Our Mission and History:

Founded upon the conviction that "the well-being of any country depends much upon the culture of her women" and compelled by the vision to “enable students to see clearly, decide wisely and act justly,” Converse has been a pioneer in women’s education for more than a century. Throughout her history, the Spartanburg, South Carolina college has offered a liberal arts education within a residential environment - purposefully keeping class sizes small and ensuring that every student has a faculty advisor. Today, innovative programs for graduate and advanced study complement the undergraduate program.

Converse believes that the Founder’s Ideal is a call to arms to develop engaged leaders who think critically and creatively and affect positive change in the world. Since the college’s founding, graduates have used their Converse experience as launching pads for successful careers and active citizenship. Among Converse alumnae are a Pulitzer Prize winner, a renowned heart researcher, a Texas Supreme Court Justice, a prominent civil rights attorney, Broadway performers, the deputy crew commander for Titan IV Rocket launches at Cape Canaveral, and the first female circuit court judge in South Carolina.

Although the doors of Converse opened October 1, 1890, the first step towards the founding of the college was taken in 1889 when a prominent attorney assembled a group of Spartanburg citizens to discuss the project. Among the 13 men was Dexter Edgar Converse, a native of Vermont who had settled in Spartanburg before the Civil War and had become a successful pioneer in the cotton mill industry.

Mr. Converse was especially interested in establishing a college for women because his daughter, Marie, was approaching college age and he wanted her to have every possible educational advantage. His initial and subsequent contributions to the cause were so valuable that the college was given his name.

Initially, the college was operated as a stock company and Mr. Converse headed the first board of directors, comprised entirely of Spartanburg citizens. They elected the Rev. Benjamin F. Wilson as the first president. The first faculty roster was comprised of sixteen members and the student body numbered one hundred sixty-eight.

On January 2, 1892, the main building was destroyed by fire, but was immediately reconstructed and enlarged. The work of the college hardly suffered interruption. In 1896, by the voluntary act of the stockholders, Converse College was incorporated under the laws of the state of South Carolina and a self-perpetuating board of trustees was established. This meant that Converse was converted into a permanent gift to the cause of higher education for women.

Beginning in the 1900s, Converse matured into one of the leading colleges for women in the South. Academic requirements were strengthened, the ablest teachers supplemented the faculty and new buildings were constructed. It was during this period that the college’s The School of Music received a national rating as a professional school of music. Converse became a charter member of the National Association of Schools of Music, which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the accrediting agency for music curricula.

In 1964 Converse introduced graduate programs, including the Master of Art in Teaching (MAT) program, the first degree of its kind in South Carolina. The graduate program would later become the School of Education and Graduate Studies and offer a wide range of degrees in fields such as music, education, the liberal arts, and marriage and family therapy.

In 1983 the college introduced Converse II to fit the schedules and ambitions of adult women, whether they are a few semesters shy of a bachelor’s degree or a freshman taking college-level courses for the first time.

In 2003, the college completed the most successful capital campaign in its history with $82.5 million in private gifts. The campaign led to the establishment of the Nisbet Honors Program, the Chapman Study Abroad Experience endowment, and an endowment to fund faculty initiatives for innovative teaching and scholarly achievement; renovation of residence halls and the Montgomery Student Center; and construction of The Rose Physical Activity Complex, the Justine V. R. “Nita” Milliken Addition of Milliken Fine Arts Building and Phifer Science Hall.

Momentum continues today as Converse focuses on providing distinct educational experiences that enable creativity and develop the adaptive capacity necessary for students to succeed in the ever-changing word.

Converse Model Programs (Arab League, NATO, and UN) are national leaders having defeated such institutions as Harvard, UC–Berkley, Northeastern, Ohio State, and all three U.S. military academies. Converse is home to the Southeast Region Model Arab League competition, headquarters of the Carolinas Committee on U.S.-Arab Relations, and helped establish and run a high school Model Arab League program in Amman, Jordan.

The Daniels Center for Leadership and Service is a partnership between academic affairs and student affairs to provide leadership development training and opportunities to learn, serve and lead on campus and in the community.

In 2006, Converse became the first women’s college to attain the prestigious All-Steinway School distinction.

In 2007, Converse and Clemson University joined forces to increase the number of women entering science fields through a new dual degree program in engineering.

A member of Conference Carolinas, Converse competes in NCAA Division II - the highest level of any women’s college.

The curriculum supports more than 30 majors including South Carolina’s only Master’s in gifted education program, only low-residency MFA in creative writing and first Bachelor of Fine Arts in creative and professional writing, and the Upstate’s first undergraduate music therapy degree program.

Converse College is committed to developing adaptable individuals for the 21st Century who are equipped with the character, knowledge, skills and perspective to transform the world around them.