South Carolina Baptists enjoy a close affiliation with three healthy and growing universities, each distinct, but each firmly grounded in the mission of offering a Christ-centered higher education for all their students.
They came into being at different times in history — Anderson University tracing its roots to a pre-Civil War women’s seminary; Charleston Southern University, the youngest of the three schools, coming into existence only 60 years ago; and North Greenville University, founded as a high school at the end of the 19th century by a local Baptist association that understood the importance of educating the children of rural northern Greenville County.
Each school has evolved along the way — two of them transitioning from junior college to four-year-college status in the latter part of the 20th century — to become full-fledged universities offering myriad academic options and post-graduate degrees. In the last decade, all three schools have put into place academic offerings to provide home-grown training for tomorrow’s pastors, religious scholars and worship leaders. As the higher-education landscape has changed, particularly in religious instruction and ministry preparation, South Carolina’s three Baptist universities have risen to the challenge.
Today, all three universities’ student populations are bursting at the seams, and their drawing boards are filled with plans to accommodate future growth.
North Greenville University has developed over the last 125 years to become one of the most notable Christian universities today, holding true to its faith-based heritage despite numerous transitions since its founding. Recent rankings have named NGU a best Christian university in both the South and the U.S., as well as a best educational institution for conservative values.
NGU and the South Carolina Baptist Convention
Founded in 1892, North Greenville originally opened as a high school that served the children of northern Greenville County, a scenic area located at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Even then, North Greenville’s students could discover various opportunities not only for academic study, but also for spiritual growth, cultural enrichment, and hands-on service throughout their learning experience.
In 1934, North Greenville Baptist Association (the original founding body) amended the institution’s charter to include its status as a junior college. Fifteen years later, the NGBA transferred its still-growing school to the South Carolina Baptist Convention.
In 1957, North Greenville received accreditation from the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools as a two-year liberal arts college, and its high school courses were discontinued.
The college continued to grow and add new bachelor’s degrees in the following years, then earned status as a university in 2006. At that time, NGU also began granting graduate-level degrees.
Christian Educational Offerings
Today, NGU features a total of more than 50 undergraduate, online and graduate degree options — and each one aims to prepare students not only for a career, but also for effective Christian living.
Faculty and staff at NGU believe that biblical principles cover and apply to every aspect of reality — not just “spiritual” reality. For that reason, the Bible serves as the basis of the university’s educational philosophy and as the solid foundation of its entire curriculum, across every field of study.
All students also participate in biweekly chapel services led by special speakers and with music by the NGU Campus Band, and take Bible classes as part of their required course sequence.
For students interested in church-related ministry in particular, NGU offers undergraduate degrees in Christian studies, church music, intercultural studies and youth ministry.
Recently added academic offerings include an interdisciplinary studies undergraduate degree with a concentration in contemporary worship arts and leadership, and an online undergraduate degree in Christian ministries for the adult learner.
NGU’s graduate school of ministry offers further opportunities for ministry preparation, including a master of arts in church growth and renewal, a master of arts in missions and evangelism, a master of arts in spiritual formation and discipleship, and a doctor of ministry.
Christian Life Opportunities on Campus
Outside the classroom, NGU offers opportunities to learn and grow as a Christian, specifically through hands-on service.
Baptist Student Union has a prominent presence at NGU. Through BSU, students can engage in ministry opportunities that range from music ministries like Joyful Sound, “BSU-Grass” and campus band to the drama ministry troupe Act II and community and weekend Impact teams.
NGU Impact teams allow students to assist and participate in established ministries throughout the semester, with opportunities to serve in after-school programs, food banks, and local and regional churches. NGU students are involved in serving at around 300 South Carolina Baptist churches every year.
BSU also hosts a weekly Thursday-night celebration on campus for all students, which includes both biblical teaching, fellowship and student-led worship.
NGU students receive ample opportunities to be engaged in foreign missions. Over the past 15 years, students have served in over half of the states in the U.S. and in more than 70 countries through NGU’s L.I.G.H.T. teams, through which they participate in church planting, direct evangelism, youth and university ministry, English language ministry, medical ministry and athletic ministry.
Other Christian life opportunities at NGU include small-group Bible studies and accountability groups, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a traveling apologetics team, and a handful of annual events centered on revival, missions and service.
Campus Growth
In recent years, North Greenville University has completed several development projects that further reflect the university’s Christian focus and its continued growth.
The Craft/Hemphill Center for Missions, Evangelism, and Christian Worldview serves as a regional training center for those who sense God’s call to cross-cultural ministry, and the Todd Prayer Chapel creates a space for prayer and reflection at the heart of NGU’s main campus. Other recent construction projects include the Tigerville General Store and new athletic and activity areas.
NGU also recently purchased property in Greer, which will house NGU’s graduate and College of Adult Professional Studies offices, as well as the physician assistant medicine program set to begin in January 2017.
Future Plans
Future plans for NGU include improving and expanding existing facilities as well as resources available for its students.
NGU plans to extend its reach by continuing to develop online and hybrid programs on both the undergraduate and graduate levels and to grow the faculty and staff needed to implement the curriculum for these programs.
New academic fields include the highly competitive master of medical science (physician assistant medicine), as well as an undergraduate and online undergraduate degree in criminal justice and legal studies, and graduate degrees such as the master of divinity, doctor of education in higher education leadership, and doctor of education in K-12 leadership.
NGU also continues to search for its eighth president through the executive search agency CarterBaldwin, with plans to fill this leadership position by the spring of 2017.
Though the school has seen many changes during its nearly 125 years, NGU still remains committed both to the conservative values of the SCBC and to its guiding vision: to provide each student with an exceptional education in an authentic Christian environment for a successful life of service.
For more information about North Greenville University, visit ngu.edu.