Gardner–Webb University

Gardner–Webb University (Gardner–Webb, GWU, or GW) is a private Christian liberal arts university in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. It was founded as Boiling Springs High School in 1905. Gardner-Webb is a classified among "Doctoral/Professional Universities".
Over 3,000 students attend Gardner–Webb, including undergraduate, graduate, and online students. Nine colleges and schools offer more than 80 undergraduate and graduate major fields of study. GWU's Runnin' Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I as a member of the Big South Conference in most sports, although the men's and women's swim teams compete in the Coastal Collegiate Swim Association and the wrestling team competes in the Southern Conference.
History
Beginnings
On December 2, 1905, the Boiling Springs High School was chartered as a result of an initiative sponsored by the Kings Mountain Baptist Association (Cleveland County) and the Sandy Run Baptist Association (Rutherford County). The institution served as a place "where the young...could have the best possible educational advantages under distinctive Christian influence." In May 1905, Boiling Springs Baptist Church voted to offer its old church house, five acres of land, and $2,700 to the institution, and on July 10, 1905, Boiling Springs was officially chosen for the site of the school. The location of the High School was essential, as it was located near the border of the school's sponsors, Kings Mountain and Sandy Run, and had easy access to brick building materials. The institution's name, Boiling Springs High School, was decided on October 27, 1905, and its charter was accepted less than two months later by the school's trustees. Willard Winslow Washburn, the man who first set forth the idea of a Christian school at Boiling Springs, and the first man to sign the certificate of incorporation would go on to serve on the board of trustees for the first 30 years of its existence. The town of Boiling Springs is named after the natural springs that can be found on campus. They provided clean water for the school when it began operation in 1907.
J.D. Huggins was made the High School's first principal on July 25, 1907. The complete faculty, which consisted of only five teachers, including Huggins, was hired by the fall of 1907. Classes started in October of the same year, although the main building, the Huggins-Curtis Building, was not complete. Students lived in various homes in the community and used classrooms from the nearby elementary school until the building's completion in 1908. The building included classrooms, auditoriums, a chapel, library, principal's office, cafeteria, living quarters, literary societies, a music room, and parlors. Although it burned down in 1957, it signified the promise and progress of the school so far.
Boiling Springs High School focused on Christian education, as evident in the school's motto, Pro Deo et Humanitate (for God and Humanity). These words were inscribed upon "the ageless granite arch" on campus, which still exists today. Original tuition was $76.05 for a term of nine months, and although the school attracted a wide variety of students with varied interests, its focus centered around ministerial education.
Expansion and growth
The high school became Boiling Springs Junior College on Sept. 3, 1928 due to the changing educational needs of the area. The Great Depression created many obstacles for the college, but its survival was secured by the sacrifices of loyal supporters. The college began with seven departments: English, mathematics, natural science, foreign language, social science, Bible, and education. The first graduating class consisted of roughly 200 students, with one of the earliest graduates being W. J. Cash, author of The Mind of the South.
In 1942, Governor O. Max Gardner began devoting his energy, time, and wealth to strengthening the college. On June 15, the trustees voted to change the name to Gardner–Webb Junior College in honor of Gardner and his wife, Fay Webb-Gardner. That officially took effect on Aug. 27, 1942. During the following year, the institution embarked on a $300,000 financial campaign. At the conclusion of this initiative the trustees announced the school to be debt-free.
The decades following World War II were years of physical growth and academic development. New buildings went up as enrollments increased. On Oct. 23, 1969, Gardner-Webb filed with the register of deeds for an official name change from Gardner-Webb Junior College to Gardner-Webb College in preparation for the first four-year class (for students earning bachelor's degrees) in 1971. A major step in the institutions' development was its full accreditation as a senior college in December 1971, gaining the name Gardner–Webb College. In 1980, the college began a graduate program, which became the Graduate School in the 1990s. The School of Divinity was also founded during this time. On Nov. 12, 1991 Gardner-Webb was approved to seek university status by the Board of Trustees. The institution officially became known as Gardner–Webb University in January 1993, culminating years of preparation, and by the early 2000s the school had more than 3,200 students and 135 faculty members.
