About Coker University
Coker University is a student-focused, comprehensive university with a strong liberal arts core located in Hartsville, South Carolina. Coker combines round-table, discussion-based learning with hands-on experiences to encourage active participation in and out of the classroom. A supportive, close-knit community prepares Coker students with the confidence and practical life skills they need to reach their personal best, at the university and beyond.
Coker’s Purpose
Coker University is an independent, comprehensive, baccalaureate and master’s degree-granting institution with a strong liberal arts foundation. The University provides personalized liberal arts and career-oriented educational opportunities in an environment that fosters participation in the community of scholarship and development of ethical character, leadership skills, and social responsibility.
Coker University:
- Provides educational programs of uniform excellence.
- Teaches that commitment to work and service is integral to a meaningful life.
- Helps students develop the ability and will to continue learning throughout life.
- Encourages the integration of the worlds of vocation and the liberal arts.
- Affirms the inherent value of each individual and the importance of the human community.
- Addresses the higher educational needs of adults living and working in its geographical region.
Coker’s Principle
Fundamental to Coker University’s purpose is a recognition of and emphasis upon the importance of the individual. This is so basic to the institution’s understanding of its mission that it has formally adopted the following statement on the individual:
The hallmark of Western civilization is the search for personal fulfillment within a rationally ordered society. The faculty and trustees of Coker University accept the educational challenge of this quest by stressing the value both of the individual human being and of the human community.
At Coker, we affirm, as the highest ethical principle, the indestructible dignity of every human being. Furthermore, we believe that it is only by entering into a community that a person can reach full human potential. We judge to be questionable any ideology or creed that is so individualistically oriented as to deny the irreducibly social component of human development or that places such value upon social groups or classes as to repudiate the significance of the individual apart from the group.
To implement its philosophy, Coker University accepts each individual as a person of essential worth, assists its constituents to value themselves and their fellows as individuals of significance, and teaches that responsible participation in the human community requires service both to self and to others.
Coker’s Pedagogy
The University’s understanding of itself, its insistence upon the maintenance of a low ratio of students to faculty, and its recognition of the importance of the individual are reflected in its way of teaching. To describe the institution’s teaching style, the Coker faculty and trustees have approved the following definition of the “Round Table” approach to teaching:
The Round Table approach to teaching as practiced at Coker University emphasizes the active role of the learner in the educational process. This approach depends upon small classes and reflects the commitment of the institution to the importance of the individual. The constant interaction thus assured between the instructor and the student makes possible a regular monitoring of the progress of learning. The frequent occasions when students engage each other in discussion provide peer support for the learning process. To give maximum encouragement to this approach, the University limits its class enrollments to encourage dialogue.
Coker’s History
Coker began in 1894 as Welsh Neck High School when Major James Lide Coker used his initiative and financial support to bring about the chartering of a private academy. In 1908, when South Carolina created a statewide public school system, Major Coker provided leadership for the conversion of the academy to Coker College for Women. From the decade of the twenties until years after World War II, it was the only college between Columbia and Charleston accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The institution originally enjoyed a close affiliation with the South Carolina Baptist Convention. The College became non-denominational in 1944.
Coker became a coeducational institution in 1969. Approximately 75 percent of the students are from South Carolina, and the remaining 25 percent represent most of the states in the eastern United States.
Coker College’s first president was Dr. E. V. Baldy, who served for two years. He was followed by:
Dr. Arthur Jackson Hall (1911-1914)
Dr. Howard Lee Jones (1914-1915)
Dr. E. W. Sikes (1916-1925)
Dr. Carlyle Campbell (1925-1936)
Dr. C. Sylvester Green (1936-1944)
Dr. Donald C. Agnew (1944-1952)
Dr. Joseph C. Robert (1952-1955)
Dr. John A. Barry, Jr. (1955-1959)
Dr. Fenton Keyes (1960-1968)
Dr. Wilfrid H. Callcott (1968-1969)
Dr. Gus Turbeville (1969-1974)
Dr. C. Hilburn Womble (1975-1980)
Dr. James D. Daniels (1981-2002)
Dr. B. James Dawson (2002-2009)
Dr. Robert L. Wyatt (2009-2019)
Dr. Natalie J. Harder (2020- present)
The college officially became Coker University on July 1, 2019.
