Gardner-Webb University

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Gardner-Webb University
Motto:	Pro Deo et Humanitate
Established	1905
Type:	Private/Liberal Arts
President:	Dr. Frank Bonner
Students:	Approximately 4,000
Location	Boiling Springs, North Carolina, USA
Colors:	Scarlet and Black
Mascot:	Runnin’ Bulldogs
Website:	[1]

Gardner-Webb University is a four-year private university 50 miles west of Charlotte in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, USA and is affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. The school has a total of 13 academic departments offering 45 major fields of study. Among the most popular of the school's 39 undergraduate majors are those in business, the social sciences, and education. The main campus is situated on nearly 200 acres, and there are an additional 17 satellite campuses located throughout North Carolina. Associates, Bachelor's, Master's, Doctoral programs are offered.

Student life

Gardner-Webb also has a rich tradition of pranks and pranksters. A popular activity has been to climb on to the roof of the aquatic center, gently remove the skylight covers and descend to the water below. One group of students known for their pranks and mischief has been the boys of L3 (young men living on the third floor of Lutz-Yelton dorm). The group has always been a tight knit community centered around God and brotherhood. Fun pranks, or "missions," as they are called have developed from the community on the hall. One of the more legendary practical jokes occurred at the August graduation of 2001. The night before the ceremony in Paul Porter Arena, two young men entered the arena and made their way into the rafters high above the stands. On the rafter bearing the retired jersey of GW basketball great Artis Gilmore, the two culprits hung a large but as yet unfurled banner. Near the end of the next day's festivities, as one of the young men received his BA, his compatriot operated a remote control that released the banner for all to see. There before God, the graduates, the faculty, and the GW family hung a bold commission: Fight for Your Mind. The banner was signed 'S.N.O' or Students for Non-Oppression, a loose confederation of undergraduates committed to intellectual and social freedom. Another great prank in GWU history was called "Operation Peace Out." The prank included over a dozen GWU boys running around campus over night and climbing on the roofs of buildings to hang huge white sheets with a smiley face spray painted on it. The prank took all night and the Gardner-Webb police along with local authorities were involved in chasing students around the campus. Many students did not get to appreciate the banners as they were removed by the school early the next morning. Like most universities, Homecoming is a time of celebration at GWU. Central to Homecoming Weekend is the parade down Main Street in Boiling Springs. The weekend is also full of special meals for alumni, a golf tournament and tons of tailgating. One of the best traditions at GWU is centered around the weekend; the Friday night before the big Homecoming game students virtually "destroy" campus with rolls and rolls of toilet paper. The activity that is now condoned by administration is a major part of GWU tradition. Gardner-Webb is home to numerous clubs, organizations, and honors societies. Some of the largest include Campus Ministries United (CMU) - a large group of students who strive to learn more about God and help others through various Christ-centered programs; Alphi Chi - a special invitation academic organization that promotes and recognizes scholarship and elements of character which make scholarship effective; The Dawg Pound - GWU's original student section at athletic events that sport red Dawg Pound t-shirts and painted faces to support the Runnin' Bulldogs. It was founded in 2001 by Lutz-Yelton residents Matt Hudler and Nic Watson; Honors Student Association (HSA) - a special invitation academic club that encourages an atmosphere of challenged learning through advanced classes, special trips, and special academic opportunities; Student Admissions Association (SAA) - a group of Gardner-Webb students that love GWU and are handpicked by their admissions counselors to share that love with prospective students through tours, Dawg Days, and overnight visits; Student YMCA (GWSY) - a branch of the Cleveland County YMCA that offers programs to help the Cleveland County and Gardner-Webb community; Web Spinners - a theater club on campus that strives to promote interest in theatrical productions, specifically those at GWU, and to foster personal development in the various components of stage performance and theatre; Joyful Hands- promotes understanding of Sign Language and the deaf culture. The group signs songs for the deaf and hearing communities, and Residence Hall Association (RHA) - a club on campus that provides and administers activities or services necessary to promote the welfare and interest of all resident students. All clubs are, of course, chartered by the GWU Student Government Association (SGA); the purpose of which is to represent the rights and opinions of the undergraduate day student body in a manner consistent with the mission and SGA constitution and promote positive relationships between students, faculty, and administration. GWU has a full campus police force, not just hired security guards. The men employed by the GWU police office make hourly rounds on campus and offer various services to the student body and Gardner-Webb community.

