Catalog - Virginia Intermont College

HISTORY
Introducing Intermont 13
Virginia Intermont College was founded in 1884 by
Reverend J.R. Harrison, a local Baptist minister who
wanted to establish a school for the higher education of
women. Educating women remained a radical idea in the
early 1880s but became a reality as the doors opened
with three teachers and 13 students, as Southwest
Virginia Institute in Glade Spring, Virginia.
In 1891, the College moved to Bristol to the current
location atop the hill on Moore Street, where the original buildings still stand as
the Administration, West and Main Halls and are listed as a historic landmark.
The name was changed to Virginia Intermont College, with “Intermont,” meaning
“among the mountains,” and in 1925, the College became the first two-year
institution to be accredited by the
Southern Association of Colleges
and Schools.
Virginia Intermont (VI) became
one of the South’s prestigious
institutions for the education of
women, establishing a tradition of
liberal arts-based career preparation
that, to this day, remains a hallmark
of the College. Continued growth
into the 1960s led to construction of the Turner Student Center, Fine Arts Center,
Science Hall, Intermont Hall and Harrison-Jones Memorial Hall. In the early
1970s, VI became a four-year institution granting baccalaureate degrees. 1972
marked another major milestone as VI admitted men and became a coeducational
institution.
Throughout its history, VI has
embraced opportunities to
develop new programs and
meet changing educational
needs. An adult learning
program was established in
1990 (Evening and Weekend
College) and continues to
serve the educational needs
of adult learners in the Tri-
Virginia Intermont College 2012–2013 College Catalog