“C” is for Columbia College

“C” is for Columbia College. Chartered in 1854 by the South Carolina Methodist Conference, Columbia College, was the eleventh-oldest women's college in the United States. In 1859 the institution opened in a new facility on Plain (Hampton) Street in Columbia. Closed after the Civil War, it reopened in 1873. In 1905 the college moved to a new campus in the Eau Claire neighborhood, north of the city.  The school was fully accredited in 1938. Under the presidency of R. Wright Spears (1951-1977), the college began a significant building program and enrollment dramatically increased. In 2000, the college officially became co-educational. Today some twenty percent of the school’s 1,100 students are male. A board of trustees approved by the South Carolina Methodist Conference governs the school. Throughout its history, public service has been a key emphasis in the mission of Columbia College.