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Founders Day

2023 Founders Day was March 23.

Emory & Henry annually observes Founders Day to celebrate the founding of the College and those individuals and groups whose efforts were instrumental in establishing Southwest Virginia’s first institution of higher education.

Initial planning for the founding of Emory & Henry began in October 1835, when members of the Holston Conference of the Methodist Church voted to establish a college in the region. By January 1, 1836, the site had been selected, and the cornerstone for the first building was laid September 30, 1836, at a founding celebration. Classes began in the spring of 1838.

Four area individuals are credited with raising funds and choosing the site for the College: Tobias Smyth, a local farmer and enthusiastic Methodist lay person; the Reverend Creed Fulton, a circuit-riding Methodist minister from Grayson County, Virginia; Colonel William Byars, a distinguished Presbyterian lay person from Glade Spring, Virginia; and Alexander Findlay, a successful business entrepreneur from Abingdon, Virginia.

In 2022, Founders Day was celebrated virtually on Thursday, March 24. Watch the video honoring alumni and community members. Congratulations!

Citation Recipients 

Each year the College recognizes individuals with a service citation as a part of Founders Day observance.

A complete listing of past citation recipients is available here.

Distinctive Alumni Awards

The College also recognizes several alumni awards as a part of Founders Day observance as well. 

More information about Alumni Awards can be found here. 

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  • <div class="lw_news_image"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/1656-emory-henry-ranks-among-top-colleges-in"><picture class="lw_image"><source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,400,296/9450_drone.rev.1614002000.webp 1x" data-origin="responsive"/><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,400,296/9450_drone.rev.1614002000.jpg 1x" data-origin="responsive"/><img src="/live/image/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,400,296/9450_drone.rev.1614002000.jpg" alt="E&H Campus" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="400" data-max-h="296" loading="lazy" data-optimized="true"/></picture></a></span></div><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_news_headline"><a href="/live/news/1656-emory-henry-ranks-among-top-colleges-in">Emory & Henry ranks among top colleges in Virginia</a></h4><div class="lw_news_summary"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Emory & Henry College has been awarded top ranking status for Best Colleges In Virginia by Intelligent.com, a higher education resource guide.</span> <a href="/live/news/1656-emory-henry-ranks-among-top-colleges-in" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div></div>