Faculty, students, alumni and friends of North Greenville University gathered Sept. 19 at a chapel service to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the school’s founding.
NGU Founders Day keynote speaker Paul Jimenez.Keynote speaker Paul Jimenez, pastor of Taylors First Baptist Church, referenced the story of Gideon and said that Christians too often allow external things to consume them and cause their thinking to become unclear.
“I pray that whatever external challenges you face, inwardly you would meet those spiritual challenges to bring the glory of Christ not only to this institution, but the world around you,” he told the audience.
Founded in 1892 as a high school, North Greenville provided educational opportunities for mountain-area students. South Carolina chartered the institution as North Greenville High School in 1904. Eleven years later, it was renamed North Greenville Academy.
In 1934, a junior college was established in addition to the high school. By 1991, the college became a four-year liberal arts school and awarded its first bachelor’s degrees in 1994. In 2005, the college became a university and opened the doors to the T. Walter Brashier Graduate School, which now offers master’s and doctorate degrees.