The oldest institution of higher learning in Southwest Virginia, Emory & Henry is a coeducational, church-related liberal arts college that began in Emory, Virginia. Today, in addition to undergraduate and masters level programs housed on its original campus, the college operates an equestrian and riding center near Bristol, Virginia, and a school of health sciences in Marion, Virginia awarding both masters and doctoral degrees. The college name is derived from two persons. John Emory was an eminent Methodist bishop of the era when the college was founded; he was the same person for whom Emory University in Atlanta was named. Patrick Henry was a renowned Virginian, a patriot of the American Revolution, and Virginia’s first post-Colonial governor. The names were chosen to represent the guiding principles of the college: Christian leadership and distinctive statesmanship.