# Wingate University

Wingate University is a private liberal arts university with campuses in Wingate and Hendersonville, North Carolina. It identifies as a university with "Judeo-Christian heritage."
The university enrolls more than 3,650 students. It offers 37 undergraduate majors as well as seven master's and five doctoral degrees. Academic programs are housed in the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences; the Levine College of Health Sciences; the Byrum School of Business; and the College of Professional Studies, which includes the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.

## History

In 1896, Wingate University began as The Wingate School, a primary and secondary institution founded by the Baptist Associations of Union County, North Carolina, and Chesterfield County, South Carolina, in response to a dearth of locally-available public schools.
The school took its name from Washington Manly Wingate, a former president of Wake Forest College. Following a 2021 decision by Wake Forest University to rename Wingate Hall, Wingate University publicly acknowledged Washington Wingate's history as a slaveowner and announced they would begin looking for ways to address his past.
The Wingate School initially offered a primary and secondary education and continued to do so until the proliferation of public schools in the early 20th century. In 1923, the school began offering the first two years of a baccalaureate education and became Wingate Junior College. The years leading to World War II were difficult for the institution. Though it began receiving financial support from The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina soon after becoming a college, this support was withdrawn during The Great Depression. It was also during this period, in 1932, that the college's administration building was destroyed by fire. The college survived, however, as a result of the work of its administration, faculty, and supporters as well as the post-World War II college enrollment boom. The Baptist State Convention resumed financial support in 1949, and Charles Cannon, a local businessman and philanthropist, began making substantial donations to the college beginning in the 1950s.
In 1952, Wingate Junior College was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and in 1977, became a four-year institution, Wingate College. The college continued to grow, especially under the leadership of Jerry McGee, added graduate programs, and became Wingate University in 1995. Wingate also has campuses located in Hendersonville, NC, home to graduate programs in pharmacy and physician assistant studies, and Ballantyne, North Carolina.
From its founding, the institution was affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina of the Southern Baptist Convention. In 2007, the university began the process of separating from the convention to allow the university's board of trustees to elect its own member. Wingate was among four universities making identical proposals to the convention. The state convention also agreed to start transferring funds traditionally given directly to the universities into a new scholarship fund for Baptist students.
In 2009, the schools gained autonomy from the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and established a “good faith and cooperative” relationship with it. The four other schools were, Mars Hill University, Campbell University, Gardner-Webb University, and Chowan University.
Presidents of Wingate University :
| President | Years |
| Charles Beach | 1923-1924 |
| Joseph Huff | 1924-1930 |
| Coy Muckle | 1930-1936 |
| J.B. Little | 1936-1937 |
| C.C. Burris | 1937-1953 |
| Budd Smith | 1953-1974 |
| Thomas Corts | 1974-1983 |
| Paul Corts | 1983-1991 |
| Jerry McGee | 1992-2015 |
| Rhett Brown | 2015-present |

## Academics

Wingate offers 37 undergraduate majors, 10 pre-professional programs and 42 minors. The university offers five types of bachelor's degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Music Education, and Bachelor of Liberal Studies. The university also offers several graduate programs. One-in-five Wingate undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist, or nurse, and 65 percent of graduate students are enrolled in health sciences.

### Pharmacy

The Wingate University School of Pharmacy is a pharmacy school located in Wingate, North Carolina. The school, part of Wingate University, offers a four-year Doctor of Pharmacy degree (Pharm.D) and is nationally accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. As of 2024, tied with 11 other programs, it was ranked #99 among pharmacy colleges in the US.

### Physician Assistant

The physician assistant program is offered at both Wingate, North Carolina and Hendersonville, North Carolina campuses. As of 2021, it was ranked #118 among physician assistant programs within the U.S.

### Study abroad

Started in 1978, the university's W'International program allows eligible juniors to take a two-credit-hour seminar, which ends with a 10-day travel experience for $1,500 or less. Wingate also offers language-immersion summer programs in Costa Rica and Quebec.

## Athletics

Wingate student-athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. These sports include: baseball, softball, men's and women's basketball, women's beach volleyball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track & field, women's triathlon, men's and women's lacrosse, football and volleyball. Wingate's mascot is the Bulldog.
In 2016, the men's soccer team won the school's first team national championship, by defeating University of Charleston 2–0 in the national title game in Kansas City, Missouri.
In 2021, the men's baseball team defeated Central Missouri 5–3 to capture their first national championship.
In 2023, the men's cross country team won the NCAA Division II national championship.

## Notable alumni

* Sean Barnette, professional basketball player
* John Bowman, Canadian Football League defensive end and two-time Grey Cup champion
* Kenwin Cummings, former NFL linebacker
* Dick Elliott, member of the South Carolina Senate
* Ethan Evans, NFL punter
* Ken Goodman, member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
* Anthony Dean Griffey, four-time Grammy Award-winning singer with the Metropolitan Opera
* Todd Grisham, UFC and Glory kickboxing announcer
* Rohit Gupta, film director
* Lorinza "Junior" Harrington, former NBA player
* David Hayes, former Major League Soccer player
* Jesse Helms, former Republican U.S. senator
* David Jones, former NFL cornerback
* Leon Levine, founder of Family Dollar retail stores
* Richard Lindsay, member of the West Virginia Senate
* Charlie Machell, professional soccer player
* Mike Martin, winningest college baseball coach of all-time
* Alvin Morman, former MLB pitcher
* Luke Mulholland, Major League Soccer player