The institution first opened its doors to students in 1907 as a boarding high school operated and supported by the Kings Mountain and Sandy Run Baptist Associations. As a high school, junior college, senior college, and beginning in 1993 as a university, the school has sought to provide quality education in a Christian environment.
A brief chronological history of Gardner-Webb leads to an understanding of the University as it is today and to an appreciation for all that has contributed to its growth and development.
Gardner-Webb University, a private, Christian, Baptist-related university, provides outstanding undergraduate and graduate education that is strongly grounded in the liberal arts while offering opportunities to prepare for various professions. Fostering meaningful intellectual thought, critical analysis, and spiritual challenge within a diverse community of learning, Gardner-Webb is dedicated to higher education that integrates scholarship with Christian life. By embracing faith and intellectual freedom, balancing conviction with compassion, and inspiring a love of learning, service and leadership, Gardner-Webb prepares its graduates to make significant contributions for God and humanity in an ever- changing global community.
The mission of the Gayle Bolt Price School of Graduate Studies is to provide opportunities for high quality advanced study to individuals holding bachelor’s or advanced degrees from regionally accredited institutions, within a context that embraces faith and intellectual freedom, balances conviction with compassion, and inspires in students love of learning, service, and leadership. The curricula–which for the most part are designed to meet the needs of full-time professionals working in their fields–emphasize independent, critical thinking, effective communication, and the importance of the scholar and professional as theorist and practitioner.
