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Information about Agnes Scott College

Agnes Scott College
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Agnes Scott seal
Motto "Now add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge." (2 Peter 1:5)
Established 1889
Type liberal arts women's college
Endowment $286 million
President Elizabeth Kiss
Faculty 82
Undergraduates 914
Location Decatur, Georgia, United States
Campus Suburban
Colors Purple and white
Mascot Scottish Terrier
Affiliations Presbyterian Church (USA)
Website agnesscott.edu
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Buttrick Hall
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Looking across the quad
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McCain Library at dusk


Agnes Scott College is a private liberal arts women's college in Decatur, Georgia, near Atlanta. The college currently enrolls 914 students. Agnes Scott is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The undergraduate school offers 30 majors and 25 minors. Students who graduate from Agnes Scott receive a Bachelor of Arts degree. 87% of the faculty are full-time, and 100% of the tenure-track faculty hold terminal degrees. The student-to-faculty ratio is 10:1.[1]

It is considered one of the Seven Sisters of the South and is one of forty college profiled in the book Colleges That Change Lives, by Loren Pope.

History

The college was founded in 1889 as Decatur Female Seminary by Presbyterian minister Frank H. Gaines. In 1890, the name was changed to Agnes Scott Institute to honor the mother of the college's primary benefactor, Col. George Washington Scott. The name was changed again to Agnes Scott College in 1906. Agnes Scott (Main) Hall, the oldest building on campus, was built in 1891 and once housed the entire school.

Agnes Scott is considered the first higher education institution in the state of Georgia to receive regional accreditation. The current president is Elizabeth Kiss, the founding director of Duke University's Kenan Institute for Ethics.

Undergraduate campus life

Students at Agnes Scott are known as "Scotties." The school colors of Agnes Scott are purple and white, while the mascot is Irvine, a Scottish Terrier. Each incoming class is assigned a class color out of red, yellow, blue, or green and votes on a class mascot that correlates with that color. The colors and mascots are intended to establish class pride, particularly during one week of fun-filled activities called Black Cat. Black Cat occurs every fall and culminates in a series of skits written, directed, and performed by the junior class. If there is dissatisfaction with a class mascot, the class is given the option to revote and choose a different mascot their second year.

Class mascots are often popular culture icons: The class ring is given to students during the spring of their sophomore year in a special ceremony. The ring design, with its rectangular engraved black onyx stone, has remained essentially the same since its introduction in the 1920s with minor choices (metal, size, and antiquing) emerging in recent years.

The honor code is held in high regard among Agnes Scott students and faculty. At the beginning of every academic year, new students must sign the honor code and recite a pledge promising to uphold the high academic and social standards of the institution. Those students who uphold the code are allowed to take unproctored class tests and take-home examinations.

Agnes Scott's NCAA Division III sports teams include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, and volleyball.

Special curricula

Coeducational graduate programs:
  • Master of Arts in teaching secondary English
  • Master of Arts in teaching secondary math and science
  • Post-baccalaureate pre-medical program
Undergraduate programs:

Rankings

In April 2007, Kiplinger named Agnes Scott as one of the top 50 private liberal arts colleges.

According to the 2007 US News and World Report, Agnes Scott is ranked the 61st best liberal arts college in the country. It is the highest ranked women's college in the southeast. The report also ranked Agnes Scott as No. 28 for "Great School, Great Price."

Princeton Review's 2007 The Best 361 Colleges ranks the college as follows:
No. 4 for "Most Beautiful Campus"
No. 8 for "Dorms Like Palaces"
No. 11 for "Diverse Student Population"
No. 13 for "Students Happy with Financial Aid"

