions in the nation. A year after its becoming a state school, the institution opened its doors to women; however, none attended until 1874, when 31 young women enrolled. The first woman joined the faculty in 1879. Florence Normal School's Newton W. Bates, professor of language and literature, published his History of Civil Government of Alabama in 1892,

4368-447: The first textbook on the history of Alabama . T.S. Stribling , one of the university's most noteworthy alumni, graduated from Florence State Normal School in 1903. He is recognized as one of the leaders of the Southern Renaissance for his novels Birthright , The Forge , The Store and the Unfinished Cathedral . The Pulitzer prize -winning novelist and author outsold contemporaries William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway during

4446-451: The first woman ordained in the Presbyterian Church in the United States; she was ordained by the Hanover Presbytery in Virginia. The response to the civil rights movement in effect split the PCUS into three factions: a liberal group desiring full endorsement of the movement's platform, a moderate faction desiring church-wide consensus before taking positive action, and a conservative/traditionalist group vigorously opposing what it believed

4524-445: The hub of UNA's three pedestrian walkways and serves as the principal entrance to campus. With its distinctive towers, Wesleyan Hall , one of UNA's most familiar structures, is considered one of the most eminent landmarks in North Alabama. The Gothic Revival structure was designed to serve LaGrange College when this Methodist institution relocated from Franklin to Lauderdale county and was renamed Florence Wesleyan University. During

4602-405: The interwar period of the 1920s and 1930s. The institution functioned as a normal school for more than 50 years until 1929, when it became a state teachers college offering a four-year curriculum in elementary education. The first bachelor's degrees were awarded in 1931. Less than a decade later, the curriculum was expanded to include a four-year course of study in secondary education. In 1947,

4680-447: The liberal critics believed the doctrine was a justification for maintaining racial segregation and preserving the social standing of historic upper-class white elites within Southern society, a fair percentage of whom were PCUS members. Having been eventually defeated numerous times in the General Assembly by a coalition of the liberals and moderates from the 1960s onward, some PCUS conservatives, primarily from non-metropolitan parts of

4758-439: The local trustees was Henry Stuart Foote of Tuscumbia, who would move to Mississippi and defeat Jefferson Davis in the 1850 Governor's election. In 1850, a grammar school was added to LaGrange College. (Today, UNA's Kilby Laboratory School is the only university-owned and operated elementary laboratory school in Alabama. In 1858, following the death of the school's president and the loss of most of its students to nearby Florence,

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4836-404: The long established custom of electing a minister to preside over the school, and next elected Miss Sally Collier president. The school continued during the American Civil War , as the invading armies did not enter that portion of the State. During the Reconstruction period the school began to decline; and the trustees, anxious to restore it to its pristine greatness, decided that an addition to

4914-415: The mainline "Northern Presbyterians", the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. and its successor denomination, the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. A vote for merger had come up in 1954, and despite popular support among many, the vote to merge failed. The two denominations did collaborate on a joint hymnal. The PCUS also joined the Episcopalians , United Methodists , the United Church of Christ and

4992-690: The original Olmsted plan is permanently displayed in the President's Office in 601 Cramer Way. The campus has three antebellum structures: Wesleyan Hall ; Rogers Hall ; and Coby Hall . All three are listed in the National Historic Register . The UNA Science and Engineering Technology Building was completed in 2015. The five-story, 160,000-square-foot facility was designed by Lambert Ezell Durham Architects and constructed by BL Harbert, The state-of-the-art building houses engineering technology, biology, chemistry, occupational health science, physics and earth science. It also includes conference areas, faculty offices, research facilities, specialized classrooms,

5070-429: The power was given to confer diplomas upon graduating pupils, and to do all other necessary and proper things for the promotion of education in said college. This was for many years one of the largest and most popular of the many colleges for girls in the South. At that time, the schools were all supplied with Northern teachers, there were no Southern teachers, except men; therefore, all the teachers in this school, except

5148-486: The presidency on account of the ill health of his wife, and was succeeded by Dr. William N. Mitchell, who had been for many years the Presbyterian minister in Florence. The school was large and flourishing under his administration, until his health failed and he resigned. Mr. J. S. Anderson next took charge, and had a large school of girls from all over the South; however, he remained only a few years and resigned and bought property in Huntsville, Alabama and for many years had

5226-405: The president, were Northern women. When satisfactory, they were retained for years. There was always a large class in art, to whom everything in art of that day was taught. The pupils were drilled in spelling through the entire course, and were really taught to spell and to read. The first president, Mr. Stebbin, was connected with the school for several years. He was followed by a Mr. Nicholls, who