E. B. Hamrick Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
Recent history
In 2007, Gardner-Webb University, along with four other private North Carolina Christian colleges, began a process to change their relationships with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, in order to obtain more academic freedom and select their own trustees. 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, Wingate University, and Chowan University.
In 2021, Gardner–Webb University purchased nearly two acres of land in Boiling Springs for construction of an amphitheater complex. The State of North Carolina allocated $500,000 towards the outdoor amphitheater project in July 2022.
Featured LOTS LGBT speaker Cody Sanders and reaction
In February 2014, openly gay minister and Gardner–Webb alumnus Cody Sanders was invited to speak about his recent book "Queer Lessons for Churches on the Straight and Narrow: What All Christians can Learn from LGBTQ Lives" as a part of the Life of the Scholar speaker series. Sanders's invitation to Gardner–Webb received greater attention after a letter to the editor titled "Where are the wise at Gardner–Webb?" was published in The Biblical Recorder, the bi-weekly newspaper of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSCNC). This prompted Gardner–Webb University's president at the time, Frank Bonner, to publish a response in the same paper affirming the University's stance that marriage is to be between one man and one woman.
Campus
The main campus in Boiling Springs is situated on 225 acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains between Charlotte and Asheville. There is an additional satellite campus in Charlotte.
Historic Building
E.B. Hamrick Hall: The Hamrick Hall is the oldest existing building on the Gardner-Webb campus. It was built during the 1920s and dedicated to students who died during World War I. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and was rededicated to all students and alumni who died during military service (in all wars since World War I) in 2021. Today, the Hamrick Hall is the home for the Godbold College of Business.
Academics
There are over 3,000 students enrolled at Gardner–Webb, including the day program, graduate studies, Gardner-Webb Online, and the Degree Completion Program (designed for adult learners seeking to finish their degree). Out of these students, 66% are female and 34% are male, and in all come from a total of 42 foreign countries, 37 states and 90 North Carolina counties. There are nine colleges and schools that offer nearly 80 undergraduate and graduate major fields of study. The top majors for GWU students are nursing, biology, exercise science, psychology and business. The top five academic departments and programs are Business, Nursing, Natural Sciences, Exercise Sciences and Communication Studies.
Degrees offered include Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Arts in Education, Master of Divinity, Master of Business Administration, Master of Accountancy, International Master of Business Administration, Master of Arts in Counseling, Master of Science in Nursing, Education Specialist, Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Education. The university also offers Physician Assistant and Nurse Practitioner programs.
As of 2023, there were 144 full-time faculty members; 70% of full-time faculty have a Ph.D. or an equivalent degree; the average class size is 17 students.
Rankings
In the 2024 college rankings of U.S. News & World Report, Gardner–Webb was ranked tied for 376 of 394 in a list of national universities. GWU's core curriculum ranks in the nation's top two percent for quality and breadth, according to the What Will They Learn? study by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. The study rated schools on an "A" through "F" scale, where Gardner–Webb has been the only school in the Carolinas, to earn an "A" from 2011 to 2021.
Admissions
The acceptance rate at Gardner-Webb is 60%, admissions are conducted on a rolling basis. The average admissions statistics for the class of 2025 are: SAT: 1015; ACT: 22; GPA: 3.72.
Honor code
Gardner–Webb students are expected to follow a strict honor code, signing a pledge upon enrollment to "uphold honesty, integrity, and truthfulness in all realms of University life."
Accreditations and Affiliations
Gardner–Webb is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.
In addition, several departmental programs are accredited by the appropriate state or national agencies. The education program is accredited by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). The music and nursing programs are accredited respectively by the National Association of Schools of Music and the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. The School of Divinity is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools of the United States and Canada. The athletic training program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). The School of Business is accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). The university is authorized by the immigration authorities of the United States for the training of foreign students.
It is affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (Southern Baptist Convention) the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and the Baptist General Association of Virginia.
