Location: US 15/401 in Laurinburg
County: Scotland
Original Date Cast: 1966
Opened in 1961 on a new campus, St. Andrews Presbyterian College has a history that incorporates that of predecessor institutions Flora Macdonald College in Red Springs, which opened in 1896, and Presbyterian Junior College in Maxton, founded in 1928. The college’s history is also intertwined with that of Peace College in Raleigh, founded in 1857 and chartered in 1858. Founding of the school followed after close study by the Presbyterian Synod of North Carolina of its assets, performed in part by the assistance of a grant from the Ford Foundation.
The name St. Andrews was selected because the school and area are steeped in Presbyterian history. Andrew was one of the disciples of Jesus Christ and, in time, became a symbol of Christian evangelism. The University of St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland, was founded in 1411. The campus of the latter-day St. Andrews is spread over 840 acres and the buildings are strikingly modern. Especially noteworthy among the programs offered by the college is the widely respected School of Music.
The first president of the college was Ansley Cunningham Moore. Today the school hosts the Scottish Heritage Center and the Scottish Heritage Weekend, interpreting the contributions made by persons of Scottish descent to the region’s history. In addition to the main campus, the college today also holds classes for non-traditional students at Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst.
References:
Rodger Wayne Decker, Founding St. Andrews Presbyterian College: A Case Study of Presbyterian Higher Education in North Carolina (1968)
William S. Powell, Higher Education in North Carolina (1964)
St. Andrews College Catalog, 1965-1966
St. Andrews College website: http://www.sapc.edu