What is The Midway College Experience?

Character is formed at Midway College by a unique combination of influences that create the “Midway College Experience.” Through our many conversations with alumni spanning more than 80 years, it is clear that the Midway College Experience is based on three key components: 1) faculty mentorship, 2) student bonds and 3) experiential learning. In elevating the Midway College Experience, we will secure $13.75 million over ten years to enhance these key components.

Faculty Mentorship

Alumni stories are as diverse as the students who attended Midway College over the years, but the memories start the same: students were profoundly impacted by the mentors of Midway College. Lucy Peterson, Edgar Riley, Aunt Dixie Edwards, President Piper, Margaret Ware Parrish, and Dean Janet Sue Mitchell Brown are just some of the people who not only taught Midway College students but shaped their lives and molded them through the encouragement of discipline, moral obligation, artistic expression, integrity and hard work. This level of mentorship is a priority today and must be enhanced through endowed faculty funding.

Student Bonds

Midway College initially operated as a boarding school for young girls who had little to no support network and no routine trips to visit family during the weekends. The bonds that formed as these young women learned to accept Midway College as their home became critical to their development, and today as Midway College alumni reflect upon their journey, it remains these
special bonds that have lasting impact. Student bonds are just as important today; endowed
scholarship support must ensure a diverse and engaged resident and commuter student body.

Experiential Learning

Finally, the third component to the Midway College Experience is experiential education. Dating back
more than 100 years, students have a history of assuming work responsibilities on Midway College’s campus. Students cleaned stairs, served dinners and staffed an infirmary. This experience, while not always the most enjoyable, was memorable and helped to instill a sense of hard work. Today, education outside of the classroom has a critical role to play in student development and preparation and must be supported by additional endowment funding.