Allen University is a private historically black university in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...

, United States. It has more than 600 students and still serves a predominantly Black constituency. The campus is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

as Allen University Historic District.

History

Allen University was founded in Cokesbury in 1870 as Payne Institute by ministers of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, including John M. Brown. Its initial mission was to provide education to freedmen, former

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

slaves and their children. In 1880, it was moved to Columbia and renamed Allen University in honor of Richard Allen, founder of the

African Methodist Episcopal Church The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a Methodist denomination based in the United States. It adheres to Wesleyan theology, Wesleyan–Arminian theology and has a connexionalism, connexional polity. It ...

. The university remains connected to the denomination, which is related to other

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

es. As one of two black colleges located in Columbia, Allen has a very strong presence in the African-American community. Allen University initially focused on training ministers and teachers, who were considered critical to the progress of African Americans. Over the years, it has enlarged its scope to produce graduates in other academic areas. In 1885, Joseph W. Morris became president of the university. By 1898, the university reported having a total of 9 faculty, 304 students, and 208 graduates.

Academics

The university is accredited by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...

to offer Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. These degree programs are organized into five divisions: * Division of Humanities * Division of Social Sciences * Division of Mathematics and Natural Sciences * Division of Business Administration * Division of Religion In 2010, ''

Washington Monthly ''Washington Monthly'' is a bimonthly, nonprofit magazine primarily covering United States politics and government that is based in Washington, D.C. The magazine also publishes an annual ranking of American colleges and universities, which ser ...

'' reported in its annual College Guide edition that the school had a six percent graduation rate. In 2018, Allen University launched its first graduate program, the Dickerson-Green Theological Seminary. Under the seminary's founding dean, Jamal-Dominique Hopkins, Dickerson-Green Theological Seminary gained member status with the

Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. History The ATS was found ...

to offer the Master of Arts in Religion and Master of Divinity degrees.

Campus

Buildings such as Arnett Hall, the Chappelle Administration Building, Coppin Hall, the Joseph Simon Flippen Library, and the Canteen Building are included in what is designated as the Allen University Historic District, listed in 1975 on the

. In addition to its National Register of Historic Places status, Allen University Historic District falls within the boundaries of Waverly Protection Area, a Preservation District within the City of Columbia Urban Design and Historic Preservation District system. This Preservation District is an expansion of Waverly Historic District. Several of the district's buildings were restored, using $2.9 million in funds obtained through the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Historic Building Restoration and Preservation Act. Chappelle Auditorium's seating capacity of 700 has made it the site of countless organizations' and community events. The auditorium was the site of the meeting of educators and lawyers to initiate efforts that led to the landmark US Supreme Court case ''

Brown v. Board of Education ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the ...

'' (1954) on school integration. Nationally known musicians and artists, including

Leontyne Price Leontyne Price ( born Mary Violet Leontine Price February 10, 1927) is an American spinto soprano who was the first African-American soprano to receive international acclaim. From 1961 she began a long association with the Metropolitan Opera. ...

Brook Benton Benjamin Franklin Peay (September 19, 1931 – April 9, 1988), known professionally as Brook Benton, was an American singer and songwriter whose music transcended rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and pop music genres in the 1950s and 1960s, with ...

and

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. An early innovator of jazz poetry, Hughes is best known as a leader of the Harl ...

, have performed in the auditorium. Notable speakers include: Mary McCleod Bethune, Rev.

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

, Reverend Jesse Jackson, George Elmore, John H. McCray, and Senator

Strom Thurmond James Strom Thurmond Sr. (December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) was an American politician who represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to 2003. Before his 49 years as a senator, he served as the 103rd governor of South ...

. The auditorium was named in honor of Bishop William D. Chappelle, an Allen University President. On April 14, 1975, Chappelle Administration Building was recognized by the U.S. Department of the Interior and placed on the

. Chappelle Administration Building was designed by John Anderson Lankford (1874-1946), who is known as the "Dean of Black Architects". It is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

. Lankford also served as the official architect of the AME Church. *Adams Gymnatorium *Arnett Hall *Cafeteria * Chappelle Administration Building (a

) *Coppin Hall *Counseling Center *Dickerson-Green Theological Seminary House *Flipper Library *Higgins Hall *Mance House *Reid Hall *Richard Allen Apartments *Williams Living and Learning Complex

Student life

Allen University is the home of more than 15 on-campus student organizations.

National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations

Allen University has eight of the nine national black

fraternities A fraternity (; whence, " brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in the Western conce ...

and

sororities In North America, fraternities and sororities ( and ) are social clubs at colleges and universities. They are sometimes collectively referred to as Greek life or Greek-letter organizations, as well as collegiate fraternities or collegiate sorori ...

of the

National Pan-Hellenic Council The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) is a coalition, collaborative umbrella council composed of historically African American fraternities and sororities, commonly called the Divine Nine, and also referred to as Black Greek Letter Organi ...

present on campus.

Athletics

The Allen athletic teams are called the Yellow Jackets. The university is a member of the

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...

ranks, primarily competing in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) as a member since the 2020–21 academic year (achieving D-II full member status in 2022–23); which they were a member on a previous stint from 1947–48 to 1968–69. The Yellow Jackets previously competed in the Southeastern Athletic Conference from 1929 to 1947, the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...

(NAIA) from 2016–17 to 2019–20; as an NAIA Independent within the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) from 2005–06 to 2015–16; and in the defunct Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (EIAC) from 1983–84 to 2004–05. Allen competes in 12 intercollegiate varsity sports. Men's sports include basketball, cross country, football, track & field and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, track & field, volleyball, and wrestling.

Marching band

Following the reinstatement of the football program in 2018, the marching band, known as the ''Band of Gold'', was reinstated under the direction of former Marching 101 director Eddie Ellis.

Notable alumni

References

External links

*
Athletics website
{{authority control University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Private universities and colleges in South Carolina Historically black universities and colleges in the United States Universities and colleges affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church Education in Columbia, South Carolina Universities and colleges established in 1870 Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools African-American history of South Carolina Buildings and structures in Columbia, South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Columbia, South Carolina Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina 1870 establishments in South Carolina