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Alcorn State University (Alcorn State, ASU or Alcorn) is a
public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...
historically black land-grant university adjacent to
Lorman, Mississippi Lorman is an unincorporated community located in Jefferson County, Mississippi, United States. Lorman is approximately north of Fayette, near Highway 61 on Mississippi Highway 552. Lorman is the nearest community to Alcorn State University, ...
. It was founded in 1871 and was the first
black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
land grant college established in the United States. One of Alcorn's most notable graduates,
Medgar Evers Medgar Wiley Evers (; July 2, 1925June 12, 1963) was an American civil rights activist and the NAACP's first field secretary in Mississippi, who was murdered by Byron De La Beckwith. Evers, a decorated U.S. Army combat veteran who had served i ...
, a civil rights activist, graduated in 1952. Students and alumni of the college were part of the mid-twentieth century
Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...
, working to register voters and end inequality in the U.S. The university is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Alcorn State's athletic teams known as the Braves and compete in the NCAA's Division I. All teams compete as members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).


History

Alcorn State University was the first black
land grant college A land-grant university (also called land-grant college or land-grant institution) is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890. Signed by Abraha ...
in the country. Mississippi's Reconstructionist legislature, dominated by Republicans sympathetic to the cause of educating the formerly enslaved, was established on the site of Oakland College, a college that had gone defunct due to the Civil War. Alcorn University started with what is recognized as three historic buildings. United States Senator Hiram R. Revels resigned his seat when he accepted the position as Alcorn's first president. The state legislature provided $50,000 in cash for ten successive years for the establishment and overall operations of the college. The state also granted Alcorn three-fifths of the proceeds earned from the sale of of land scrip for agricultural or land grant colleges under federal legislation. The land was sold for $188,928 with Alcorn receiving a share of $113,400. This money was to be used solely to support the agricultural and mechanical components of the college, which Congress wanted to develop nationally. From its beginning, Alcorn State University was a land-grant college. After a group of white Democrats known as Redeemers took over the legislature, Alcorn's appropriation was slashed by almost 90 percent, to $5,500 per year, and an all-white board of trustees was appointed. In 1878, the name Alcorn University was changed to Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College. The university's original of land have been expanded to develop a campus. The goals for the college set by the Mississippi legislature following the Reconstruction era emphasized training for blacks rather than academic education. The school, like other black schools during these years, was less a college than a vocational school intended to prepare students for the agricultural economy of the state and of most of their hometowns. At first the school was exclusively for black males, but women were admitted in 1895. Today, women outnumber men at the university 1800 to 1200. Alcorn began with eight faculty members in 1871. Today the faculty and staff number more than 500. The student body has grown from 179 mostly local male students to more than 4,000 students from all over the world. In 1974, Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College was renamed Alcorn State University, representing the development of its programs. Governor William L. Waller signed House Bill 298 granting university status to Alcorn and the other state-supported colleges. Alcorn had already become a more diversified university, with graduate programs. It provides an undergraduate education that enables students to continue their work in graduate and professional schools, engage in teaching, and enter other professions. It also provides graduate education to equip students for further training in specialized fields. In 1994 Jay Searcy of the ''
Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Penns ...
'' said that except for its football team, Evers, and "an occasional Olympic athlete," "Alcorn rarely gets mentioned outside the state of Mississippi" although attention on the university increased after
Steve McNair Stephen LaTreal McNair (February 14, 1973 – July 4, 2009),Steve McNair Found Dead
...
made athletic successes.Searcy, Jay.
A Phenom Puts The Middle Of Nowhere On The Map Alcorn State's Steve Mcnair Is An Out-of-this-world Qb In An Out-of-the-way Place. He's Getting It A Lot Of Attention.
''
Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Penns ...
''. November 1, 1994. Retrieved on May 3, 2012.
In 2020,
MacKenzie Scott MacKenzie Scott (''née'' Tuttle, formerly Bezos; April 7, 1970) is an American novelist and philanthropist. As of September 2022, she has a net worth of US$33.4 billion, owing to a 4% stake in Amazon, the company founded by her ex-husband Je ...
donated $25 million to Alcorn State. Her donation is the largest single gift in Alcorn State's history. Alcorn State is accredited, with seven schools and degree programs in more than 50 areas, including a nursing and a Master of Business Administration program. The facilities number approximately 80 modern structures with an approximate value of $71 million.


