A Student Publication of St. Andrews Presbyterian College
VOLUME NO. 1
LAUKINBUKG, NORTH CAROLINA, SEPTEMBER 25, 1961
NO. 1
An Educational Dream Is Realized
Contest!!
ATTENTION ALL STU
DENTS! Perhaps you have
wondered why this issue of
the college newspaper is ap-
pearuig without a name.
This is because we felt that
you, the students, would
like a hand in naming: the
publications to come from
the student body. These
publications include the an
nual and the newspaper. A
contest will be held begin
ning: today, September 22
and all entries must be in
by 5:00 Friday afternoon,
September 29.
A box has been placed on
the table outside the post
office in the Student Cen
ter Building-. If you wish
you may indicate whether
your entry is an annual
n a ni e or a newspaper
name — just be sure to
submit your entry. Some
extra special prizes have
been secured for this con
test. Good Luck and Happy
Naming!
Before The Dream Began
Convocation
Held At N. G.
Armory Today
The first day of classes for
St. Andrews Presbyterian Col
lege, Friday, September 22,
featured an address by Dr. Dan
iel D. Rhodes of Davidson Col
lege at the Opening Convoca
tion which was attended by
students, faculty and staff.
“The Challenge of a College
Career” was the subject of the
address by Dr. Rhodes. Before
assuming his present position
as professor of religion and
philosophy at Davidson College,
he taught at Southwestern-at-
Memphis from 1953 to 1960. A
native of North Carolina, he
received the B. A. degree from
Davidson and the Ph.D. degree
from Dui^e University. He earn
ed the B.D. degree from Louis
ville Presbyterian Seminary in
Louisville, Kentucky.
Dr. Ansley C. Moore, presi
dent of St. Andrews presided
at the convocation which was
held in the National Guard
Armory in Laurinburg in or
der to accommodate the group
since the auditorium has not
yet been constructed on the
campus. Dean of the Faculty,
Price H. Gwynn, Jr., introduc
ed Dr. Rhodes to the assembly.
Registration for classes at
St. Andrews was completed by
250 freshmen students on Wed
nesday. Approximately 500 up
perclassmen completed regis
tration on Thursday. Most of
the upperclassmen at the new
institution were students in the
merging schools — Presbyteri
an Junior College, Peace Col
lege and Flora Macdonald Col
lege.
A Word of Welcome From President Moore
At last, the great day lias
come!
Welcome to St. Andrews —
For a decade great and good
people in North Carolina liave
been planning for your com
ing. Since many of you were
seven, eight, nine years old the
work has gone on — drawings
of buildings, outlines of cours
es dreams of new ways of edu
cating the young —■ these have
consumed our days. And now
you are here.
The educational spotlight of
this state is upon St. Andrews.
Many are watching to see if
our team teaching progranf
succeeds; to see if our experi
ments in coeducational athlet
ics, and in Christian living in
the suites on the campus are
sound and fruitful.
The faculty wall work at the
job. Their days have been full
of study and thought in an ef
fort to do great teaching in our
classrooms. They are a com-
The students will determine
whether or not there will be
great learning for there is no
great teaching without great
'learning. We will have fun to
gether on the playing fields, in
tlie Student Center, in the
lounges, but this is no country
club. We are a college, a com
munity, a society engaged in a
common pursuit, namely, that
of acquiring a higher education.
Here we offer instruction in
the arts, the sciences, the hu
manities. We live here in the
exciting world of the mind.
This “collegium” is for you.
Make it what you will. Mark
well the fact that your record
here will follow you as long as
you live, my bachelor friends.
A.C.M.
The Fulfillment of the Dream
■
Ten years ago a dream be
gan. Actually it w^as not a
dream, but a suggestion which
beget an idea which beget the
dream that became a reality;
St. Andrews Presbyterian Col
lege. A suggestion to grow
with ever increasing momen
tum with each successive phase
until it became an ultra-modern
reality in higher education.
