Kudzu vs. Goats

The cure for kudzu? It may be the common goat. Thirty of the persistent ruminants recently spent time on campus, the latest weapon in Davidson's efforts to curtail a 3.5-acre stand of kudzu on the cross-country trails. The initiative-completely sustainable!-was the brainchild of Rebecca McKee '14, who suggested the college adopt "goatscaping" after seeing it work at her high school.

The goats are just one example of the central role that sustainability plays in the academic and student life of the college.

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Harnessing the Sun

Two arrays of solar panels-one featuring 64 solar thermal collector panels, and another featuring 378 photovoltaic (PV) panels-were installed on the roof of Baker Sports Complex in 2011. The thermal panels provide energy to heat the showers and Cannon Pool, and the PV panels supply electricity for the building. Both systems will provide students with hands-on, up-close experience with the operation of a solar energy system.

Davidson College is a signatory of the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment, by which it pledges to reduce the college's carbon footprint in specific, measurable ways.

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A National Award for "Terching"

Prof. Julio Ramirez is the first-ever undergraduate educator to receive the Society for Neuroscience's "Award for Education," presented annually to someone who has made outstanding contributions to neuroscience education and training.

Ramirez's work focuses on memory function and may help with issues related to Alzheimer’s disease. Like other Davidson faculty, he involves students in his work, mentoring them in the lab and collaborating closely with them on research.

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Student Essays Bring Unique Voice to Art Collection

Davidson Collects: 100 Writers Respond to Art explores works from the college's extensive permanent art collection through the eyes of students.

Each of the 100 writers, chosen from across the spectrum of the college's liberal arts and science disciplines, spent time with a single work of art assigned by lottery. Artists included Arbus, Dali, Delacroix, Dürer, de Kooning, Munch, Picasso, Rodin, Sargent, Warhol and others.

The book offered students an unfiltered and direct personal adventure—an inquiry of spirit as well as of mind.

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A Place You'll Call Home

Davidson students get the best of all worlds—a vibrant campus community in a small, supportive college town close to a major metropolitan area.

Charlotte—North Carolina’s largest city—is just 20 minutes away, offering students easy access to professional arts and sports, museums, music venues, and great shopping and dining.

Charlotte provides a wealth of opportunities for Davidson students to tap into a thriving business community.

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Location is Everything

Davidson’s 450-acre campus features stately, neoclassical architecture and picturesque, tree-lined, brick walkways. The college is located in a moderate climate that offers year-round appeal. It is ideally situated for the seasons; brilliant fall colors and the occasional winter snow, abundant spring flora and summers near Lake Norman.

Within two to four hours of Davidson, you can enjoy the Atlantic coast or Appalachian Mountains, wind surfing or snowboarding.

The college’s location and climate provide the perfect setting for academic inquiry and scholarship.

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Learn in Tangible and Meaningful Ways

Davidson students embrace education abroad. By the time a class graduates, about 65 percent of them have studied abroad for a year, a semester or a summer. Students have the opportunity to choose from more than 150 programs around the world.

The Dean Rusk International Studies Program serves as the organizing mechanism for expanding internationalism across the Davidson experience. Study abroad is an invaluable opportunity that supplements the Davidson undergraduate experience.

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Embrace Education Abroad

Davidson emphasizes understanding the world at large and prepares students for the challenges of national and international leadership.

The Dean Rusk International Studies Program, the organizing mechanism for expanding internationalism across the Davidson experience, embodies the belief that knowledge of other cultures and of the social, economic, political and scientific forces that shape our world are integral to a liberal arts education.

Approximately 80 percent of the student body study, travel, work or perform service in another country. Going abroad is an exhilarating, affirming and transformative experience.

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