Benedict College

	Benedict College Historic District
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	U.S. Historic district
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Location	Roughly bounded by Laurel, Oak, Taylor and Harden Sts. on Benedict College campus, Columbia, South Carolina
Area	3.9 acres (1.6 ha)
Architect	Urquhart, James B.
Architectural style	Classical Revival
NRHP reference No.	87000809
Added to NRHP	April 20, 1987

Benedict College
Former names	Benedict Institute
Motto	A Power for Good in Society
Type	Private, HBCU
Established	1870
Religious affiliation	American Baptist Churches USA
Endowment	$23 million (as of 2007)
President	Roslyn Clark Artis
Students	2,140 (fall 2020)
Location	Columbia, South Carolina, United States
Campus	110-acre (45 ha)
Colors	Purple and gold;
Athletics	NCAA Division II - SIAC
Nickname	Tigers
Sports	14 varsity sports
Website	www.benedict.edu

Benedict College is a private historically Black, liberal arts 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 arts. The campus includes buildings in the Benedict College Historic District, a historic area listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History[]

Benedict College was founded in 1870 on land of a former 110-acre (45 ha) plantation in Columbia, South Carolina. Representing the American Baptist Home Mission Society, Bathsheba A. Benedict of Pawtucket, Rhode Island had provided the $13,000.00 to purchase the property. This was one of numerous educational institutions founded in the South for newly freed slaves by northern religious mission societies, as education was seen as key to the future for African Americans.

Benedict Institute opened on December 12, 1870.^[3]

Benedict's first class consisted of ten freedmen; the teacher was the Reverend . He was a college-educated preacher from the North, who was also appointed as president of the Institute. Classes were first held in the "Big House" of the plantation, which had been built in 1839 and deteriorated during the war. The Institute's mission was prepare men and women to be "powers for good in society". Because slaves had been prohibited from learning to read or write, initially classes were held at the grammar school level in such basic subjects as reading, writing, and math; other subjects included Bible and theology. Eventually, other subjects were added to the curriculum to address the original objective of the school: to train teachers and preachers.

On November 2, 1894, the institution was chartered as a four-year liberal arts college by the South Carolina legislature and its name was changed to Benedict College.

From 1870 to 1930, Benedict College was led by a succession of seven northern white Baptist ministers, all college-educated. On April 10, 1930, the Reverend , who earned his bachelor's degree from the college in 1891, became the first African-American president of the college. Five African-American presidents have succeeded him.

Late 20th century to present[]

In 1994, with a strategic planning process in place, Benedict College set an enrollment goal of "2000 by the year 2000". The goal was achieved in 1996 with an enrollment of 2,138 students. The fall 2002 enrollment was 3,000. Benedict College is engaged in an ongoing strategic planning process, which will guide the college in the 21st century.

The college is implementing a $50 million campus improvement plan, which includes land acquisition and the completion of a comprehensive athletics complex. Campus facilities improvements over the past nine years^[when?] have included upgrade of residence halls by installation of air-conditioning, fire sprinkler systems, and security systems; completion of an activities field and community park; renovation of historic Antisdel Chapel, and Bacoats and Alumni halls, and restoration of historic Morgan, Pratt, and Starks halls, including the Student Leadership Development Center.

During this period, new construction has included three residence halls, a parking garage, a campus center/dining hall, an Administration Building, and a Business Development Center. Additionally, buildings were acquired to house a fitness center, and the Division of Community Development/Center for Excellence. Three apartment complexes have been purchased for student housing. As a part of the college's community development goal, it has renovated more than 50 rundown properties in the adjacent community in Columbia.

Benedict College Historic District[]

The Benedict College Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.^[2] It encompasses five buildings constructed between 1895 and 1937: Morgan Hall (1895), Pratt Hall (1902), Duckett Hall (1925), Antisdel Chapel (1932), and Starks Center (1937).^[4]^[5]

Academics[]

Benedict offers 29 degrees from 12 departments.^[6]^[7]

In addition to offering traditional education, the college also offers continuing education for those "non-traditional students".

Accreditation[]

Benedict College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate degrees.

The Teacher Education Program is fully approved by the South Carolina Department of Education and the Program in Social Work is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. The Environmental Health Science Program is fully accredited by the National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council (EHAC).

Athletics[]

Official athletics logo.

Benedict College, known athletically as the Tigers, competes as a member of the NCAA Division II's Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). The college sponsors 14 varsity sports; men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, tennis, track and field, and volleyball while women's sports include basketball, cheerleading, cross country, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. The college has built the Charlie W. Johnson Stadium for its football games on-campus, which opened in 2006. Basketball games are played at HRC Arena The Benedict's Tigers Tennis Team won the SIAC Conference in 2015.