5304-426: The university. It houses the Offices of Advancement, Alumni Relations, and Communications and Marketing. Constructed in 1930, 601 Cramer Way houses UNA's senior administrative offices. The building is named for David Bibb Graves (1873–1942), who served as Alabama's governor from 1927 to 1931 and 1935–39. Graves proved unsuccessful in his early political career, but eventually he used his connections and leadership in

5382-427: Was a terror to the girls; is stay was short. The next president was Mr. Rogers from Georgia . He presided during the most prosperous years of the school. During this time every department was conducted by competent teachers. There was a German professor of music, Professor Neumayer, with competent assistants. The piano, violin, guitar, pipe organ, and harp were skilfully taught. The frequent musicals and concerts given in

5460-408: Was adopted, is distinguished as the only president in the university's history to preside over three institutional name changes: Florence State Teachers College, followed by Florence State College in 1957, and, roughly a decade later, by Florence State University. The change of name also was accompanied by an extensive reorganization of the university's academic and administrative structure, including

5538-490: Was appealed to the General Assembly, which after five days of debate ordered Woodrow's removal from his professorship. Despite his removal, Woodrow continued to be considered a member in good standing of the PCUS and was elected moderator of the South Carolina Synod in 1901. Nevertheless, the overwhelming sentiment of the PCUS was that evolutionary theory was a threat to Christian orthodoxy. As a result, Southern Presbyterians would disengage from scientific developments for more than

5616-497: Was assisted by two other professors. The first board of trustees had a total of 50 members, including two Native Americans , a Choctaw politician and a Cherokee leader. In 1830, Turner Saunders , a native of Virginia, was the first president of the board of trustees. Saunders' mansion, built around 1826, still stands in Lawrence County. Among the many distant trustees was John Coffee of Florence, friend of Andrew Jackson. Among

5694-605: Was chartered December 13, 1855; the bill was vetoed by Governor Winston, but passed by the constitutional majority. The incorporators were William Mitchell, Robert M. Patton, James Irvine, Richard W. Walker, Sydney C. Posey, Neal Rowell, Thos. Kirkman, Samuel D. Weakly, Charles Gookin, Benjamin F. Foster, John S. Kennedy, William K. Key, Benjamin Taylor, Boyles E. Bourland, John T. Edgar, A. Smith, A. A. Doak, and R. B. McMillan. These trustees were empowered to hold real and personal property in trust in perpetuity for use of said college and for

5772-530: Was completed in 2014 and is located between Rogers Hall and Keller Hall at the north end of Court Street. The $ 8 million complex houses the University Success Center, Student Financial Services, the UNA branch of Listerhill Credit Union, Starbucks and Chick-fil-A. The Wendell W. Gunn University Commons was designed by Hugo Dante and Create Architects, and was built by Consolidated Construction. In March 2018,

5850-701: Was founded as LaGrange College in 1830. It was reestablished in 1872 as the first state-supported teachers college south of the Ohio River . A year later, it became one of the nation's first coeducational colleges. LaGrange College opened on January 11, 1830, in a mountain hamlet a few miles south of Leighton in northeast Colbert County, Alabama . LaGrange means "The Barn" in French. Twenty-one local college trustees were listed in Acts of Alabama, Eleventh Annual Session. The town of LaGrange and its college were sacked and burned by Union troops in 1863. But by then, however,

5928-480: Was known as the 'golden age' of that institution). Ross also is the namesake of Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas . The American Civil War bestowed much hardship on the institution. Robert A. Young, president of Florence Wesleyan at the time, is credited with saving the institution from destruction. Florence Wesleyan alumnus Lawrence "Sul" Ross, the future Texas governor and university educator, served as

6006-452: Was made possible by 1955 alumna Laura McAnally Harrison and her husband, Donald C. Harrison, of Cincinnati. The plaza, constructed around a large Italian limestone fountain, occupies the former intersections of Morrison and Wesleyan Avenues and Seminary Street between 601 Cramer Way, Keller Hall and the George H. Carroll Lion Habitat , which houses UNA's live mascots. Harrison Plaza now constitutes

6084-545: Was the meddling of the church in the civil and cultural traditions of its native region. Conservatives argued that church activity on behalf of racial desegregation and voting rights constituted a violation of the doctrine of "the spirituality of the church", a principle developed by 19th-century Presbyterian theologian James Henley Thornwell . He had declared that social reform and political participation were duties or pursuits to be taken up by individuals, not church courts. The conservative group strongly defended that teaching, but

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