Allen University

	Allen University
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	U.S. Historic district
	Chappelle Administration Building
Location	1530 Harden St., Columbia, South Carolina
Coordinates	34°0′38″N 81°1′14″W / 34.01056°N 81.02056°W
Built	1891
NRHP reference No.	75001705
Added to NRHP	April 14, 1975

Allen University
	Historic Coppin Hall
Former names	Payne Institute ; (1870–1880)
Motto	We Teach The Mind To Think, The Hands To Work, The Heart To Love
Type	Private historically black university
Established	1870
Affiliation	UNCF
Religious affiliation	African Methodist Episcopal Church
Endowment	$312,884 (as of 2014)
President	Ernest McNealey
Administrative staff	530
Students	657 (Fall, 2022)
Location	Columbia, South Carolina, United States
Campus	Urban
Colors	; Royal Blue & Gold
Nickname	Yellow Jackets
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division II – SIAC
Mascot	Yellow Jacket
Website	www.allenuniversity.edu

Allen University is a private historically black university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. It has more than 600 students and still serves a predominantly Black constituency.^[2] The campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Allen University Historic District.

History

Allen University was founded in Cokesbury in 1870 as Payne Institute by ministers of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, including John M. Brown.^[3] Its initial mission was to provide education to freedmen, former African American slaves and their children.

In 1880, it was moved to Columbia and renamed Allen University in honor of Bishop Richard Allen, founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The university remains connected to the denomination, which is related to other Methodist churches. As one of two black colleges located in Columbia, Allen has a very strong presence in the African-American community. Allen University initially focused on training ministers and teachers, who were considered critical to the progress of African Americans. Over the years, it has enlarged its scope to produce graduates in other academic areas.

In 1885, Joseph W. Morris became president of the university.^[4] By 1898, the university reported having a total of 9 faculty, 304 students, and 208 graduates.^[5]

Academics

The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to offer Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. These degrees are awarded in the following divisions and departments:

Division of Humanities
- Department of English
- Department of Music
Division of Social Sciences
Division of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
- Department of Biology
- Department of Chemistry
- Department of Mathematics
Division of Business Administration
Division of Religion

In 2010, Washington Monthly reported in its annual College Guide edition that the school had a six percent graduation rate.^[6] In 2018, Allen University launched its first graduate program, the Dickerson-Green Theological Seminary.^[7] Under the seminary's founding dean, Jamal-Dominique Hopkins, Dickerson-Green Theological Seminary gained member status with the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada to offer the Master of Arts in Religion and Master of Divinity degrees.^[8]

Campus

Buildings such as Arnett Hall, the Chappelle Administration Building, Coppin Hall, the Joseph Simon Flippen Library, and the Canteen Building are included in what is designated as the Allen University Historic District, listed in 1975 on the National Register of Historic Places.^[9]^[10]^[11]

In addition to its National Register of Historic Places status, Allen University Historic District falls within the boundaries of Waverly Protection Area, a Preservation District within the City of Columbia Urban Design and Historic Preservation District system.^[12] This Preservation District is an expansion of Waverly Historic District.

Several of the district's buildings were restored, using $2.9 million in funds obtained through the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Historic Building Restoration and Preservation Act. Chappelle Auditorium's seating capacity of 700 has made it the site of countless organizations' and community events.

The auditorium was the site of the meeting of educators and lawyers to initiate efforts that led to the landmark US Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education (1954) on school integration. Nationally known musicians and artists, including Leontyne Price, Brook Benton and Langston Hughes, have performed in the auditorium. Notable speakers include: Mary McCleod Bethune, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.,^[13] Muhammad Ali, Reverend Jesse Jackson, George Elmore, John H. McCray, and Senator Strom Thurmond. The auditorium was named in honor of Bishop William D. Chappelle, an Allen University President. On April 14, 1975, Chappelle Administration Building was recognized by the U.S. Department of the Interior and placed on the National Register of Historic Places.^{[citation needed]}

Chappelle Administration Building was designed by John Anderson Lankford (1874-1946), who is known as the "Dean of Black Architects". It is a National Historic Landmark. Lankford also served as the official architect of the AME Church.^{[citation needed]}

Adams Gymnatorium
Arnett Hall
Cafeteria
Chappelle Administration Building (a National Historic Landmark)
Coppin Hall
Counseling Center
Dickerson-Green Theological Seminary House
Flipper Library
Higgins Hall
Mance House
Reid Hall
Richard Allen Apartments
Williams Living and Learning Complex

Student life

Allen University is the home of more than 15 on-campus student organizations.

National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations

Allen University has eight of the nine national black fraternities and sororities of the National Pan-Hellenic Council present on campus.

Athletics

The Allen athletic teams are called the Yellow Jackets. The university is a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) as a provisional member since the 2020–21 academic year (achieving D-II full member status in 2022–23); which they were a member on a previous stint from 1947–48 to 1968–69. The Yellow Jackets previously competed in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2016–17 to 2019–20; as an NAIA Independent within the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) from 2005–06 to 2015–16; and in the defunct Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (EIAC) from 1983–84 to 2004–05.

