Emory & Henry University (E&H or EHU) is a private university in Emory, Virginia, United States. The campus lies on 335 acres (1.36 km2) of Washington County, which is part of the Appalachian highlands of Southwest Virginia. Founded in 1836, EHU is the oldest institution of higher learning in Southwest Virginia. The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
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History
Emory & Henry University is named after John Emory, a renowned Methodist bishop, and Patrick Henry, an American patriot and Virginia's first governor, though some research suggests the name honors Henry's sister Elizabeth Henry Campbell Russell, who lived in nearby Saltville and Chilhowie. The college was founded upon the principles of vital faith and civic engagement by Creed Fulton, a Methodist minister; Colonel William Byars; Tobias Smyth, a Methodist farmer; and Alexander Findlay, a Methodist businessman.
The foundation for Wiley Hall was laid on September 30, 1836. The board of trustees hired Charles Collins as the institution's first president (1838–1852), with classes beginning in the spring of 1838 with 60 students enrolled.
The college closed in April 1861 during the Civil War and was commandeered by the Confederate States of America in 1862, operating as a hospital until 1865. During this time, the campus saw battle during the Battle of Saltville. Shortly after the battle, the hospital was the setting of Lieutenant Smith's murder on October 7, 1864, by Champ Ferguson, who had killed two black Union prisoners at the same hospital the day before. Lieutenant Smith and two other prisoners were recovering from battlefield injuries when Ferguson and some Confederate associates approached the hospital. An Irish-born guard turned them away, even going so far as to point his rifle at them. Ferguson and his men found an alternative means of entry and came across Lt. Smith and others. Smith evidently recognized Ferguson, and despite his pleas for mercy, was shot in his bed by Ferguson.
After the war ended, the college reopened.
Martha Washington College
The administrative operation of Martha Washington College, a Methodist-affiliated school for women located in Abingdon, Virginia, was merged with that of Emory & Henry College in 1918. At its November 1918 session held in Johnson City, Tennessee, the Holston Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, decided to merge Martha Washington College with Emory & Henry College; all of the property of Martha Washington, including its 8-acre Abingdon campus, would be transferred to Emory & Henry in exchange for Emory & Henry assuming the debts of Martha Washington and operating Martha Washington College as a "co-ordinate woman's college". This arrangement lasted for about a decade, until Martha Washington College completely closed in 1931.
World War II and beyond
During World War II, Emory & Henry was one of 131 US colleges and universities that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission.
Emory & Henry College's name officially changed on August 1, 2024, to Emory & Henry University.
In June 2025, the university was placed on "Probation for Good Cause" status by its accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, after the accreditor's board found non-compliance with its standards for financial responsibility. The probation was lifted one year later.
Campus
Located in the Virginia Highlands, the Emory & Henry central campus encompasses 168 acres (0.68 km2) and is surrounded by an additional 167 undeveloped acres in the village of Emory. The entire central campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register.
Buildings
With many campus buildings dating from the mid-19th century, several major academic buildings are part of a historic district that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including Wiley Hall, which was built 1838 and was used as a Confederate hospital during the Civil War. In recent years, Emory & Henry has experienced a building boom, most notably with the construction of the James H. Brooks Field House, a major expansion of Byars Hall, and the construction of the Woodrow W. McGlothlin Center for the Arts.
Residence halls
Emory & Henry boasts modern and newly renovated campus housing. Among the residence halls are the newly built Elm and Hickory halls, which feature double occupancy rooms, each with its own bathroom. In the Emory "village" students enjoy Prillaman and Linden houses, modern residences that feature single and double occupancy rooms in a home-like setting. Other residence halls include Stuart Hall, Martha Washington Hall and Hillman Hall.
Academics
Academic buildings include McGlothlin-Street Hall which includes Emory & Henry's science programs as well as programs in education, political science, business and history. Historic Byars Hall was recently expanded to include classrooms, rehearsal spaces and office space for the Division of Visual and Performing Arts. The Hermesian and Calliopean rooms, which are home to the college's historic debate societies, have been restored to their early elegance. Students also attend classes on the main E&H campus in the Creed Fulton Observatory, Miller Hall and Wiley Hall.
Other buildings
Other campus buildings include Memorial Chapel, Kelly Library, the King Athletic Center, Brook Field House, Martin-Brock Student Center, Van Dyke, Emily Williams House, and Tobias-Smyth Cabin (a reconstructed log house which was home to one of the college's founders; now a museum and meeting place).
Academics
Emory & Henry University's liberal arts academic program is based upon a required four-year core curriculum of history, literature, and culture. The college has more than 25 academic programs of study, offers more than 50 bachelor degrees, and offers master's degrees in education and community and organizational leadership. The college's programs in public policy and community service and international studies have been nationally recognized.
Athletics
Emory & Henry University's sports teams, nicknamed the "Wasps," participate in NCAA Division II in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC). The college sponsors a wide range of athletic teams, including men's teams in football, soccer, basketball, baseball, cheer and dance, golf, equestrian, lacrosse, track and field, cross country, and tennis, as well as women's teams in cross country, volleyball, basketball, softball, soccer, cheer and dance, golf, rugby, equestrian, lacrosse, track and field, tennis, and swimming.
