Converse College

Spartanburg

According to the school, founded upon the conviction that ‘the well-being of any country depends much upon the culture of her women’ and compelled by the vision to enable students to see clearly, decide wisely and act justly, Converse has been a pioneer in women’s education for more than a century. Throughout her history, the Spartanburg, South Carolina college has offered a liberal arts education within a residential environment purposefully keeping class sizes small and ensuring that every student has a faculty advisor. Today, innovative programs for graduate and advanced study complement the undergraduate program.\r\n\r\nConverse believes that the Founder’s Ideal is a call to arms to develop engaged leaders who think critically and creatively and affect positive change in the world. Since the college’s founding, graduates have used their Converse experience as launching pads for successful careers and active citizenship. Among Converse alumnae are a Pulitzer Prize winner, a renowned heart researcher, a Texas Supreme Court Justice, a prominent civil rights attorney, Broadway performers, the deputy crew commander for Titan IV Rocket launches at Cape Canaveral, and the first female circuit court judge in South Carolina.\r\n\r\nMission Statement\r\nConverse educates students to see clearly, decide wisely and act justly, developing engaged, adaptable citizens committed to progress, by offering a distinctive undergraduate education for women and innovative programs for graduate and advanced study. \r\n\r\nVision Statement\r\nConverse will be nationally recognized as an excellent master’s university, acclaimed as a center for creative thinking and learning and a community that produces engaged citizens who effect positive change. Converse will lead in the cultivation and development of creativity across all disciplines in and out of the classroom. \r\n\r\nHistory and Distinctions \r\nBeginning in the 1900s, Converse matured into one of the leading colleges for women in the South. Academic requirements were strengthened, the ablest teachers supplemented the faculty and new buildings were constructed. Converse also became a charter member of the National Association of Schools of Music.\r\n\r\nIn 1964 Converse introduced graduate programs, including the Master of Art in Teaching (MAT) program, the first degree of its kind in South Carolina. The graduate program later became the School of Education and Graduate Studies and today offers a wide range of degrees in fields such as music, education, the liberal arts, and marriage and family therapy. \r\n\r\nIn 1983 the college introduced Converse II to fit the schedules and ambitions of adult women, whether they are a few semesters shy of a bachelor’s degree or a freshman taking college-level courses for the first time.\r\n\r\nIn 2003, the college completed the most successful capital campaign in its history with $82.5 million in private gifts. The campaign led to the establishment of the Nisbet Honors Program, the Chapman Study Abroad Experience endowment, and an endowment to fund faculty initiatives for innovative teaching and scholarly achievement; renovation of residence halls and the Montgomery Student Center; and construction of The Sally Abney Rose Physical Activity Complex, the Justine V. R. Nita Milliken Addition of Milliken Fine Arts Building and Phifer Science Hall.\r\n\r\nMomentum continues today as Converse focuses on providing distinct educational experiences that enable creativity and develop the adaptive capacity necessary for students to succeed in the ever-changing word. \r\n\r\nConverse College is committed to developing adaptable individuals for the 21st Century who are equipped with the character, knowledge, skills and perspective to transform the world around them.