Student life
Demographics
Gardner-Webb hosts students from 37 different states, 42 foreign countries, and 90 North Carolina counties. The student body is approximately 66% female and 34% male and the racial makeup of the student body is 52% White, 25% Black, 15% Unclassified, 3% Hispanic, 2% Asian, 2% Multiracial, 1% American Indian.
Campus recreation
Gardner–Webb offers recreational activities designed to "enrich the quality of physical, mental, spiritual, and social life of University community members." Fitness classes, like crossfit, zumba, aerobics, yoga, and dance, are available, as well as individual training sessions offered through the Suttle Wellness Center.
LOTS-MC
The Life of the Scholar Multidisciplinary Conference (LOTS-MC) is an academic conference founded in 1997 that is held on campus every year for undergraduate and graduate students to present their work. This conference is divided up into academic fields such as Religion & Philosophy, Natural Sciences, and English Language & Literature to name a few. The field of students is often large and the event lasts all day. At the end of the program, an award is given for the best-written paper by a graduate student, and a prize is given for the best presentation by a graduate student. The 20th Anniversary LOTS-MC was held in 2017 and honored the founders of the conference Les and Joyce Brown.
Athletics
Gardner–Webb offers 21 varsity sports at the NCAA Division I level, including football, basketball, baseball, soccer, wrestling, swimming, track and field, cross country, softball, tennis, volleyball, lacrosse, cheerleading, and golf. Ten of these are men's and eleven are women's.
The athletic teams are known as the Runnin' Bulldogs and support the school colors of scarlet, black and white. The bulldogs are part of the Big South Conference, although the men's and women's swim teams belong to the Coastal Collegiate Swim Association, and the wrestling team belongs to the Southern Conference.
Basketball (Men's): Gardner–Webb men's basketball has also been a growing program. In 2012, the team played against opponents University of North Carolina and earlier, in the 2007–2008 season, pulled an 84–68 upset win against the University of Kentucky. They have reached every national tournament on every level, finally making the NCAA Division I Men's National Tournament in 2019 after winning the Big South conference tournament. That 2018-2019 championship season is the subject of the documentary The Dancin' Bulldogs released on October 16, 2020. The basketball program also has developed recent success as a head coach springboard. Former head coach Chris Holtmann after leaving Gardner-Webb was the head coach of Butler University and now Ohio State.
Basketball (Women's): In 2011, the women's basketball team were Big South Conference champions and were awarded a No. 14 seed in the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship tournament, facing No. 3 seed Miami. This was the first appearance for the team in the tournament. In 2023, the 'dawgs recorded an undefeated conference record (18-0) and a 21-game win streak winning with Big South regular season and the conference tournament titles. No Big South basketball team (men or women) ever finished the season undefeated. GWU finished the season 29-5 with a loss to the University of Utah in the NCAA tournament.
Football: In 2022, Gardner-Webb won the Big South Conference and competed in its first ever NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs, winning a first round game on the road against Easter Kentucky University 52-41; during the playoffs, home teams were 20-2, and the Runnin' Bulldogs were one of only two road squads to earn a win. Gardner-Webb dominated the Big South honors for 2022; quarterback Bailey Fisher was Offensive Player of the Year; defensive lineman Ty French was named Defensive Player of the Year; GWU linebacker Ty Anderson was the Defensive Freshman of the Year; Runnin’ Bulldogs linebacker William McRainey was voted the Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the league, and GW head coach Tre Lamb was selected Coach of the Year. Since 1970, teams have won five conference championships (two in the South Atlantic Conference and three in the Big South). The Gardner-Webb Runnin' Football Bulldogs were national runner-ups (NAIA) in 1992 and ended the season with a 12-2 record; they also made the NAIA quarter finals in 1987 with an 11-2 mark.
Golf (Men's): Gardner-Webb was a two-time NAIA National Champion (1976, 1977) and runner-up in 1979, all under head coach Garland Allen. Allen also gained national coach of the year honors twice during the championship run. Golfer Zack Byers became the first Gardner-Webb student-athlete to compete in the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships. He earned the honor by winning the Big South Tournament and advancing from the NCAA West Palm Beach Regional.