Notable achievements

  • New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, herself a graduate of Wellesley College, delivered Agnes Scott's May 2005 commencement address. At the ceremony, she and playwright Marsha Norman received the first honorary degrees conferred by the college.
  • The 2004 edition of US News and World Report's rankings for best liberal arts colleges placed Agnes Scott as tied for number 50 in the country, and that year promotional information and school merchandise advertised the college's place among the "top 50."
  • In 2004, the college ranked second among women's colleges, seventh among national liberal arts colleges, and 27th overall in endowment per full-time enrolled student.
  • Agnes Scott's $125 million building program has led to the creation of a new parking facility, Public Safety office, planetarium, student campus center, science building, tennis courts, and improved landscaping and the renovation of the dining hall, observatory, and library. $1.6 million was spent on renovating three Victorian homes for student housing. Renovation of the Alumnae House and creation of a new chapel, office space, residence hall, theatre, and dance facilities have also been planned.
  • In 1995, approximately 600 students were enrolled at Agnes Scott. In fall 2004, for the first time in the school's history, enrollment reached 1,000 students.
  • Agnes Scott is one of forty colleges profiled in the book "Colleges That Change Lives", by Loren Pope.

Notable alumnae

Trivia

  • According to a 2006 study conducted by the Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education, approximately 4,000 alumnae living in Georgia earn an estimated $143.9 million annually.
  • The college's science building contains a three-story rendering of part of the nucleotide sequence from Agnes Scott's mitochrondrial DNA. The DNA came from a blood sample of an ASC alumna who is a direct descendant of the college's namesake.
  • American poet Robert Frost was an annual visitor at Agnes Scott from 1945 to his death in 1962. During his visits, he would read poetry in Presser Hall. A statue of the poet sculpted by George W. Lundeen sits in the alumnae gardens. A collection of Frost's poetry and letters can be viewed at McCain Library.
  • The college was featured in Scream 2, Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius, and A Man Called Peter, as well as several TV shows and made-for-TV-movies filmed in the Atlanta area.
  • Tradition dictates that students who get engaged are thrown into the alumnae pond by their classmates.
  • Seniors at Agnes Scott traditionally ring the bell in Agnes Scott Hall's bell tower upon acceptance to graduate school or a job offer. This tradition dates from the '80s when the tower acquired its bell during the administration of President Ruth Schmidt. Students who ring the bell sign their names on the walls of the tower.
  • The Bradley Observatory at Agnes Scott houses the Beck Telescope, a 30 inch Cassegrain reflector, as well as a modern planetarium with 70-seat capacity and a radio telescope.

References

  • Earnshaw, Rebecca Lee. Students at Agnes Scott College During the 1930s. Decatur, GA: Agnes Scott College, 1988.
  • McNair, Walter Edward. Lest We Forget: An Account of Agnes Scott College. Decatur, GA: Agnes Scott College, 1983.
  • Noble, Betty Pope Scott. The Story of George Washington Scott, 1829-1903: A Family Memoir. Decatur, GA: Agnes Scott College, 2002.
  • Pope, Loren. "Agnes Scott College." In Colleges That Change Lives. New York: Penguin, 2000.
  • Sayrs, M. Lee. A Full and Rich Measure: 100 Years of Educating Women at Agnes Scott College, 1889-1989. Atlanta, GA: Susan Hunter, Inc., 1990.

