Huntingdon College Huntingdon College , founded in 1854 , is a coeducational liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church in Montgomery , Alabama , United States . History . Huntingdon College was chartered on February 2 , 1854 , as " Tuskegee Female College " by the Alabama State Legislature and Governor John A . Winston . The first president was Andrew Adgate Lipscomb , a contemporary of Charles Dickens and Harriet Beecher Stowe who was one of the most respected scholars of his time . Dr . Lipscomb laid the foundation of the college as a teaching college rather than a research institution . In 1872 the name was changed to " Alabama Conference Female College " as the college came under the auspices of the United Methodist Church . As the college and the South struggled to rebuild following the Civil War , it became clear to college leaders that growth and stability were dependent upon relocation to a more populous city - - and they chose the state ' s capital . A 58 - acre ( 235 , 000 m² ) parcel of land on what was then the outskirts of town and is now the beautiful Old Cloverdale neighborhood of Montgomery was selected in 1908 . The design for the landscape of the campus was provided by Frederick Law Olmsted , who had also planned the Biltmore Estate . The college , renamed once again to " Woman ' s College of Alabama , " moved all of its furniture , lab chemicals , and records into Hamner Hall in Montgomery August 24 , 1909 , but the building burned to the ground that night , destroying the records of the college ' s first 50 years and all of its belongings . As the students and President William Martin moved to Sullins College in Virginia for that school year , construction commenced on the college ' s first building , John Jefferson Flowers Memorial Hall . Completed in 1910 and designed by Harvard architect H . Langford Warren , Flowers Hall was designed to emulate the collegiate Gothic architecture of Oxford and Cambridge , England , and of Cambridge , Massachusetts , and set the tone for the pervasive architectural style of campus buildings henceforth . The college admitted its first male students in the aftermath of World War I , graduating the first male student in 1934 . Realizing that the name Woman ' s College of Alabama no longer fit its student body , the college ' s final name change came in 1935 when Huntingdon College was adopted in honor of Selina , Countess of Huntingdon , a notable supporter of John Wesley and of Methodism . Huntingdon today offers approximately 20 academic majors and 14 NCAA - III intercollegiate athletic teams . Since 2004 , enrollment has grown by 58 % in the traditional day program and 90 % overall , through the establishment of the burgeoning Adult Degree Completion Program , now offered in 10 locations across the state . The core curriculum features ACT : The Art of Critical Thinking , beginning with PACT : Practicing the Art of Critical Thinking , is the first semester of enrollment and continuing with critical - thinking - intensive courses throughout the curriculum . An Honors Program , Departmental Honors , Senior Capstone experiences , the Staton Center for Learning Enrichment , and the Center for Career and Vocation are central to academic life at Huntingdon . Long - standing strengths in the pre - medical sciences and pre - law have led to successful graduate placement into professional , medical and law schools , and seminaries . In 2010 , the College continued a 14 - year tradition of 100 % placement among candidates who wished to enter pharmacy schools . Accreditation . Huntingdon College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools . Huntingdon ’ s athletic training program is accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Athletic Training Educatione ( CAATE ) . The teacher certification program is accredited by the Alabama State Department of Education . The music program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music . The College is listed as an approved institution by the University Senate of the United Methodist Church . Rankings . Huntingdon College is ranked by the " Princeton Review " as one of the best liberal arts colleges in the Southeast and is also ranked as a " Best Value " by the Princeton Review . The College is listed on the President ' s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll . Student organizations . There are eight Greek organizations on campus , four for women and four for men . There are no fraternity or sorority houses for residential purposes , but each organization has a chapter room located on campus . Women ' s sororities include Alpha Omicron Pi ( chapter established 1975 ) , Chi Omega ( chapter established 1976 ) , Alpha Kappa Alpha ( chapter established 1999 ) , and Phi Mu ( chapter established 2008 ) . The first men ' s fraternity was established in 1977 with a chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon , and was followed in 1981 by a chapter of Kappa Sigma . Recently , two more men ' s fraternities were added to Huntingdon ' s campus : Kappa Alpha Psi , spring 2008 , and Sigma Nu , fall 2008 . Other organizations focus on political interests , including College Republicans and College Democrats . Service organizations include the Women ' s Center and the only collegiate chapter of the Exchange Club in the country , while other organizations , such as the Natural Sciences Club and Business Club , have an academic interest as their foundation . Other groups include the Outdoor Recreation Club and the International Students Association . The Student Government Association can trace its beginnings to 1912 and consists of an executive cabinet , a President ' s Council , a Student Senate , and a Judicial Board , which considers infringements of the College ' s Honor Code . Campus publications are student - run and include " The Prelude " ( literary magazine ) , " Bells and Pomegranates " ( yearbook ) , and " The Gargoyle " ( newspaper ) . Athletics . Huntingdon College teams participate as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ' s Division III . The Hawks are a member of the Great South Athletic Conference ( GSAC ) . Men ' s sports include baseball , basketball , cross country , football , golf , lacrosse , soccer , tennis and track & field ; while women ' s sports include basketball , cross country , golf , lacrosse , soccer , softball , tennis , track & field and volleyball .