William Peace University is a private college in Raleigh, North Carolina. Formerly affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, it offers undergraduate degrees in more than 30 majors and the School of Professional Studies (SPS) offers accelerated bachelor degrees that are online or hybrid for working adults. The institution adopted its current name in 2012, concurrent with its decision to begin admitting men to its day program; it was previously known as Peace Institute, Peace Junior College, and Peace College. History The institution that eventually became William Peace University was founded in 1857 as Peace Institute by a group of men within the Presbyterian Synod of North Carolina. The leading donation of $10,000 () came from William Peace, a prominent local merchant and a founding member of the First Presbyterian Church of Raleigh. Peace is believed to have been in the first class of the University of North Carolina, and was a longtime proponent of education as a benefactor of Raleigh Academy, a school primarily for boys. Additionally, Peace donated for the campus site. Main Building, a red brick, white-columned Greek revival building, was built between 1859 and 1862, but was commandeered by the Confederate States government early in the American Civil War to be used as an army hospital. The Main Building was designed and built by the Holt Brothers, Thomas and Jacob, who were notable builders from nearby Warrenton, NC. The Civil War and Reconstruction Era delayed the opening of the school, but Peace Institute opened in January 1872. The first president was John Burwell, assisted by his son Robert. The Burwells, and his successor, James Dinwiddie, served the school until 1910, and were strong Presbyterians and descendants of old Virginia families. The name of the school changed from Peace Institute to "Peace College" in 1943. A member of the Women's College Coalition, Peace College was one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States. It was the second-oldest in North Carolina, predated only by Salem College (the first school for girls in the United States, founded in 1772). Name changes The school began admitting men in the fall of 2012. Initial announcements of the change included a controversial promise to "offer select single-gender courses in targeted disciplines, where research shows that women and men learn differently and that each benefit from a single-gender classroom," a plan that critics believe may run afoul of equal