External links

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Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities
Agnes Scott Albertson • Alma • Arcadia • Austin • Barber-Scotia • Belhaven • Blackburn • Bloomfield • Buena Vista • Carroll • Centre • Coe College • College of the Ozarks • College of Wooster • Cook College and Theological School • Davidson • Davis and Elkins • Eckerd • Grove City • Hampden-Sydney • Hanover • Hastings • Illinois College • Jamestown • Johnson C. Smith • King • Knoxville • Lake Forest • Lees-McRae • Lyon • Macalester • Mary Baldwin • Maryville • Millikin • Missouri Valley • Monmouth • Montreat • Muskingum • Peace College • Queens University of Charlotte • Rhodes • Rocky Mountain • Schreiner • Sheldon Jackson • St. Andrews Presbyterian • Sterling • Stillman • Trinity • Tusculum College • Dubuque • Tulsa • University of the Ozarks • Warren Wilson • Waynesburg • Westminster (Missouri) • Westminster (Pennsylvania) • Westminster (Utah) • Whitworth • Wilson College (Pennsylvania)
 •  • [ e]
Current women's universities and colleges in the United States
Agnes Scott • Assumption • Alverno • Barnard • Bay Path • Bennett • Blue Mountain • Brenau • Bryn Mawr • Cedar Crest • Chatham • College of Notre Dame of Maryland • College of Saint Mary • Columbia College (Columbia, South Carolina) • Converse • Cottey • Georgian Court • Hollins • Judson • Lexington • Mary Baldwin • Meredith • Midway • Mills • Moore College of Art and Design • Mount Holyoke • Mt. Mary • Mt. St. Mary's • Peace • Pine Manor • Rosemont • Russell Sage • St. Benedict • St. Catherine • St. Elizabeth • Saint Joseph • Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College • St. Mary's (Indiana) • Salem • Scripps • Simmons • Smith • Spelman • Stephens • Stern • Sweet Briar • The College of New Rochelle • Trinity Washington University • Ursuline • Wellesley • Wesleyan College • Wilson • Women's College of the University of Denver
 •  • [ e]
Annapolis Group
Chair: Katherine Haley Will, President, Gettysburg College Participating liberal arts colleges: Agnes Scott • Albion • Albright • Allegheny • Alma • Amherst • Augustana (Illinois) • Austin • Bard • Barnard • Bates • Bennington • Berea • Birmingham-Southern • Bowdoin • Bryn Mawr • Bucknell • Carleton • Centre • Chatham • Claremont McKenna • Coe • Colby • Colgate • Colorado • Connecticut • Cornell College • Davidson • Denison • DePauw • Dickinson • Drew • Earlham • Eckerd • Franklin & Marshall • Furman • Gettysburg • Gordon • Goucher • Grinnell • Gustavus Adolphus • Hamilton • Hampden-Sydney • Hampshire • Harvey Mudd • Haverford • Hendrix • Hiram • Hobart & William Smith • Hollins • Holy Cross • Hope • Illinois Wesleyan • Juniata • Kalamazoo • Kenyon • Knox • Lafayette • Lake Forest • Lawrence • Lewis & Clark • Luther • Macalester • Manhattan • McDaniel • Middlebury • Millsaps • Monmouth • Moravian • Morehouse • Mount Holyoke • Muhlenberg • Nebraska Wesleyan • Oberlin • Occidental • Oglethorpe • Ohio Wesleyan • Pitzer • Pomona • Presbyterian • Randolph-Macon • Randolph • Reed • Rhodes • Ripon • Rollins • St. Benedict • St. John's College • St. John's University • St. Lawrence • St. Olaf • Salem • Sarah Lawrence • Scripps • • Skidmore • Smith • Southwestern • Spelman • Swarthmore • Sweet Briar • Transylvania • Trinity College • Trinity University • Union • Puget Sound • Ursinus • Vassar • Wabash • Washington College • Washington & Jefferson • Washington & Lee • Wellesley • Wesleyan College • Wesleyan University • Westmont • Wheaton • Whitman • Whittier • Willamette • William Jewell • Williams • Wittenberg • Wooster
 •  • [ e]
Georgia private colleges and universities
Agnes Scott College • American Intercontinental University • Andrew College • Argosy University • Art Institute of Atlanta • Atlanta Christian College • Atlanta College of Art • Bauder College • Berry College • Brenau University • Brewton-Parker College • Clark Atlanta University • Columbia Theological Seminary • Covenant College • Emmanuel College • Emory University • Georgia Military College • Interdenominational Theological Center • LaGrange College • Life University • Mercer University • Morehouse College • Morehouse School of Medicine • Morris Brown College • Oglethorpe University • Oxford College of Emory University • Paine College • Piedmont College • Reinhardt College • Savannah College of Art and Design • Shorter College • South University • Spelman College • Thomas University • Toccoa Falls College • Truett-McConnell College • Wesleyan College • Westwood College • Young Harris College
Coat of arms elements
A motto (from Italian) is a phrase or a short list of words meant formally to describe the general motivation or intention of an entity, social group, or organization.
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The Second Epistle of Peter is a book of the New Testament of the Bible.

