Coker University is a private university in Hartsville, South Carolina. It was founded in 1908 and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.[3] Coker's sports teams, nicknamed the Cobras, compete in NCAA Division II.
Former names | Coker College for Women (1908–1969) Coker College (1969–2019) |
|---|---|
| Type | Private university |
| Established | 1908 |
| Founder | James Lide Coker |
| Endowment | $29.8 million (2023) |
| President | Natalie Harder[1] |
| Provost | Susan Daniels Henderson |
Academic staff | 49 full-time 62 adjunct |
| Students | 1,160 (Fall 2022) |
| Location | , U.S. 34°22′36.4″N 80°04′10″W / 34.376778°N 80.06944°W |
| Colors | Navy Blue, Light Blue, & Gold [2] |
| Nickname | Cobras |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division II – South Atlantic |
| Website | www |
 | |
History
edit
Coker University began in 1894 as Welsh Neck High School, founded by a local businessman and American Civil War veteran, Major James Lide Coker (1837–1918). In 1908, when South Carolina created a statewide public school system, Coker led the effort to convert the school to Coker College for Women. Davidson Hall and Memorial Hall are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[4]
Coker was once affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention, but has been non-denominational since 1944. It officially became co-educational in 1969, although men had attended since World War II's end.[citation needed]
The South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics was located on the Coker campus from 1988 until moving to its campus in 2003.[5][6]
Effective July 1, 2019, Coker College adopted the name Coker University.[7]
Presidents
edit- James Lide Coker
- E. V. Baldy (1909–1911)
- Arthur Jackson Hall (1911–1914)
- Howard Lee Jones (1914–1915)
- E. Walter Sikes (1916–1925)
- Carlyle Campbell (1925–1936)
- C. Sylvester Green (1936–1944)
- Donald C. Agnew (1944–1952)
- Joseph C. Robert (1952–1955)
- John A. Barry, Jr. (1955–1959)
- Fenton Keyes (1960–1968)
- Wilfrid H. Callcott (1968–1969)
- Gus Turbeville (1969–1974)
- C. Hilburn Womble (1975–1980)
- James D. Daniels (1981–2002)
- B. James Dawson (2002–2009)
- Robert L. Wyatt (2009–2019)
- Natalie Harder (2020- )
Academics
editCoker refers to the academic program for the four-year undergraduate degree as the Trans4mations Program, with the first year being foundational, the second year requiring service and attendance at cultural events, the third year requiring at least two weeks of study off-campus, and the final year called a "capstone".[8] The Liberal Arts Studies Program (LASP) is divided into Core Skills, Knowledge of the Arts, Knowledge of the Behavioral Sciences, Knowledge of the Humanities, Knowledge of the Natural Sciences, Knowledge of the United States, and Knowledge of the Wider World.[9]
Coker offers 29 majors and 23 minors of study. The college also offers individual majors and double majors, self-designated degree programs, specializations, and pre-professional programs.[citation needed]
Campus
editThe 15-acre (6.1 ha) main campus contains mostly Georgian-style brick buildings, some of which (such as Davidson Hall, home to the college's round table classrooms) are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Alumni House (Drengaelen), The President's House, The Dean's and President's Offices (David and May Coker House), and The Registrar's Offices (Lawton-Wilson House) are all located in old mansions along the northern edge of campus.
