University of Charleston

The University of Charleston is located in the state capital of West Virginia amidst magnificent mountains and rivers. It has a panoramic view of the Capitol building across the Kanawha River. UC was founded by the Southern Methodist denomination in 1888 as Barboursville Seminary in Barboursville, W.Va., and became a college in 1889. In 1901, it was renamed Morris Harvey College in honor of a prominent donor. During the Great Depression, the college moved to Charleston to take advantage of the larger metropolitan area. As a result of the merger between the Methodist church North and South, the college disaffiliated from the denomination and Morris Harvey College became independent in 1942. From 1935 to 1947, the college was located in downtown Charleston, holding classes in several separate buildings. During these years, the college grew steadily, in part because of a merger with Kanawha Junior College and an affiliation with the Mason College of Fine Arts and Music. Recognizing the need for a unified campus, in 1947 construction of the present facilities began on the south bank of the Kanawha River.