Located in "
picturesque" and "
historic"
Staunton, Virginia, Mary Baldwin College is a private institution primarily for women that provides a
liberal arts education to a current population of about 2,000 students (850 or so on-campus). Being a small school, a sense of
community is harboured among the students and the faculty. This is one of the few schools I've experienced where the faculty members will
remember you
semesters after they've taught you.
Plus, the rampant lesbianism brings *lots* of people together.
The college is home not only to the traditional college-out-of-high-school program, but several other programs as well:
- The Program for the Exceptionally Gifted - a program for gifted young women (think 8th- to 10th- graders here) to allow an accelerated study track
- Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership - a partnership between the college and Virginia Military Institute that provides ROTC training for students
- Adult Degree Program - a program for people who want to "go back to school" to finish or get a new degree; has several offices throughout the state
- Masters of Arts in Teaching - a graduate program for the development of teaching techniques
- they're also developing some form of Masters in theatre arts or something related, but it's not available on the website yet.
The school offers
Bachelor of Arts,
Bachelor of Science, and
Master of Arts degrees.
The short version of the history:
The school began its life as Augusta Female Seminary in 1842 under the guidance of Rufus W. Bailey. In 1863, Mary Julia Baldwin (the namesake) was appointed principal, and under her, the school flourished, despite the Civil War. In 1897, Mary Julia Baldwin died. Mary Baldwin College was accredited in 1923 as a four-year institution. The special programs began in the following order: Adult Degree Program -- 1976; Program for the Exceptionally Gifted -- 1985; Master of Arts in Teaching -- 1994; Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership -- 1995.
More information can be found at http://www.mbc.edu/