According to Wofford College archivist Dr. Phillip Stone ’94, if you stand in front of Main Building and look around you at the physical campus, you can see the layers of the college's history.

“The footprint has expanded and evolved, but the core remains the same,” says Stone. “From this vantage point you can see multiple generations of Wofford milestones marked by the 11 presidents who served the college.”

More than bricks and mortar — Wofford’s major enhancements to the physical campus

William May Wightman (1854-1859)

A minister, professor, newspaper editor and the college’s first true fundraiser, Wightman was a close friend of Benjamin Wofford. He was instrumental in securing a substantial pledge from the Methodist Church for tuition of candidates for the ministry and for ministerial education. The president traveled the state to raise money for the college’s endowment. Wightman left Wofford in 1859 to become chancellor of Southern University in Greensboro, Ala.

1854 · Carlisle-Wallace House — Current home to the college’s dean of students, the Carlisle-Wallace House was the original home of President James H. Carlisle. Historian and scholar David Duncan Wallace also lived in the home for more than 40 years.

1854 · DuPré Administration Building — Originally built as a faculty home, its first occupant was Warren DuPre.

1854 · Hugh R. Black House — First occupied by professor David Duncan, the house became the college’s infirmary during World War II.

854 · Main Building

1854 · Snyder House

Albert Micajah Shipp (1859-1875)

Shipp was a Methodist minister and historian of Methodism. “Shipp’s major challenge during his presidency was keeping the college open during and after the Civil War,” says Stone. Shipp’s tenure saw no major building projects, but fraternities were founded, and the first baseball games were played. Shipp left the post in 1875 to teach theology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.

James Henry Carlisle (1875-1902)

A South Carolina native, Carlisle took the post of mathematics professor at Wofford and lived on campus for 50 years in what is now known as the Carlisle-Wallace House, declining to move into the President’s Home when he was elected president in 1875.

1888 · Hugh S. Black Building — Early alumni of the college pledged $10,000 to build a four-story dormitory, a portion of which still stands on the campus. It now houses the offices of Admission and Financial Aid.

1892 · Kilgo-Clinkscales House — Current home of the college’s provost.

Henry Nelson Snyder (1902-1942)

Snyder came to Wofford in 1890 to teach English and German and became the college’s fourth president in 1902. He worked diligently to raise money to improve the college’s current buildings and saw the successful installation of Phi Beta Kappa on campus in 1941. Toward the end of his tenure, the college planned its first development campaign, but World War II postponed the effort.

1910 · Charles E. Daniel Building — Built as the college’s first free-standing library.

1911 · President’s House

1929 · Andrews Field House

Walter Kirkland Greene (1942-1951)

The only alumnus to serve as president of the college, Greene ’03 became president of the college in 1942. He navigated Wofford through World War II and following the war announced the college’s postwar plan, “The Wofford of To-Morrow,” to improve the college’s facilities and increase the endowment with a goal of $1.5 million.

1946 · Sam O. Black Science Annex

1950 · Walter K. Greene Hall

Francis Pendleton Gaines (1952-1957)

Gaines joined Wofford as president in 1952 at the age of 34, the youngest person to ever serve in the post. “Gaines laid the groundwork for the expansions of the early 1960s,” says Stone. “The college started construction on a residence hall and cafeteria before he departed in 1957, but it was his work in development and increasing annual giving that was most notable during his tenure.”

1953 · Black Science Annex expansion

Charles Franklin Marsh (1958-1968)

Marsh left the economics faculty at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., to become president in 1958. His major achievements included successfully leading the college through voluntary desegregation as well as specifically focusing on the college’s physical plant, including a new science building, a major renovation to Main Building and two residence halls to accommodate the college’s growth to about 1,000 students.

1960 · Roger Milliken Science Center (East Wing)

1961 · Main Building renovation

1962 · A. Mason DuPré Hall

1963 · Curry Building, now the Joe E. Taylor Athletic Building

1963 · A. M. Shipp Hall

Paul Hardin III
(1968-1972)

Hardin was elected the eighth president of the college following service on the faculty at Duke University Law School. Under Hardin’s watch the college’s student body became more active, including the creation of a new Campus Union, judicial system and code of conduct. Hardin and the trustees voted to allow alcohol to be consumed by persons of legal age on campus. Hardin left to become president of Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

1969 · Burwell Building

1969 · Charles F. Marsh Hall

1969 · Sandor Teszler Library

Joab Mauldin Lesesne Jr. (1972-2000)

Lesesne came to Wofford in 1964 as assistant professor of history. Before becoming president, he also served as the first coordinator of Interim, assistant dean and director of development. While president, Lesesne successfully navigated coeducation and oversaw a number of building projects as well as a master plan in 1987 that yielded a $5.5 million grant for a technology building from the Franklin W. Olin Foundation.

1980 · Campus Life Building

1986 · Papadopoulos Building — The Neofytos D. Papadopoulos Building is dedicated to the memory of the father of the late Dr. C.N. “Gus” Papadopoulos, the first Wofford alumnus to surpass $1 million in lifetime giving to his alma mater.

1991 · James H. Carlisle Hall

1992 · Franklin W. Olin Building

1992 · Reeves Tennis Center

1995 · Gibbs Stadium

1995 · Richardson Physical Activities Building

1999 · William M. Wightman Hall

Benjamin Bernard Dunlap (2000-2013)

Dunlap joined the college in 1993 as the Chapman Family Professor in the Humanities. His tenure was marked by a commitment to the academic fields of literature, Asian studies, film history and criticism, fiction writing and the arts. The construction during his tenure of The Village and the Michael S. Brown Village Center continue to serve as differentiators for the college.

2001 · Roger Milliken Science Center (West Wing)

2004 · Russell C. King Field at Switzer Stadium

2005 · Joab M. Lesesne Hall

2006 · The Village (through 2011)

2009 · Rayner Greenhouse

2011 · Michael S. Brown Village Center

Facilities acquired and repurposed during Dunlap’s tenure:

Goodall Environmental Studies Center

Cumming Street Facility

Montgomery Music Building

Wofford College Bookstore

Nayef H. Samhat
(2013-present)

Since taking office, Samhat has led the college through a strategic visioning process, major construction projects, the re-evaluation of the general education curriculum, an assessment of and recommitment to diversity and inclusion initiatives on campus, SACSCOC reaccreditation, new marketing and branding initiatives, the start of the comprehensive campaign and dozens of other plans, programs and grants designed to build community, boost sustainability, champion the liberal arts and enhance the educational experience for students.

2016 · Stewart H. Johnson Greek Village

2017 · Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts

2017 · Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium

2018 · Benjamin Johnson Arena renovation


By Annie S. Mitchell and Dr. Phillip Stone '94