According to the epistle itself, it was written by the apostle Peter, an eyewitness to Jesus' ministry.
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The date of establishment or date of founding of an institution is the date on which that institution chooses to claim as its starting point. Often the criteria that define a date of establishment or founding are ill-defined—or more specifically, are ill-defined in
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19th century - 20th century
1850s  1860s  1870s  - 1880s -  1890s  1900s  1910s
1886 1887 1888 - 1889 - 1890 1891 1892

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Liberal arts colleges in the United States are institutions of higher education in the United States which are primarily liberal arts colleges. The Encyclopædia Britannica Concise
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Women's colleges in the United States are institutions of higher education in the United States whose student populations are comprised exclusively or almost exclusively of women. They are often liberal arts colleges. There are approximately sixty active women's colleges in the U.S.
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A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution, with the stipulation that it be invested, and the remain intact. This allows for the donation to have a much greater impact over a long period of time than if it were spent all at once.
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University president is the title of the highest ranking officer within a university, within university systems that prefer that appellation over other variations such as chancellor or rector.

The relative seniority varies between institutions.
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Elizabeth Kiss (1961- ) is currently serving as the eighth president of Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia.

Kiss received her undergraduate degree in 1983 from Davidson College and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, where she received her D.Phil in 1990.
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In some educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a bachelor's degree. In the United States, students of higher degrees are known as graduates.
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Decatur, Georgia
Location in DeKalb County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Georgia
County DeKalb
Area
 - City  4.
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Motto
"In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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School colors are the colors chosen by a school to represent it on uniforms and other items of identification. Most schools have two colors, which are usually chosen to avoid conflicts with other schools with which the school competes in sports and other activities.
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mascot – originally a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – now includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name.
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Scottish Terrier (also known as the Aberdeen Terrier), popularly called the Scottie, is a breed of dog best known for its distinctive profile.

The Scottish Terrier is one of five breeds of terrier that originated in Scotland.
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Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Classification Protestant
Orientation Mainline
Polity Presbyterian
Origin June 10, 1983:
Merge of The Presbyterian Church in the United States and the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America
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Liberal arts colleges in the United States are institutions of higher education in the United States which are primarily liberal arts colleges. The Encyclopædia Britannica Concise
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Women's colleges in the United States are institutions of higher education in the United States whose student populations are comprised exclusively or almost exclusively of women. They are often liberal arts colleges. There are approximately sixty active women's colleges in the U.S.
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Decatur, Georgia
Location in DeKalb County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Georgia
County DeKalb
Area
 - City  4.
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State of Georgia

Flag of Georgia Seal of Georgia
Nickname(s): Peach State, Empire State of the South
Motto(s): Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation

Official language(s) English

Capital Atlanta

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Atlanta, Georgia
Downtown Atlanta

Flag
Nickname: Hotlanta,[1] The A-T-L[1]
Location in Fulton and DeKalb counties and the state of Georgia
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Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Classification Protestant
Orientation Mainline
Polity Presbyterian
Origin June 10, 1983:
Merge of The Presbyterian Church in the United States and the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America
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The Seven Sisters of the South refers to a group of highly regarded women's colleges in the Southern United States. The moniker is a response to the group of women's colleges in the Northern United States which are known as the Seven Sisters.
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Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change The Way You Think About College
Author Loren Pope
Country United States
Language English
Genre(s) Education
Publisher Penguin Books
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Loren Pope (born 1910) is an American writer and independent college placement counsellor.

In 1965, Pope, a former newspaperman and education editor of the New York Times, founded the College Placement Bureau, one of the first independent college placement counselling
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19th century - 20th century
1850s  1860s  1870s  - 1880s -  1890s  1900s  1910s
1886 1887 1888 - 1889 - 1890 1891 1892

:
Subjects:     Archaeology - Architecture -
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18th century - 19th century - 20th century
1860s  1870s  1880s  - 1890s -  1900s  1910s  1920s
1887 1888 1889 - 1890 - 1891 1892 1893

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Subjects:     Archaeology - Architecture -
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George Washington Scott (February 22, 1829 – October 3, 1903) was a noted Florida businessman, plantation owner, and military officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1870s  1880s  1890s  - 1900s -  1910s  1920s  1930s
1903 1904 1905 - 1906 - 1907 1908 1909

Year 1906 (MCMVI
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