Mascot
The official Emory & Henry mascot is the Wasp. While there are many rumored origins of the nickname, the most commonly accepted story is that Emory & Henry was first called the Wasps after the football team played its first game in Neyland Stadium at the University of Tennessee. Despite the Volunteers from Tennessee being heavily favored, they only held a 6-0 lead at halftime, this is due to the defensive efforts of Emory & Henry. The local Knoxville newspapers described the college team as the "Wasps" because of the tenacious and swarming defense they displayed, akin to the persistence of wasps in protecting their nest. This description was inspired by the distinctive uniforms worn by the Emory & Henry players, which included blue-gold striped socks and jerseys adorned with blue-gold stripes on the chest and sleeves.
Traditions
Traditions at Emory & Henry University include:
Service Plunge – the college's annual "Service Plunge" is a tradition and a requirement of all incoming freshmen in which they perform community service for a day during the first month of school (usually a Saturday).
Running of the Bulls – The Running of the Bulls is a bi-annual event in which girls who are pledging a sorority are sent running out of the front door of Wiley-Jackson (MaWa) and are told to run towards the sorority which they intend to pledge. The event, although short, is often attended by much of the student population due to its humorous nature.
The Rock – Every athletic team that plays their games at Fred Selfe Stadium touches a giant rock taken from the late Fred Selfe's hometown. Coach Selfe was a long-time assistant coach for the Emory and Henry football team who died of cancer and whose saying "Trust in your teammates, trust in yourself" is painted in the football locker room. Touching the Rock is seen as not only a unifying gesture, but it is supposed to also be a "recognition of all those who wore the blue and gold before you."
The Duck Pond – Emory and Henry is known for having ducks year-round at its duck pond. This is because the pond is naturally heated due to a spring (which can be seen in the corner closest to Wiley Hall in the foundations of the old well house).
Rankings and recognition
In the 2024 edition of U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges, Emory & Henry University was ranked #21 among Regional Universities in the South.
Emory & Henry University received the Corporation for National and Community Service Presidential Award from President Obama in March 2010. This distinction marked a historic milestone, as Emory & Henry became the first higher education institution in Virginia to receive this award for their contributions to national and community service.
Notable alumni
Literature, television and arts
J. Fred Essary (1903) – journalist
Kermit Hunter (Re-1931) – playwright and English professor
Samuel W. Small (1871) – journalist, evangelist, prohibitionist
Education
Henry DeLamar Clayton – president of the University of Alabama from 1886 to 1889; Confederate general during Civil War
Joe L. Kincheloe (1972) – author on education, culture, and politics
Military
James Patton Brownlow – brevet brigadier general of the 1st Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry Regiment (Union) during the Civil War
Thomas T. Handy (enrolled 1908–1911) – deputy chief of staff of the US Army in World War II; signed the orders to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima
William E. "Grumble" Jones (enrolled 1844) – Civil War Brigadier General of the Confederate Cavalry
Frank Rowlett (1929) – cryptologist who cracked the Japanese code during World War II
Robert G. Shaver – lawyer, Confederate States Army colonel, and Ku Klux Klan leader.
J. E. B. Stuart (enrolled 1848–1850) – US Army officer and later a Confederate general during the Civil War
Science, research, and medicine
J.B. Wolfe – academic psychologist and behavioral scientist PhD; chair of the Department Of Psychology at the University of Mississippi for 30 years
Politics and government
Toni Atkins (1984) – first openly gay speaker of the California State Assembly and President pro tempore of the California State Senate; former acting mayor of San Diego
Henry Bowen – elected to the Virginia House of Delegates from 1869 to 1873; served two terms in the US House of Representatives
B. B. Comer (1869) – governor of Alabama from 1907 to 1911
John M. Fleming (1851) – Tennessee state legislator and newspaper editor
John Goode (1848) – Virginia congressman, solicitor general of the U.S.
Morgan Griffith (1980) – elected to the US House of Representatives in 2011 representing Virginia's 9th Congressional District; served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1994 to 2011; elected House Majority Leader in the House of Delegates in 2000, becoming the first Republican in Virginia to hold that position.
Joseph P. Johnson (1952) – served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1966 to 1970; and again from 1990 to 2014
George C. Peery (1894) – governor of Virginia from 1934 to 1938
James Buchanan Richmond – nineteenth-century politician and judge; member of the Virginia House of Delegates in 1874 and 1875; elected to the 46th Congress (March 4, 1879-March 3, 1881) representing Virginia's 9th Congressional District; appointed county judge of Scott County 1886-1892; was delegate to the Virginia constitutional convention at Richmond in 1901 and 1902
Robert P. Shuler (1903) – evangelist and political figure whose attracted a large audience and drew controversy with his attacks on politicians and police officials
Business
Harold Arthur Poling (1940s) – CEO and chairman of the Ford Motor Company from 1990 to 1993
Richard Joshua Reynolds (enrolled 1868–1870) – founder of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
Sports and athletics
Larry Bales (1968) – former football and baseball college coach
Glenn Roberts (1930s) – credited as the originator of the modern-day jumpshot in basketball; All-American; scored over 2,000 career points
Sonny Wade (1969) – 1968 All-American quarterback; drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1969; later played for the Alouettes in the CFL; Grey Cup champion
Montie Weaver (1927) – pitched for the Washington Senators and the Boston Red Sox from 1931 to 1939
Mike Young (1986) – Division I college basketball head coach at Virginia Tech