The University of Mount Olive is a private liberal arts institution located in Mount Olive, North Carolina. Chartered in 1951, the University is sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists. The University's roots and educational philosophy can be traced as early as 1897 when Free Will Baptists in Pitt County, North Carolina, citing a growing need for education in the community, led a discourse on education within the church. These efforts ultimately resulted in the founding of the FWB Theological Seminary and its successor institution, Eureka College, both in Ayden, North Carolina, to educate ministers and provide a liberal arts education to the local constituency. After a catastrophic fire destroyed the administration building in 1931, Eureka College ceased operations, and the Free Will Baptist church’s efforts to fulfill its educational vision were reinvested in the founding of Mount Olive Junior College. The name was changed to Mount Olive College in 1970 and later developed into a senior college granting its first baccalaureate degrees in 1986. In January 2014 the name was changed to the University of Mount Olive, and the university began offering its first master-level graduate degrees.