The college has always educated women, with the only exception being the admittance of some boys in primary grades from its opening years through the 1920s when the school served levels from kindergarten through junior college years. Today, the college maintains records of nearly 10,000 living alumnae, including many who were pioneers in public service. In the 1930s, Gertrude Dills McKee, a graduate of the 1890s, became the first woman elected to the North Carolina Senate. Lilly Morehead Mebane was one of the first women elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives. Jane Simpson McKimmon became the youngest graduate of Peace College, when she finished the then two-year college program at age 16; she later became the first woman to graduate from NC State University. McKimmon became a leader in "home economics" and greatly advanced the state agriculture department's home extension service. NC State University's conference and continuing education center is named for her and the chair of Peace's Leadership Studies program is named for McKimmon. Addie Worth Bagley Daniels, the spouse of "Raleigh News & Observer" publisher Josephus Daniels, served for many years during the first half of the 20th century on the Peace College Board of Trustees, a rare role for women in that era. The administration announced it planned to begin admitting male students at the start of the fall 2012 semester. It was determined that this transition would make the college a more attractive option for potential applicants, stating that only 2% of female applicants are likely to consider applying to a women's college, whereas 98% would only consider attending coeducational institutions. As an exclusively undergraduate college, Peace offers only bachelor's degrees. The most popular majors at the college are in the field of communications, where one quarter of all students focus their studies. Peace also offers an honors program for academically-advanced students. All Bachelor of Arts candidates must complete an internship. The college also encourages study abroad, paying 15% of all costs for qualified students who want to study outside of the United States. William Peace competes in the USA South Athletic Conference as a Division III school in the NCAA. Teams are fielded in basketball, cross country, softball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, swimming, track and field, and starting in 2018-19, lacrosse. William Peace fields men's sports in baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, and track and field. Peace has been a full member of the NCAA since 2002, after having been granted provisional membership in 1995.