Hartsville and Coker University owe much to the generosity of the Coker family, founders of Sonoco and Coker's Pedigreed Seed Company. The Coker family's patronage of the college has led to the vast majority of buildings on campus having Coker somewhere in the name. Students often joke to freshmen or visitors that they'll meet them "in the Coker" building as a way to gently initiate newcomers to campus.[citation needed]
Residence halls
editOn-campus residence halls include Memorial (1914), Belk (1916), Coker (1916), Grannis (1969), and JLC (2009).[citation needed] Coker University’s Village at Byerly Place, consisting of George and Sullivan Halls opened in 2013.[10] In 2011, Coker opened the Coker Downtown Lofts and in 2012 the Downtown Flats, both located in downtown Hartsville.[11][12]
Library
editIn January 2008, the Charles W. and Joan S. Coker Library-Information Technology Center opened. The library was built using donations from a capital campaign.[13][14] The former James Lide Coker Memorial Library is now a residence hall.[15]
Athletics
edit| Coker Cobras | |
|---|---|
| University | Coker University |
| Conference | South Atlantic (primary) Conference Carolinas (acrobatics & tumbling) |
| NCAA | Division II |
| Athletic director | Lynn Griffin |
| Location | Hartsville, South Carolina |
| Varsity teams | 21 (9 men's, 11 women's, 1 co-ed) |
| Basketball arena | DeLoach Center |
| Baseball stadium | Tom J. New Baseball Field |
| Softball stadium | Saleeby-Stokes Softball Field |
| Soccer field | Coker Athletic Field |
| Lacrosse stadium | Coker Athletic Field |
| Tennis venue | Coker Tennis Courts |
| Mascot | Striker the Cobra |
| Nickname | Cobras |
| Colors | Navy and gold[16] |
| Website | www |
Adjacent to the main campus is a 22-acre athletics complex with baseball, softball, soccer, and tennis facilities. Near the athletics complex is the DeLoach Center, which contains a 1,908-seat gymnasium, an auxiliary gym, interactive classrooms, a student-athlete-only weight room, a fitness center, athletic offices, and more.[citation needed]
Coker has 21 varsity athletics programs, which primarily compete in The South Atlantic Conference.[17] Sponsored programs include baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, women's field hockey, men's and women's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field (indoor and outdoor) women's volleyball, and men's wrestling. The Cobras also host a spirit squad.
In the 2013 season, the Coker baseball team won the Conference Carolinas Tournament title, earned the team's first-ever postseason bid, won the NCAA Southeast Regional, and advanced to the NCAA DII Baseball National Championship. They finished the year with a record of 38–16.[18]
Notable alumni
edit- Bonnie Ethel Cone, founder of University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- Terrance Hayes, poet[19]
- Patrick Earl Hammie, artist
- Harvey Hilbert, psychologist and expert on post-Vietnam stress syndrome
- Marian McKnight, Miss America 1957[20]
- Ruth Patrick, botanist and limnologist[21]
- Edith Mitchell Dabbs, author
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Coker University Names Dr. Natalie Harder as Its 17th President". blogs.coker.edu. May 7, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- ^ "Coker College Brand Standards" (PDF). Retrieved January 15, 2023.
- ^ Commission on Colleges Archived January 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "S.C. Governor's School for Science & Mathematics: 2002-2003 Accountability Report" (PDF). September 26, 2003. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ Ray, Rusty (October 6, 2010). "Governor's School brings the best and brightest to Hartsville". SC Now.
- ^ "COKER COLLEGE TO BECOME COKER UNIVERSITY JULY 1, 2019". January 28, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
- ^ Coker College, Academics, Trans4mations Program, Year 1: Personal & Academic Exploration Archived July 11, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Year 2: Service & Cultural Engagement Archived July 11, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Year 3: Study Away Archived July 11, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Year 4: Capstone Experience Archived July 11, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ Coker College Academic Catalog, 2015–16 Archived May 27, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, pp. 97–108.
- ^ Arvidson, Ardie (August 15, 2013). "Coker opens, dedicates Betty Y. and Charles L. Sullivan Jr. Residence Hall at The Village at Byerly Place". SC Now. Archived from the original on February 27, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ "Ribbon Cutting Set for Coker's Downtown Lofts". SC Now. August 2, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ Arvidson, Ardie (August 16, 2012). "Coker College celebrates opening of The Downtown Flats". SC Now. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ "Coker College: Library-Information Technology Center". Archived from the original on August 30, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
- ^ "SCNow". Retrieved June 28, 2015.[dead link]
- ^ Faile, Jim (December 31, 2008). "2008; The year in review part I". SC Now. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ "COKER COLLEGE". Retrieved November 12, 2021.
- ^ "South Atlantic Conference".
- ^ Haselden, Mark (December 27, 2013). "2013 Year in Review: Coker's remarkable baseball run tops 2013 sports stories". SC Now. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ "Terrance Hayes". Retrieved June 28, 2015.
- ^ "Family comes first, Marian says". Spartanburg Herald. September 11, 1956. p. 1.
- ^ Dicke, William (September 23, 2013). "Ruth Patrick, a Pioneer in Science and Pollution Control Efforts, is Dead at 105". The New York Times. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
External links
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