Albany State University
Encyclopedia
Albany State University is a four-year, state-supported, historically black university (HBCU)
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Historically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....

 located in Albany
Albany, Georgia
Albany is a city in and the county seat of Dougherty County, Georgia, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. It is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia metropolitan area and the southwest part of the state. The population was 77,434 at the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the...

, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is one of three HBCU's in the University System of Georgia
University System of Georgia
The University System of Georgia is the organizational body that includes 35 public institutions of higher learning in the U.S. state of Georgia. The System is governed by the Georgia Board of Regents. It sets goals and dictates general policy to educational institutions as well as administering...

.

History

style="font-size: 1.25em;" |ASU's History at a glance
1903 Established as the Albany Bible and Manual Training Institute
1917 Became a state-supported, two year, agricultural and teacher training college and renamed to The Georgia Normal and Agricultural College
1932 Became a part of the University System of Georgia
University System of Georgia
The University System of Georgia is the organizational body that includes 35 public institutions of higher learning in the U.S. state of Georgia. The System is governed by the Georgia Board of Regents. It sets goals and dictates general policy to educational institutions as well as administering...

1943 Granted four-year status and renamed to Albany State College
1981 First graduate program established
1996 Name changed to Albany State University.

Establishment

Joseph Winthrop Holley, born in 1874 to former slaves in Winnsboro, South Carolina
Winnsboro, South Carolina
Winnsboro is a town in Fairfield County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,599 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Fairfield County. Winnsboro is part of the Columbia, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area....

, founded the institution in 1903 as the Albany Bible and Manual Training Institute. Two educators, Reverend Samuel Loomis and his wife, sent Holley to Brainerd Institute and then Revere Lay College (Massachusetts). While attending Revere Lay, Holley got to know one of the school's trustees, New England businessman, Rowland Hazard. After taking a liking to Holley, Hazard arranged for him to continue his education at Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...

 in Andover, Massachusetts
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...

. Holley aspired to become a minister and prepared by completing his education at Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

's Lincoln University
Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)
Lincoln University is the United States' first degree-granting historically black university. It is located near the town of Oxford in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania. The university also hosts a Center for Graduate Studies in the City of Philadelphia. Lincoln University provides...

.

W. E. B. Du Bois inspired Holley to return to the South after he read Du Bois's writings on the plight of black people in Albany, GA in The Souls of Black Folk
The Souls of Black Folk
The Souls of Black Folk is a classic work of American literature by W. E. B. Du Bois. It is a seminal work in the history of sociology, and a cornerstone of African-American literary history....

. Holley relocated to Albany to start a school. With the help of a $2,600 gift from the Hazard family, Holley organized a board of trustees and purchased 50 acres (202,343 m²) of land for the campus, all within a year. The aim of the institution at the time, was to provide elementary education and teacher training for the local Black population. The institution became financially state supported in 1917 as a two-year agricultural and teacher training college. Its new name became the Georgia Normal and Agricultural College.

In 1932, the school became part of the University System of Georgia
University System of Georgia
The University System of Georgia is the organizational body that includes 35 public institutions of higher learning in the U.S. state of Georgia. The System is governed by the Georgia Board of Regents. It sets goals and dictates general policy to educational institutions as well as administering...

 and in 1943 it was granted four-year status and renamed Albany State College. The transition to four-year status heavily increased the school's enrollment. In 1981 the college offered its first graduate program and in 1996 the name was changed to Albany State University.

Holley served as President of the school from 1903-1943. He was succeeded by Aaron Brown (1943–1954), William Dennis (1954–1965), Thomas Miller Jenkins (1965–1969), Charles Hayes (1969–1980), Billy C. Black (1980–1996), Portia Holmes Shields (1996–2005), and Everette J. Freeman (2005–Present)

U.S. Civil Rights and the Albany Movement

The college played a significant role in the American Civil Rights Movement
African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
The African-American Civil Rights Movement refers to the movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring voting rights to them. This article covers the phase of the movement between 1955 and 1968, particularly in the South...

 in the early 1960s. Many students from the school, Black improvement organizations, and representatives from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee ' was one of the principal organizations of the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. It emerged from a series of student meetings led by Ella Baker held at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina in April 1960...

 (SNCC) came to together to create the Albany Movement
Albany Movement
The Albany Movement was a desegregation coalition formed in Albany, Georgia, on November 17, 1961. Local activists, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee , and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People were all involved in the movement. The movement was led by William...