Marching Tigers "Band of Distinction"[]

Benedict's Marching Tigers "Band of Distinction" was founded in the 1960s under the direction of Roy McCollough. The band performs at most football games, home basketball games, and several special events throughout the year. The band is currently under the direction of Henry Wade Johnson.^[8]^[9]

Notable alumni[]

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Chino Smith		Negro league baseball player who held a career batting average of .428 in six seasons.
Modjeska Monteith Simkins	1921	leader of African American public health reform, social reform and the civil rights movement in South Carolina	^[10]
Harold A. Stevens	1930	lawyer and former judge who served on the New York Court of General Sessions and New York Court of Appeals	^[11]
Jack B. Johnson	1970	former County Executive for Prince George's County, Maryland
LeRoy T. Walker		former U.S. Olympic Committee Chairman
Waliyy Dixon		Professional streetball player
Kris Bruton		Basketball player who currently plays with the Harlem Globetrotters
Bennie Lewis	2009	Professional basketball player
James Maxie Ponder		First African American physician in St. Petersburg, Florida	^[12]
Charles L. Purce	1879	President of Selma University and Simmons College of Kentucky
Mary Rice Phelps	1885	Teacher and writer	^[13]

References[]

^ Mindy Lucas. "Benedict's Heavy Hitter". Free Times (Columbia, SC). Archived from the original on July 31, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
^ Betsey, Charles L. (2008). "Grading for effort: the success equals effort policy at Benedict College". Historically Black Colleges and Universities. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers. pp. 149‒164. ISBN 9781412812191. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
^ J. Tracy Power (February 1987). "Benedict College Historic District" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
^ "Benedict College Historic District, Richland County (Columbia)". National Register Properties in South Carolina. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Retrieved January 7, 2014. and accompanying map Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
^ "Degree Programs and Majors". Archived from the original on June 29, 2005.
^ "Academics". Benedict College. Archived from the original on September 1, 2005.
^ "Band Membership Requirements - Benedict College". www.benedict.edu. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
^ "2018 Honda Battle of the Bands - Benedict College The Marching Tiger Band of Distinction". www.hondabattleofthebands.com.
^ "Modjeska Simkins - Notable Black South Carolinans". scafricanamerican.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
^ Navarro, Mireya (November 11, 1990). "Judge Harold Stevens First Black on Court of Appeals". The New York Times. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
^ Arsenault, Kathy (September 17, 2001). "The Ernest Ayer Ponder Collection" (PDF). University of South Florida St. Petersburg: Digital Archive. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 6, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
^ Haley, James T. (May 1, 2012). Afro-American Encyclopaedia; Or, the Thoughts, Doings, and Sayings of the Race... CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 113. ISBN 978-1477421130. Retrieved September 18, 2019 – via HathiTrust Digital Library.

External links[]

Coordinates: 34°00′47″N 81°01′13″W / 34.012947°N 81.020345°W / 34.012947; -81.020345

[1] Mindy Lucas. "Benedict's Heavy Hitter". Free Times (Columbia, SC). Archived from the original on July 31, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2012.

[nris-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.

[Betsey2008-3] Betsey, Charles L. (2008). "Grading for effort: the success equals effort policy at Benedict College". Historically Black Colleges and Universities. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers. pp. 149‒164. ISBN 9781412812191. Retrieved May 27, 2013.

[nrhpinv-4] J. Tracy Power (February 1987). "Benedict College Historic District" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. Retrieved January 7, 2014.

[scdah-5] "Benedict College Historic District, Richland County (Columbia)". National Register Properties in South Carolina. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Retrieved January 7, 2014. and accompanying map Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine

[6] "Degree Programs and Majors". Archived from the original on June 29, 2005.

[7] "Academics". Benedict College. Archived from the original on September 1, 2005.

[8] "Band Membership Requirements - Benedict College". www.benedict.edu. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2019.

[9] "2018 Honda Battle of the Bands - Benedict College The Marching Tiger Band of Distinction". www.hondabattleofthebands.com.

[10] "Modjeska Simkins - Notable Black South Carolinans". scafricanamerican.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2011.

[11] Navarro, Mireya (November 11, 1990). "Judge Harold Stevens First Black on Court of Appeals". The New York Times. Retrieved January 25, 2011.

[12] Arsenault, Kathy (September 17, 2001). "The Ernest Ayer Ponder Collection" (PDF). University of South Florida St. Petersburg: Digital Archive. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 6, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.

[13] Haley, James T. (May 1, 2012). Afro-American Encyclopaedia; Or, the Thoughts, Doings, and Sayings of the Race... CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 113. ISBN 978-1477421130. Retrieved September 18, 2019 – via HathiTrust Digital Library.

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