University of Mount Olive

University of Mount Olive

Official Seal of University of Mount Olive
Former names	Mount Allen Junior College (1951–1956) Mount Olive Junior College (1956–1970) Mount Olive College (1970–2013)
Motto	Collegium Christianum Pro Homnibus et Mulieribus (Latin)
Motto in English	A Christian College for Men and Women
Type	Private
Established	1951
Affiliation	Original Free Will Baptist
Endowment	US$26.29million (2012)
President	Dr. Phillip P. Kerstetter
Undergraduates	21,000
Location	Mount Olive, North Carolina, USA
Campus	Suburban, 250-acre (1.0 km2) Main Campus
Colors	Green and White
Athletics	18 Varsity Teams Conference Carolinas NCAA NCAA Division 2
Mascot	Trojans
Website	www.umo.edu

Mount Allen Junior College (1951–1956)
Mount Olive Junior College (1956–1970)

The University of Mount Olive is a private Conference Carolinas liberal arts college located in Mount Olive, North Carolina. Chartered in 1951, the college is sponsored by the Original Free Will Baptist Convention. The college’s roots and educational philosophy can be traced as early as 1897 when Free Will Baptists in Pitt County, North Carolina, citing a growing need for education in the community, led a discourse on education within the church. These efforts ultimately resulted in the founding of the Ayden Theological Seminary and its successor institution, Eureka College, both in Ayden, North Carolina, to educate ministers and provide a liberal arts education to the local constituency. After a catastrophic fire destroyed the administration building in 1931, Eureka College ceased operations, and the Free Will Baptist church’s efforts to fulfill its educational vision were reinvested in the founding of Mount Olive College. In January 2014 the college changed its name to THE University of Mount Olive.

Mount Olive is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the North Carolina Association of Colleges and Universities, and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. A member of the NCAA Division II Conference Carolinas, its sports teams compete as the Mount Olive Trojans. Men's Cross Country National Titles: 5 (2007, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2016)

From its inception as a junior college, the University of Mount Olive has been sponsored by the Original Free Will Baptist Convention. The institution was chartered in 1951 and opened in 1952 at Cragmont Assembly, the Free Will Baptist summer retreat grounds near Black Mountain, North Carolina, under the direction of the Reverend Lloyd Vernon. The school was originally called Mount Allen Junior College, taking its name from the mountain near Cragmont.