St. Andrews Presbyterian Col
lege was non-existent in 1951
when a suggestion was made
by the Council of Synod of
North Carolina Presbyterian
Church, U.S., to the sub-com
mittee on educational institu
tions. This suggestion resulted
in a thorough study of the ed
ucational institutions of the
Presbyterian Church in North
Carolina as ordered by the 1952
Synod.
The Committee on Education
al Institutions was able to en
large itself into a commission;
made possible by a Ford Foun
dation grant. Tlien the work
began. A number of disting
uished educators with national
reputations were engaged by
the Commission to give coun
sel and guidance in making
Lxic otau^.
These studies were the result
of a concern, concern for high
er education within the Synod
of North Carolina and the
members of the Presbyterian
Cliurch in North Carolina. Pos
sibly some of them were aware
of the so-called “population ex
plosion” which they realized
would affect all colleges in the
near future. Some were pos
sibly wondering how to streng
then Christian ideals and build
strong Christian leaders in to
day’s society. Many questions
were probably brought up as a
result of this concern.
The Commission made its re
port to the Synod in July, 1955.
The report contained much in
formation and made recom
mendations about Presbyterian
institutions of higher educa
tion throughout the state.
A.mong these recommendations
was a dream, a dream which
concerned a philosophy of high-
3r education.
“That, since it is our convic
tion that a consolidation of our
educational program offers the
strongest hope for the future
as well as the best stewardship
of our educational dollar, and
in the light of the considera
tions which have been given in
some detail in the main body
of this report, the Synod of
North Carolina establish in the
eastern section of the state a
four-year co-educational college
through the merger and con
solidation of Flora Macdonald
College, Peace College, and
Presbyterian Junior College;
. . .” (excerpt taken from The
Church and Higher Education:
The Educational Institutions
Survey Report to the Synod of
North Carolina, Presbyterian
Church, U.S., July 1955).
A concept? A hope? A rec
ommendation? A dream had
begun.
The original action for con
solidation was taken in 1955
and was reaffirmed in 1956 and
1957. The consolidation agree
ment was filed with the Secre
tary of State as the charter of
St, Andrews Presbyterian Col
lege. The dream was well un
der way to becoming a reality.
Much work and much sup
port was needed to make this
dream a reality. Many people
and many companies were to
work hard before this reality
was to be completed.
Though St. Andrews is own-
3d and operated by the Synod
of North Carolina, much credit
is due the people of Laurin
burg and Scotland County who
have worked hard to help this
dream become a reality. For
example, these people have
pledged around 3V2 million dol
lars to the college. The Laurin
burg Chamber of Commerce
rallied around the people of
Scotland County and pledged
their support in many ways,
John F. McNair, III, president,
and Glenn Webb, extcuuve sec
retary, worked closely Vv^ith col
lege officials into helping make
the dream come true. In the
weeks, the months, the years
before the dream became a re
ality; long hours, exhaustive
work, and tireless planning
went into making the college.
The award winning buildings
(a national citation was award
ed last year by Progressive Ar
chitecture Magazine to A. G.
Odell, Jr. and Associates, Char
lotte architects, and Lewis
Clark, Raleigh, Landscape ar
chitect, for their model plan
of the institution.) were design
ed and begun, the Christianity
and Culture program was con
ceived in 1957 and developed;
and preparations for transfer
from the 3 institutions were be
gun. The dream was slowly
taking shape into reality.
With “o V e r t i m e,” “long
hours,” and “hard work” be
coming commonplace, the day
approached. The buildings were
completed, staff workers and
administration officials were
seen busily working, and stu
dents were waiting for that day
— some with eagerness, some
with anticipation, some with a
mixture of awe and fear. The
motto of the college, “Excellence
for Christ,” seemed to exhibit it-
sfcii in all the work that had
gone into completing tno school.
The moment the 'i.eam be
came a reality — before that,
it was a reality; but a reality
on paper, a reality in brick,
steel, and stone, and a re
ality in planning (but how
can you be a teacher without
any students, the same as be
ing a leader without any fol
lowers) — was the moment on
September 20, 1961 when the
first students were registered
tliat the dream became a real
ity.