Timeline
Mount Olive College was established by the North Carolina Convention of Free Will Baptists in September 1951 to provide a program of Christian higher education. The College attained university status on January 1, 2014, and is now known as the University of Mount Olive. While the name may have changed, the institution’s commitment to providing students with a liberal arts education with defining Christian values remain steadfast.
1950s
November 27, 1951
Charter issued by the State of North Carolina
September 22, 1952
Mount Allen Junior College opened at Cragmont Assembly
(Lloyd Vernon, president)
September 17, 1953
Convention of Original FWB authorized purchase of Mount Olive Elementary School building and relocation of College
August 2, 1954
W. Burkette Raper became president
September 9, 1954
First collegiate year. College opened in Mount Olive with twenty-two students
September 14, 1955
Convention of Original Free Will Baptists authorized name change to Mount Olive Junior College
November 6, 1958
State accreditation attained
1960s
December 1, 1960
Accreditation granted by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
September 27, 1965
Henderson Building and Women’s Residence Hall Complex occupied
August, 1968
Moye Library completed
1970s
September, 1970
Grantham Hall completed
September, 1970
Convention of Original Free Will Baptists authorized name change to Mount Olive College
August 3, 1974
Rodgers Chapel dedicated
August, 1975
Grand Opening of Mount Olive College at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base
September 12, 1979
Convention of Original Free Will Baptists authorized four-year program
1980s
April 19, 1980
Scarborough Field dedicated
January 7, 1984
Grand Opening of College Hall (now Kornegay Arena)
October, 1985
College apartments completed
May 10, 1986
First Baccalaureate degrees awarded
December 9, 1986
Senior college accreditation granted by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
1990s
August, 1991
Poole Administration Building completed
April 18, 1993
Grand Opening of the Lois K. Murphy Regional Center
November 2, 1993
Grand Opening of Mount Olive College at New Bern
January 31, 1995
J. William Byrd, Ph.D., assumed the duties of third president of Mount Olive
September 28, 1995
Galloway Music Library dedicated
October 8, 1995
Jesse R. Laughinghouse Hall dedicated
October 30, 1995
Grand Opening of Mount Olive College at Wilmington
October 1, 1997
Grand Opening of Mount Olive College at Research Triangle Park
November 20, 1999
Alumni Cross Walk dedicated
2000s
May 6, 2000
Moore-Williams Fieldhouse dedicated
March 25, 2001
Nancy Chapman Cassell Softball Field dedicated
September 4, 2001
King Hall dedicated
May 7, 2002
John Neal Walker Tennis Center dedicated
May 7, 2002
Agribusiness Center ribbon cutting
September 29, 2002
Carillon in Rodgers Chapel dedicated
November 8, 2003
Milton M. Lownes, Jr., M.D. Student Health Center dedicated
August 30, 2005
George and Annie Dail Kornegay Arena (formerly College Hall) dedicated
October 3, 2005
Grand Opening of Mount Olive College at Washington
Summer, 2006
Library addition and Communications Building completed
October 28, 2006
Pope Wellness Center dedicated
November 18, 2006
W. Burkette and Rose M. Raper Hall dedicated
August 24, 2007
Ray and Chris Amon Field dedicated
November 17, 2007
Lois G. Britt Agribusiness Center dedicated
May 31, 2008
NCAA Division II National Champions – Baseball
July 1, 2009
Philip P. Kerstetter, Ph. D., assumed the duties of fourth president of Mount Olive College
August 12, 2009
Grand Opening of Mount Olive College at Jacksonville
September 12, 2009
Annie Mae Whitfield and Everett Edwin Herring Residence Halls dedicated
2010s
November 27, 2012
The J. William and Marvis E. “Marcy” Byrd Apartment Complex and Assembly Hall dedicated
June 20, 2013
Level III membership to offer the Master of Business Administration approved by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
January 1, 2014
Mount Olive College changes name to the University of Mount Olive
July 1, 2018
David L. Poole, Ed.D. assumed the duties of fifth president of the University of Mount Olive
October 1, 2020
H. Edward Croom, Ed.D. assumed the duties of sixth president of the University of Mount Olive