Spelman College

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Spelman College
Motto:	"Our whole school for Christ"
Established:	April 11, 1881 (1881-04-11)[1]
Type:	Private, HBCU, women's college[2]
Endowment:	$291,604,536[3]
President:	Beverly Daniel Tatum
Students:	2,290[3]
Location:	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Sports:	basketball golf cross-country soccer tennis volleyball
Nickname:	Jaguar
Athletics:	NCAA Division III
Website:	spelman.edu

Spelman College is a four-year liberal arts women's college located in Atlanta, Georgia. The college is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta.^[1] Spelman holds the distinction of being America's oldest historically black college for women.^[1]

[edit] Academics and demographics

Spelman has amassed an endowment fund of over $291 million, and is ranked currently at 75 in the 2008 U.S. News and World Report ranking of all U.S. liberal arts colleges.^[3] The 2008 U.S. News and World Report also ranked Spelman first among Historically Black Colleges and/or Universities.^[4]

[edit] History

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (January 2008)

Spelman was established on April 11, 1881 (1881-04-11) in the basement of Friendship Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, by two Massachusetts teachers from the Oread Institute: Harriet E. Giles and Sophia B. Packard.^[1] The school was originally named Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary and then in 1884, Spelman Seminary after Laura Spelman, an Oread student and wife of John D. Rockefeller who helped to fund the school.^[1]

Giles and Packard began the school with 11 African-American women and $100 given to them by a church congregation in Medford, Massachusetts.^[1] In 1882 the two women returned to Massachusetts to bid for more money and were introduced to wealthy businessman John D. Rockefeller at a church conference in Ohio.^[1]

In 1883, the school relocated to a nine acre (36,000 m²) site in Atlanta relatively close to the church they began in, which originally had only five buildings to support classroom and residence hall needs. The school was able to survive on generous donations by the black community in Atlanta, the efforts of volunteer teachers, and gifts of supplies.

In April 1884, Rockefeller visited the school and decided that he liked what he saw, so he settled the debt on the property. The name of the school was changed to the Spelman Seminary, in honor of Rockefeller's in-laws the Spelmans, longtime activists in the anti-slavery movement. Rockefeller's gift precipitated a flurry of interest from other benefactors, and their investements allowed the school to flourish.

Rockefeller also donated the funds for what is currently the oldest building on campus, Rockefeller Hall; in 1887 Packard Hall was also established. Packard was appointed as Spelman's first president in 1888, after the charter for the seminary was granted. The first college degrees were awarded in 1901.

[edit] Campus

Packard Hall, named for one of the founders, Sophia B. Packard. Packard was constructed in 1888 to contain extra residences for on-campus students. It remained a residence hall until 2003, when it was renovated as an administrative building. The building now houses the Office of Financial Aid, the Registrar, the Cashier, the Office of Student Accounts and the Office of Admissions and Enrollment Management.

Giles Hall, named for one of the founders, Harriet E. Giles. Giles Hall was renovated in 1996 and currently houses the Departments of Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, Education, Economics, and Art, as well as the Honors Program and the Learning Resources Center. It is also known amongst students for its "hellish staircase."

Morehouse-James Hall was completed in 1901, named for Henry L. Morehouse. It serves as a student residence hall.

MacVicar Hall was completed in 1901 and was originally the nursing school and clinical training office. It now houses the Women's Health Center, the Office of Counseling and Disability Serivces, and a small residence hall for the students who participate in SHAPE, a women's health program on campus.

Reynolds Cottage, built in 1901 and remodeled in 1996, is the president's residence.

Bessie Strong Hall was constructed in 1917 and was renovated in 2003. It serves as a student residence for students in the WISDOM (Women In Spiritual Discernment of Ministry) program, and also houses the Dean of the Chapel's office and prayer rooms.

Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Building, completed in 1918, was originally intended as a facility to train home economics teachers. It is named after Laura Spelman Rockefeller, John D. Rockefeller's wife, who was a primary contributor to Spelman. It now houses the Marian Wright Edelman Child Development Center, and also provides a student residence hall.

Sisters Chapel, completed and dedicated in 1927, contains an auditorium with a seating capacity of 1,050 and the Harreld James Organ, a three-manual Holtkamp organ of 53 ranks. This organ was installed in April 1968. In 1942 the Alumnae Association donated chimes for the Chapel, and in the fall of 2005 renovations were completed.

Read Hall, built in 1936, contains the gymnasium, the Department of Physical Education, a swimming pool and bowling alleys and dance studios. It was named for Spelman's fourth president.

Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Hall (nicknamed 'Abby' by students, after Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, the wife of John D. Rockefeller, Jr.) was built in 1952 and serves as a freshman residence hall.

John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Fine Arts Building was completed in 1964 and houses the Departments of Music and Drama.

Dorothy Shepard Manley Hall, was completed in 1964 and was named for the wife of one of the presidents of Spelman. It now serves as a freshman residence hall.

Howard-Harreld Hall was built in 1968 and was named to honor two alumnae.

Sally Sage McAlpin Hall serves as an upperclass residence hall and was named in honor of a former chair of the Board of Trustees.

