| Guilford College | |
| Former Name: | New Garden Boarding School (1837–1888) |
| Motto: | Sapientium atque virtutum molior |
| Motto Lang: | la |
| Mottoeng: | I am striving for wisdom and virtue[1] |
| Endowment: | $92.7 million (2021)[2] |
| President: | Jean Parvin Bordewich (acting)[3] |
| Affiliation: | Quakers[4] |
| Faculty: | 85 |
| Students: | 1,429 |
| Colors: | Crimson and Gray |
| Country: | U.S. |
| Campus: | Suburban, 340 acres (1.37 km2) |
| Nickname: | Quakers |
| Mascot: | Nathan the Quaker |
| Guilford College | |
| Nrhp Type: | hd |
| Nocat: | yes |
| Nearest City: | Greensboro, North Carolina |
| Coordinates: | 36.0953°N -79.8886°W |
| Built: | 1885 |
| Architecture: | Colonial Revival, Classical Revival, Late Gothic Revival |
| Added: | June 21, 1990 |
| Decrease: | June 27, 2001 |
| Refnum: | 90000855 |
| Decrease Refnum: | 01000676 |
Guilford College is a private liberal arts college in Greensboro, North Carolina.[5] It was founded in 1837 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Guilford has both traditional students and students who attend its Center for Continuing Education (CCE).
Guilford's program offerings include such majors as Peace and Conflict Studies and Community and Justice Studies, both rooted in the college's history as a Quaker institution. Its campus has been considered a National Historic District by the United States Department of the Interior since 1990.[6] The college is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Guilford College is the only Quaker-founded college in the southeastern United States and the first co-ed college in the South.[7] Opening in 1837 as "New Garden Boarding School", the institution became a four-year liberal arts college under its current name, "Guilford College", in 1888.[8] Levi Coffin, a well-known abolitionist, Quaker, and political dissenter grew up on the land, which is now considered a historical site.[8] The woods of New Garden, which still exist on campus today, were used as a meeting point for the Underground Railroad in the 19th century, run by Coffin.[8]
Jane Fernandes, having served as president since 2014, chose to furlough and lay off colleagues during the COVID-19 pandemic and announced that she would leave office on June 30, 2020, followed by a one-year sabbatical and transition to a tenured faculty position in English; however, she left to be President of Antioch College in mid-2021.[9] Carol Moore was appointed the interim president and she began a "program prioritization" process that would significantly reduce the number of majors offered once approved.[10] The college announced in November 2020 that it would likely discontinue 19 out of its 42 majors and cut 16 tenured professors.[11] In November 2020, as a response to this plan, the faculty voted no confidence in Moore and the Board of Trustees' leadership, the first no-confidence vote in the college's history.[12] Moore subsequently left the college and Jim Hood, a faculty member, was selected as the new interim president at the end of February 2021.[13]
In early 2021, the college paused the November 2020 layoff plans and began significant fundraising effort, placing a hold on the layoff question until after the spring semester.[14] As of late March 2021, the fundraising plan was slightly ahead of schedule.[15] On January 1, 2022, Kyle Farmbry became Guilford's 10th president.[16]
In late 2023, the college's accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS), placed the college on probation due to its ongoing, severe financial challenges. The probation was initially for one year but in late 2024 it was extended for another year.[17] In December 2024, while the college was on probation, president Farmbry resigned and the college's board of trustees appointed one of their own, Jean Parvin Bordewich, acting president. One year later, SACS removed the institution's probationary status after the college significantly reduced costs, including a loss of about one third of its employees, and increased fundraising.[18]
See main article: The Early College at Guilford. The Early College at Guilford ("ECG") has approximately 200 students and is located in Greensboro, North Carolina. ECG was started in 2002 as a partnership between Guilford College and Guilford County Schools as the first early college high school in North Carolina, allowing students to graduate with a high school diploma and up to two years of college credit from Guilford College.
See main article: WQFS. The radio station WQFS is run out of Founder’s Hall on the Guilford campus, and is operated by students.[21] Broadcasts include news, lectures and a wide range of music, the latter focusing on independent labels.[21]
See main article: Guilford Quakers. Guilford athletic teams are the Quakers. The college is a member at the Division III level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing as a member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) since the 1988–89 academic year.[22] The Quakers previously competed in the Carolinas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIAC, now Conference Carolinas) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1930–31 to 1987–88.
Guilford competes in 20 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, lacrosse, rugby, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field, triathlon and volleyball.
The school has won five national championships, including the NAIA men's basketball championship in 1973, the 1981 NAIA women's tennis title and the 1989 (NAIA), 2002 and 2005 (NCAA Division III) men's golf titles.
reporter for Roll Call
professional baseball player
professional basketball player, head coach and executive
member of U.S. House of Representatives (6th District, N.C.)[23]
U.S. representative, Senator and Governor of Montana[24]
judge, North Carolina Court of Appeals
professional baseball player
professional wrestler[26]
CEO of Tupperware
professional basketball player
professional basketball player, coach, and manager
professional football coach
president of Radford University
professional football player
inventor of the exit poll
college basketball coach
secretary and later president of the National Audubon Society[27]
film producer
author
politician
journalist and author
professional baseball player and Guilford professor[28]
North Carolina lawyer, judge, and political figure
professional wrestler
professional football player and high school athletic director and football coach[29]
professional baseball player[30] and Olympic athlete
college athletic director
professional baseball player