Housing and Residence Education

The majority of full-time students at GW live in either traditional dormitories or on-campus apartments. The two largest dormitories are Lutz-Yelton and Mauney (pronounced 'mooney') These are men's dorms, each four stories high with two-person rooms and a single communal bathroom on each floor. In addition to throwing various objects from the higher floors of both dorms, Lutz and Mauney's long hallways have been turned into slip-and-slides. Going back to the early years of Lutz and Mauney, adventurous students have covered the tile floors with soapy water, took a running start and slid the length of the hallways. Recent renovations to these dormitories specifically, including the installation of carpet and new furniture, has put an end to the slip-and-slides, but throwing the objects continues. Other dorms on the GWU campus include Decker, a popular women's dorm located right on the central quad with single, double, and triple rooms and community style baths. The large loft attic in Decker has made space for huge rooms that three girls share. Decker is said to be haunted by the ghost of a girl who committed suicide in 1955 and was the subject of the 2006 film, "The Legacy: A Ghost Story." "Legacy" won the Gold Award at the 2006 Aurora Film and Video Festival. H.A.P.Y (Hoey Anthony Padgett Young) and H.A.P.Y. Wing are also female dorms. The main building sports suite style bathrooms, while the wing has one community style bath. These dorms are home to many nursing students. H.A.P.Y. is a recently renovated building on campus with nice carpet and furniture. Stroup (pronounced "strap") is home to numerous girls on campus. The building has community style baths and sinks in students' rooms. The building is in need of renovation and students can expect renovation in the near future. Royster, formally a hospital in Boiling Springs, is a men's residence located across College Avenue and off the main campus. The building is one story and has one long hall with several small halls of the main one. Young men enjoy community style and private baths along with large rooms and high ceilings. Nanney is a two story men's dorm that once housed young women on the GWU campus. The building has carpet and long rooms with built in closets. Because of the building's history as a female dorm, bathtubs can still be found in the dorm's bathrooms. Honors house has not been a part of GWU for too terribly long. The old white home served as overflow housing at one time but now houses students in single and double rooms with private and suite style baths. Myers-Spangler halls are two female dorms located further off the main quad area connected by an outdoor corridor. The buildings have community style baths. University Commons are the student apartments and are considered on campus housing. There are 7 complexes on campus located off of the main quad area across Lake Hollifield. They are 4 bedroom, two bath units with a kitchen, living room and free laundry in the apartment.

Renovations and expansion

Every summer Gardner-Webb strives to make the campus and its facilities better for its students. Recent renovations include carpet and furniture in Lutz-Yelton and Mauney halls, suite style bathrooms in H.A.P.Y., and improvements to apartment complexes. One major renovation occurred over the 2006-2007 Christmas break in which Gardner-Webb completely renovated the cafeteria, called "The Caf", by students. The room is now home to a food court type serving area and numerous plasma screen televisions around the lower level of seating and private TVs for each table around the upper level of seating. During the summer of 2007 Gardner-Webb is renovating the snack bar area in the downstairs of the campus center. The new area will be like a sports bar/coffee shop restaurant where students can use their meal plan or cash to purchase prepared and snack foods. The fall of 2007 will boast the revealing of Gardner-Webb’s biggest capital campaign and expansion plan in history. The new plan is three phases and includes the building of a new Student Center (that will include a movie theater, food court, recreation area, prayer room, ballroom, and offices for major student clubs and organizations), a new science and math facility, and a new fine and performing arts building. The capital campaign will need to raise an initial $16 million for the first phase that will include the building of the new Student Center.

Rankings and ratings

Ranked, U.S. News America's Best Colleges, 2006, 2007; Princeton Review Selectivity Rating, 86 in 2006, 85 in 2007 (scores range from 60-99); Character-Building College, Templeton Foundation; Top 5, Graduates with Lightest Debtload, 2006, 2007, U.S. News America's Best Colleges

Historical timeline

1905-Chartered as Boiling Spring High School, a private boarding school established by the Kings Mountain and Sandy Run Baptist Associations. 1928-The institution was transformed into Boiling Spring Junior College. 1942-Renamed Gardner-Webb College, in honor of former governor of North Carolina O. Max Gardner (1929-33) and wife Fay Webb Gardner. 1947-O. Max Gardner, newly appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt as ambassador to the Court of St. James, dies on the eve of his departure for England. 1971-Gardner-Webb receives full accreditation as a four-year school. 1970s-With talent-rich teams that included Artis Gilmore and John Drew, the Bulldogs ascend the junior-college rankings. Their reputation for athletic ability and aggressive play earns them an adjective, as they become known as the Runnin' Bulldogs, a nickname that has stuck. (An apocryphal account.) 1980-Gardner-Webb offers its first Master of Arts Degree in education. 1992-The G-W board of trustees vote to establish the Gardner-Webb School of Divinity. 1992-Gardner-Webb loses in the closing seconds of the NAIA Football National Championship Game to Central State Ohio. The team, led by Coach Woody Fish, featured numerous All-Americans and future professional players including Gabe Wilkins. 1993-Gardner-Webb College becomes Gardner-Webb University. 1998-The Divinity school is renamed the Christopher White School of Divinity, in honor of the school's sitting president. 2000-G-W Baseball Team advance through 64 team NCAA tourney to college world series 2000-G-W athletics moves to NCAA Division I status. 2002-Then president Christopher White admits to giving instructions to remove an "F" from basketball star, Carlos Webb's, GPA to make Webb eligible for 2000-01 season. President White later resigns from his position under pressure from students, faculty, and alumni. 2004-Dr. Frank Campbell is named interim President of Gardner-Webb. 2004-NCAA places G-W on probation for "lack of institutional control". Effective March 4, 2004, and ending March 3, 2007. 2005-Celebrated its 100-year anniversary as an educational institution. 2005-Dr. Frank Bonner (Ph.D., English, UNC Chapel Hill) is installed as the 12th President in Gardner-Webb's hisory. [2] 2006-The men's soccer team, led by long-time coach Tony Setzer, defeated Stetson in overtime to claim their first conference title in soccer as a Division I school. Gardner-Webb would then defeat heavily-favored UAB in the 1st round of the NCAA tournament in penalty kicks. The historic season was brought to an end the next week as GW fell to the Clemson Tigers 3-1. 2007-Gardner-Webb President Dr. Frank Bonner announces that as of August 6 that year the university will become a Tobacco Free campus. The use of smoke and smokeless tobacco will no longer be allowed on campus and students, faculty, staff, and administration will be subject to fines and other penalties for violations. 2007 - Gardner-Webb basketball team defeats Kentucky 84-68 on November 7, 2007 for their first win against a NCAA Division I Top 25 team in school history (Kentucky was ranked #22)

