Wesleyan College is a private, liberal arts women's college in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1836, Wesleyan was the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women. History The school was chartered on December 23, 1836, as the Georgia Female College, and it opened its doors to students on January 7, 1839. The school was renamed as Wesleyan Female College in 1843, when its affiliation changed from the Methodist-Episcopal Church to the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The college shortened its name in 1917 to the present Wesleyan College. Wesleyan has the world's oldest alumnae association, begun in 1859. Wesleyan College is the birthplace of the first sororities in the United States: the Adelphean Society in 1851, now known as Alpha Delta Pi, and the Philomathean Society in 1852, now known as Phi Mu</ref>. The two sororities together are referred to as the "Macon Magnolias". In 1914, the school disbanded sororities on its campus. Academics Wesleyan College has an undergraduate student population of around 700. It has a student-faculty ratio of 20:1 and an average class size of 21 students. In any given year, students from more than 20 states and over 20 countries around the world attend the school. Wesleyan offers 25 majors, 35 minors, and eight pre-professional programs. Students can earn a bachelor of arts, bachelor of fine arts, or bachelor of science in nursing degree. Wesleyan is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Campus Wesleyan College has a 200-acre (800,000 m²) campus dotted with revivalist Georgian style brick buildings and features a 6.3 acre (25,000 m²) lake, Foster Lake. Non-residential buildings on the (main) upper campus include: Candler Alumnae Center was built in 1946 and was presented to the College by the late Judge John Slaughter Candler of Atlanta in memory of his parents, Samuel and Martha Beall Candler. It was designed by renowned architect Phillip Shutze with the assistance of librarian Katharine Payne Carnes and originally housed the campus library. Candler Hall was renovated in 1971 as the Candler Alumnae Center and is currently home to the Office of Alumnae Affairs, the Office of Institutional Advancement, the Oval Hall ballroom, and the Benson Meeting Room. The Loggia is a two-level portico connecting the Olive Swann Porter Building with Persons Hall. The top-level balcony overlooks the courtyard between the residence halls and the campus fountain. It is revered for its exceptional architectural design and marble columns