Sweet Briar College

2010-2011 Catalog Council on Education, and was approvedby the Association of American Universities.Its chapter of Phi Beta Kappa authorized in1950, the Theta of Virginia, is one of fewerthan 250 chapters nationwide. In 1952, SweetBriar became a charter member of the VirginiaFoundation for Independent Colleges (VFIC).An early leader in international study, SweetBriar established an exchange program with theUniversity of St. Andrews, Scotland, in 1932.In 1948 it began its renowned Junior Year inFrance Program, to be followed in 1984 by aJunior Year in Spain Program in Seville.In 1978, the Virginia Center for the CreativeArts opened to Fellows. The center is affiliatedwith Sweet Briar and located at MountSan Angelo, a nearby estate belonging to theCollege. Today, the VCCA is one of the foremostworking retreats for artists in the world,and the only one with direct ties to a college oruniversity.Sweet Briar’s leadership in student engagementis reflected in a new mission statement,adopted in 2004, refocusing the College onits first principles, but recognizing that in the21st century, students who will become “usefulmembers of society” must, as liberally educatedwomen, be well equipped to move intoprofessional life. The College inaugurated itsfirst graduate programs, a Master of Arts inTeaching and a Master of Education, in 2004,and also that year, became only the secondwomen’s college in the nation to offer a programin engineering.Sweet Briar is accredited by the Commissionon Colleges of the Southern Association ofColleges and Schools (SACS) to award degreesat the bachelor’s and master’s levels. It is a memberof the College Entrance Examination Boardand a contributing member of the AmericanSchool of Classical Studies at Athens.In 1995, 21 of the College’s buildings werelisted on the Virginia Landmarks Register andthe National Register of Historic Places as aNational Historic District.Sweet Briar College celebrated its centennialin 2001, and moved vigorously into itssecond century both in terms of its physicalfacilities and educational programs. In 2002,the College completed a new quad around aStudent Commons, a village green that linksresidence halls with student services, diningfacilities, a bookshop and cafe, post office, andstudent organizations. In 2006, a new studioarts facility was opened. These new facilitiesexemplify Sweet Briar’s commitment to aneducational environment that is integrated,intentional, and rooted.