Scandal

The Gardner-Webb community was rocked by scandal in the fall of 2002 when ordained minister and Gardner-Webb president of 16 years, Dr. Christopher White, admitted to writing a memo two years before ordering a star basketball player's grade-point average to be calculated without an "F" he received for cheating in a religion class -- thereby allowing the athlete to play. Without the change, Carlos Webb would have been ineligible in 2000-01, the season Gardner-Webb won the National Christian College Athletic Association championship. Under the University's Honor Code, a "cheating F" can never be removed from a student's transcript because it is a direct violation of that Honor Code. By removing the "F," president White destroyed the power of the honor code and the integrity of GWU. The school's trustees affirmed Christopher White's presidency after a 10-hour meeting on September 27, 2002 though they demoted a pair of administrators, one the vice president of academic affairs and the other his assistant, who had criticized White's actions. Initially 3 faculty members also resigned as a result of the scandal. In the end, eight faculty members and administrators (later called "The Group of 8") suffered professional hardship due to demotion, resignation, or firing. Opponents said White's action and the trustees' failure to punish him violates the spirit of Gardner-Webb's honor code. While the president's backers, including the chairman of the board of trustees, said they were convinced White did not violate the letter of any school rules and that he acted in a spirit of fairness toward Webb, who had been incorrectly advised he could get the "F" removed from his GPA by retaking the class. Trustees chairman Thomas Hardin said his board concluded that, while White's action was wrong, the president should not have been removed for a mistake made two years before. And he said the demoted administrators were punished not for speaking out, but because in doing so they violated a student's right to privacy. For close to two weeks students picketed on the corner of College Avenue and Main Street with signs calling for the president's resignation and questioning true integrity. Students were seen with copies of the Honor Code in their black frames taken from classrooms and the glass front busted and black tape over the poster. The scandal tore the Gardner-Webb community apart. In early October 2002, Dr. Christopher White resigned as Gardner-Webb University’s president and the grade remained on the student athlete’s transcript. Gardner-Webb was put on NCAA probation for a five year period that ended in early 2007.

Notable alumni

• W.J. Cash: Author of Mind of the South (1917-18 while Boiling Springs High School; Cash's sister Bertie attended 1928-30 as Junior College student}
• Ron Rash: Award-winning novelist and poet.
• Martha Mason: Writer (oldest living person in an iron lung).
• Joe DePriest: Journalist, Charlotte Observer.
• Artis Gilmore: ABA Player, NBA All-Star.
• Gilmer Blackburn: Provost and Vice Chancellor, University of Virginia's College at Wise.
• Evans P. Whitaker, Ph.D., President of Anderson University (SC)
• Gerry Vaillancourt: Broadcaster, New Orleans Hornets
• John Drew: NBA Player
• Woody Fish: College Football Coach
• Eddie Lee Wilkins: NBA Player
• Arnold Isaacs: Contractor who managed construction of Panthers Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
• Jim Washburn: Defensive Line Coach of the Tennessee Titans [3]
• Blake Lalli: Catcher Peoria Chiefs (Class - A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs)
• Jim Maxwell: Linebacker Cincinnati Bengals[4]
• Gabe Wilkins: Former Defensive End Green Bay Packers
• Zach Ward: Pitcher Fort Myers Miracle (Class - A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins)
• Cara Saunders: Bahamas Olympic Track and Field Team member
• Johnny Cash: Honorary Degree
• Earl Scruggs: Honorary Degree
• Dr. Linda Combs: Controller of the Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush. Received an AA Degree