Miles College 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 college 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 serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...

Fairfield, Alabama Fairfield is a city in western Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Birmingham metropolitan area and is located southeast of Pleasant Grove. The population was 10,000 at the 2020 census. Fairfield is home to Miles C ...

. Founded in 1898, it is associated with the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CME Church) and a member of the United Negro College Fund.

History

Miles College began organization efforts in 1893 and was founded in 1898 by the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church (now the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church). It was chartered as Miles Memorial College, in honor of Bishop William H. Miles. Bishop Miles had been born into slavery in Kentucky and was later freed (although sources disagree on the date). In 1911, the Miles College awarded its first bachelor's degrees. It was originally housed in the former Booker City High School campus in Booker City, Alabama. In 1907, the college moved from Booker City to its present campus in Fairfield, Alabama, roughly six miles west of downtown

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

. The school was able to survive the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

with the help of two term college president, William Augustus Bell. In 1941 the name was changed from Miles Memorial College to Miles College.

Modern history

In January 2020,

Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on NBA on TNT, TNT and CBS Sports. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "the Bread Truck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", ...

, who is an Alabama native, donated $1 million to Miles College, under first female President Dr. Bobbie Knight. Barkley's gift is the biggest donation from a single person that the school has ever received. Dr. Knight said the donation will kickstart efforts to raise $100 million.

Presidents

Academics

Miles is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the Commission on Colleges of 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 ...

for the awarding of baccalaureate degrees and approved by the Alabama State Department of Education. Its social work program is accredited by the Council of Social Work Education. Miles College offers 25 bachelor's degrees in the following divisions: Business and Accounting, Communications, Education, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. Miles College is one of 41 schools in the nation with a Center of Academic Excellence under the office of the Director of National Intelligence. Miles offers 28 bachelor's degree programs in six academic divisions to an enrollment of approximately 1,700 students and also offers an honors program for undergraduate students with exceptional academic records.

Campus

Miles College purchased the Lloyd Noland Hospital site, which more than doubled the size of the campus. The college completed the construction of a new student activity and dining center, a new welcome and admissions center, and a new 204 bed residence hall. Part of 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 ...

. Sloan Alumni Stadium, named after the college's 13th president, Albert J. H. Sloan II, was recently expanded to include a $1 million Environ-Turf field. After Birmingham-Southern College closed in 2024, Miles entered into an agreement to buy its former campus, but in November after Miles missed deadlines to complete the sale, Birmingham-Southern chose to pursue other purchasers. Miles stated it still desires to buy the campus.

Student activities

Organizations for students include the Student Government Association, Honors Curriculum, academic clubs, religious organizations,

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 ...

organizations, general interest clubs, a

gospel choir Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compos ...

, and a concert choir.

Radio station

The school operated a radio station, WMWI FM 88.7. It was established in 2009 and was licensed to serve

Demopolis, Alabama Demopolis is the largest city in Marengo County, Alabama, Marengo County, in west-central Alabama. The population was 7,162 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city lies at the confluence of the Black Warrior River and Tombigbee ...

. It went off the air in 2019 and its license was cancelled in December 2023.

Marching band

The Miles College band is known as the Purple Marching Machine (PMM). The Purple Marching Machine was established in 1996, under the direction of Prof. Arthur Means, Jr. There are nearly 200 members in the band now and it is under the direction of Willie Snipes Jr. PMM has performed at the

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the American-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States ...

, numerous battle of the bands, and for the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

. PMM is accompanied by the Golden Stars danceline and Steaming Flags

color guard In Military, military organizations, a colour guard (or color guard) is a detachment of soldiers assigned to the protection of Colours, standards and guidons, regimental colours and the national flag. This duty is highly prestigious, and the mil ...

Athletics

The Miles College athletics program competes in 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 ...

's Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). The program has men's and women's sports that include: basketball, football, volleyball, track, baseball, softball, cross country, and golf. Their nickname is the Golden Bears.

Notable alumni

* Richard Arrington Jr., first

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

Mayor of the City of Birmingham * U. W. Clemon, first

federal judge in the State of Alabama * Autherine Lucy, first

to attend the University of Alabama * Pollie Anne Myers Pinkins, civil rights activist * Fred Horn, politician, former member of the

Alabama House of Representatives The Alabama House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...

* Vince Hill, American football player *

Juandalynn Givan {{Infobox officeholder , name = Juandalynn Givan , image = Juandalynn Givan in 2018.jpg , caption = Givan in 2018 , state_house = Alabama , district = 60th , term_start = November 3, 2010 , predecessor = E ...

, politician, member of the

* Thales McReynolds, former

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

player * Bennett M. Stewart, former Democratic U.S. Representative from Illinois * Paul A. G. Stewart, 50th Bishop of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and Vice Chairperson of Board of Trustees Miles College * Cleopatra Tucker, politician, who has served in the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

since 2008

Notable faculty and staff

* John U. Monro, director of freshman studies at Miles College; former dean of

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

Sam Shade Samuel Richard Shade (born June 14, 1973) is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach for Alabama A&M University, a position he has held since 2025. He played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL ...

, professional football player and college football coach * Steven Whitman, public health researcher

References

External links

*
Athletics website
{{Authority control African-American history of Alabama Buildings and structures in Jefferson County, Alabama Education in Jefferson County, Alabama Universities and colleges established in 1905 Historic districts in Jefferson County, Alabama Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Alabama Historically black universities and colleges in the United States Methodism in Alabama National Register of Historic Places in Jefferson County, Alabama Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Private universities and colleges in Alabama 1905 establishments in Alabama Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage