The personal education Centre provides enables students to excel as undergraduates and to go on to achieve extraordinary success in advanced study, careers, and life.

Many elements contribute to Centre's outstanding education: talented students; challenging and supportive teachers; excellent facilities; financial strength; an alumni body known for national leadership, achievement, and loyalty; the friendly, family-like atmosphere; a living sense of connection with the past; and a vision of new levels of achievement for the future.

Our combination of first-quality academics and a supportive, stimulating environment gives students the intellectual and social skills they need to succeed—while at Centre and later in graduate and professional school and in their careers. Our alumni have shown their appreciation for the educational advantages they received by supporting Centre financially at the highest rate of any college or university in the nation over the last 25 years. Because of nation-leading alumni support, Centre's tuition and overall costs are lower than those of any other top-50 national liberal arts college (excluding the two service academies, which are free to those who receive an appointment). Consumers Digest ranks Centre the No. 1 value among private liberal arts colleges.

In this way the College continues to evolve as each generation of students gives its support to further enhance the Centre tradition of personal education and extraordinary success.

Students. Centre students are an unusually talented, energetic, and diverse group. They come from throughout the United States and several foreign countries. And they have far-ranging interests—from thermodynamics to dance, from Frisbee golf to philosophy, from plays to computers. They're enthusiastic and good at what they do: nearly 60 percent were in the top 10 percent of their high school class. And they like to win, from national academic awards (such as the Rhodes, Fulbright, and Goldwater) to Division III athletics.

Faculty. In addition to top-notch credentials, Centre’s faculty members are dedicated teachers who are active in research. At Centre, there are no teaching assistants; classes are taught by members of the faculty.

Graduates. Centre graduates are extremely successful in gaining admission to graduate school, and about two-thirds earn advanced degrees. (Medicine, law, and business are popular.) Our alumni have risen to positions of leadership in virtually every field, and they're willing and eager to share their experience and knowledge with current students. Alumni frequently come back to campus to participate in “career conversations,” and “career days,” and they also sponsor internships and other work-related experiences designed to help students identify and reach their goals.

But Centre never stands still, and we continue to enhance our 150-acre campus. The College's master plan for building and renovation guides a program of physical improvements into the coming decade. Pearl Hall, a new 146-bed residence hall, opened in the fall of 2008, with its dedication at Homecoming 2009. A new Campus Center opens in 2009. And a major science addition to Young Hall will open in 2010. These buildings follow a major expansion and renovation of the main academic building and library (Crounse Hall) and athletic building (Sutcliffe Hall) that was dedicated in the fall of 2005.

The following list describes some of the major buildings on campus. For more information on campus buildings and a campus map, go to http://www.centre.edu/web/glance/map/campusmap.html.

For a printable walking tour of campus, go to http://www.centre.edu/web/admission/walkingtour.pdf.

Built as a private residence in the mid-19th century, Centre’s admission and financial aid offices have occupied the Greek Revival Horky House since 1992.

The 85,000-square-foot Norton Center complex, renovated in 2009, was designed by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and includes the 1,500-seat Newlin Hall. At the back of the complex are the more intimate 360-seat Weisiger Theatre and Grant Hall, which includes classrooms, studios, and offices for drama and music faculty.

Crounse includes offices for humanities and social science faculty members and classrooms. The Vahlkamp Theater (a small movie theater) and the Center for Teaching and Learning are on the lower level.

The front and main section of Crounse is occupied by Grace Doherty Library. The library holds a strong academic collection of books, journals, CDs, microforms, government documents, and more.

The library's Web page (http://www.centre.edu/web/library/homepage.html) provides online access to approximately 30,000 electronic journals and 32,000 ebooks. Online databases include Academic Search Premier, JSTOR Biological Sciences, Chemical Abstracts, Encyclopedia Britannica Online, Grove Art Online, Historical New York Times, Medline, Oxford Reference Online and Lexis-Nexis among many others. To view a complete list of databases available, click on “electronic databases," on the library's Web page.

All electronic resources are available via the campus network 24 hours per day, seven days a week. Students and faculty have complete access to all library databases from off campus (a tremendous advantage when studying abroad, for example). Many campus buildings, including the library, have wireless access.

The library's traditional print resources represent one of the oldest scholarly collections in the South. In addition to our contemporary resources totaling more than 375,000 volumes, Doherty also houses the College archives, which include college records, oral history interviews, rare photographs, historical papers, and other materials from Centre's long history. A beautiful sampling of archival materials and photographs is available on the Library's Web page.

As might be expected from one of Kentucky's oldest library collections, the Grace Doherty Library is an outstanding combination of the old, the rare, and the new.

Sutcliffe Hall

Along with these events, there are numerous opportunities for participation in more than 100 campus clubs, societies, teams, and other groups. These student groups focus on a variety of special interests and include such organizations as the American Chemical Society, Law Society, Outdoors Club, Photographic Society, and CARE (Centre Action Reaches Everyone). Residence halls, fraternities, and sororities organize many formal and informal events. The College sponsors 21 intercollegiate varsity sports that provide entertainment for participants and spectators alike, as does our active intramural program.

