Emory University

Emory University is an inquiry-driven, ethically engaged and diverse community whose members work collaboratively for positive transformation in the world through courageous leadership in teaching, research, scholarship, health care and social action.

The university is recognized internationally for its outstanding liberal arts college, superb professional schools and one of the Southeast’s leading health care systems.

This is a time of dynamic change on campus, where the future is being guided by an ambitious strategic plan, Where Courageous Inquiry Leads.

Emory maintains an uncommon balance for an institution of its standing: it generates more research funding than any other Georgia university, while maintaining its traditional emphasis on teaching. The university is enriched by the legacy and energy of Atlanta, and by collaboration among its schools, units and centers, as well as with affiliated institutions.

Rankings & Successes

Top Rankings: Emory ranks among the top 20 national universities in U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges.”
Distinguished Professors: Distinguished faculty members include former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Booker Prize-winning novelist Sir Salman Rushdie, His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama, symphony conductor Robert Spano, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natasha Trethewey and CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Famous Alumni: Emory alumni have included one U.S. vice president, seven U.S. senators, 13 U.S. representatives, three governors, three ambassadors, one Supreme Court justice, several university presidents, five Pulitzer Prize winners and an astronaut.
Award-Winning Students: Emory students are well represented among competitive academic programs, including the Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright, Goldwater, Rotary, Rockefeller, Mellon and USA Today scholarships as well as National Science Foundation Fellowships.
Breakthrough Research: Emory is a leader in HIV research. More than nine in 10 HIV patients in the United States who are on lifesaving therapy take Emtriva (emtricitabine) or 3TC, both drugs created at Emory. One of the leading vaccine candidates against HIV was developed at the Emory Vaccine Center and the Yerkes National Primate Research Center.
Academic Excellence: The Robert T. (Bobby) Jones Jr. Scholarship and Fellowship programs, named for the celebrated golfer who was a 1929 School of Law graduate, represent a unique exchange program with the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
Advancing Sustainability: Emory was named one of nation’s greenest colleges in The Princeton Review’s “2009 Green Rating Honor Roll.”
Community Life: The campus community was honored to receive the 2008 Presidential Award for General Community Service, the highest federal recognition given to colleges and universities for their commitment to community service, service-learning and civic engagement.

History

The Methodist Episcopal Church founded Emory College in 1836 in the small Georgia town of Oxford. The founders named the town for the school’s prestigious British cousin, and named the school for a bishop who dreamed of an American education that molded character as well as the mind.

The little school struggled for decades, and finally began to prosper in the late 1800s. By 1914, the Methodist Church was looking to create a university in the South, and Emory College was looking to expand.

Asa Candler, founder of The Coca-Cola Company, wrote the “million-dollar letter” to offer seed money, and sweetened the deal by donating land in Atlanta. Emory University received a DeKalb County charter to build at its present location in 1915. The soft drink company president’s brother was Emory alumnus and former president, Methodist Bishop Warren Candler, who returned to serve as its first chancellor on the new campus.

The Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company has given rise to family fortunes for the Candlers, the Woodruffs, the Goizuetas and others who have been extraordinarily generous to Emory. The philanthropy of these and other donors has enabled Emory’s growth and empowered its ambition to become one of the nation’s leading universities. It’s unofficially considered poor school spirit to drink other soda brands on campus.

The task of safeguarding the official Spirit of Emory rests on the slender frame of a biology lab skeleton named Dooley. He first emerged as a campus presence in 1899. The endeavor to answer the enduring question, “Who is Dooley?” is ongoing.

Several secret societies have emerged over the years. DVS is the oldest, founded on the Oxford campus in 1902. New members of these groups appear to be chosen based on how likely they are to make contributions to campus life, both as students and alumni.

In a city known for growth and change, Emory carefully cultivates a creative blend of old and new on campus. And all students, professors and staff members become part of the University’s uniquely wonderful heritage.

Campus

Emory’s main campus covers more than 600 acres in Atlanta’s historic suburb of Druid Hills. Students, faculty, staff and visitors enjoy a peaceful, pedestrian-friendly environment, with easy proximity to one of the nation’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas.

