Wofford College history

The Wofford College motto already was in use as part of the seal of the college on a diploma dating from 1857, but existing records do not indicate precisely when it was adopted.

After getting the new college off to a successful start, President William Wightman resigned in 1859 to launch yet another Methodist college, one that eventually became Birmingham-Southern in Alabama.

Shipp remained at the college through the Reconstruction period, departing for a position in Vanderbilt University’s theology school in 1875.

Two young outstanding faculty members represented Wofford, A.G. “Knotty” Rembert (Class of 1884) and Henry Nelson Snyder.

Union soldiers in Spartanburg during Reconstruction apparently introduced college students to baseball, and Wofford and Furman University played South Carolina’s first intercollegiate football game in December 1889.

In 1895, delegates from 10 of the leading higher education institutions across the Southeast met in Atlanta to form the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Perhaps it was the Wofford community’s determination to meet the standards for accreditation that later inspired Snyder to turn down an appointment to the faculty at Stanford University to become Carlisle’s successor as president in 1902.

Doctor James H. Carlisle (see James H. Carlisle) served as its president for 54 years, and built it to be a strong academic Methodist institution in the state before his death in 1909.

The return of financial stability made it possible for Wofford to claim a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in 1941, the first time such recognition had been extended to an independent college in South Carolina.

22, 1943, to offer accelerated academic instruction for Air Corps officers.

Another celebrated achievement was a 19-14 upset of Auburn to open the 1950 season.

After observing a challenging period of racial desegregation at flagship universities across the South, the Wofford Board of Trustees in the spring of 1964 announced that applicants for admission henceforth would be considered without regard to race.

A professor and student at Wofford wrote a new alma mater in 1966.

In 1972, having demonstrated his ability as a faculty member and in several administrative positions, Joab M. Lesesne Jr. succeeded Hardin as Wofford’s ninth president.

After a study on the future composition of the student body, the trustees voted to admit women as resident students beginning in the fall of 1976.

In 2008, Dunlap signed the Presidents Climate Commitment, signaling the beginning of a new “Gold, Black & Green” initiative.

The Space in The Mungo Center, established in 2010, focused on building upon a liberal arts foundation to help students develop an advanced set of professional skills desired by employers and valued in the marketplace.

The college celebrated when in 2012, in Dunlap’s final year as president, Rachel Woodlee ’13 was awarded a Rhodes scholarship.

On July 1, 2013, following a national search, Doctor Nayef H. Samhat became Wofford’s 11th president.

A new Greek Village opened in 2016 on the north side of Main Building, with houses for each fraternity, and for the first time, houses for each sorority.

The Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts, which opened in 2017, filled a significant gap in the college’s fine arts offerings.

In 2019, the team won a first-round game for the first time ever, capping one of its most successful seasons.