Explore HBCU – Allen University

Allen University is a public, liberal arts, Christian, historically Black university located in Columbia, South Carolina.

Background

In 1870, Allen University was founded by the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Under the leadership of Bishop John M. Brown, a 150-acre stretch of land was purchased in historic Cokesbury, South Carolina. At the Annual Conference, the deed for the land and buildings were presented and the institute was named in honor of Daniel Alexander Payne, an apostle of Black education in the United States. For the first 10 years since the school’s inception the school prospered in its original mission to develop an educated Black clergy in the face of discrimination and violent opposition. 

In 1880, delegates at the Annual Conference agreed on the need for a more centralized location for the Payne Institute and voted to move it to Columbia, SC. The institute was renamed Allen University to honor Bishop Richard Allen, the founder of the AME Church, and Theological and Law Departments were subsequently formed. While the school curriculum originally made it possible for students to enter Allen in the first grade and leave as fully trained ministers, lawyers, and educators, by 1933 the high school was closed and the University would only accept students who had acquired a secondary high school education. In 1930, the Department of Science was formed, which was then followed by the Department of Languages, then Humanities, Philosophy, Psychology, and Religion in the 1940s.

By the 1980s, Allen worked to pursue regional accreditation and construction improvements. This included the building of the John Hurst Adams Gym and the Williams Residence Halls as well as the restoration of Arnett Hall and Chappelle Auditorium and Gallery. In addition Allen received its first accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) in the 90s along with several restoration projects that followed into the early 2000s, making Allen University the school it is today.

Programs & Opportunities

Through targeted, individually expansive areas of study, Allen University is an academic community which provides students with an opportunity to obtain baccalaureate and graduate degrees in liberal arts and professional programs through traditional and distance learning educational formats.

Allen University is host to a Division of Mathematics and Natural Sciences which offer Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and/or Mathematics (concentrations vary); a Division of Business, Education, and Social Sciences which offer Bachelor of Science degrees in Business Administration, Sports Management, Social Science, Criminal Justice, and Elementary Education (concentrations vary); a Division of Arts and Humanities which offer Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and Music (concentrations vary); and the Dickerson-Green Theological Seminary which is a graduate theological institution that works to equip students to become leaders in Christian congregational life and other settings. 

Learn more about Allen University’s education offerings here.

Alumni Affairs

At Allen University, students are exposed to curricula that follow a Total Life Curriculum model, which works towards the  preparation of the whole person for life service.

Some notable alumni include, but are not limited to:

• Reverend Clementa Carlos Pinckney, a pastor and politician who served as a Democratic member of the South Carolina Senate, graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Allen University. 
• Lewis Carnegie Dowdy, educator, and chancellor and the sixth president of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, was a cum laude graduate of Allen University.
• Reverend Joseph Armstrong DeLaine, a Methodist minister and civil rights leader  in the struggle to break down the barricade of segregation, earned his Bachelor’s degree from Allen University. 

Financial Information

Allen University strives to offer a quality education at an affordable price without excessive fees, with a tuition of $6,270 per semester and $13,340 per academic year. For students taking more than 18 credit hours, a charge of $500 for each additional credit hour is appended. For students taking part in on-campus housing, room and board is $3,947 per semester or $7,894 per academic year.

The Office of Financial Aid (OFA) provides assistance to students and families in the forms of federal, state, and private resources to help meet the costs of education as much as possible.

Conclusion

Today, Allen University is engaged in the tradition of Bishop Richard Allen, continuing to teach the mind to think, the heart to love, and the hands to work.

Learn more about Allen University here.

Sources

• https://www.findmyhbcu.org/school/allen-university/
• https://allenuniversity.edu/our-history
• https://allenuniversity.edu/majors-and-concentrations
• https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/thestate/name/clementa-pinckney-obituary?id=7978079
• http://crdl.usg.edu/people/d/dowdy_lewis_c_lewis_carnegie/?Welcome
• https://scafricanamerican.com/honorees/rev-joseph-a-delaine/
• https://allenuniversity.edu/cost-of-attendance
• https://allenuniversity.edu/fa-overview

Pictures

• Allen University Logo: https://allenuniversity.edu/
• Allen University Building: https://allenuniversity.edu/
• Allen University Graduate: https://allenuniversity.edu/
• Allen University Sign: https://carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu/author/hannah-wade/

Explore HBCU – Xavier University of Louisiana

Xavier University of Louisiana is a private, Catholic, historically Black university located in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Background

Xavier University’s founding dates back to 1915, when Sister Katherine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, a Catholic order established in 1890 to serve African Americans and other racial minorities opened a school on the site originally occupied by Southern University. The institution was first a high school, then a two-year normal school after expansion in 1917, then Xavier became a four-year college in 1925 when it opened the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Two years later a College of Pharmacy was opened.