The campus features a thoughtful balance of buildings and green space. Peavine Creek, a branch of the historic Peachtree Creek, winds through maples, oaks, magnolias, pines and dogwoods that grace the gently rolling hills.

The Haygood-Hopkins Memorial Gateway marks the main entrance from Druid Hills, a gracious, park-like residential area designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.

The original campus plan is the work of Beaux-Arts architect Henry Hornbostel. Other noted architects who have designed buildings here include John C. Portman and Michael Graves.

Among Emory’s landmarks:

The Quadrangle
- “The Quad” is the symbolic center of campus. Commencement is held here each spring, and the outdoor graduation ceremony has never been completely rained out.
- Several of the pink and gray marble-clad buildings that frame the Quad are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- The Candler Library, a gracious 1926 building recently renovated with special care, is a focal point on the Quadrangle.

Lullwater House and Preserve
- Emory’s president lives in the English Tudor mansion built in the 1920s by the son of Emory benefactor and Coca-Cola Company founder, Asa Candler.
- The public is invited to enjoy the lawns and wooded paths surrounding the president’s home.

The DUC
- Dobbs University Center is one of the main places students gather, and houses a cafeteria with tiered seating, the post office and campus life offices.
- The creative design encloses the exterior marble steps of the old student center to serve as casual seating.

Numerous environmental objectives pursued through the university’s Office of Sustainability Initiatives enhance the campus experience. The Emory as Place initiative raises awareness of the campus’s beauty and diversity. Emory’s campus master plan protects more than half the land from development.

New buildings are designed to reflect Hornbostel’s style and follow LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) guidelines. Emory has a well-established program in green building, currently having one of the largest inventories by square footage of LEED-certified green building among campuses in the nation. Current and recent construction projects include:

Candler School of Theology and Center for Ethics Building
Psychology Building
Oxford Road Building: bookstore, offices and parking
Rollins School of Public Health expansion
Woodruff Health Sciences Administration Building renovation
Residence housing at both the Atlanta and Oxford campuses

Two satellite campuses are a short shuttle ride from the Druid Hills campus:

Clairmont offers undergraduate and graduate housing, with its own Student Activity and Academic Center.
Briarcliff includes the Center for Lifelong Learning and several research centers.

The school moved to its current location from the original site just outside Atlanta, in the small town of Oxford, in the early 1900s. Emory maintains an undergraduate program atOxford College there.

The university works with the Clifton Community Partnership, a community initiative between Emory and its surrounding neighborhoods, to maintain a vibrant and balanced neighborhood.

Visiting

Emory’s main campus is located in the suburban Atlanta neighborhood of Druid Hills.

Prospective students should contact the admission office of the school they are interested in to arrange a campus visit.

The campus is about a 15-minute drive from the downtown, midtown and Buckhead areas. Plan on at least 30 minutes by car from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

MARTA, Atlanta’s mass transit system, operates regular bus service from several train stations near campus.

Emory encourages the use of alternative transportation, and operates an on-campus shuttle system called Cliff.

Campus parking is tight, especially on weekdays, and regulations are strictly enforced.Visitor parking lots are designated in convenient locations. If you need accomodations for parking, please contact the Office of Disability Services before your visit at 404.727.9877.

Atlanta

Emory students, faculty and staff have ready access to all the resources of one of the nation’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas. The university is an active citizen in Atlanta, which naturally develops connections and opportunities for Emory community members to explore.

Georgia is home to more than a dozen Fortune 500 headquarters, including The Coca-Cola Company and The Home Depot, and many companies on the prominent list have offices here. Emory maintains active partnerships with many of Atlanta’s preeminent institutions, such as The Carter Centerand the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Emory students pursue internship and research opportunities both on and off campus in the Atlanta area. Part of the attraction for businesses and organizations is a technology infrastructure that led Forbesmagazine to rate Atlanta No. 2 in its 2009 list of the nation’s most wired cities.

