20th-Century Achievements and Growth

During the early and mid-20th century, many of the educational resources of Kentucky and the nation were committed to the establishment and expansion of state-supported land-grant universities. These institutions were often vocationally oriented. But Centre remained steadfast in its mission of providing superior education in the liberal arts tradition. Centre's image as a tiny school capable of startlingly large achievements was enhanced in this period by its 1921 football victory over Harvard, then ranked No. 1. In a 1971 article marking the game's 50th anniversary, the New York Times called it "Football's Upset of the Century." At Centre, the game is recalled simply by its score: C6-H0. During the 1960s, a period of explosive growth in American higher education, the College's financial resources doubled. Eleven new buildings were added to the campus, the enrollment increased from 450 to around 800, and the faculty was increased as well. The latter part of the 20th century brought continued recognition of Centre's academic excellence. In 1971, the National Council of Phi Beta Kappa established a chapter at Centre, and Centre continues to be the only private institution in Kentucky to have a chapter of the nation's oldest and most prestigious honor society. In the 1990s, U.S. News and World Report listed Centre among the 25 national liberal arts colleges that are "tops in teaching" and added Centre to its list of "top-tier" national colleges. Centre established its first residential study abroad program in London, England, in the fall of 1990. Other programs soon followed in Strasbourg, France, and Merida, Mexico. Today about 85 percent of Centre students study abroad at least once in one of 15 permanent semester-long programs, some dozen ever-changing CentreTerm programs in January, and a variety of summer and internship opportunities.

Throughout its long history, Centre has been supported and enhanced by its alumni, who have taken positions of prominence and usefulness in a variety of fields. Centre alumni include two U.S. vice presidents, one Chief Justice of the United States, an associate justice of the Supreme Court, and at least 13 U.S. senators, 43 U.S. representatives, and 11 state governors. Other Centre alumni have been and are leaders in a variety of fields, including teaching, business, medicine, law, and journalism. Centre alumni are widely known as the most loyal in the nation, for years leading all of America's colleges and universities in the percentage who give financial support each year.