Timeline | University of Mount Olive (original) (raw)
1950s
November 27, 1951
Charter issued by the State of North Carolina
September 22, 1952
Mount Allen Junior College opened at Cragmont Assembly (Lloyd Vernon, president)
September 17, 1953
Convention of Original Free Will Baptists (OFWB) authorized purchase of Mount Olive Elementary School building and relocation of College
August 2, 1954
W. Burkette Raper became president
September 9, 1954
First collegiate year in Mount Olive with 22 students
September 14, 1955
Convention of OFWB authorized name change to Mount Olive Junior College
November 6, 1958
State accreditation attained
1960s
December 1, 1960
Accreditation granted by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
September 27, 1965
Henderson Building dedicated
September 27, 1965
Women’s Residence Hall Complex occupied (Griffin and Hart named)
August 1, 1968
Moye Library completed
1970s
September 1, 1970
Grantham Hall completed
September 1, 1970
Convention of OFWB authorized name change to Mount Olive College
August 3, 1974
Rodgers Chapel dedicated
August of 1975
First off-site campus opens at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base
September 12, 1979
Convention of OFWB authorized four-year program
1980s
April 19, 1980
Scarborough Field dedicated
Fall of 1980
Building located at 664 Henderson Street acquired from Southern Bank
January 7, 1984
Grand Opening of College Hall
October 1, 1985
College Apartments completed
May 10, 1986
First Baccalaureate degrees awarded
December 9, 1986
Senior college accreditation granted by SACSCOC
1990s
August of 1991
Administrative Building completed
March 21, 1991
Teresa Pelt Grubbs Art Gallery dedicated
April 18, 1993
Grand Opening of the Holmes and Lois K. Murphy Center
November 2, 1993
Grand Opening of Mount Olive College at New Bern
January 31, 1995
J. William Byrd, Ph.D. assumed duties as third president
September 28, 1995
Galloway Music Library dedicated
October 8, 1995
Jesse R. Laughinghouse Hall dedicated
October 30, 1995
Grand Opening of Mount Olive College at Wilmington
Fall of 1997
School of Business established
October 1, 1997
Grand Opening of Mount Olive College at Research Triangle Park
September 26, 1998
Poole Administrative Building named in honor of the Roy W. Poole Family
November 20, 1999
Alumni Crosswalk and the Nido and Mariana Qubein Garden House dedicated
2000s
May 6, 2000
Moore-Williams Fieldhouse dedicated
March 25, 2001
Nancy Chapman Cassell Softball Field dedicated
September 4, 2001
King Hall dedicated
May 7, 2002
John Neal Walker Tennis Center dedicated
May 7, 2002
Agribusiness Center ribbon cutting
September 29, 2002
Carillon in Rodgers Chapel dedicated in honor of Dr. and Mrs. Billy R. and Virginia B. Yawn
November 8, 2003
Milton Lownes, Jr. M.D. Student Health Center dedicated
August 30, 2005
George and Annie Dail Kornegay Arena dedicated (formerly College Hall)
October 3, 2005
Grand Opening of Mount Olive College at Washington
Summer of 2006
Communications Building completed
October 28, 2006
Pope Wellness Center dedicated
November 18, 2006
W. Burkette and Rose M. Raper Hall dedicated
August 27, 2007
Ray and Chris Amon Field dedicated
November 17, 2007
Lois G. Britt Agribusiness Center dedicated
May 31, 2008
NCAA Division II National Baseball Champions
Fall of 2008
Robert L. Tillman School of Business named
April 26, 2009
H. Don Scott Outdoor Classroom dedicated
July 1, 2009
Philip P. Kerstetter assumed duties as fourth president
August 12, 2009
Grand Opening of Mount Olive College at Jacksonville
September 12, 2009
Annie Mae Whitfield and Everette Herring Residence Halls dedicated
2010s
Fall of 2012
The Inn Residence Hall acquired
November 27, 2012
J. William and Marvis E. “Marcy” Byrd Building dedicated
March 4, 2013
Pender House purchased
June 20, 2013
Level III membership to offer Master of Business Administration approved by SACSCOC
Fall of 2013
Arboretum established
December 3, 2013
Board of Trustees approved name change to University of Mount Olive (effective January 1, 2014)
May of 2014
Goodson & Wells Building completed
Fall of 2014
The Big Rock Tournament Fieldhouse dedicated
October 15, 2014
President’s Home purchased
February 15, 2015
Hazel Waters Kornegay Assembly Hall dedicated
August of 2015
Station Street Commons completed
April 19, 2017
Ray McDonald, Sr. Sports Complex dedicated
Fall of 2017
Expansion to downtown Mount Olive for additional office space (later named Gene B. Mercer Building)
March 25, 2018
E. Lee Glover Center for Religious Studies and Rodgers Chapel renovations dedicated
May 25, 2018
Naming of Kerstetter Commons in honor of Dr. Philip P. and Mrs. Mary J. Kerstetter
July 1, 2018
David L. Poole, Ed.D. assumed duties as fifth president
Fall of 2018
Scarborough-Blackwelder House donated
September of 2018
UMO is first private University in North Carolina to offer Flight School
November 2, 2018
George R. Kornegay Student Farm, Donnie and Linda Lassiter Agricultural Campus, and Sandy Maddox Agriculture and Education Building dedicated
December 3, 2018
R. A. Bryan Hall named
Fall of 2019
School of Agriculture and Biological Sciences established
2020s
August of 2020
Adult and Graduate programs move to online format with later closing of additional locations
September 24, 2020
H. Edward Croom, Ed.D. assumed duties as sixth president
September 22, 2021
Nursing SIM Lab completed
November 20, 2021
Gary Fenton Barefoot Atrium dedicated
March 19, 2022
Jay Bundy Field House dedicated
March 22, 2023
North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission Agricultural Commodity Building dedicated
Fall of 2023
School of Arts and Sciences established
November 18, 2023
Carl Lancaster Training Facility dedicated
Fall of 2025
School of Education established
August of 2025
Level V membership to offer the Doctorate of Education: Educational Leadership (K-12 Supervision) approved by SACSCOC
Fall of 2025
Waylin Center Office Complex purchased
October 29, 2025
Groundbreaking for Educational Livestock Facility
November 22, 2025
Black Box Rehearsal Venue official opening
February 26, 2026
House of Raeford Farms School of Agriculture and Biological Science named