Presidents


Academics

Alcorn State is the second largest historically black college or university (HBCU) and the fifth largest university in Mississippi with an enrollment of approximately 3,700 undergraduate students and 600 graduate students. The university has seven schools, offering more than 50 different fields of study. *School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences *School of Arts and Sciences *School of Business *School of Education and Psychology *School of Nursing Alcorn State University consistently ranks among the top 25 HBCUs in the nation according to the annual U.S. News & World Report HBCU rankings. Alcorn State University is the only HBCU in Mississippi with a comprehensive
nursing Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...
program. The Myrlie Evers-Williams Honors Program is available to highly motivated undergraduate students seeking to enhance their academic experience and leadership skills.


Master of Business Administration (MBA) program

Alcorn State University offers a Master of Business Administration (MBA) program through its Natchez campus. Classes are conducted in the evening. Students may join the live lecture classes via a live internet feed. The program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs ( ACBSP), a global accrediting body for business degree programs. The MBA program has been popular with international and out-of-state students.


Global programs

Besides coordinating study-abroad opportunities, Global Programs brings worldwide perspectives to campus through exchange programs and special events.


Pre-professional programs

Alcorn offers pre-professional programs to better prepare students for a transition to specialized studies in the fields of law, engineering, nursing, physical therapy, medicine, pharmacy and dentistry.


Accreditation

Alcorn State University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, and Specialist in Education degrees. Alcorn's teacher education program is accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. The Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics is accredited by the American Dietetics Association. The Associate of Science in Nursing degree, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, and the Master of Science in Nursing degree programs are accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. Alcorn State University is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music, the National Association of Industrial Technology, and the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.


Locations

The main campus is located in Alcorn State University
census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...
, an
unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in Claiborne County, Mississippi. It is south of Vicksburg, north of Natchez, and southwest of
Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...
. It is near Lorman. The Nursing School and the Business School's Master of Business Administration (MBA) program are located in Natchez, Mississippi. The university also has a class center in Vicksburg.


Campus housing

Male residence halls include Medgar Wiley Evers Heritage Village Complex A and B, Hiram Revels Hall and Albert Lott Hall.Male residence halls
." Alcorn State University. Retrieved on May 3, 2012.
Female residence halls include Medgar Wiley Evers Heritage Village Complex buildings C and D, John Burrus Hall, Beulah Robinson Hall, and the Female Honors Residence Hall. D Faculty housing, which is open to full time employees, and their dependents, is zoned to the
Claiborne County School District The Claiborne County School District is a public school district based in Port Gibson, Mississippi ( USA). The district's boundaries parallel that of Claiborne County. Text list/ref> They include the employee residences of Alcorn State Universit ...
.
Port Gibson High School Port Gibson High School is a public high school in unincorporated Claiborne County, Mississippi, with a Port Gibson. It opened in 1924. It is part of the Claiborne County School District. The student body is 99 percent African American. The old P ...
is the comprehensive high school of the district.


Athletics

Alcorn State is a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and participates in
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
Division I FCS The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic ...
. Alcorn sponsors 15 athletic programs.


Sounds of Dyn-O-mite

Alcorn State University's marching band was founded in the 1960s; the band is known as the "Sounds of Dyn-O-mite" (SOD). Led by four or five
drum majors A drum major or field commander is the leader of a marching band, drum and bugle corps, or pipe band, usually positioned at the head of the band or corps. The drum major is often dressed in more ornate clothing than the rest of the band or cor ...
, SOD has more than 190+ members. The "Golden Girls" (GGs) is the danceline that has been featured with SOD since its inception. Founded in 1968, the GGs is the oldest danceline (no twirling batons) featured with a HBCU marching band which is why they often refer to themselves as "The Mother of HBCU dancelines."


Demographics

Alcorn State University CDP is a
census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...
(CDP) and the official name for an area covering the Alcorn State University campus, in Claiborne County,
Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
, United States. The population at the 2020 census was 1,120. while the Fall 2019 enrollment at Alcorn State University was 3,523.


2020 census

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''


Notable alumni


Sports


References


External links

* {{authority control Public universities and colleges in Mississippi Historically black universities and colleges in the United States Land-grant universities and colleges Educational institutions established in 1871 Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Education in Claiborne County, Mississippi Education in Adams County, Mississippi Education in Warren County, Mississippi Buildings and structures in Claiborne County, Mississippi 1871 establishments in Mississippi