# Mars Hill University

Mars Hill University is a private Christian liberal arts university in Mars Hill, North Carolina. The university offers 35 undergraduate majors and includes a school of nursing and graduate schools in education, criminal justice, and management. From 1859 to 2013 the school was called Mars Hill College; in August 2013 it officially changed its name to Mars Hill University.

## History

Mars Hill University was founded in 1856, and it is the oldest college or university in western North Carolina. It started as the French Broad Baptist Institute, sharing a name with the nearby French Broad River. In 1859, the university changed its name to Mars Hill, in honor of the hill in ancient Athens on which the Apostle Paul debated Christianity with the city's leading philosophers. During the American Civil War the university was closed for two years, but it reopened after the war. From 1897 to 1938 the university, under the leadership of Robert Moore, enjoyed substantial financial and physical growth. In 1921 Mars Hill became an accredited junior college. Hoyt Blackwell served as president from 1938 to 1966, and under his leadership Mars Hill became an accredited four-year college in 1962. From 1966 to 1996 Fred Bentley served as the college's president. Bentley was, at the time of his appointment in 1966, one of the youngest college presidents in the United States. In 1996, Max Lennon was appointed president and served until 2002. Dan Lunsford, a 1969 graduate of MHU, served as university president from 2002 to 2018. Under Lunsford, Mars Hill University constructed three new dormitories, a new health sciences building to house its nursing program, a new classroom building to house the business department (the most popular major on campus), completely renovated and greatly expanded the math and sciences classroom building, upgraded its athletic facilities, tripled its endowment, increased its student enrollment, and started a graduate school in education. In June 2018, John Anthony "Tony" Floyd became the university's sixth president in 121 years.
In 2008, Mars Hill gained autonomy from the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina when the state convention voted to eliminate the requirement that it have final approval over who could serve as trustees for the school; this ruling allows the university to choose non-Baptists as trustees. The state convention also agreed to start transferring funds traditionally given directly to the university into a new scholarship fund for Baptist students. The move was made in conjunction with the four other remaining N.C. Baptist Colleges – Gardner–Webb University, Campbell University, Wingate University, and Chowan University. The university, while maintaining a cooperative relationship with the North Carolina Baptist Convention and acknowledging its Baptist roots, is no longer directly associated with any Baptist church or organization, but proclaims in its mission statement that it "is an academic community rooted in the Christian faith", and that the university is "committed to an emphasis on service and Christian ethics." The college yearbook is called the Laurel, the college literary magazine is the Cadenza, and the college newspaper is The Hilltop.
Mars Hill is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's and master's degrees, and is an affiliate of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, Council of Independent Colleges, the Appalachian College Association, and other similar organizations.

## Academics

The university offers six undergraduate degrees (Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Bachelor of Social Work), three graduate degrees (Master of Arts, Master of Education, and Master of Management), and 35 majors. In May 2013 the university awarded its first M.Ed degrees. The university recently added a M.A. in criminal justice program, and a Master of Management program. In August 2016 the university opened a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. The most popular majors are in the fields of business administration and management, education, social work, physical education teaching and coaching, and general psychology. In 1932 Lamar Stringfield, a Mars Hill alumnus, formed the North Carolina Symphony, the first state-supported orchestra in the nation. The "Bailey Mountain Cloggers", the university's clog dance team, have won 31 national championships in clogging, and they have performed all over the United States and internationally in Canada, Mexico, England, Scotland, Ireland, Austria, France, Greece, Poland, the Czech Republic, Colombia, Italy, and Indonesia. In 2002 the university opened the Ramsey Center for Regional Studies. Named after an alumnus who served a record four terms as the Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, the center is dedicated to preserving the heritage and culture of the people of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

### Rankings

In the 2024-2025 rankings of "America's Best Colleges", U.S. News & World Report ranked Mars Hill No. 28 out of 131 colleges in Regional Colleges South. Among Regional Colleges South, Mars Hill was also ranked No. 22 in "Best Value Schools", No. 5 in "Best Undergraduate Teaching", No. 32 in "Top Performers on Social Mobility", and No. 8 for "Best Colleges for Veterans" based on its participation in "federal initiatives helping veterans and active-duty service members pay for their degrees."

### Undergraduate admissions

In 2024, Mars Hill accepted 74.2% of undergraduate applicants, with admission standards considered moderately competitive, and with those enrolled having an average 3.5 high school GPA. The college does not require submission of standardized test scores, the university having a test blind policy.

## Campus

The university has a scenic 194-acre (79 ha) campus; most of the dormitories are located atop two hills, named "men's hill" and "women's hill". The main campus is located in a small valley between the two hills. The university is surrounded by the Appalachian Mountains; from various points on campus it is possible to see Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi River. Bailey Mountain (nicknamed "Old Bailey") is located about a mile (1.5 km) northwest from campus and is a local landmark. Interstate 26 is located one mile east of the university, and provides access to the nearby cities of Asheville, North Carolina, to the south, and Johnson City, Tennessee to the north.

## Athletics

The university is a Division II member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and it is also a member of the South Atlantic Conference. Mars Hill's sports mascot is the mountain lion; the university's colors are royal blue and gold.

## Notable alumni

* John S. Battle (1890–1972), lawyer who served in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly and as the 56th Governor of Virginia
* Archie Campbell (1914–1987) American comedian and writer
* Ludovico Corsini (born 1993), Olympic swimmer
* Mike Houston, (born 1971), college football coach
* Woodrow W. Jones (1914–2002), United States Congressman and federal judge
* Dan Locklair (born 1949), music professor and composer
* Graham Martin (1912–1990), U.S. Foreign Service Officer and ambassador
* Wayne Oates (1917–1999), psychologist and minister
* Becca Pizzi (born 1980), first American woman to complete and win the World Marathon Challenge
* Erwin Potts (1932–2017), former president and CEO of the McClatchy Company
* David Price (born 1940), United States Congressman and political science professor
* Liston B. Ramsey (1919–2001), North Carolina state legislator and Speaker of the House
* Jonas Randolph (born 1990), college football player
* Jon Richt (born 1990), football coach
* Debbie Ricker (born 1965), reproductive biologist and academic administrator
* Eugene L. Roberts, Jr., (born 1932), newspaper editor
* Joshua Shim (born 1997), professional football player
* Lacy Thornburg (born 1929), North Carolina State Attorney General and U.S. Federal District Judge