Allen competes in 11 intercollegiate varsity sports. Men's sports include basketball, cross country, football, track & field and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, track & field, volleyball, and wrestling. The university also fields a co-ed competitive cheerleading team.

Move to NCAA Division II

Beginning in the 2020–21 academic year, the Yellow Jackets will compete as a provisional member of Division II of the NCAA. They will compete alongside their next-door rival, the Benedict Tigers, in the SIAC. The Yellow Jackets will complete the reclassification process and be considered full members of Division II in 2023.^[14]

Marching band

Following the reinstatement of the football program in 2018, the marching band, known as the Band of Gold, was reinstated under the direction of former Marching 101 director Eddie Ellis.^[15]

Notable alumni

Name	Class year	Notability	References
Sam Davis	1967	A retired American football player, who played for the National Football League's Pittsburgh Steelers from 1967 to 1979.
Hall Johnson	1908	American composer and arranger
George Harold		former professional American football player
Joseph DeLaine	1931	minister and civil rights leader who worked with South Carolina NAACP on the legal case Briggs vs Elliot in 1952. It was one of the four cases argued under Brown vs. Board of Education
Dock J. Jordan	1892	American lawyer, author, educator, civil rights activist; President of Edward Waters University and Kittrell College.
Lewis C. Dowdy	1939	American educator; Sixth president and first chancellor of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University	^[16]
Ralph Anderson	1949	member of the South Carolina House of Representatives (1991- 1996) South Carolina Senate, 19th District (1997)
DeWitt Williams	1950	member of the South Carolina Senate, 102nd District (1983-1996-present) SC Senate (1996-1997) District 102nd
Kay Patterson	1956	member of the South Carolina Senate, 7th District (1985-2008)
William Clyburn	1964	member of Aiken City Council (1973-1980) (1983-1983) the South Carolina House of Representatives, 82nd District (1995-Present)
Clementa Carlos Pinckney	1995	member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, 73rd District (1997- 2000) SC Senate District 45 (2000-2015)
Tywanza Sanders	2014	victim of the Charleston church shooting

References

^ "Allen University". Best Colleges 2010. U.S. News & World Report, L.P. Archived from the original on April 20, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2009.
^ "Southern Accreditor Clears Virginia, Fisk, Florida A&M". Inside Higher Ed. December 11, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
^ Simmons, William J., and Henry McNeal Turner. Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising. GM Rewell & Company, 1887. p1113-1118
^ [No Headline], Washington Bee (Washington, DC), 20 June 1885, p. 3
^ Hawkins, John R., ed. (1898). "Our Schools from Latest Reports". The Educator. Educational Department of the A.M.E. Church. 1 (no. 1): 47.
^ "Dropout Factories". College Guide 2010. Washington Monthly. Archived from the original on August 25, 2010. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
^ "Allen University launches Dickerson-Green Theological Seminary". Carolina Panorama Newspaper. August 2, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
^ "ATS members gather in Pittsburgh for 2022 ATS/COA Biennial Meeting" (PDF). Association of Theological Schools Commission on Accrediting. June 22, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
^ ^a ^b "National Register Information System – (#75001705)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
^ Dixon, Nenie; Pat Landholt (January 26, 1975). "Octagon House" (PDF). Retrieved August 17, 2012.
^ "Allen University Historic District, Richland County (1530 Harden St., Columbia)". National Register Properties in South Carolina. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
^ City of Columbia Preservation Districts". City of Columbia Planning and Preservation. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
^ "The past restored: Allen University opens renovated auditorium". June 24, 2016. Archived from the original on June 25, 2016. Artists including Leontyne Price, Brook Benton and Langston Hughes performed there. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Muhammad Ali are among the other celebrities who appeared at Chappelle Auditorium over the years.
^ "Allen University to move from NAIA to NCAA Division II effective 2020-21 academic year". HBCU Sports. July 15, 2020. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
^ "A Marching Band at Allen University". Black PRWire. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
^ "Dr. Lewis Carnegie Dowdy Chancellor of North Carolina A&T University". Retrieved May 20, 2014.

External links

[USNEWS-1] "Allen University". Best Colleges 2010. U.S. News & World Report, L.P. Archived from the original on April 20, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2009.

[2] "Southern Accreditor Clears Virginia, Fisk, Florida A&M". Inside Higher Ed. December 11, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2013.

[3] Simmons, William J., and Henry McNeal Turner. Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising. GM Rewell & Company, 1887. p1113-1118

[4] [No Headline], Washington Bee (Washington, DC), 20 June 1885, p. 3

[5] Hawkins, John R., ed. (1898). "Our Schools from Latest Reports". The Educator. Educational Department of the A.M.E. Church. 1 (no. 1): 47.

