University of Mount Olive to Celebrate Founders Day

MOUNT OLIVE – University of Mount Olive will celebrate 62 years of Christian higher education at its annual Founders Day event on Tuesday, November 19, at 11 AM in Southern Bank Auditorium.  The Founders Leadership Award will be presented during the Founders Day service. Employees celebrating continued years of service to the College will also be recognized during the celebration. Jean F. Ackiss will deliver the keynote address.

Ackiss graduated from University of Mount Olive in 1960, and began working in the Office of the President in 1965. In 48 years working at the College, both in the President’s Office and as director of Church Support, she has shown outstanding dedication and service. This service was noted by the College when she received the J. William Byrd Award for Staff Excellence in 2009. Her leadership of the College’s annual dinner program helps gift the institution with over $500,000 annually, and is the longest running source of gift support for the College.

University of Mount Olive was chartered in 1951 and opened the following year with six students at Cragmont Assembly. The institution was originally named Mount Allen Junior College. In 1953, the College moved to Mount Olive and the name was changed to Mount Olive Junior College. Twenty-two students were enrolled during the first collegiate year after the relocation.  Today, the College is one of the fastest growing private colleges in the state, educating more than 5,000 students annually.

University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The College, sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists, has locations in Mount Olive, New Bern, Wilmington, Goldsboro, Research Triangle Park, Washington and Jacksonville. For more information, visit www.moc.edu.