In 1835, future Liberian Vice President James M. Priest applied to study theology; his application, like all those from Black people, was rejected.

In 1988, Centre set a national record when it achieved a 75.4% participation rate for alumni giving, a mark that remains unbroken to this day.

[14] Dick Cheney and Senator Joe Lieberman debated on October 5 at Centre's Norton Center for the Arts with CNN's Bernard Shaw acting as moderator.

[17] In August 2011, Centre announced the construction of Brockman Residential Commons, a 125-bed facility offering apartment and townhouse living for upperclassmen.

[18] In 2021, the college completed renovations of the Austin E. Knowlton Center for Science and Mathematics in Olin Hall[19] and the Centre Learning Commons in the Grace Doherty Library.

[21] Classes at Centre are held in spite of several federal holidays—including Presidents, Labor, Columbus, and Veterans Days—and rarely cancelled, which are points of pride among students, staff, and alumni.

On March 7, 2006, classes were cut short to allow students and staff to attend a symposium honoring retiring Dean John Ward.

[25] On March 15, 2020, in response to COVID-19 developments, President John Roush announced that classes would be temporarily suspended to implement an early, extended two-week Spring Break, followed by online learning for the rest of the term.

Dubbed "The Thrill in the Ville", the debate between Dick Cheney and Joe Lieberman took place in the college's Norton Center for the Arts.

The event was a tremendous success, being heralded by former CBS news anchor Dan Rather as "the best vice presidential debate ever held."

"[29] Of Centre College's performance as a host site, Janet Brown, executive director of the Commission on Presidential Debates, said, "They aced it in 2000 and this year was even better.

The protesters were present all day and night in Old Centre from May 2 to 4 while student leaders negotiated with President John Roush, sleeping in the building and in tents outside; they said they refused to leave until their demands were met.

At various times it has served as a library, dormitory, law school, faculty residence, and, during the Civil War, a hospital for both Confederate and Union soldiers.

[35] Norton Center for the Arts has hosted performers such as violinist Itzhak Perlman, dancers Mikhail Baryshnikov and Twyla Tharp, the Boston Pops, the New York Philharmonic, Henry Mancini, jazz vocalists Pearl Bailey and Sarah Vaughan, the Orchestre de Paris with Daniel Barenboim, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Yo-Yo Ma, Beach Boys, Huey Lewis and the News, Willie Nelson, Travis Tritt, LeAnn Rimes, Lyle Lovett, Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, crooner Tony Bennett, The Chieftains, Three Dog Night, David Copperfield, Dolly Parton, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Ben Folds, They Might Be Giants, Ana Gasteyer, Kate Flannery, and musicals such as Rent, Cats, Titanic, Annie Get Your Gun, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Hairspray, My Fair Lady and Ain't Misbehavin' featuring Ruben Studdard.

Construction of the three-floor facility located on Main Street began in May 2007 after commencement and was finished in time for students to move into in August 2008.

[43] The Campus Center, a LEED Silver Certified multi-purpose facility, houses the Cowan Dining Commons, the Everyday Cafe, the Student Life Office, several meeting rooms, and a gaming area.

Centre produces Fulbright, Goldwater, Rotary, and other major fellowship winners on a consistent basis, especially relative to the small size of its student body.

[49][50] Centre's consistent four-year graduation rate of more than 80 percent is in the top 50 nationally and the highest of any Kentucky college or university.

[54] For instance, "The Art of Walking", a course involving the exploration of Immanuel Kant's "Critique of Judgment" while hiking through the Central Kentucky landscape, has garnered national attention as a signature class at Centre.

Centre also has limited funding to help offset the cost of applying for a first passport for students from any year who have been accepted to a Centre-approved study abroad program and have demonstrated high/unmet financial need.

[68] In his book Colleges That Change Lives, Loren Pope says, "No university faculty compares with Centre's in the impact it has on the growth of young minds and personalities.

SGA consists of an Executive Council of officers and committee chairs, a Student Senate that handles academic issues, and a House of Representatives that oversees all clubs and organizations on campus.

A plaque at the base of the statue quotes Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe: "Where the light is brightest, the shadows are deepest.

Members of the chapter take the portrait, affectionately known as Dead Fred, to the sidelines of Centre football and basketball games and to other significant college events.

[73] When Centre hosted the 2000[75] and 2012[76] vice presidential debates, Dead Fred was granted a special seat overlooking the proceedings.

Students place pennies on the foot of Centre's Abraham Lincoln statue for good luck before exams or other important events.

Centre competes in 25 intercollegiate varsity sports: men's teams in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis and track & field.

At the beginning of the Roaring '20s, Harvard University, the nation's dominant football power, was riding a two-year undefeated streak whose last loss had been to Brown in 1918.

Then the Crimson invited Centre (enrollment at that time: 264) to Cambridge for what they thought would be a "warm-up" game, a light workout before facing Princeton the following week.

Star player Bo McMillin rushed for the lone touchdown of the game early in the third quarter, and the Praying Colonels' defense held off the Crimson's powerful offense from there for a 6–0 victory, a feat that The New York Times later dubbed "Football's Upset of the Century".