North Greenville University

History

NGU's history dates to 1892 when it was initially named North Greenville High School, the first high school in the northern portion of Greenville County. Benjamin F. Neves donated land for the school which the North Greenville Baptist Association operated. It was established to expand educational offerings in the mountainous northern portion of Greenville County.

The school received a state charter in 1904. It was taken over by the Southern Baptist Convention's Home Mission Board a year later. It was renamed North Greenville Baptist Academy in 1915. The North Greenville Baptist Association reassumed control of the school in 1929.

In 1934, the academy was expanded to include a junior college. In 1949, it was transferred to the South Carolina Baptist Convention, which renamed the school North Greenville Junior College the following year. In 1957, it was accredited as a two-year college, and high school courses were dropped altogether. It was renamed simply North Greenville College in 1972.

NGC began offering its first junior- and senior-level classes in 1992 in Christian studies and church music, and added a teacher education program in 1997. In the following years, various other bachelor's degree programs were added, including English, History, Spanish, Psychology, Business, Criminal Justice, Theatre, Communications, Interdisciplinary Studies, Biology, and Mathematics, among other subjects. The institution's name changed to North Greenville University in 2006, and it began granting master's degrees as well.

NGU was granted an exception to Title IX in 2015, which allows it to discriminate against LGBTQ students legally. Homosexual acts and all sex outside of marriage are grounds for expulsion from the school.

Academics

In 2024, the institution was ranked 36th in U.S. News & World Report's "Best Regional Universities" in the South. It is affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention).

Athletics

Main article: North Greenville Trailblazers

The North Greenville (NGU) athletic teams are called the Trailblazers— they were previously known as the Crusaders until 2024. The institution is a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the Conference Carolinas (CC; formerly known as the Carolinas–Virginia Athletic Conference (CVAC) until after the 2006–07 school year) since the 2011–12 academic year.

They were also a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the South Region of the Division I level. The Trailblazers previously competed as a member of the Mid-South Conference (MSC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1995–96 to 2000–01.

NGU competes in 20 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, track & field, and volleyball, while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball; and co-ed sports include cheerleading.

Baseball

The baseball team won the national NCAA Division II baseball tournament in 2022.

Notable alumni

• Mac Brunson, pastor
• Seth Condrey, Christian musician.
• Donna Scott Davenport, judge
• Clayton Holmes, professional football player
• Josh Kimbrell, politician
• Willy Korn, college football coach
• Freddie Martino, professional football player
• John Michael McConnell, US Director of National Intelligence
• Chris Sligh, songwriter and musician
• Bob Richey, college basketball coach

References

References

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8. (2019). "ABOUT NGU: A CHRISTIAN COLLEGE". North Greenville University.
9. Staff, The Charlotte Observer. (2016-08-29). "Eight Carolinas colleges included on 'Shame List' for LGBT discrimination".
10. Cary, Nathaniel. (August 10, 2015). "Why same-sex ruling has SC's religious-based schools fearing loss of tax exemption". The Greenville News.
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