This business town is also a college town. The Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education (ARCHE) brings together a number of area colleges and universities, including:

Agnes Scott College
Clark Atlanta University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia State University
Mercer University
Morehouse College and School of Medicine
Oglethorpe University
Spelman College
University of Georgia, in Athens

Geographically, Emory is one of the southernmost top 20 universities. Atlanta offers four distinct seasons, with temperate weather most of the school year.

Head a few hours north to hike the Appalachian Trail, raft whitewater rivers and ski in the Great Smoky and Blue Ridge mountain ranges. To the east and south, the beaches of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida are a half-day’s road trip away.

The busy Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport provides ready global access. Dozens of countries maintain consular, trade or chamber of commerce offices in Atlanta.

The Atlanta metropolitan area is home to more than five million people, giving rise to a diversity of cultural, social and recreational interests. Here’s a partial list of attractions:

Atlanta Botanical Garden
Atlanta History Center
Atlanta Symphony
Atlanta Zoo
The Carter Center, and the Carter Presidential Library and Museum
Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Georgia Aquarium
Georgia Dome
High Museum
Martin Luther King Jr. Center
New World of Coca-Cola
Philips Arena
Professional sports teams
- Beat (soccer)
- Braves (baseball)
- Falcons (football)
- Hawks (basketball)
- Thrashers (ice hockey)
Stone Mountain Park
Turner Field

Admission

Emory students rank among the best in critical thinking, imagination, learning and commitment to community.

They share an interest in education for its own merits, and the desire to apply academic expertise in creative and practical service to others. They have diverse backgrounds and experiences that enhance Emory’s classrooms and campus life.

Emory’s undergraduate and graduate schools all manage their own admission process. Prospective students are invited to contact the specific school they are interested in directly.

Academics

Cor Prudentis Possidebit Scientiam: “The wise heart seeks knowledge.”

Emory University motto, Proverbs 18:15

Emory is named for a Methodist bishop who believed in education’s potential for molding character as well as the mind. More than 170 years after its founding, the school offers demanding academics to enable students to develop individual expertise and values, expressed in service to others.

The university offers academic degrees and programs through nine schools, with particular strengths in the arts and sciences, business, law, theology and the health professions. The academic year is divided into two semesters, plus a summer term.

Individual integrity is expected and respected here. A strong system of school-based honor codes safeguards the university’s academic integrity. All students agree by their enrollment to abide by their school’s honor code.

Emory Athletic Overview

EMORY ATHLETIC FACTS

Emory University has a broad-based intercollegiate athletic program with approximately 350 student-athletes comprising the school’s 18 varsity sports.
Emory University competes at the NCAA Division III level. The distinguishing factor in comparing Division III programs to Division I & II institutions is that Division III athletics feature athletes who receive no financial aid related to their athletic skills.
Emory is a member of the University Athletic Association (UAA). Other institutions comprising the eight-team league include Brandeis University, Carnegie Mellon University, Case Western Reserve University, New York University, University of Chicago, University of Rochester and Washington University.
Emory is just one of five schools in the nation–others include Duke, Stanford, Washington University and Johns Hopkins — to place in the top 20 in both the NACDA Directors’ Cup for best all-around athletics program (6th in 2008-09) and the annual of best national universities (18th).
From 1987-88 through the end of the 2008-09 academic year, Emory has captured a total of 127 UAA team championships. In 2008-09, the following teams won conference championships: men’s and women’s swimming, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men’s indoor track and women’s tennis.
Emory was won a total of 10 Division III national championships. Women’s tennis has five national titles to its credit (1996, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006) while the men’s tennis (2003, 2006) and women’s swimming and diving (2005, 2006) teams each have two. The volleyball team brought home the school’s most recent national trophy in 2008.
In addition, Liz Horvat was named the 2009 NCAA Division III Women’s Swimmer of the Year while Michael Goodwin was named by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) as the National Senior Player of the Year. Emory coaches were recognized nationally as well with Jenny McDowell being selected as the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III National Coach of the Year and Jon Howell being selected as the NCAA Division III Women’s Coach of the Year.
Emory is just one of three schools to have finished among the top 10 Division III programs in the Director’s Cup in each of the last nine years. The Director’s Cup honors institutions maintaining a broad-based athletic program, achieving success in many sports, both men’s and women’s. In 2008-09, the Eagles placed sixth out of 310 schools that scored points.
Emory student-athletes have shined in their respective venues over the years with a total of 593 earning All-American status since the 1983-84. During the 2008-09 school year, a total of 43 Emory athletes earned All-America acclaim.
Emory student-athletes have distinguished themselves on the academic front. A total of 114 student-athletes have been selected as CoSIDA Academic All-Americans since 1983-84. Since the fall of 2000, the Eagles have earned 65 CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, trailing only Nebraska (75) and Notre Dame (73) during the stretch and tops among non-football playing institutions.
A further testament to the academic excellence demonstrated by Emory student athletes is the fact that the university has been awarded 64 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships over the school’s history, with the 47 awarded since 2000 the second-highest total by any NCAA member.

