Wesleyan College

The school was chartered on December 23, 1836, as the "Georgia Female College", and it opened its doors to students on January 7, 1839. The school was renamed as "Wesleyan Female College" in 1843, when its affiliation changed from the Methodist-Episcopal Church to the Methodist Episcopal Church, South . The college shortened its name in 1917 to the present "Wesleyan College". Wesleyan has the world's oldest alumnae association, begun in 1859. [ 5 ] Wesleyan College is the birthplace of the first sororities in the United States: the Adelphean Society in 1851, now known as Alpha Delta Pi , and the Philomathean Society in 1852, now known as now Phi Mu . [ 6 ] [ 5 ] The two sororities together are referred to as the "Macon Magnolias". In 1914, the school disbanded sororities on its campus. [ citation needed ] An illustration of Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia circa 1877 Cherry blossoms bloom in front of Candler Hall Chapel at Wesleyan College, circa 1876 Wesleyan College circa 1877 Wesleyan College Chapel circa 1876

Faculty of Wesleyan College circa 1880 displayed in Sholes' directory of the city of Macon, 1880 Allie Luse Dick , teacher of voice, 1882-85. [ 7 ] Wesleyan College has an undergraduate student population of around 600 with an acceptance rate of 67%. [ 8 ] It has a student-faculty ratio of 7:1. [ 8 ] In any given year, students from more than 20 states and over 20 countries around the world attend the school. Wesleyan offers 25 majors, 35 minors, and eight pre-professional programs. Students can earn a bachelor of arts, bachelor of fine arts, or bachelor of science in nursing degree. [ citation needed ] Wesleyan is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. [ citation needed ] Rankings In the 2025 edition, U.S. News & World Report ranked Wesleyan College No. 6 out of 131 Regional Universities South and No.17 in Top Performers on Social Mobility. It received five stars out of five in reviews. [ 8 ] In 2024, Washington Monthly ranked Wesleyan College 3rd among 223 colleges that award almost exclusively bachelor's degrees in the U.S. based on its contribution to the public good, as measured by social mobility, research, and promoting public service. In 2024, Washington Monthly ranked Wesleyan College first in the service rank for bachelor's college. [ 9 ]

This section does not cite any sources . ( December 2025 ) The college pictured in 2023 Wesleyan College has a 200-acre (800,000 m 2 ) campus dotted with revivalist Georgian style brick buildings and features a 6.3-acre (25,000 m 2 ) lake, Foster Lake. Non-residential buildings on the (main) upper campus include: Candler Alumnae Center was built in 1946 and was presented to the College by the late Judge John Slaughter Candler of Atlanta in memory of his parents, Samuel and Martha Beall Candler. It was designed by renowned architect Phillip Shutze with the assistance of librarian Katharine Payne Carnes and originally housed the campus library. Candler Hall was renovated in 1971 as the Candler Alumnae Center and is currently home to the Office of Alumnae Affairs, the Office of Institutional Advancement, the Oval Hall ballroom, and the Benson Meeting Room. The Loggia is a two-level portico connecting the Olive Swann Porter Building with Persons Hall. The top-level balcony overlooks the courtyard between the residence halls and the campus fountain. It is revered for its exceptional architectural design and marble columns and staircase. The Loggia has been a symbol of Wesleyan College since its construction in 1928. The Lucy Lester Willet Memorial Library is a three-story Georgian-style brick building that was constructed in 1968 and is dedicated to the memory of Lucy Lester Willet, class of 1881. During the 2016-2017 school year, Willet Library underwent extensive renovations, opening a new 24-hour student academic center on the first floor of the building, complete with study carrels, computer labs, conference rooms, a testing center, the campus writing center, and a second-floor lounge with sitting areas, televisions, and vending machines. The library also houses the college's branch of the Confucius Institute . The Munroe Science Center houses the biology, chemistry, nursing, neuroscience, and environmental science departments.

Built in 2006, the 42,000-square-foot building was made possible by the generosity of the Munroe sisters and their families. The Munroe Science Center boasts numerous teaching laboratories, two classrooms, modern research labs for faculty-student research, animal facilities, a rooftop greenhouse, an astronomy observation deck, and the Center for Women in Science and Technology. On the west wing of Munroe is the nursing wing which houses the nursing classroom and state of the art nursing simulation lab. The Olive Swann Porter Student Life Center (OSP) was built in 1928 in remembrance of the wife of James Hyde Porter, a long-time trustee of Wesleyan College. Furniture, antiques, and paintings from the college's extensive collection can be found throughout the building, most notably in the Burden Parlor and Manget Dining Room. Many offices of the Division of Student Affairs are housed in the Olive Swann Porter Building, including Health Services, the Center for Career Development, and the Office of the Dean of Students. OSP also contains the Anderson Dining Hall, Hurdle Café, Trice Conference Room, campus bookstore and post office, Lane Center for Service and Leadership, Belk Student Leadership Suites, and music practice rooms equipped with pianos. The Olive Swann Porter Building is connected to the Persons and Banks residence halls. The Porter Family Memorial Fine Arts Building was completed in 1954 and proudly houses the impressive Goodwyn-Candler-Panoz Organ, donated to the College by Asa G. Candler, Jr. of Coca-Cola fame, in its 1,129-seat auditorium. The Porter Family Memorial Fine Arts Building contains classrooms, offices, and studios for the College's music and theatre departments, as well as the east and west wings of the Cowles Myles Collier Art Gallery, and the Porter-Grassmann Studio Theatre used for student-produced plays and dance performances.