Allen University is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

historically black university Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. Mo ...

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the ci ...

. 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 United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

as Allen University Historic District.

History

Allen University was founded in

Cokesbury Cokesbury is the retail division of the United Methodist Publishing House. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Cokesbury serves as an agency of the United Methodist Church but serves also as an ecumenical resource provider to other denominations. O ...

in 1870 as Payne Institute by ministers of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, including

John M. Brown John Mifflin Brown (September 8, 1817 – March 16, 1893) was a bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. He was a leader in the underground railroad. He helped open a number of churches and scho ...

. Its initial mission was to provide education to freedmen, former

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

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

Bishop Richard Allen Richard Allen (February 14, 1760March 26, 1831) was a minister, educator, writer, and one of America's most active and influential Black leaders. In 1794, he founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), the first independent Black den ...

, founder of the

African Methodist Episcopal Church The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination. It adheres to Wesleyan-Arminian theology and has a connexional polity. The African Methodist Episcopal ...

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

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Ch ...

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 an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

to offer Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. These degrees are awarded in the following divisions and departments: * Division of Humanities ** Department of English ** Department of Music *Division of Social Sciences * Division of Mathematics and Natural Sciences ** Department of Biology ** Department of Chemistry ** Department of Mathematics * Division of Business Administration * Division of Religion In 2010, ''

Washington Monthly ''Washington Monthly'' is a bimonthly, nonprofit magazine of United States politics and government that is based in Washington, D.C. The magazine is known for its annual ranking of American colleges and universities, which serves as an alter ...

'' 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, Dr. 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. History It was founded in 1918. The assoc ...

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

Campus

Buildings such as Arnett Hall, the

Chappelle Administration Building The Chappelle Administration Building, on the campus of Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina, was designed by John Anderson Lankford, known as the "dean of black architects." The building name has been spelled Chapelle Administration Bui ...

, 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

. 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 History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

. 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 by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segregat ...

'' (1954) on

school integration School integration in the United States is the process (also known as desegregation) of ending race-based segregation within American public and private schools. Racial segregation in schools existed throughout most of American history and rem ...

. Nationally known musicians and artists, including

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

Brook Benton Benjamin Franklin Peay (September 19, 1931 – April 9, 1988), better known as Brook Benton, was an American singer and songwriter who was popular with rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and pop music audiences during the late 1950s and early 1960 ...

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. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, H ...

, have performed in the auditorium. Notable speakers include:

Mary McCleod Bethune Mary Jane McLeod Bethune ( McLeod; July 10, 1875 – May 18, 1955) was an American educator, philanthropist, humanitarian, Womanism, womanist, and civil rights activist. Bethune founded the National Council of Negro Women in 1935, established th ...

, Rev.

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, ...

Reverend Jesse Jackson Jesse Louis Jackson (né Burns; born October 8, 1941) is an American political activist, Baptist minister, and politician. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as a shadow U.S. senator ...

George Elmore George V. Elmore (1880 – 1 July 1916) was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League for Glossop, Blackpool and West Bromwich Albion as a forward. He also played in the Scottish League for St Mirren and Partick Thistl ...

, John H. McCray, and Senator

Strom Thurmond James Strom Thurmond Sr. (December 5, 1902June 26, 2003) was an American politician who represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to 2003. Prior to his 48 years as a senator, he served as the 103rd governor of South Caro ...

. 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 building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

. Lankford also served as the official architect of the AME Church. *Adams Gymnatorium *Arnett Hall *Cafeteria *

) *Coppin Hall *Counseling Center *Dickerson-Green Theological Seminary House *Flippen 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.

Academic organizations/honor societies

Sigma Tau Delta Sigma Tau Delta () is an international excelled English honor society for students of English at four-year colleges and universities who are within the top 30% of their class and have a 3.5 GPA or higher. It presently has over 850 chapters in ...

, International English Honor Society ** Chi Pi Chapter *

Pi Gamma Mu Pi Gamma Mu or (from Πολιτικές Γνώσεως Μάθεται) is the oldest and preeminent honor society in the social sciences. It is also the only interdisciplinary social science honor society. It serves the various social science dis ...

International Honor Society in the Social Sciences ** South Carolina Nu Chapter *

Phi Beta Lambda The Future Business Leaders of America, or FBLA, is an American career and technical student organization headquartered in Reston, Virginia. Established in 1940, FBLA is a non-profit organization of high school ("FBLA"), Middle Level ("FBLA M ...

Sigma Phi Omega Sigma Phi Omega (), also known as Sigmas, is an Asian American interest sorority founded at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California History Purpose Sigma Phi Omega was founded at the University of Southern California in ...

National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations

Allen University has eight of the nine national black

fraternities A fraternity (from Latin '' frater'': "brother"; whence, " brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity ...

and

sororities Fraternities and sororities are social organizations at colleges and universities in North America. Generally, membership in a fraternity or sorority is obtained as an undergraduate student, but continues thereafter for life. Some accept gradua ...

of the

National Pan-Hellenic Council The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) is a collaborative umbrella council composed of historically African American fraternities and sororities also referred to as Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs). The NPHC was formed as a permanent ...

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 an 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 environmen ...

ranks, primarily competing in the

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Formed in 1913, it consists mostly of historically black c ...

(SIAC) as a provisional 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

Appalachian Athletic Conference The Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Members of the conference are located in the Southeastern United States in Tennessee, Kentu ...

(AAC) of the

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

(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 The Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference was a conference of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU's) that participated in the NAIA's Division I, with member institutions in Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina. It was fo ...

(EIAC) from 1983–84 to 2004–05. Allen competes in 11 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 and volleyball. The university also fields a co-ed competitive cheerleading team.

Move to NCAA Division II

Beginning in the 2020–21 academic year, the Yellow Jackets will compete as a provisional member of Division II of the NCAA. They will compete alongside their next-door rival, the

Benedict Tigers Benedict College is a private historically black college in Columbia, South Carolina. Founded in 1870 by northern Baptists, it was originally a teachers' college. It has since expanded to offer majors in many disciplines across the liberal art ...

, in the SIAC. The Yellow Jackets will complete the reclassification process and be considered full members of Division II in 2023.

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

Official website

Official 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 Educational institutions 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