Four national men's fraternities (Phi Delta Theta, Phi Kappa Tau, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and Sigma Chi) and four national women's sororities (Alpha Delta Pi, Delta Delta Delta, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Kappa Kappa Gamma) contribute to the total campus social program. These organizations encourage academic achievement among their members, perform community service projects, and organize parties and special events such as the Greek Week/Carnival Week co-sponsored with the Student Activities Council. Their contract with the College is spelled out in a "Statement of Mutual Responsibility." The director of Greek life serves as an advisor to the Greek organizations. The Student Life Office encourages volunteer service through CARE, a student service organization that supports such varied programs as adult literacy education, food and clothing drives, projects to assist residents of the Boyle County Senior Citizens Center, and tutoring for elementary and middle-school children. Centre is also affiliated with several national volunteer service organizations, including the Bonner Foundation.


Centre College Statement of Community
As an academic community Centre encourages an atmosphere of diversity and mutual respect. To promote these goals the College Council approved the following Statement of Community: "We pledge continuing efforts to build and strengthen a community enriched by our differences and founded upon our common humanity. Centre respects the right of all members of the community to express their individuality in a manner that is consistent with the dignity and welfare of others. Centre strives to create an environment where differences are celebrated rather than discouraged, where individuals have the opportunity to exchange ideas and share in the richness of mutual experience. By valuing the individual’s total character over any single characteristic, Centre will maintain its unique community."


Clubs and Honoraries
We have many interest groups and honoraries that organize a wide variety of events and activities on campus. Some groups, such as the Pre-Health Professions Society, the Law Society, the American Chemical Society, the Economics Society, and language clubs are directly related to academic life. They enhance classroom instruction through field trips, guest lectures, and volunteer work.


Other organizations include the Diversity Student Union, the Student Activities Council, the Outdoors Club, and several religious organizations.


Centre’s honorary societies recognize students for outstanding leadership, character, and academic ability. These societies include Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa (for recognition of outstanding scholars and leaders), Sigma Delta Pi, Phi Sigma Iota, Phi Sigma Tau, Phi Alpha Theta, Omicron Delta Epsilon, Pi Sigma Alpha, and Psi Chi (honoraries for students in Spanish, foreign languages, philosophy, history, economics, political science, and psychology, respectively), and Order of Omega (a Greek honorary/leadership society).


Religious Life
Centre has always been dedicated to the development of the whole student. From 1819, when the institution was founded by Presbyterian leaders, to the present time, the College has recognized the importance of the full intellectual, social, physical, and spiritual development of its students. As the College's statement of purpose affirms, "Centre's highest priority is to prepare its students for lives of learning, leadership, and service." The religious programs on campus are a crucial component of the College's effort to achieve this goal.

Centre's Religious Life Office is maintained by the College chaplain, whose office is in Crounse 452. Ministers from local churches also maintain ties with the College. The Religious Life Office works to 1) promote vital religious life and greater religious understanding on campus; 2) encourage and coordinate the work of campus religious groups; 3) strengthen students' links to their own religious traditions by facilitating the student ministries of local congregations; 4) enhance the College's mission to educate its students as morally and socially responsible citizens; 5) provide pastoral care and religious counseling for the campus community; and 6) advise students considering religious vocations and divinity school programs. In addition to retreats, speakers, worship services, service projects, dinners, and discussion groups, the Religious Life Office sponsors events such as the Advent Festival of Lessons and Carols, Lenten observances, Passover Seder, and baccalaureate. The College's "Get Centred" worship service in the sanctuary of the Presbyterian Church each Sunday night is a highlight of the week for many students. Religious groups on campus include the Baptist Campus Ministries, Centre Catholic Community, Centre Christian Fellowship, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Muslim Student Association, Orthodox Christian Fellowship and Habitat for Humanity. The Religious Life Office also sponsors CentrePeace, a campus peace and justice group, and Centrefaith, an interfaith dialogue group that also plans festivals and educational events from a variety of religious traditions.

While the College is proud of its Presbyterian connection, Centre is governed by an independent board of trustees and offers much religious diversity. The religious denominations with the largest representations on campus are Catholic, Baptist, Christian/Disciples of Christ, Methodist, and Presbyterian. In addition to these denominations, the following faiths were represented in a recent freshman class: Assembly of God, Buddhist, Church of Christ, Church of God, Eastern Orthodox, Episcopal, Hindu, Jewish, Latter Day Saints, Lutheran, Muslim, and Unitarian.


Student Publications
Students publish a biweekly newspaper, The Cento, covering campus activities and opinions. The yearbook, Olde Centre, offers students the opportunity to gain practical experience in writing, photography, and graphic design. Vantage Point is a publication of student creative writing, photography, and artwork.


