History
University Overview
Founded in 1883, Reinhardt University is a private, comprehensive institution grounded in the liberal arts and affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
Reinhardt offers 40+ graduate and undergraduate programs online and on campus, ranging from business and education to music and theater. Reinhardt also offers programs in other centers in the North Georgia region. Reinhardt’s main 525-acre campus is ideally located in Waleska in the heart of Georgia’s high country and nearby the great international city of Atlanta.
Named a College of Distinction, Reinhardt graduated in 2017 its largest class in the university’s 134-year history.
Reinhardt University is on the move, with more programs and students than ever before. The 2016-17 freshman class was the second largest in the University’s history.
Fall 2016 welcomed nearly 1,500 students, including 475 new traditional students and 150 new non-traditional students in adult, online and graduate programs.
New programs include a successful Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, which began in the summer of 2016 with a low-residency component. The online Bachelor of Business Administration also was launched successfully.
Cybersecurity and Computer Forensics Concentration is off to a great start with the curriculum being approved and recruitment underway for Fall 2017 classes.
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing program is building with the hiring of the school dean, Dr. Glynis Blackard, and the Georgia Board of Nursing giving the program “developmental approval.” The program is expected to launch in January 2018.
A New Face and a New Vision
Reinhardt University welcomed its 20th – and first female – president in 2015. Dr. Kina S. Mallard wasted no time in getting started, organizing a leadership team and planning for Reinhardt’s future. She embarked on projects and implementations that would make students’ Reinhardt Experiences even better, from the first-year experience to graduation day.
Within her first year, Dr. Mallard had plans in the works for new programs, including a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a new Nursing Building to go along with it. The University also unveiled plans for a new theater for the burgeoning School of Performing Arts, and the Office of Advancement launched a fundraising campaign to make the project possible.
Lake Mullenix continues to undergo a beautification project to allow students a place to unwind, relax and enjoy. It features cascading ponds, an illuminated fountain and a walking path carved around the circumference of the lake.
New Name Reflects Institution’s Growth
Like its founding fathers, Reinhardt continues to respond to the educational needs of North Georgia. On June 1, 2010, Reinhardt College became Reinhardt University, thus beginning a new chapter in the institution’s long, proud history. As a comprehensive university firmly grounded in the liberal arts, Reinhardt University offers instruction to men and women in a Christian environment at its main campus in the city of Waleska,Georgia, and in various other locations in the State of Georgia.
Breaking Records…Again!
For the 2009-10 academic year, the College reached its largest enrollment to date — more than 1,130 students were welcomed to Reinhardt’s main campus in Waleska, and three extended sites in Alpharetta, Epworth and Cartersville.
The College announced the creation of two more graduate programs, a Master of Music and Master of Arts in Teaching in Early Education. Associate degrees were added in criminal justice and fire management, and a certificate program in homeland safety management and a Public Safety Institute were created. The College also launched a mathematics secondary education program and approved a theatre program, and selected degree programs were offered in Cartersville and Epworth.
Furthering Student Success
In 2009, Reinhardt’s success was soaring to new heights. The campus now totals almost 525 acres, of which almost 90 are developed. Students were honored and celebrated during the College’s first Convocation of Artists and Scholars, a weeklong celebration of student art, music, research, writing, and leadership. During spring commencement ceremonies, the College honored the first graduates from its MBA program.
To remain competitive, Reinhardt’s intercollegiate athletics switched to the Appalachian Athletic Conference in summer 2009.
“The Past Has Been Written, and a New Chapter Begins”
2008 brought much promise to the continued success of Reinhardt University. The College’s undergraduate accreditation was reaffirmed by SACSCOC, and, later in the year, Reinhardt was accredited as a level III-graduate institution. New degree programs included: World Languages and Cultures, criminal justice, and professional communication leadership.
Celebrating the 125 Year Anniversary
The year 2008 marked the 125-year anniversary of Reinhardt’s foundation. The College hosted many events to commemorate this momentous event, including a kick-off celebration dinner in January, which also included the conclusion of an $18.7 million capital campaign, a Trustee, Faculty and Staff picnic in April, and a 125th Anniversary Scholarship presentation on Honors Day.
Expanding Learning Opportunities
Reinhardt added its first graduate program – a master of business administration – in 2007 after formal approval from SACS. The College now offers more than 40 degree programs – including undergraduate programs ranging from business, communications and education to psychology, music and math.
In 2009, the Master of Arts in Teaching in Early Education was added, and the Master of Education in Elementary Education and Master of Education in Special Education were approved to start in 2012. A baccalaureate program in theatre studies also was added in 2009.
Programs continued to be added, including a baccalaureate in political science in 2011, online degree completion programs in criminal justice and healthcare administration in 2012, a Master of Public Administration in 2013 and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing in 2016.
Breaking Records
In fall of 2006, Reinhardt welcomed a record breaking number of new students to campus – 373 – up from 313 in 2005.
The Capital Campaign, announced in 2005 with a goal of $15 million, raised its goal in 2006 to $17 million and surpassed that goal in 2007 with almost $22 million, including $3,286,187 in gifts for the Annual Fund and $18,681,664 in gifts for the Capital Campaign.
In 2000, the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097: Telephone number 404-679-4501) accredited Reinhardt to award associate and baccalaureate degrees, and in July 2008, the College’s accreditation was reaffirmed to award associate and baccalaureate degrees and a master in business administration degree. The University Senate of the United Methodist Church approved Reinhardt to be listed as a United Methodist-affiliated institution beginning in 2000.
