Covenant College

This article is about the American tertiary institution. For other uses, see Covenant College (disambiguation).

Covenant College

Motto	"In All Things Christ Preeminent"
Type	Private Liberal Arts College
Established	1955
Affiliation	Presbyterian Church in America
Endowment	$18.6 million
President	J. Derek Halvorson
Location	Lookout Mountain , Georgia , USA
Campus	Mountaintop Campus Near Chattanooga, TN
Colors	blue   & white
Nickname	The Scots; Lady Scots
Affiliations	Presbyterian Church in America, Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, Covenant Theological Seminary, NAIA, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Appalachian Athletic Conference, IAPCHE
Website	www.covenant.edu

Covenant College is a Christian liberal arts college in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, United States.

History

Founded in 1955 in Pasadena, California, Covenant College and Theological Seminary moved its campus to St. Louis, Missouri the following year, and, in 1964, separated from the seminary, moving to Lookout Mountain, Georgia. It is an agency of the Presbyterian Church in America. As such, Covenant stands in the Reformed and Presbyterian traditions.

Academics

The college offers Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Music, and Master of Education degrees, and several pre-professional programs. In addition, Covenant is home to the Chalmers Center for Economic and Community Development (established 1999), which offers courses and programs in community and economic development in the urban United States and throughout the developing world.

Covenant's faculty is composed of 58 full-time teaching faculty members, 88% of whom hold doctorates or terminal degrees in their fields. The student-faculty ratio is 14:1.

The college has over 5,000 alumni living both in the United States and abroad. Alumni are employed in a variety of fields, such as education, ministry, music, business, the military, science, and journalism. Over 60% of graduates go on to earn graduate degrees.

The college has been accredited since 1971 by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

J. Derek Halvorson became Covenant's sixth president July of 2012. Previous presidents include Robert G. Rayburn (1955–1965), Marion Barnes (1965–1978), Martin Essenburg (1978–1987), Frank A. Brock(1987–2002), and Niel Nielson (2002-2012). Halvorson is the first alumnus to occupy Covenant's presidency.

Athletics

Covenant has sports teams that compete at the intercollegiate level in men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's golf, baseball, softball and women's volleyball. Its athletic teams are known as the Scots (men's) and Lady Scots (women's). Covenant has been accepted for provisional membership in the NCAA Division III. Covenant joined the Great South Athletic Conference in 2010.

Campus

The campus is located at the top of Lookout Mountain in Lookout Mountain, Georgia.

Carter Hall

Carter Hall is the signature building on campus. It was originally named The Lookout Mountain Hotel and was built in 1928 by Paul Carter, for whom the building is now named. It was popularly known as the "Castle in the Clouds." However, since it was completed less than a year before the Great Depression, the hotel soon went bankrupt. It opened and closed several times prior to 1960, when it shut down for the last time. Bill Brock, the grandfather of the college's fourth president, Frank Brock, served on the original board of the hotel.

Both the exterior and interior of Carter Hall are Austro-Bavarian Gothic revival in style. The building has had two towers in its history. The first tower was similar in design to the Frauenkirche (Cathedral of Our Lady) in Munich. Poor maintenance before acquisition by the college required it to be rebuilt. The new tower, though considerably simpler in style, maintains the architectural style of the original tower.

Covenant College bought the building in 1964, upon relocating to Lookout Mountain, Georgia. During the first few years of Covenant's operation on the mountain, all the functions of the college were contained within Carter Hall. At that time, it housed the chapel, the library, the classrooms, the professors' offices, and all of the dorm rooms, as well as the dining hall and administrative offices, which are still located there today.

The current halls of Carter are 5th South and 5th North (women's), 4th North, Central and South (women's), 3rd Central and South (women's), 2nd Central and South (men's), and the 2nd North.

