something i found on the internet Scott College honors in its name the integrity and intellectual curiosity of Agnes Irvine Scott, a ScotsIrish immigrant to the United States. Her son, Col. George Washington Scott, was the college’s primary
benefactor, and the Rev. Frank Henry Gaines, minister of Decatur Presbyterian Church, was the founding
president. While their leadership extended into the South the Presbyterian educational movement that began
with Princeton University, Agnes Scott was established with a distinctive mission: to educate women for the
betterment of their families and the elevation of their region. Initially named the Decatur Female Seminary in
1889 and renamed the Agnes Scott Institute in 1890, the college was chartered as Agnes Scott College in
1906.
The first institution of higher education in Georgia to receive regional accreditation, Agnes Scott College
dedicated itself from the beginning to the highest level of “moral and intellectual training and education.”1 Its
emphasis on academic excellence and a rigorous liberal arts curriculum “fully abreast of the best institutions
of this country”2 has always encouraged independent thinking in an atmosphere for learning. The college’s
residential campus, prized for its aesthetic distinction, has given all student generations a sense of place,
purpose and responsibility. Student self-government under an Honor Code has been a hallmark since 1906. A
founding member of many national and regional educational associations, Agnes Scott has been a member of
Phi Beta Kappa since 1926.
This tradition of educational leadership continues in the 21st century as the college models new forms of
undergraduate education for women through SUMMIT, which prepares every graduate to be an effective
leader in a global society.
The Reformed tradition in which the college was created helped shape the intellectual, spiritual and ethical
values it affirms to this day: individual inquiry, commitment to the common good, the importance of
character formation and engagement with the world. These are reflected in the colleges motto from II Peter
1:5: “Now add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge.” The college’s charter commitment to provide
“auspices distinctly favorable to the maintenance of the faith and practice of the Christian religion” has
broadened into a commitment to ensure that students, faculty and staff of many faiths and secular
persuasions are full participants in the life of the college. While Agnes Scott continues to be related to the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), its Board of Trustees is an independent, self-perpetuating governing body.
Widening the vision of its founders while remaining grounded in its original mission, Agnes Scott College
continues to provide women with an edge for achievement. Alumnae distinguish themselves in medicine,
science, education, ministry, the arts, law, politics, business and community service. Since the early 1920s, the
college has ranked in the 10 percent, among American colleges, in percentage of graduates who complete
Ph.D. degrees. The Agnes Scott student body has expanded to include women who represent the diversity
that is the United States and the world and women who are returning to college to complete their degrees.
The engagement of the Agnes Scott community in the intellectual, cultural and social issues of its times
represents both the proud history and the bright future of the college.
Adopted by the Board of Trustees, August 200