Today, Xaver is well-known for its pharmacy and premedical programs, with the College of Pharmacy being one of only two pharmacy schools in Louisiana and the producer of 15% of all Black pharmacists in the US. More than 80% of the university’s pre-med students are also reportedly accepted at various medical and dental schools throughout the nation. Additionally, while the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament still remain a presence on campus, Xavier is now governed by a Board of Trustees composed of both lay persons and religious members and clergy alike.

A core discipline of the Xavier mission and curriculum lies in the university’s mission to develop students to be life-long learners and global leaders capable of active contribution for a more just and humane society. Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and located near the heart of New Orleans in a quiet neighborhood.

Programs & Opportunities

Through the College of Arts and Sciences and College of Pharmacy, Xavier University offers the following degree type opportunities: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Theology, and Doctor of Pharmacy.

Specific degree programs entail over 60 focuses paired with Xavier University’s seamlessly integrated core curriculum that highlights the school culture and tradition for premier liberal arts education.

Through high impact learning experiences, community and school-focused engagement activities, and student-centered campus life programming, XULA students are exposed to individual and larger student-body holistic development. 

Learn more about what Xavier University of Louisiana has to offer here.

Alumni Affairs

Xavier University of Louisiana is committed to the contribution to global leadership and service in society by its graduates.

Some notable Xavier University of Louisiana alumni include, but are not limited to:  

• Rear Admiral Stephen W. Rochon is a Writer, Speaker, Consultant, the former director of the Executive Residence, and the first White House Chief Usher who graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.
• Bryant Terry is a James Beard Award-winning chef, educator, and author renowned for his food justice and sustainability activism who graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana with a Bachelor of Arts in English, French, and Political Science.
• Regina Benjamin is a physician and a former vice admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps appointed by Barack Obama in 2009 who graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry.

Financial Information

At Xavier University of Louisiana, tuition totals remain largely dependent on the course of study pursued by students. In the College of Arts & Sciences, tuition is an estimated $11,998 per semester, in the College of Pharmacy tuition is an estimated $18,469 per semester, in the Graduate Education Program tuition is an estimated $7,096 per semester, in the Graduate Public Health Program tuition is an estimated $8,607 per semester, in the Physician Assistant Program tuition is an estimated $12,608 per semester, in the Pre-Pharmacy program tuition is an estimated $11,998 per semester, in the Speech Pathology school tuition is an estimated $10,664 per semester, and in the Graduate Health Informatics program tuition is an estimated $8,460 per semester. 

For on-campus living services, room & board for freshmen & continuation students is a listed $6,529 per semester. 

At XULU, the financial aid office works to eliminate financial barriers to a Xavier education—walking students through different forms and types of financial aid available, how to apply for them, how to keep aid, and ways to manage finances throughout a student’s time in college.

Conclusion

Xavier maintains a reputation as one of the most effective teaching institutions anywhere, offering preparation in varied fields in the undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree levels. 

Learn more about Xavier University of Louisiana here.

Sources

• https://www.findmyhbcu.org/school/xavier-university-of-louisiana/
• https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/xavier-university-1915/#:~:text=Xavier%20was%20founded%20in%201915,year%20normal%20school%20in%201917.
• https://www.xula.edu/about/the-full-story.html
• http://catalog.xula.edu/content.php?catoid=1&navoid=41
• https://www.xula.edu/mainstudent/campus-life.html
• https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/rochon-stephen-1950/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-w-rochon-2481051b/
• https://www.bryant-terry.com/long-bio
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryant-terry-54b9033/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/reginabenjamin/
• https://www.xula.edu/financialaid/general-tuition-cost-fees.html
• https://www.xula.edu/financialaid/

Pictures

• XULA Logo: https://www.xula.edu/news/2019/03/new-minor-development-cited-as-exemplary-neh-funded-project.html
• XULA Sign: https://uptownmessenger.com/2022/04/xavier-university-is-planning-to-open-a-medical-school-to-increase-diversity-in-the-health-professions/
• Xavier Sign: https://www.bizneworleans.com/xavier-university-of-louisiana/
• XULA Students: https://hbcuconnect.com/colleges/105/xavier-university-of-louisiana

