Alabama State University
Alabama State University in Montgomery was founded by nine former slaves in 1867 as the Lincoln School of Marion, a private institution for blacks. The Lincoln School was incorporated on July 18, 1867 and opened November 13, 1867 with 113 students. In 1868, the Alabama State Board of Education designated the school a Normal School. In December 1873, the State Board accepted the transfer of title to the school after a legislative act was passed authorizing the state to fund a Normal School, and George N. Card was named President. Thus, in 1874, this predecessor of Alabama State University became Alabama's first state-supported educational institution for blacks.
William Paterson was appointed as the second president in 1878. Paterson is recognized as a founder of Alabama State University and was the president for thirty-seven of the first forty-eight years of its existence. He was instrumental in the move from Marion to Montgomery in 1887. Lincoln Normal School became a junior college in the decades that followed, and in 1928 became a four-year institution. In 1929, it became State Teachers College, Alabama State College for Negroes in 1948 and Alabama State College in 1954. In 1969, the State Board of Education approved a name change to Alabama State University. The 1995 Knight vs. Alabama remedial decree declared ASU a comprehensive regional institution. This paved the way for two undergraduate programs, four graduate programs, diversity scholarship funding and endowment, funding to build a state-of-the art health sciences facility and a facility renewal allocation to refurbish three existing buildings.
Today, Alabama State University boasts an enrollment of more than 5,000 students from 42 states and 7 countries. One-third of the students are non-Alabama residents, and 11 percent are minorities. The university has a student-faculty ratio of 18 to 1.
Alabama State University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and is also accredited by the following organizations and associations: The Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, the National Association of Schools of Music, the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC), the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy (ACOTE), Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, and the Council in Social Work Education. In 2004, ASU was noted as the nation’s number one producer of African-American teachers. ASU offers 47 degree programs including 31 Bachelors’, 11 Masters’, and two Education Specialists and three Doctoral courses of study. Since the remedial decree, the university has added a master of accountancy degree program, an occupational therapy program, a health information program, a clinical doctorate in physical therapy and will soon add a doctorate in microbiology followed by a forensic sciences program.
Notable Alumni
- Rickey Smiley, comedian/actor
- Tarvaris Jackson — quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings
- Africa Miranda — singer
- Dr. Joe L. Reed — civil rights pioneer
- Reggie Barlow — wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars & current head coach of ASU football
- Jesse White — the 37th Secretary of State of Illinois
- Dr. Yvonne Kennedy — President of Bishop State Community College
- Rosa Parks, civil rights pioneer
- Tangy Miller, actress (Felicity)
- Darryl Lassiter, producer and director
- Dr. Fred Shuttlesworth, clergy, civil rights legend
- Fred Gray, famed attorney who represented Rosa Parks during the Montgomery bus boycotts
- Erskine Hawkins, musician
- London "Deelishis" Charles, winner of the reality show Flavor of Love 2
- Marcus Winn, safety for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League
External Links
- Alabama State University. (2007, July 17). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 01:48, July 22, 2007 [1]
- Alabama State University website