Davidson College (DC)

At Davidson, we connect our students to immediate challenges across the globe, empowering them with resources, leadership skills and courage to lead and serve beyond the brick pathways of our campus. Students expand their interests through experienti Students expand their interests through experiential learning and educational programming at the intersection of campus and community. Students collaborate with professors on research at home and abroad. Our extraordinary alumni network and employer database provide opportunities for internships, fellowships and careers. Immersed in the vibrant metro Charlotte region, Davidson College is a campus where century-old trees and brick buildings blend with a culture of innovation and an array of state-of-the-art facilities. Davidson alumni describe how the college more than provided an exemplary education—it transformed their lives. The Davidson community empowers, inspires and educates people on how to understand their talents in light of what the world needs. We are one of America's most selective liberal arts colleges, and academic potential, character, and accomplishments are the only factors considered in admission decisions—not your ability to pay. Davidson College understands that cultivating a broadly diverse community is crucial to our educational mission and to our foundational commitment to leadership and service. We strive to sustain a culture of belonging for staff, faculty, and students from diverse cultures, ethnicities, races, religions, sexual orientations, gender identities, ages, national origins, socio-economic backgrounds, and abilities. Our policies do not discriminate, our student Code of Responsibility centers valuing individual differences and condemns discrimination, and our employee benefits plans reflect our commitment to all staff, including our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA) staff. We believe that these policies are crucial to the realization of our aspirations and that they enable us to recruit, develop, and retain the highest caliber colleagues and students. Davidson encourages students to acknowledge and discuss the faith traditions and spiritual practices of its diverse student body. The college, through student interest groups and Davidson-sponsored programmatic efforts, supports students of all faith and religious traditions and those without specific traditions. A Davidson education fosters humane instincts and disciplined and creative minds. Students flourish in our distinctively supportive community, where peers and mentors act with integrity and embrace academic rigor. We strive to create an environment where students are anchored by relationships and experiences—connections that cultivate curiosity, empathy and intellectual bravery. Davidson is grounded in the Honor Code and our tight-knit community. We are driven by our statement of purpose: to assist students in developing humane instincts and disciplined and creative minds for lives of leadership and service. Established in 1837 by Presbyterians of North Carolina, Davidson is a liberal arts college dedicated to cultivating humane instincts and disciplined, creative minds. As a college that welcomes students, faculty, and staff from a variety of nationalities, ethnic groups, and traditions, Davidson values every kind of diversity, recognizing the dignity and worth of every person while providing a range of opportunities for worship, civil debate, and teaching that enrich mind and spirit. Davidson challenges students to engage in service to prepare themselves for lives of growth and giving. At Davidson, the history of the college energizes campus life through traditions that connect current students with the college's two-century history. Honor Code Signing Ceremony Respect for the Honor Code has been a central philosophy at Davidson, providing the foundation for the open environment in which students live and study. The Honor Code signing ceremony remains a distinctive moment in the first-year student experience, connecting new Wildcats to the college's honor-bound past. Davidson College Presbyterian Church steeple through the trees Presbyterian Tradition As a college that maintains an affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (USA), Davidson values the dignity and worth of all people. College governance, finances and policies are independent of the denomination. Because of its Presbyterian tradition, Davidson is committed to academic excellence and unfettered intellectual inquiry, respect for every religious and philosophical tradition and worldview, civic engagement and leadership for the common good and solidarity with people of all ethnicities, nationalities, sexual orientations and gender identities. Old Well covered in ivy in front of green trees Sweethearts at the Old Well Once a functional water well for the campus, the Old Well now has special meaning to Davidson. College lore states that couples who kiss at the well can expect wedding bells in their futures. Cake race winner holds a cake Cake Race The Cake Race, established in 1930, once helped identify hidden track and field talent in the first year class. Though mandatory in the past, the race has since become a voluntary part of the first-year experience at Davidson with a sweet reward at the end: a homemade cake of students' own choosing. Midnight Scream As students enter exam week the stress level can build to the point that it can only be released in the form of an ear-splitting scream. This tradition happens as the strike of midnight marks the start of the first day of exams. Flickerball game shows a student holding a football under her arm and running while others try to catch up to her Flickerball Flickerball was first created at Davidson College in 1951, when it evolved as an alternative to touch football. First year residence halls still compete in intramural Flickerball tournaments annually with the hopes of proving themselves as champions. Phi Hall exterior through the trees Eumenean & Philanthropic Societies Eumenean and Philanthropic Halls, constructed in 1849 and 1850 respectively, are named for the first two student societies founded at the college, both of which still exist and meet today. Notable student Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States, was a member of the Eumenean Society. ...view more