University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Year Founded: 1873
Previous Names: Branch Normal College, Arkansas Agricultural Mechanical and Normal School, and Arkansas Agricultural Mechanical and Normal College
First President: Dr. John Brown Watson
Current President: Dr. Laurence B. Alexander
Five Major Milestones:
- In 1892 Branch Normal College was designated as a Land Grant Institution under the Morrill Act of 1890
- In 1928 the school’s first intercollegiate sports team was organized, and the lion became the school’s mascot
- In 1972 AM&N merged with the University of Arkansas system, which became University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
- The football program is restored in 1991
- The STEM Academy and Conference Center is completed in 2014
Outstanding Students: Courtney Van Buren and Smokie Norful
Meharry Medical College
Year Founded: 1876
Previous Names: Medical Department of Central Tennessee College
First President: George W. Hubbard
Current President: Dr. James Hildreth
Five Major Milestones:
- First graduate in 1877
- Dental Department founded in 1886
- Pharmacy Department by 1889
- In 1915 the Medical Department received a state charger and became an independent institution
- Dr. Harold D. West became the school’s first African American president in 1952
Outstanding Students: Louis Pendleton and Dorothy Lavinia Brown
Spelman College
Year Founded: 1881
Previous Name: Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary
First President: Sophia B. Packard
Current President: Mary Schmidt Campbell
Five Major Milestones:
- Two women received the school’s first baccalaureate degree in 1901
- Nursing program initiated in 1886
- Bill and Camille Cosby donated 20 million dollars to build the Camille O. Hanks Cosby Academic Center in 1996
- In 1999 Spelman was ranked number one by Black Enterprise as the best environment for black collegians
- Spelman receives a grant from NASA of 4.5 million dollars to enhance its Women in Science and Engineering Scholars Program
Outstanding Students: Alice Walker and Keisha Knight Pulliam
Morris Brown College
Year Founded: 1881
Previous Names: Morris Brown Colored College
First President: Annie B. Thompson
Current President: Kevin E. James
Five Major Milestones:
- Department of Theology opened in 1894
- George Alexander Sewel co-founded and became the first editor of the official school newspaper, The Wolverine Observer
- The school is crowned Black College Football’s National Champion in 1940
- In 1941 Morris Brown joins the Atlanta University Center
- The movie “Drumline” is partially filmed at Morris Brown in 2002
Outstanding Students: Hosea Williams and James Alan McPherson
Savannah State University
Year Founded: 1890
Previous Names: Georgia State Industrial College for Colored Youth, Georgia State College, Savannah State College
First President: Richard R. Wright Sr.
Current President: Kimberly Ballard-Washington
Five Major Milestones:
- The son of the founding president, Richard R. Wright Jr., was awarded the first degree in 1898
- The first female students were admitted as residents on the campus in 1921
- The college became a four-year, degree- granting institution in 1928
- In 1968 Savannah State University established the city’s first master’s degree program in elementary education
- In 1979 undergraduate and graduate studies programs were launched
Outstanding Students: Shannon Sharpe and Tahj Mowry
Compiled by JALON GRANT
Name: Dillard University
Location: New Orleans, La.
Year founded: 1869
Previous names: New Orleans University, Straight College
First president: Will W. Alexander
Current president: Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough
Enrollment: 1,301
Two outstanding alumni: Garrett Morris (Actor/Comedian), P.B.S. Pinchback (First black governor of Louisiana)
Five major accomplishments: *The best small Business Management Degree Program in Louisiana.
* Hold the number three Producer of Physics Bachelor's Degrees Awarded to African Americans.
*First college or university in Louisiana to offer an accredited baccalaureate degree in nursing.
*First HBCU to offer a bachelor's degree in theater.
*Only HBCU and Louisiana university with a full-time pre-law center.
Source – https://www.dillard.edu/
Name: Jackson State University
Location: Jackson, Ms.
Year founded: 1877
Previous names: Natchez Seminary, Mississippi Negro Training School, Jackson College, Jackson State College
First president: Dr. Charles Ayer
Current president: Thomas K. Hudson
Enrollment: 7,020
Two outstanding alumni: Walter Payton (Former NFL player), Cassandra Wilson (Jazz vocalist)
Five major accomplishments: *In 2015, JSU became the first university in Mississippi approved by the legislature to establish a School of Public Health, which is housed under the College of Health Sciences.
* Only university in Mississippi to earn two consecutive "Apple Distinguished School" accolades.
* Only HBCU in Mississippi to have a bachelor and master's level engineering program.
* Is one of only two universities in Mississippi with meteorology undergraduate level degree program.
* The first and only HBCU in Mississippi to have a bachelor and master's level engineering program.
Sources – https://www.jsums.edu/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_State_University#History
Name: Norfolk State University
Location: Norfolk, Va.
Year founded: 1935
Previous names: Norfolk Unit of Virginia Union University, Norfolk Polytechnic College, Virginia State College, Norfolk State College
Fist president: Mr. Samuel Fischer Scott
Current president: Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston
Enrollment: 5,616
Two outstanding alumni: J.B Smoove (Comedian), Algie Howell (American politician)
Five major accomplishments: *Offers three doctorate and 15 master's degrees, including master's degree programs in Electronic Engineering, Computer Science, and Criminal Justice.
* Offers the only undergraduate degree in Optical Engineering in Virginia.
*In Fall 2017 the new G.W.C. Brown Memorial Hall library was built which is,a three-story, 154,000 square foot building, which has the School of Business, College of Liberal Arts, and Mass Communication and Math Department.
* Spartan Legion Marching Band ranked number one in the HBCU Band rankings for 2021.
*On January 2, 2023, the marching band will march in the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California.
Source – https://www.nsu.edu/
Name: South Carolina State
Location: Orangeburg, SC
Year founded: 1896
Previous names: South Carolina Agricultural and Mechanical Institute, Colored Normal Industrial Agricultural and Mechanical College of South Carolina, South Carolina State College,
First president: Dr. Benjamin E. Mays
Current president: Alexander Conyers
Enrollment: 2,900
Two outstanding alumni: Doris Funnye Innis (Journalist), Deacon Jones (Former NFL player)
Five major accomplishments: *Offers the only Bachelor of Science program in nuclear engineering in the state and nationwide at an HBCU.
*The only Master of Science degree in transportation and the only Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in agribusiness in South Carolina.
*A Bachelor of Science degree in physics with an option or concentration in Medical Physics. Graduates of this program are prepared to enter the work field or attend graduate school.
*The only HBCU ranked as an over performing College in the U.S. and fifth nationally among HBCU’s by U.S. News and World Report.
* Known as the HBCU for research in the state of South Carolina by Forbes Magazine.
Sources – https://scsu.edu/ https://scsunaa.site-ym.com/page/past-presidents
Name: Southern University and A&M College
Location: Baton Rouge, La.
Year founded: 1880
Previous names: Southern University for Colored Students
First president: Dr. Joseph Samuel Clark
Current president: Dr. Ray L. Belton
Enrollment: 7,091 /12 students when opened
Two outstanding alumni: Randy Jackson (Former American Idol Judge), David Banner (Music recording artist)
Five major accomplishments: *First HBCU to house a live mascot on campus.
* Southern University Law Center is one of only two public law schools in Louisiana.
* The first Louisiana institution to offer degrees in philanthropic studies.
* Only HBCU and one of six public universities in Louisiana with an engineering program.
*Has nationally honored Army and Navy ROTC programs.
Source – https://www.subr.edu/
