E&H Celebrates 175 Years of Excellence in 2011

College Celebrates 175 Years of Excellence In 2011

In 2011, Emory & Henry College will celebrate the 175th anniversary of its founding with a year of events aimed at drawing attention to the institution’s history and timeless quality.

The celebration will begin August 2011 at the opening convocation of the 2011-12 academic year. A variety of anniversary events will continue until July 2012, all of them celebrating the historic founding of Southwest Virginia’s oldest institution of higher education.

“This will be a year of celebration not only for the Emory & Henry family but for Southwest Virginia, a region that is dear to the hearts of Emory & Henry people and important to the mission and longevity of this incredible institution,” said Dr. Rosalind Reichard, the 20th president of the College.

To date, events for the year-long celebration include, among other activities, faculty lectures, a community Christmas Dinner that looks back to the 19th century, and an enhanced Homecoming Day celebration with celebrations of the decades and a fireworks display.

The theme for the anniversary celebration is “Legacy & Vision: Timeless Quality Since 1836.” The slogan is derived from President Reichard’s inauguration theme in 2007 and a quote attributed to a former E&H professor, Kermit Hunter, in “Increase in Excellence: A History of Emory & Henry College 1836-1963” by the late Dr. George Stevenson.

Hunter said, “Emory and Henry has a timeless quality that keeps reaching on and on down the years, not only blessing and hallowing this mountain country of Southwest Virginia, but also sending out tides of influence that touch the whole hungry soul of man. This is more than a college – it is a way of thinking, a way of living.”