Growing Academically
Reinhardt began offering its first four-year degree program in business in 1992, and in 1994 the College became accredited as a four-year institution. In 2010, it was granted University status.
Intercollegiate Athletics Begin
In 1920, Reinhardt fielded a football team for a short time and although the campus’s first gymnasium was constructed in 1931, men’s intercollegiate basketball did not begin on campus until 1982 when the James and Sis Brown Physical Education Building was constructed. Women’s basketball and softball were then added in 1983, men’s soccer in 1991 and women’s and men’s cross country and tennis in 1999. The beginning of the 21st century included the additions of women’s soccer in 2000 and men’s baseball and women’s fast-pitch softball in 2004. Women’s volleyball was added in 2003 and golf in 2007. The College also became a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA).
In 2010, women’s lacrosse was added, and in 2013, the Eagles football team competed for the first time on the athletic field, after being approved in 2012. Men’s and women’s track were added in 2014. The 2016-17 school year brought the addition of wrestling and bowling. A gracious donation from the Brown-Whitworth Foundation made possible a renovation of the University’s “blue gym” to a wrestling facility, and a partnership with the Canton-based Cherokee Lanes’ owner gave the Eagles not only a place to practice and compete but a coach as well.
“Soil Conservation Day”
A major “face-lift” of the College’s farm land was completed in 1949, during one of the most memorable days in Reinhardt’s history, “Soil Conservation Day.” On May 18, 1949, U.S. Vice President Alben Barkley visited the College’s campus for the event, and more than $100,000 in improvements were completed in that single day. Among the amazing accomplishments of the volunteers on Soil Conservation Day were the construction of an athletic field, the landscaping of four buildings, the erection of five miles of fencing, the spreading of 200 tons of limestone and 40 tons of fertilizer and the planting of two tons of corn and grass seed.
A Working Farm
In the early 1900s, additional farmland was purchased by the College to bring its total acreage to approximately 500. The farm furnished employment for students working their way through school and produced a large portion of the food needed in the dining hall. A herd of dairy cattle was obtained in 1929 and, in 1940, a canning plant was installed on campus to preserve summer’s surplus of fruits and vegetables for winter.
Transition to a Co-Educational Junior College
By 1910, more than 390 students were enrolled at Reinhardt. On November 28, 1911, the chapel and administration building were destroyed by fire. A “new Reinhardt” emerged from the fire, and the “Normal” was dropped from the institution’s name.
In 1920, a second year of post-secondary education was added to Reinhardt’s curriculum to make the institution a full-fledged co-educational junior college. The first college students graduated in 1921 from Reinhardt. As the local public school system developed, the grammar school became administered by the County, though it remained on campus until 1948 when R. M. Moore Elementary School opened. High School students were transferred to Cherokee High School in 1956.
Debating Societies
Debating societies became an integral part of student activities on campus. The Rev. C. E. Pattillo, president of the College from 1891-94, organized the Henry W. Grady Debating Club in 1891 and, in 1892, it was divided into the Pierce and Haygood Societies, named after two famous Methodist bishops. The Delphian Literary Society was then established for girls and, in 1894, it split into Phi Alpha and Phi Delta. These debating societies were the backbone of student activities until the late 1960s when they were replaced by fraternities and sororities.
Reinhardt Normal College
Reinhardt received a charter in 1891 from the Georgia State Legislature that granted the school the official name of Reinhardt Normal College. At that time, approximately 200 students were enrolled at the College, including elementary- to college-aged children.
Mandatory Military Training
Military companies were established at Reinhardt in 1893 and, in 1897, military training became mandatory for all able-bodied male students except those preparing for the ministry. In the spring, the military companies would stage battles on a field or pasture. One company would hold a fort on the top of the hill while the other companies attacked. Firecrackers and blanks were even sometimes used for realism, and occasionally female students would join the performance, acting as nurses and aiding the “wounded.”
First Board of Trustees
The first Board of Trustees was appointed at Reinhardt in 1889. It consisted of A.M. Reinhardt, John J. A.Sharp, J. M. G. Heard, Joseph M. Sharp, Elias Alexander Fincher and the Rev. Wilbur Fisk Glenn.
First Graduating Class
The College’s curriculum, designed to train teachers and preachers, focused on language, mathematics, science, history and religion. The first class graduated in 1888 with four members: Fredonia Blanton (niece of A.M. Reinhardt), William Alonzo Covington and John J. A. Sharp’s niece and nephew Joseph A. and Lucy Sharp. These graduates turned out to be an extremely distinguished class: Blanton spent more than 40 years as a teacher at Reinhardt, Covington became a judge, Joseph Sharp became president of Young Harris College, and Lucy Sharp married Dr. R. M. Moore, a doctor and civic leader for whom the local elementary school is named.
Building a Foundation
In 1883, Augustus Michael Reinhardt and John J.A. Sharp decided to start a school in Waleska to offer an education to the children of this Civil War-ravaged area. Reinhardt traveled to Dalton, Ga., to appear before the North Georgia Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South to ask for their support in providing a teacher and preacher for the school. The Church agreed and sent the Reverend James T. Linn to Reinhardt Academy, which had been named in honor of Augustus’ father, Lewis W. Reinhardt.
In January of 1884, Reinhardt opened its doors for classes in an old cabinet and wood shop with approximately 40 students, ranging from grammar school to high school.
