Gardner–Webb University, Campbell University, Wingate University, and Chowan University. The university, while maintaining a cooperative relationship with the North Carolina Baptist Convention and acknowledging its Baptist roots, is no longer directly associated with any Baptist church or organization, but proclaims in its mission statement that it "is an academic community rooted in the Christian faith", and that the university is "committed to an emphasis on service and Christian ethics." The college yearbook is called the Laurel, the college literary magazine is the Cadenza, and the college newspaper is The Hilltop. Mars Hill is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's and master's degrees, and is an affiliate of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, Council of Independent Colleges, the Appalachian College Association, and other similar organizations. Academics The university offers six undergraduate degrees (Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Bachelor of Social Work), three graduate degrees (Master of Arts, Master of Education, and Master of Management), and 35 majors. In May 2013 the university awarded its first M.Ed degrees. The university recently added a M.A. in criminal justice program, and a Master of Management program. In August 2016 the university opened a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. The most popular majors are in the fields of business administration and management, education, social work, physical education teaching and coaching, and general psychology. In 1932 Lamar Stringfield, a Mars Hill alumnus, formed the North Carolina Symphony, the first state-supported orchestra in the nation. The "Bailey Mountain Cloggers", the university's dance team, have won 23 national championships in clogging, and they have performed all over the United States and internationally in Canada, Mexico, England, Scotland, Ireland, Austria, France, Greece, Poland, and the Czech Republic. In 2002 the university opened the Ramsey Center for Regional Studies. Named after an alumnus who served a record four terms as the Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, the center is dedicated to preserving the heritage and culture of the people of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The university's enrollment is typically around 1,200 traditional students, with more than 200 students in its nontraditional degree program. In its 2022-2023 survey of "America's Best Colleges", U.S. News & World Report ranked Mars Hill among the South's Top 20 Regional Colleges.