. The movement brought prominent civil rights leaders to the town including Martin Luther King Jr. During this time period, over 3,000 people were arrested. Albany, Georgia has several mass arrests during the movement including the largest mass arrest of over 700 people (the largest in United States history) Approximately 40 students were either suspended of expelled by then ASC president William H. Dennis for their particpation in the Albany Movement
Albany Movement
The Albany Movement was a desegregation coalition formed in Albany, Georgia, on November 17, 1961. Local activists, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee , and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People were all involved in the movement. The movement was led by William...

 Those expelled included American University Professor Emeritus Bernice Johnson Reagon
Bernice Johnson Reagon
Bernice Johnson Reagon is a singer, composer, scholar, and social activist, who founded the a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock in 1973.-Early life and education:...

. The university is presently trying to give honorary degrees to those who were expelled or suspended during the movement. However the request has been denied by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.

Albany State University

In July 1996 the university system's Board of Regents approved a name change, and the school officially became Albany State University. Today Albany State University continues to provide a wide range of educational opportunities to the residents of southwest Georgia. The school participates in an engineering transfer program and a dual degree program with the Georgia Institute of Technology, one of the top engineering schools in the nation. Then President, Portia Shields created the Holley Institute summer program, which consists of an intense four weeks of study to help high school students improve low SAT scores and gain admission to college. The program has a near 100 percent success rate and has received praise from the state Board of Regents. Albany State also has the third highest student retention rate in the university system. A new stadium was opened in 2004, and new housing units opened in 2006.

Campus

Academics and demographics

Albany State offers undergraduate and graduate
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...

 liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...

 and professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...

 degree programs.

According to U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...

, ASU ranks number 26 out of 81 in the magazine’s first ranking of undergraduate education at HBCUs. It is ranked as a 1st tier school on the list. ASU shares its #26 ranking with Alcorn State University.

Today the Albany State University student body consists of both traditional and non-traditional students who make up the more than 4,000 student population. These students come primarily from Atlanta, southwest and middle Georgia, other U.S. states and many foreign countries. The average student age is 24 and about 40 percent of the students live in on-campus housing.

Schools and colleges

  • College of Arts and Humanities
  • College of Business
  • College of Education
  • College of Science and Health Professions
  • The Graduate school degree programs include: Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, Educational Leadership(M.Ed&Ed.S), English Education, Health and Physical Education, Mathematics Education, Middle Grades Education, Music Education, Nursing, Public Administration, School Counseling, Science Education, and Special Education.
    Albany State offers more than 30 undergraduate degree programs and six advanced degrees. The university also offers the Board of Regents' engineering transfer program and the dual degree program in engineering with Georgia Tech. Today, Albany State University provides innovative instructional and professional programs through its five academic schools: Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Nursing and Allied Health Sciences and the Graduate School. The University serves 24 counties in the Southwest Georgia area with graduate and undergraduate courses in more than 30 fields.

    Student organizations

    There are over 59 clubs and organizations including bands, choirs, religious groups, honor societies, several major Greek and honor sororities and fraternities, and ROTC.

    Fraternities and Sororities

    All nine of the National Pan-Hellenic Council
    National Pan-Hellenic Council
    The National Pan-Hellenic Council is a collaborative organization of nine historically African American, international Greek lettered fraternities and sororities. The nine NPHC organizations are sometimes collectively referred to as the "Divine Nine"...

     organizations currently have chapters at Albany State University. These organizations are:
    Organization Symbol Chapter Chapter Symbol
    Alpha Kappa Alpha
    Alpha Kappa Alpha
    Alpha Kappa Alpha is the first Greek-lettered sorority established and incorporated by African American college women. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of nine students, led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle...

    ΑΚΑ Gamma Sigma ΓΣ
    Alpha Phi Alpha
    Alpha Phi Alpha
    Alpha Phi Alpha is the first Inter-Collegiate Black Greek Letter fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations ...

    ΑΦΑ Delta Delta ΔΔ
    Delta Sigma Theta
    Delta Sigma Theta
    Delta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University...

    ΔΣΘ Delta Rho ΔΡ
    Iota Phi Theta ΙΦΘ Zeta Pi ΖΠ
    Kappa Alpha Psi
    Kappa Alpha Psi
    Kappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin...