Chadwick Hall served as a freshman resdidence hall but was ultimately demolished.

The Albert E. Manley College Center houses the Alma Upshaw Dining Room, the Lawrence J. MacGregor Board Room, administrative and student government offices, the snack shop, the commuter student lounge, and two concourses—Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman. Adjacent are the bookstore and the mail center.

The Donald and Isabel Stewart Living-Learning Center opened in the fall of 1983. In addition to housing 198 students, the building includes a large meeting room and quarters for visiting lecturers, scholars, and artists.

The Johnnetta B. Cole Living-Learning Center II opened September 1, 1989. The Center houses 200 students and provides conference facilities for on-campus and off-campus organizations, as well as houses the Offices of Housing and Residential Life and Continuing Education.

The Camille O. Hanks Cosby Academic Center, dedicated in February 1996, was made possible by a $20 million grant from Drs. Bill and Camille Cosby. This building houses the Departments of History, English, Religion & Philosophy, and Modern Foreign Language. The center also has a museum, the College Archives, an auditorium, the writing center, the Women's Research and Resource Center, reading rooms and a foreign language lab.

The Albro-Falconer-Manley Science Center is the newest building on Spelman's campus, as it was completed in 2000. This building houses the Departments of Biology, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Environmental Science as well as the Dual-Degree Engineering Program and the Office of Science, Engineering, and Technology Careers. It has a large auditorium donated by NASA. The "Science Center" also is a general term used to encompass Tapley Hall and the Academic Computing Center, both which predate the actual Science Center but are now connected to it by a series of breezeways.

Spelman also recently acquired the Millgan Building, an administrative building that previously housed the Atlanta University Center offices but now houses Spelman's Department of Career Services. It is not, however, considered "on-campus" as it is outside of Spelman's gate. Spelman also shares the Robert W. Woodruff Library with the other Atlanta University Center institutions. There are currently plans to construct a new residence hall on Spelman's campus behind the Living-Learning Center I.

Other buildings no longer on campus: Chadwick Hall, originally a student residence hall (removed in 1986) Morgan Hall, the student center and dining hall (destroyed by fire in 1970) Upton Hall, an administrative building (removed in 2004)

[edit] Student life

Spelman offers organized and informal activities including 82 student organizations including choral groups, music ensembles, dance groups, drama/theater groups, a jazz band, varsity, club, and intramural sports, and student government.^[6]

[edit] Honor societies

Registered honor societies include Alpha Epsilon Delta, Alpha Lambda Delta, Alpha Sigma Lambda, Beta Kappa Chi, Golden Key International Honour Society, Kappa Delta Epsilon, Mortar Board Senior Honor Society, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Phi Beta Kappa, Pi Sigma Alpha Psi Chi, Sigma Tau Delta, and the Upsilon Pi Epsilon.^[6]

[edit] Student publications and media

Spelman offers a literary magazine, a student newspaper (Spelman Spotlight), and a yearbook.^[6] A student film society is also registered on campus.^[6]

[edit] Religious organizations

Religious organizations currently registered on campus include Baha'i Club, Al-Nissa, Alabaster Box, Atlanta Adventist Collegiate Society, Campus Crusade for Christ, Crossfire International Campus Ministry, Happiness In Praise for His Overflowing Presence, Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship, Movements of Praise Dance Team, The Newman Organization, The Outlet, and The Pre-Theology Society Minority^[6]

[edit] International student and social organizations

Both NAACP and Sister Steps are registered campus organizations.^[6]

[edit] Athletics

The sports teams, including basketball, golf, cross-country, soccer, tennis, softball, and volleyball compete in NCAA Division III athletics. Spelman's mascot is the Jaguar.

[edit] Notable faculty

This list of notable faculty and staff contains current and former faculty, staff and presidents of the Spelman College.

This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy certain standards for completeness.

Revisions and sourced additions are welcome.

[edit] Notable alumnae

This is a list of notable alumni which includes graduates, non-graduate former students, and current students of Spelman College.

This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy certain standards for completeness.

Revisions and sourced additions are welcome.

See also Spelman College alumni.

Marian Wright Edelman (1994) (from the CDC Public Health Image Library)

U.S. Air Force photo of Marcelite J. Harris

Author Alice Walker

Audrey F. Manley, former Surgeon General of the USA

[edit] See also

• Women's Colleges in the Southern United States

[edit] Suggested readings

• Johnetta Cross-Brazzell, "Brick without Straw: Missionary-Sponsored Black Higher Education in the Post-Emancipation Era," Journal of Higher Education 63 (January/February 1992).
• Beverly Guy-Sheftall and Jo Moore Stewart, Spelman: A Centennial Celebration, 1881-1981 (Atlanta: Spelman College, 1981).
• Albert E. Manley, A Legacy Continues: The Manley Years at Spelman College, 1953-1976 (Lanham, Md.: University Press of America, 1995).
• Florence M. Read, The Story of Spelman College (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1961).
• Spelman College Aiming for New Heights - Atlanta Journal Constitution article
• The New Georgia Encyclopedia

[edit] External links

• Official Spelman College Website
• Spelman College History

[edit] References