Swimming (Men's): In 2012, Gardner–Webb University's men's swimming team placed third at the 2008 CCSA conference, setting several school records and finishing closely behind College of Charleston and Davidson. The men's team also made the list of top academic teams for Division I men's swimming, averaging a 3.17 GPA and placing .01 ahead of schools like George Washington University.
Swimming (Women's): The women placed third at the 2008 conference championships. Before joining the CCSA conference the women's swim team was a part of the NEC. , the women's team was four time NEC conference champions. In 2012, the women's team won its twelfth consecutive Scholastic All-America (CSCAA) honor, averaging a 3.55 grade average and falling behind schools like Columbia University by .01 and Dartmouth College by .06. The list includes all Division I women's swim teams that average a 3.0 GPA or higher.
Soccer (Men's): The program began in 1987, and was coached by Tony Setzer from 1988-2022. The Runnin' Bulldogs competed in the 2006 NCAA Tournament moving past No. 23 UAB in the first round before falling to No. 9 Clemson on Nov. 15.
Tennis (Mens): GWU earned Big South Conference regular season honors as champs with 16-wins on the season (a single-season best). They also won the Big South in 2019 in a Covid-shortened season. Head Coach Mike Griffith was named 2023 coach of the year.
The Bulldog Mascot
For over a century, the bulldog mascot has been associated with Gardner-Webb. Athletic marks, living animals, and costumed versions of the mascot have represented Gardner-Webb on the field of play and within the community. The first reported use of the mascot for Gardner-Webb was in 1922.
Throughout the decades, the Gardner-Webb live bulldog mascots have carried names like Butch, Chins, Victor, Barney, Roebuck and Bo. The costumed mascots have been known as Mack, Mac and Lulu, while the trademarked Runnin’ Bulldog logo has been referred to by Mack and Mac.
In 2021, the University Gardner-Webb introduced the newest official live mascot, “Bo”, an English Bulldog. Bo makes appearances at home athletic events, campus and community activities.
Notable alumni
George Adams: professional basketball player
Tim Behrendorff: professional basketball player
Carl Cartee: Dove Award-winning singer/songwriter
W.J. Cash: Author of Mind of the South (1917–18) when the university was Boiling Springs High School; Cash's sister Bertie attended 1928–30 as a junior college student)
Dobson Collins: professional football player
Linda Combs: Controller of the Office of Management and Budget for two White House administrations
John Drew: professional basketball player
Orlando Early: college basketball coach
David Efianayi (born 1995), basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
Jim Garrison: professional football coach
Artis Gilmore: professional basketball player
Eddie G. Grigg: President and founder of Charlotte Christian College and Theological Seminary
Charlie Harbison: college football coach
Johnny Hunt, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention
Brian Johnston: professional football player
Tyler Kettering: professional soccer player
Scott Krotee: professional soccer player
Blake Lalli: professional baseball manager
Jon Langston: country musician
Martha Mason: writer
Jim Maxwell: professional football player
Sara McMann: 2004 Olympic silver medalist in women's freestyle wrestling; professional mixed martial arts fighter
Mason Miller: professional baseball player
Ron Rash: novelist and poet
Chris Salvaggione: professional soccer player
Nelson Searcy: author and evangelist
William Caskey Swaim: actor
Jim Washburn: professional football coach
Mallory Weggemann: record-setting Paralympic swimmer (and gold-medalist) for the United States Swim Team.
Martin D. Whitaker: Physicist who was the first director of the Clinton Laboratories (now the Oak Ridge National Laboratory) during World War II and then president of Lehigh University
Eddie Lee Wilkins: professional basketball player
Gabe Wilkins: professional football player
References
External links
Baptist Christianity in North Carolina
Education in Cleveland County, North Carolina
Private universities and colleges in North Carolina
Universities and colleges affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention
Universities and colleges affiliated with the North Carolina Baptist Convention
Universities and colleges established in 1905
Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Buildings and structures in Cleveland County, North Carolina
1905 establishments in North Carolina