2nd South is the most renowned and prestigious of the men's halls located in Carter. Nicknamed "The Man Buffet" by faculty and students alike, their reputation for glorious interactions with all people of Covenant precedes them. As the clear leaders of the men of Carter, 2nd Central and 2nd North submit to their leadership in all matters. Their mottos include "The Compass of my heart points South." and "Put some South in your Mouth". Prestigious alumni of 2nd South include the esteemed Dr. Déwmelón who developed a theory on quantum and erratic trends concerning the psychosis of plant life, and Dr. the Rev. Allistair O'Hannigan PhD., MD., DDS., whose medical institute since its establishment in southern Tibet in 1982, has saved the lives of thousands as well as produced remarkable political stability. 2nd South traditions include perpetual domination in the areas of intramurals, academics, entertaining young ladies, maintaining suave appearance and demeanor, etc., annual inter-hall fantasy football tournament, Hour of Love, being the oldest hall on campus, and the Annual Charity Golf Outing. 2nd South is, in a word, iconic. It represents all the best that Covenant College, and all of humanity for that matter, has to offer. National and international accolades include being voted the "Homiest Hall in Collegiate History" by Princeton Review and US News and World Report. GQ Magazine ranked 2nd South the "Most Attractive Hall of the Century" in 2012. Thomas Jefferson once said regarding 2nd South, "Never has more illustrious a group of young men been assembled in the history of this great nation then on the halls of Second South...Their efforts in every capacity to epitomize the America spirit have remained true to this great nation's founding ideals." Albert Einstein concurred when, in an essay to European dignitaries, he said of the Men of 2nd South , "Gentlemen, I submit to you that ingenuity has arrived at its illustrious peak within the walls of South." In 2011, fIlm rights of the history of 2nd South were sold to Warner Brothers, and rumors have since surfaced that Christopher Nolan is currently in the process of casting and directing a full length feature film scheduled to release in 2014 starring Will Smith as the illustrious Dr. Déwmelón, and Jude Law as Dr. the Rev. Allistair O'Hannigan.

Founders Hall

Founders Hall contains three wings, each named for members of the founding generation of Covenant College.

Belz Hall, the first to be built, was completed in 1972, is named after pastor and Christian educator Max Belz, a member of Covenant College’s original board of trustees. Belz Hall houses approximately 100 students and was originally a men’s dorm. In 1990 and 1993 two new wings were added to the structure, and the building was renamed Founders Residence Hall. Currently the dorm halls for Belz are as follows: Caledon (a women's hall on the main floor), Brethren (a men's hall on the second floor), 1st Belz (a men's hall on the first floor), and Catacombs (a men's floor on the basement level).

Schmidt Hall, completed in 1990, is named in honor of Rudy and Collyn Schmidt, co-founders and long-time friends of the college, involved in virtually every dimension of college life since its inception. The dorm halls in Schmidt include Balcony (a women's hall on the fourth floor), Jungle (a women's hall on the main floor), and Blackwatch (a men's hall on the second floor).

Rayburn Hall was completed in 1993 and is named for Robert G. Rayburn, the founding president of Covenant College. The dorm halls in Rayburn include Highlands (a women's hall on the fourth floor), Gracewell (a women's hall on the main floor), and Rivendell (a men's hall on the second floor).

Maclellan/Rymer Hall

The Maclellan wing of the hall, built in 1998, was named in honor of the Maclellan Foundation, a longtime supporter of Covenant College. The Rymer wing of the building, completed in 2000, was given by Ann Caudle Rymer and her son, S. Bradford Rymer, Jr.

Andreas Hall

Andreas Hall, completed in 2007 as part of the BUILD campaign, is located slightly south of Maclellan/Rymer Hall, and is the newest addition to the college's residence halls. It is named for Lowell Andreas, a recent financial supporter of Covenant College. It houses over 100 students and is four stories tall.

Notable alumni

• Aaron Belz (1993), poet, educator
• Joel Belz (1962), founder, God's World Publications, former publisher, WORLD Magazine
• Michael Cromartie (1978), former chair, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, vice president, Ethics and Public Policy Center
• Marty Marquis (1999), guitar, keyboard, and vocals, Blitzen Trapper
• Paul Moser (1979), noted analytic philosopher
• Randy Nabors (1972), pastor, New City Fellowship, Chattanooga, Tennessee
• James Ward (1972), musician, recording artist
• Isaac Wardell (2005), musician, Bifrost Arts, The Welcome Wagon

External links

• Official website
• Official athletics website