The College Environment

The sense of community at the College provides a setting in

which students are readily recognized for their

accomplishments and are encouraged to realize their fullest

potential. Students are also able to enjoy the security and the

support that can be engendered only by personal

relationships. Classes, clubs, societies, sports, and performing

arts groups are small enough to assure participation.The

College furnishes an opportunity for a fuller self-awareness

and for achieving a responsible knowledge of society.

The majority of students - after Virginia residents - name

Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, or

Pennsylvania as home, with other points in New England and

the South being well represented.While most of our students

come from about 40 states, the presence of international

students on the campus helps diversify our student body.

Most students find friends from cultures both similar to and

divergent from their own.

The campus lies in the center of the city of Salem, in south

western Virginia.The city of Salem, along with the entire

Roanoke Valley, was recognized in 1988 as an All-American

Community. Salem is situated just off Interstate 81, a few

miles north of the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway. Roanoke

Regional Airport is an hour's flight from New York or

Atlanta and only 35 minutes from Washington, DC, and

Charlotte, North Carolina.

With a population of about 25,000, Salem is a city of

diversified industry and business. Adjoining Salem to the east

is a metropolitan area of 250,000, which includes the city of

Roanoke and Roanoke County.

The campus opens onto Main Street in Salem and merges

with the town in common streets and sidewalks.The

College's buildings are a genial mixture of historic and

modern architecture.The Administration Building (which

houses the offices for the President and the Vice-

President/Dean of the College, as well as the Office of the

Registrar and Office of International Education) was

constructed in 1847; together with Miller Hall,Trout Hall,

and Bittle Hall that flank it, the Administration Building is

registered as a Virginia and National Historic Landmark.

The recently renovated and expanded Fintel Library has a

collection containing over 203,000 volumes, over 720 journal

subscriptions, as well as microfilm collections and numerous

audio-visual materials. Additionally, the library has access to

10,000 periodicals and newspapers, full text online. It is a

selective depository library for United States Government

Documents.