Америка Құрама Штаттарындағы Йанг Харрис Колледжі

Private liberal arts college in Georgia, U. S.

Young Harris College is a private Methodist affiliated liberal arts college in Young Harris, Georgia, United States.

The school was founded in 1886 by Artemas Lester, a circuit riding Methodist minister who wanted to provide the residents of the Appalachian Mountains with an education. The college was funded in part by production from an agricultural program, or college farm. Students who could not afford education were allowed to work on the farm to earn tuition. Originally known as McTyeire Institute for the small village where the school was located, the college struggled for the first year until an Athens judge, Young L. G. Harris, donated enough money to keep the school open. The school was later renamed Young Harris Institute and became Young Harris College in honor of its benefactor, as was the surrounding town in 1895. A fire destroyed the college's main classroom building in 1911, but it was rebuilt by local townspeople and named Sharp Hall in honor of the college president at the time. The Young Harris Academy was founded in the late 19th century and provided a primary education for thousands of students until it closed after World War II.

Margaret Adger Pitts, who died in 1998, left an estate valued at $192 million, mostly in Coca Cola stock acquired by her father in the 1920s. YHC was one of four Georgia entities named to receive the yearly dividends and trust proceeds, approximately $3 million to each of the beneficiaries. The college announced that the money would be used for scholarships, improvements to the campus, and religious programs.

Since the early 1910s, YHC was a two year school, granting associate's degrees. In 2008, the college earned its four year accreditation through regional accreditation organization, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and was approved to offer bachelor's degrees in biology, business and public policy, English, and music. In February 2010, Young Harris' accreditation was expanded to include communication studies, history, outdoor leadership, theatre, and musical theatre in the list of sanctioned bachelor's programs.

Young Harris College offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in more than 30 majors and 22 minors. These academic studies consist of course offerings in seven divisions and programs, including the divisions of Education, Fine Arts, Humanities, Mathematics and Science, and Social and Behavioral Sciences; and three or more programs, including Interdisciplinary, Teacher Preparation, and Pre Professional programs. The ratio of students to faculty at Young Harris is 10:1. The school re applied in 2011 and received acceptance into the three year process to become a full member. As of the 2011–12 academic year, Young Harris was in the first year of candidacy membership.

The college offers various opportunities for students to engage, socialize and participate in organizations relating to academic topics, intramural and club sports, media and publications, service, special interest, spiritual and religious, student government and Greek life.

The roots of the Young Harris Greek system began with the men's debating societies of the late 1880s. The Young Harris Debating Society (YHDS) and the Phi Chi Debating Society (PC) were academic in nature and lasted through the 1950s. Young Harris women formed the literary societies Susan B. Harris Society (EBE) and Phi Delta Society (PD), all of them local organizations. During the 1960s, these organizations became more social than academic. YHDS was renamed as Upsilon Delta Sigma (local) fraternity in 1967 and paired up with the Susan B. Harris Society, which became known as Sigma Beta Sigma (local) sorority. Phi Chi (local) fraternity had been linked to Phi Delta (local) sorority. On January 3, 1968, Kappa Tau Omega (local) became the third fraternity on campus with nine charter members. Alpha Iota (local) was formed as the third sorority in 1973. In the fall of 1987, Zeta Pi (local) formed as the fourth fraternity on campus. The three other sororities on campus are Delta Phi Epsilon (local), Gamma Psi (local) and Phi Alpha Phi, a Christian themed local. On February 19, 2010, Young Harris College gained its first nationally affiliated fraternity when 28 undergraduate men formed Kappa Sigma's Rho Pi chapter. Phi Sigma Kappa national fraternity followed with a colony in early 2014, which was installed on April 25, 2015, becoming that fraternity's Gamma Octaton chapter. The first nationally affiliated sorority at YHC was Delta Phi Epsilon's Zeta Zeta chapter in 2016. There are thirteen Greek organizations. The Huffington Post reported in 2013 that the college had a "big hazing problem." The college's honor societies include Alpha Iota Sigma, Alpha Chi, Kappa Pi international art society, Lambda Pi Eta communications study society, Mu Phi Epsilon professional music fraternity, Phi Alpha Theta history study society and Sigma Tau Delta English honor society. The college was approved to establish a "circle" of Omicron Delta Kappa in February 2023, which was installed on March 16, 2023.

Cultural activities available on campus to clubs and individuals include singing group performances and sponsored music events, Campus Gate Art Gallery exhibitions, and Theatre Young Harris dramatic performances. Planetarium shows are featured at the O. Wayne Rollins Planetarium. There are three student publications: the Corn Creek Revue literary magazine, the Mosaic religious life publication, and the Enotah annual yearbook. Between 1995 and the mid 2000s, Young Harris College's auditorium was home to Georgia's official historic drama, The Reach of Song.

One U. S. senator, two U. S. representatives, two governors, a number of congressmen, state legislators, and mayors all started out at YHC.

Notable graduates include former Georgia governors E. D. Rivers and U. S. Senator Zell Miller; U. S. Representatives Jack Brinkley and Buddy Carter; entertainers Oliver Hardy, Wayland Flowers and Amanda Bearse; country music singers Ronnie Milsap and Trisha Yearwood; Major League Baseball players Nick Markakis, Charlie Blackmon, Billy Buckner and Cory Gearrin; Waffle House founder Tom Forkner; state Supreme Court Chief Justices William Henry Duckworth and Charles S. Reid; state Senator J. Ebb Duncan and state Representatives Hank Huckaby and David Ralston. Poet and novelist Byron Herbert Reece was a student and teacher at YHC; theologian and philosopher John B. Cobb taught at the college. James T. McIntyre served as director of the Office of Management and Budget and Fred S. Clinton was a frontier doctor in Oklahoma at the turn of the century. George J. Berry, Atlanta Aviation Commissioner and Georgia Commissioner of Industry, Trade, and Tourism graduated in 1957. Bettie M. Sellers, poet laureate of Georgia taught English at YHC for over 30 years. American correspondent Betty Hester attended YHC. as did journalist Winfield Myers.

The highest honor bestowed by the college is the Young Harris Medallion. It has been presented yearly since 1969 to an alumnus, alumna or friend of the College for extraordinary contributions.