Huntingdon College, founded in 1854, is a coeducational liberal arts college in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. Related to the United Methodist Church, the college's central hallmarks are faith, wisdom, and service. The college is known for providing a solid academic experience based on good teaching. Excellent programs include the liberal arts and sciences, education, sport sciences, and business/accounting. Placement rates into graduate and professional schools and into employment are, in most cases, twice the national averages. Huntingdon College was chartered on February 2, 1854, as "Tuskegee Female College" by the Alabama State Legislature and Governor John A. Winston. The first president was Andrew Adgate Lipscomb, a contemporary of Charles Dickens and Harriet Beecher Stowe who was one of the most respected scholars of his time. Dr. Lipscomb laid the foundation of the college as a teaching college rather than a research institution. In 1872 the name was changed to "Alabama Conference Female College" as the college came under the auspices of the United Methodist Church.