Covenant College

Founded in 1955 in Pasadena, California , as an agency of the Bible Presbyterian Church , Covenant College and Covenant Theological Seminary moved its campus to St. Louis, Missouri , the following year. Following a split among the Bible Presbyterians, it became affiliated with the Bible Presbyterian Church-Columbus Synod (renamed the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in 1961). In 1964, it separated from the seminary, moving to Lookout Mountain, in Georgia . [ 3 ] [ 4 ] In 1965, it was the site of the merger between the Evangelical Presbyterian Church and the Reformed Presbyterian Church, General Synod to form the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod . It became and remains an agency of the Presbyterian Church in America after the 1982 merger between the RPCES and the PCA. As such, Covenant stands in the Reformed and Presbyterian traditions. Presidents Robert G. Rayburn (1955–1965) Marion Barnes (1965–1978) Martin Essenburg (1978–1987) Frank A. Brock (1987–2002) [ 5 ] Niel Nielson (2002–2012) J. Derek Halvorson (2012–2023) Brad Voyles (2023–present) [ 6 ] [ 7 ]

The Lookout Mountain Hotel , now home to Covenant College Covenant College offers liberal arts education from a Reformed Christian perspective. The focus of the college is found in its motto, "In All Things Christ Preeminent." [ 8 ] The purpose of this focus is to ground excellence in academic inquiry in a biblically grounded frame of reference. [ 9 ] The college offers Bachelor of Arts , Master of Arts in Teaching , and Master of Education degrees , and academic certificates in Arts Administration, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability, Journalism and Society, Medical Ethics Consultation, Neuroscience, and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). [ 10 ] The college has been accredited since 1971 by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). [ 11 ] Research institutions The Chalmers Center for Economic and Community Development (established 1999), which is a 501(c)3 non-profit, was founded at Covenant to offer courses and programs in community and economic development in the urban United States and throughout the majority world . [ 12 ] The Brock Barnes Center for Leadership is a new addition to the college, headed by former college President Derek Halvorson. Brock-Barnes "draws on biblical insights, interdisciplinary liberal arts thinking, and the experience of seasoned practitioners to inspire and equip the next generation to lead with excellence." [ 13 ]

Students at Covenant publish a bi-weekly newspaper called The Bagpipe, which includes reporting on campus news, events, and local issues as well as art and media reviews, opinions, and more. [ 14 ] A satirical version is published annually on April 1 called The Windbag with takes on campus life and culture. [ 15 ] Covenant's literary magazine is The Thorn and has been published annually since 1970. [ 16 ] The magazine features creative work from the students, including poetry, short stories, and personal essays. [ 17 ] Covenant also has over forty clubs, including a debate club, fishing club, ultimate frisbee club, paintball club, pre-law club, spikeball club, swing-dancing club, tri-beta club, a pickleball club, and a standup comedy club called "Laugh Track." [ 18 ]

Covenant has 65 full-time faculty, 89% of whom have doctorates or other terminal degrees. The student-faculty ratio is 12:1. [ 19 ] This ratio allows "personal, small class size," with an average of 17 students per class. [ 20 ] Faculty are required to state their agreement with the Westminster Confession of Faith . [ 21 ]