    ΚΑΨ Delta Xi ΔΞ
    Omega Psi Phi
    Omega Psi Phi
    Omega Psi Phi is a fraternity and is the first African-American national fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black college. Omega Psi Phi was founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. The founders were three Howard University juniors, Edgar Amos...

    ΩΨΦ Chi Epsilon ΧΕ
    Phi Beta Sigma
    Phi Beta Sigma
    Phi Beta Sigma is a predominantly African-American fraternity which was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students. The founders A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse, and Charles I...

    ΦΒΣ Beta Psi ΒΨ
    Sigma Gamma Rho
    Sigma Gamma Rho
    Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. was founded on the campus of Butler University on November 12, 1922, by seven school teachers in Indianapolis, Indiana...

    ΣΓΡ Zeta Psi ΖΨ
    Zeta Phi Beta
    Zeta Phi Beta
    Zeta Phi Beta is an international, historically black Greek-lettered sorority and a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council.Zeta Phi Beta is organized into 800+ chapters, in eight intercontinental regions including the USA, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean...

    ΖΦΒ Pi Beta ΠΒ

    Music Organizations

    Three of the music organizations currently have chapters at Albany State University. These organizations are:
    Organization Symbol Chapter Chapter Symbol
    Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
    Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
    Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music...

    ΦΜΑ Rho Delta ΡΔ
    Kappa Kappa Psi
    Kappa Kappa Psi
    Kappa Kappa Psi is a fraternity for college and university band members. It was founded on November 27, 1919 at Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College in Stillwater, Oklahoma. William Scroggs, now regarded as the "Founder," together with "Mr. Kappa Kappa Psi" A...

    ΚΚΨ Eta Kappa ΗΚ
    Tau Beta Sigma
    Tau Beta Sigma
    Tau Beta Sigma is a co-educational national honorary band sorority dedicated to serving college and university bands. The Sorority, headquartered at the historic Stillwater Station in Stillwater, Oklahoma, numbers over 3,500 active members in 145 active chapters, and over 40,000 alumni...

    ΤΒΣ Zeta Kappa ΖΚ

    Marching band

    Albany State's Marching Band participated in the 2007, 2008, 2010 2011 and will partcipate in the 2012 Honda Battle of the Bands
    Honda Battle of the Bands
    The Honda Battle of the Bands is an annual marching band exhibition in the United States which features performances by bands from historically black colleges and universities...

     (HBOB).

    Athletics

    style="font-size: 1.25em;" |Championships
    SIAC championships
    Baseball 1991 • 1994 • 2000-2004 • 2006 • 2010
    Basketball (Men's) 1973 • 1983-1985 • 1992 • 1997 • 2007
    Basketball (Women's) 1980 • 1981 • 1987 • 1989 • 1990
    1996 • 1998
    Cross Country (Men’s) 1976 • 1977 • 1979 • 1980-1986
    Cross Country (Women's) 1982 • 1998 • 2004-2008 • 2010
    Football 1984-1986 • 1988 • 1993-1997
    2003-2006 • 2010
    Softball 2005 • 2007 • 2008 • 2010
    Tennis (Women's) 2010
    Track and Field (Men's) 1972-1978 • 1980-1987 • 2003-2005
    Track and Field (Women's) 1997 • 1999-2000 • 2005-2009 • 2011
    Volleyball (Women's) 1998 • 2001-2009
    SEAC championships
    Football 1955 • 1957 • 1959 • 1960 • 1962 • 1966
    Black College National Championships
    Football 2010

    Albany State University holds membership in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
    National Collegiate Athletic Association
    The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...

     Division II (as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
    Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
    The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is a College athletic conference consisting of historically black colleges and universities located in the southern United States. Formed in 1913, the SIAC is a member of the NCAA and participates in Division II athletics...

    ) and participates in the following sports: football, basketball, baseball, cheerleading, volleyball, cross-country and track and field.

    Football

    Home football games are played at the Albany Municipal Coliseum. In 2010, Albany State won the 2010 SBN Jake Gaither National Championship Trophy (SBN Sports Black College National Football Championship) after an 11-1 season.

    Swimming

    Albany State sponsored men and women's swimming and diving teams in past years and were named National Black College Swimming and Diving Champions in 1979 and 1980.

    Notable alumni

    This is a list of notable alumni which includes graduates, non-graduate former students, and current students of Albany State University. It also reflects those alumni who attended and/or graduated from the institution under its prior historical names.

    External links

    The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
     
    x
    OK