Throughout its history, Coker has provided a liberal arts education of the finest quality, has sought to stay attuned to the needs of its contemporary undergraduate students, and has stressed the importance of educated individuals to the common good.
Coker’s Community
Hartsville, in Darlington County, is located in the northeastern section of the state on US Highway 15 and SC 102 and 151. It is 20 miles from Interstate 95 and 19 miles from Interstate 20. The population of Hartsville is 7,852 (2014). The Greater Hartsville area numbers 32,284 (2010). Darlington County’s population is 67,458 (2015).
Besides the recreational facilities afforded by the University, Hartsville offers playgrounds, parks and picnic areas, boating, canoeing, fishing, sailing, and community theater and concerts. Hartsville has good shopping opportunities, and local churches represent all major denominations.
Coker’s Campus
As the academic curriculum of Coker University has constantly changed to meet the growing demands of higher education, so, too, has the physical appearance of the campus.
The Elizabeth Boatwright Coker Performing Arts Center - Completed in the fall of 1997, it houses the Department of Dance, Music, and Theatre. Encompassing 40,000 square feet, the Center features the 466-seat Watson Theater, a black box theater/television studio, two dance studios, a music rehearsal and recording studio, the Martin Stein Gallery, and faculty offices. The Center hosts a variety of cultural events open to both the University and community.
Athletic Complex - Adjacent to the main campus is Coker’s 22-acre athletic complex featuring tennis courts, a multi-sport field and practice area, and baseball and softball facilities.
Harris E. and Louise H. DeLoach Center - The newest addition to Coker’s athletic facilities is the 71,000 square-foot Harris E. and Louise H. DeLoach Center. Opened in 2014, the DeLoach Center includes a main gymnasium with a seating capacity of 1,832 and wide-ranging features including a practice gym, classroom space, state-of-the-art training rooms, offices, a conference room, and a café.
The Gladys Coker Fort Art Building - Constructed in 1983, this building is a modern, well-equipped facility comparable with any in the region. In addition to classrooms, studios, and offices, it also houses the Cecelia Coker Bell Art Gallery.
Davidson Hall - Built in 1910, Davidson continues to serve as the focal point of the Coker campus. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 and was completely renovated in 1984-85. Davidson was originally the University’s administration building and now houses classrooms and faculty offices. Its Charles W. Coker Auditorium is recognized throughout South Carolina for both acoustical quality and design.
The Charles W. and Joan S. Coker Library-Information Technology Center - This center opened in January 2008. It is a 40,000 square foot facility that houses over 500,000 volumes, including books, e-books, and bound periodicals, as well as audio and video recordings. The library participates in collaborative efforts to provide access to additional collections from around the world. The library also provides access to a wide variety of academic resources through the Internet.
Hazel Keith Sory Clubhouse and Boathouse - This recreational area is located on a 15-acre tract of university property on the banks of Prestwood Lake. The clubhouse serves as an off-campus site for university functions, and the boathouse is used to store canoes and kayaks.
Kalmia Gardens - A 30-acre botanical garden located three miles west of campus on the bluffs of Black Creek. The unique natural setting of the gardens displays prize collections of southeastern flora. Walking trails and boardwalks provide access to a black-water swamp, laurel thickets, pine-oak-holly uplands, and a beech bluff. A small landing dock provides canoe and kayak access to Black Creek.
Residential Facilities - Coker’s residential facilities boast comfortable living spaces, internet-ready rooms, study areas, and easy access to the Susanne G. Linville Dining Hall and the Cobra Den and Pit. While keeping up with the demands of modern students, Coker’s residence halls maintain their historic appearance. The residence halls at Coker University are: Susan Stout Coker Memorial Hall, Mary Irwin Belk Hall, Robert R. and Lois W. Coker Hall, Dr. Valleria Grannis Hall, Richard G. and Tuck A. Coker Hall, and James Lide Coker III Hall. The newest addition to Coker’s housing options is the Village at Byerly Place. The first apartment-style residences, the Betty Y. and Charles L. Sullivan Jr. Residence Hall opened fall 2013 and the second, the Susan K. and Walter N. George Residence Hall, opened fall 2015.