Shared Responsibility
Among the abundant opportunities for growth and experience that Centre offers outside the classroom, perhaps the most significant is shared responsibility in campus governance. At Centre, students, faculty, and staff members work together to create a community that brings freedom and responsibility into a healthy balance. Through careful attention to the organization of a strong student government and by making positions of significant responsibility available to students, Centre gives concrete meaning to terms such as democratic values and civic duty. Students take an active part in College decision-making through their roles in student government or—with faculty and staff—as members of the College Council. Students serve with faculty on each major's program committee, advising on curriculum and major requirements. They also take the primary responsibility for regulating the conduct of their peers through the Student Judiciary. Such shared decision-making and responsibility is an essential part of the Centre education. It is a liberal education in the true sense, educating the whole person, building self-esteem and self-confidence, and teaching concepts such as democracy and civic responsibility on a practical level.


Campus Governance
The College Council. Although Centre is legally governed by a self-perpetuating board of trustees, its academic and community life is governed in large degree by the College Council. The council consists of representatives from the faculty (15), staff (10), and students (10), as well as designated College administrators. (It is highly unusual among colleges and universities for students to be voting members of such a decision-making body, but this reflects Centre's strong commitment to student involvement in governance in positions of significant responsibility and authority.) Student members are elected by the Student Government Association.

Two student representatives serve on the steering committee of the council. Students are appointed in reasonable proportion to all committees of the council and carry equal responsibility with other members. The one exception is that they do not participate in consideration of matters involving the confidential records of other students.

Student Government Association. The Student Government Association is the official executive and legislative body for student discussion, decision, and action. It is composed of elected student representatives and the Undergraduate Fellows. A major responsibility of the SGA is to allocate funds to student organizations. The SGA president serves as a nonvoting representative to the board of trustees. The SGA represents the student body primarily in matters relating to the standards and practices of nonacademic student activities and services.

The Student Judicial System. The judicial powers of the student government are exercised by the student judicial system. The student judicial system consists of the Student Judiciary, which hears cases involving violations of College regulations; the Interfraternity Judiciary, which hears cases involving violations of Interfraternity Council regulations; and the Panhellenic Association executive committee, which hears cases involving violations of Panhellenic Association regulations.

The Fraternity and Sorority Systems. By its approval of the Interfraternity Council constitution, the College has granted a substantial degree of self-governance to the campus fraternity system, of which the Interfraternity Council (IFC) is the executive and legislative body. The IFC regulates and coordinates the affairs and activities of the four social fraternities on campus in conformance with the published campus and residence regulations of the College. Both the IFC and the College subscribe to the policies and positions of the Association of Fraternity Advisors, National Interfraternity Conference, and Fraternity Executives Association.

The Panhellenic Council regulates and coordinates the affairs and activities of the four social sororities on campus in conformity with the published campus regulations of the College. The Panhellenic Association subscribes to the National Panhellenic Conference guidelines.

A special contract between the men’s and women’s Greek organizations and Centre is spelled out in the "Statement of Mutual Responsibility."


Athletics
At Centre, we believe athletic participation is important because it contributes to the education of the whole student. Athletics serve as a learning experience, as a healthy activity, and as just plain fun. Our program offers athletic competition for the novice, the expert, and everyone in between.

Intramurals. An active intramural sports program gives Centre students the chance to meet on the playing field with fellow students as well with the faculty and staff members who participate in the program.


Intercollegiate Competition.
Centre is a member of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Division III. SCAC members in addition to Centre are Austin College (Sherman, Texas), Birmingham Southern College (Birmingham, Ala.), Colorado College (Colorado Springs, Colo.), DePauw University (Greencastle, Ind.), Hendrix College (Conway, Ark.), Millsaps College (Jackson, Miss.), Oglethorpe University (Atlanta, Ga.), Rhodes College (Memphis, Tenn.), University of the South (Sewanee, Tenn.), Southwestern University (Georgetown, Texas), and Trinity University (San Antonio, Texas).

All SCAC member institutions adhere to a policy of not awarding financial aid to a student for participation in athletics.


Residence Life
To promote the atmosphere of closeness and community that is an important part of Centre, the College requires that students live in College residences and take their meals on campus. (For exceptions, see the "College Regulations" section.) The main dining hall serves three meals Monday through Friday and two meals on Saturday and Sunday. All meal plans include Centre Dollars that can be used at the Grille or the Hall of Fame Café.


Health Services
We make on-campus health services available in the Parsons Student Health Center, on the first floor of Sutcliffe Hall, which provides medical care for acute common illnesses and minor injuries. Parsons Student Health Center can also provide continuing maintenance of medication for routine chronic ailments. We also find specialists in the community when needed for illnesses that require more extensive treatment than can be provided through Parsons or the College’s physicians.

Parsons makes available certain routine medications at minimal expense in order to save students both time and money. Team medical coverage, including physical examinations for new athletes and treatment of injuries, is provided by certified athletic trainers. Students requiring emergency care of serious injuries or illnesses of a medical or surgical nature not provided by Parsons and not covered under the College’s athletic program are financially responsible to the physician providing the service.


Catalog Home