Carson Newman University

Based in Jefferson City, Tennessee, Carson-Newman University is a liberal arts college opened in 1851. It is named for James Carson, a local businessman who left money to the university, and William Newman, who donated money to what was the then separate women’s college.

Historically a Baptist college, the current mission statement of the university is to ‘act as Christian educators in helping our students reach their full potential as educated citizens’. 

The Division of Family and Consumer Sciences had a dedicated Child Development lab, which houses a classroom for four year old children and a state of the art outdoor play area. Another of the facilities on campus is the 58,000 square feet Dougherty Science Centre, opened in 1972 and designed for laboratory work and research in the natural sciences. The Academic Computer Centre was added in 1998.

Sports teams at Carson-Newman are known as the Eagles, and have 18 teams in the NCAA Division II competition, including basketball, golf, soccer and track & field. Carson-Newman is also one of around 40 colleges in the US to offer a competitive beach volleyball programme. Some facilities on campus range are tennis courts and the Burke-Tarr American football stadium, re-opened in 2005.

Among those to have graduated from Carson-Newman are governor of Florida Millard Caldwell, first woman to be elected to the Virginia House of Delegates Helen Timmons, composer Mary McDonald, and MLB pitcher Steve Cishek.