Explore HBCU – Southern University at Shreveport

Southern University at Shreveport is a junior college in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Background

Established as a unit of the historically black Southern University system, Southern University at Shreveport, Louisiana (SULSA) was created by Act 42 of the ordinary session of the Louisiana Legislature in 1964. The school was subsequently designated a 2-year commuter college to serve the Shreveport-Bossier City area and the Northwest Louisiana school had an initial student body of approximately 750 students. 

The school opened for instruction in September of 1967 and seven years later, the Louisiana Coordinating Council for Higher Education granted the institution six associate degree program approvals. The school also began to explore the nature of the comprehensive community college with a push toward instruction in paraprofessional and occupational educational opportunities. A consent decree was ordered in 1981 by the Federal Justice Department that led to major changes to SULSA: new administrative procedures, creation and utilization of long-range plans and programs, extension initiatives, and even the interchange of students and faculty with Bossier Parish Community College. 

Today, Southern University at Shreveport features a low student to faculty ratio of 15 to 1, and remains committed to the education development of its students for individual and global empowerment. 

Programs & Opportunities

Southern University at Shreveport has been voted the 3rd best two-year university in a Washington Monthly Magazine, recognized as the 6th fastest growing 2-year institution in the country, and ranked 44th among 2-year institutions graduating African American students.

Through programs offered online and at three academic centers throughout the Shreveport community, SULSA offers comprehensive programming across the following areas: six Associate of Applied Science degrees, one Associate of Arts, seven Associate of Science, and one Associate of General Studies. The school offers several concentrations offered in Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, and Associate of General Studies. SULSA also offers nine Certificates of Technical Studies, three Certificates of Applied Science, one Technical Diploma, and continuing education non-credit programs for Practical Nursing and Nursing Assistantship.

Learn more about what Southern University at Shreveport has to offer here.

Alumni Affairs

Southern University at Shreveport is an institution committed to supporting an ever-growing population of students and members of Louisiana and the greater community.

Some notable alumni from Southern University at Shreveport include, but are not limited to:

• Renee Coulberson, Supervisor at JPMorgan Chase, attended Southern University at Shreveport to study Business Administration and Management.
• Andrew Butler Sr., experienced Associate, Manager, Supervisor, Warehouse Leader and Healthcare Worker at Fresenius Medical Care North America studied Southern University at Shreveport to study Business Administration and Management, with a General Focus.
• Chantel Walters, experienced Security Professional with a demonstrated history of working in the security and investigations industry, earned an Associate of Arts and Sciences from Southern University at Shreveport in Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Administration.

Financial Information

For Southern University at Shreveport students, tuition and fees vary according to student classification and credit hour load. On average, a full-time load of 12 credit hours per semester totals to $2,468 for Louisiana resident students, $4,118 for non-Louisiana residents, and $4,443 students.

At SULSA, the Financial Aid Office strives to provide students with assistance throughout financial aid processes that help students meet their college expenses. Financial aid options come in a variety of forms, namely scholarships, grants, loans, and student employment.

Conclusion

At Southern University at Shreveport, Louisiana, students become better prepared and well-equipped for degree attainment, transfer, entry into the workforce, the beginning of continuous learning, and self-improvement proceedings.

Learn more about Southern University at Shreveport here. 

Sources

• https://www.findmyhbcu.org/school/southern-university-at-shreveport/
• https://www.susla.edu/page/historical-overview
• https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/southern-university-1880/#:~:text=Originally%20founded%20in%201880%20in,as%20a%20land%20grant%20college.
• https://www.susla.edu/page/academic-programs
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/renee-coulberson-a4079378/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-butler-sr-63b604176/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/chantel-walters-71080a147/
• https://www.susla.edu/assets/susla/BusinessOffice/Spring-2022-Estimated-Fee-.pdf
• https://www.susla.edu/page/financial-aid

Pictures

• SUSLA Logo: https://www.susla.edu/
• SUSLA Sign: https://www.flickr.com/photos/2cheap2keep/47554304762/
• SUSLA Students: https://www.susla.edu/page/student-life
• SUSLA Media: https://www.susla.edu/page/campus-virtual-registration-and-advisement