Philander Smith University

Philander Smith College
Type	Historically black college
Established	1877: Walden Seminary ; 1882: Philander Smith College
President	Walter M. Kimbrough
Location	Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
Website	philander.edu

Philander Smith College is a private, historically black college that is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It is located in Little Rock, Arkansas. The student body averages around 850 attendees, with around 30% of that figure attending part time. Although known historically as a school for African Americans, it accepts students of all races. However, the vast majority of its students are black.

History

Philander Smith College was officially founded in 1877 under the name of Walden Seminary as a means of providing education opportunities for freed slaves west of the Mississippi River. The school was renamed Philander Smith College in 1882 to recognize the financial contributions of Adeline Smith, the widow of Philander Smith. The college was chartered as a four-year college in 1883 and conferred its first bachelor’s degree in 1888. In 1933, it merged the assets of the George R. Smith College in Sedalia, Missouri, which burned down in 1925, per [1]. In 1943, Philander Smith was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Philander Smith College was a pioneer during the civil rights movement as many of its students engaged in nonviolent resistance against segregation laws (such as sitting in at "whites-only" lunch counters).^{[citation needed]}

Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough is the 12th and current president of Philander Smith College. Dubbed as the first college president from the hip-hop generation, at 38 he is the youngest HBCU president and one of the youngest college presidents in the nation.^{[citation needed]}

Rankings and Education Conservancy

Kimbrough recently joined the Education Conservancy in its criticism of U.S. News and World Report college rankings by signing a letter circulating among college presidents that asks them not to participate in the peer assessment portion of the survey.^[1]^[2] George W. Russel Gray is the current Director of Admissions there.

Notable alumni

Name	Class year	Notability
James Hal Cone		major figure in systematic theology and liberation theology
Joycelyn Elders		former Surgeon General of the United States
"Geese" Ausbie		former Harlem Globetrotters player and coach
Lottie Shackelford		former mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas
Elijah Pitts		former Green Bay Packers player
Al Bell		founder of Stax Records and former president of Motown Records
Robert L. Williams	1953	prominent figure in the history of African-American psychology

Notable faculty

Name	Department	Notability	Reference
Lee Lorch		mathematician and civil rights activist

Notes

^ Kamara, Margaret (28 June 2007). "Are U.S. News Rankings Inherently Biased Against Black Colleges?". Diverse Issues in Higher Education. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ "Growing Challenge to 'U.S. News'". Inside Higher Ed. 18 May 2007.

External links

[1] Kamara, Margaret (28 June 2007). "Are U.S. News Rankings Inherently Biased Against Black Colleges?". Diverse Issues in Higher Education. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[2] "Growing Challenge to 'U.S. News'". Inside Higher Ed. 18 May 2007.

[1]

[2]

v t e Colleges and universities in Arkansas
Public institutions	Arkansas State Main Henderson State Arkansas Tech Central Arkansas Southern Arkansas University of Arkansas Main Medical Sciences School of Law Clinton School of Public Service Fort Smith Grantham Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law Monticello Pine Bluff
Private institutions	Arkansas Baptist Central Baptist Crowley's Ridge Ecclesia Harding Hendrix John Brown Lyon Ouachita Baptist Ozarks Philander Smith Shorter Williams Baptist
Community colleges	Arkansas Northeastern Arkansas State University System Beebe Mid-South Mountain Home Newport Three Rivers Black River Tech East Arkansas National Park North Arkansas Northwest Arkansas Ozarka Shorter South Arkansas Southeast Arkansas Southern Arkansas Tech University of Arkansas System CC Batesville CC Morrilton Cossatot Hope-Texarkana Phillips Pulaski Tech Rich Mountain

v t e Historically black colleges and universities (List)
Public institutions	Alabama A&M Alabama State Albany State Alcorn State Arkansas–Pine Bluff Bishop State CC Bluefield State Bowie State Central State Cheyney Coahoma CC Coppin State Delaware State Elizabeth City State Fayetteville State Florida A&M Fort Valley State Gadsden State CC Grambling State Harris–Stowe Hinds CC Jackson State Kentucky State Langston Lincoln, Missouri Lincoln, Pennsylvania Maryland, Eastern Shore Mississippi Valley State Morgan State Norfolk State North Carolina A&T North Carolina Central Prairie View A&M Savannah State Shelton State CC South Carolina State Southern Southern–New Orleans Southern–Shreveport Tennessee State Texas Southern UDC/UDC-CC UVI Virginia State West Virginia State Winston-Salem State
Private institutions	Allen Arkansas Baptist Barber–Scotia Benedict Bennett Bethune–Cookman Claflin Clark Atlanta Dillard Edward Waters Fisk Florida Memorial University Hampton Howard Huston–Tillotson Interdenominational Theological Center Jarvis Christian Johnson C. Smith Knoxville Lane LeMoyne–Owen Livingstone Meharry Miles Morehouse Morehouse School of Medicine Morris Brown Morris Oakwood Paine Paul Quinn Pensole Lewis Philander Smith Rust Selma Shaw Simmons College (Ky.) Southwestern Christian Spelman Stillman St. Augustine's Talladega Texas College Tougaloo Tuskegee Virginia Union Virginia University Voorhees Wilberforce Wiley Xavier (Louisiana)
Defunct institutions	Bishop Booker T. Washington Carver Central Mississippi College Collier-Blocker Concordia Alabama Daniel Payne Frelinghuysen Georgia Baptist Gibbs Guadalupe Hampton Haygood Seminary Immanuel Lutheran Jackson Johnson Kittrell Lincoln Junior College Luther Miner Teachers College Mississippi Industrial College Morristown Mount Hermon Female Seminary New Orleans University Roosevelt Rosenwald Saint Paul's SCSU Law School Storer Straight Suwannee River Terrell Law School Volusia County Western
Law Schools	David A. Clarke School of Law (UDC) Florida A&M University College of Law Howard University School of Law North Carolina Central University School of Law Southern University Law Center Thurgood Marshall School of Law (Texas Southern)
Consortia	Atlanta University Center Florida's Black Junior Colleges Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Southwestern Athletic Conference Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference HBCU Athletic Conference