Founded by Quakers, Guilford Is Among 40 Colleges That Change Lives
Attending college often has a strong impact on people‚ but few institutions have actually been singled out as a place that changes the lives of its students.
Guilford College in Greensboro carries this distinction.
Guilford College is one of 40 colleges in the country included by noted education editor Loren Pope in his book Colleges That Change Lives‚ first published in 1996.
Pope‚ known for his work at The New York Times‚ describes Guilford as a place “where people trust and like each other … a stimulating place where teachers care‚ where they expect a lot‚ and where they provide encouragement as well as the challenge to get young people to do things they had no idea they could do.”
Founded in 1837 by the Society of Friends‚ also known as Quakers‚ Guilford is one of the oldest co-educational institutions in the United States. Its focus is on teaching excellence rather than research‚ along with a strong commitment to an undergraduate liberal arts education.
The college’s enrollment is 2‚700‚ up from 1‚250 in 2000‚ making Guilford the fastest-growing college in North Carolina‚ according to Ty Buckner‚ director of college relations at Guilford.
“Guilford has an unprecedented commitment among area colleges and universities to undergraduate liberal arts education and teaching excellence‚” Buckner says. “The academic program is built on the holistic approach to education in and out of the classroom and close student-faculty relationships.Couple this with a set of core values rooted in Quakerism‚ and Guilford is in a superior position to offer a transformative‚ life-changing experience for its students.”
Guilford recently added forensic biology to its list of 40 majors‚ a move that has been extremely popular with both adult and traditional college students.
“I see this program continuing to grow‚” Buckner said.
Guilford is closely connected to the Greensboro citizenry through the 60‚000 hours of community service its students perform each year‚ as well as through academic programs – particularly those serving adult students.
“We have a number of innovative majors for adults that can be completed entirely through evening classes‚” Buckner says.
Its major lecture series‚ the Bryan Series‚ has welcomed such distinguished speakers as Mikhail Gorbachev‚ Desmond Tutu‚ Sidney Poitier‚ Colin Powell and Madeleine Albright.
In addition to kudos for excellence‚ the college has recently emerged as a popular favorite among students nationwide. Guilford was named one of America’s 25 “Hottest Colleges” in the 2006 Kaplan/Newsweek How to Get Into College Guide.