EMORY ATHLETICS MISSION STATEMENT

Sustaining Excellence – Athletics for All

The pursuit of excellence at Emory is evident in its athletics programs not only in the competitive success of our intercollegiate teams but also in the way that all of our programs change the way others think and act. The Emory tradition of “Athletics for All” challenges and inspires the entire University by providing an example of community building and balance of body, mind and spirit. The Department of Athletics & Recreation provides a myriad of facilities and programs that promote the physical, emotional and social growth of individuals through the enhancement of lifelong skills revolving around sustainable fitness and wellness principles. Our programs complement the mission of Emory University and provide experiential learning and leadership opportunities for our students, faculty, staff and alumni.

Athletic Facilities

The George W. Woodruff P.E. Center is the centerpiece of Emory’s Athletics and Recreation Department. The dynamic building houses athletic facilities for 18 intercollegiate sports teams, and is the primary workout facility for Emory’s active student body, faculty and staff.

The 3,000 square-feet Varsity Weight Room boasts multiple Olympic lifting stations, as well as an array
of free weights, dumbbells, and medicine balls.

The “Fitness Corridor” is situated on the fourth floor of the Woodruff P.E. Center. Tailored to the entire Emory community, it features an impressive variety of cardiovascular exercise stations, dozens of Cybex strength machines, and a large range of free weights.

The main arena is home to Emory’s varsity volleyball team and basketball teams. The gym floor is also used regularly for recreational badminton and fencing. A drop-down curtain and two sides of pull-out bleachers allow for multiple seating configurations.

The newly-renovated fourth level of the Woodruff P.E. Center houses a versatile gym floor which can be quickly converted into court space for multiple uses.

The natatorium is home to Emory’s nationally-ranked varsity swimming and diving teams. The pool is 50 meters in length and 25 yards in width, which allow for official long- and short-course competition. A diving well features a pair of one-meter and three-meter diving boards

Indoor tennis courts are some of the newest additions to the Emory facilities landscape. Located on the newly-renovated fourth floor of the Woodruff P.E. Center, the hard courts provide additional playing options for tennis enthusiasts of all abilities.

Emory’s national champion tennis teams play on the Woodruff P.E. Center’s outdoor courts, which are also available to all students. Emory has hosted numerous NCAA championship matches.

Emory’s eight-lane 400-meter Rekortan track rings a natural grass athletic field. The track facilities include long jump, steeplechase and pole vault pits, as well as separate throwing areas for shot put, discus, javelin, and hammer.

Emory’s varsity soccer teams play on a dedicated field of Bermuda grass, measuring 120 yards long and 70 yards wide. The field has lights for evening games and permanent seating for approximately 1,000 spectators. Emory has hosted numerous NCAA soccer tournament games.

Emory’s varsity softball team plays home games on a sparkling diamond located on campus at George F. Cooper, Jr. Field. The facility features an all-dirt infield, sunken dugouts, two bullpens, and two batting cages.

Home to the Emory varsity baseball team, Chappell Park is a state-of-the-art college ballpark. The facility houses a lush superbly-manicured grass field, locker room, press box, picnic area, and permanent seating for 500 behind home plate.

Source: Emory University