[WaMo-6] "Dropout Factories". College Guide 2010. Washington Monthly. Archived from the original on August 25, 2010. Retrieved August 30, 2009.

[7] "Allen University launches Dickerson-Green Theological Seminary". Carolina Panorama Newspaper. August 2, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2020.

[8] "ATS members gather in Pittsburgh for 2022 ATS/COA Biennial Meeting" (PDF). Association of Theological Schools Commission on Accrediting. June 22, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.

[nris-9] "National Register Information System – (#75001705)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.

[nrhpinv-10] Dixon, Nenie; Pat Landholt (January 26, 1975). "Octagon House" (PDF). Retrieved August 17, 2012.

[scdah-11] "Allen University Historic District, Richland County (1530 Harden St., Columbia)". National Register Properties in South Carolina. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Retrieved August 17, 2012.

[12] City of Columbia Preservation Districts". City of Columbia Planning and Preservation. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved January 2, 2023.

[13] "The past restored: Allen University opens renovated auditorium". June 24, 2016. Archived from the original on June 25, 2016. Artists including Leontyne Price, Brook Benton and Langston Hughes performed there. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Muhammad Ali are among the other celebrities who appeared at Chappelle Auditorium over the years.

[14] "Allen University to move from NAIA to NCAA Division II effective 2020-21 academic year". HBCU Sports. July 15, 2020. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2021.

[15] "A Marching Band at Allen University". Black PRWire. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2021.

[16] "Dr. Lewis Carnegie Dowdy Chancellor of North Carolina A&T University". Retrieved May 20, 2014.

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v t e Colleges and universities in South Carolina
Public institutions	The Citadel Clemson Coastal Carolina College of Charleston Francis Marion Lander South Carolina State USC Aiken USC Beaufort USC Columbia USC Lancaster USC Salkehatchie USC Sumter USC Union USC Upstate Winthrop
Private institutions	Allen American College of the Building Arts Anderson Benedict Bob Jones Charleston Southern Claflin Columbia Columbia International Coker Converse Erskine Furman Limestone Morris Newberry North Greenville Presbyterian Sherman Southern Wesleyan Spartanburg Methodist Voorhees Wofford
Technical colleges	Aiken TC Central Carolina TC Denmark TC Florence-Darlington TC Greenville TC Horry-Georgetown TC Midlands TC Northeastern TC Orangeburg-Calhoun TC Piedmont TC Spartanburg CC TC of the Lowcountry Tri-County TC Trident TC Williamsburg TC York TC
Seminaries, graduate, and professional institutions	Charleston School of Law Erskine Theological Seminary Geneva Reformed Seminary Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary Medical University of South Carolina USC School of Law
Defunct colleges	The Arsenal Chicora College

v t e Historically black colleges and universities (List)
Public institutions	Alabama A&M Alabama State Albany State Alcorn State Arkansas–Pine Bluff Bishop State CC Bluefield State Bowie State Central State Cheyney Coahoma CC Coppin State Delaware State Elizabeth City State Fayetteville State Florida A&M Fort Valley State Gadsden State CC Grambling State Harris–Stowe Hinds CC Jackson State Kentucky State Langston Lincoln, Missouri Lincoln, Pennsylvania Maryland, Eastern Shore Mississippi Valley State Morgan State Norfolk State North Carolina A&T North Carolina Central Prairie View A&M Savannah State Shelton State CC South Carolina State Southern Southern–New Orleans Southern–Shreveport Tennessee State Texas Southern UDC/UDC-CC UVI Virginia State West Virginia State Winston-Salem State
Private institutions	Allen Arkansas Baptist Barber–Scotia Benedict Bennett Bethune–Cookman Claflin Clark Atlanta Dillard Edward Waters Fisk Florida Memorial University Hampton Howard Huston–Tillotson Interdenominational Theological Center Jarvis Christian Johnson C. Smith Knoxville Lane LeMoyne–Owen Livingstone Meharry Miles Morehouse Morehouse School of Medicine Morris Brown Morris Oakwood Paine Paul Quinn Pensole Lewis Philander Smith Rust Selma Shaw Simmons College (Ky.) Southwestern Christian Spelman Stillman St. Augustine's Talladega Texas College Tougaloo Tuskegee Virginia Union Virginia University Voorhees Wilberforce Wiley Xavier (Louisiana)
Defunct institutions	Bishop Booker T. Washington Carver Central Mississippi College Collier-Blocker Concordia Alabama Daniel Payne Frelinghuysen Georgia Baptist Gibbs Guadalupe Hampton Haygood Seminary Immanuel Lutheran Jackson Johnson Kittrell Lincoln Junior College Luther Miner Teachers College Mississippi Industrial College Morristown Mount Hermon Female Seminary New Orleans University Roosevelt Rosenwald Saint Paul's SCSU Law School Storer Straight Suwannee River Terrell Law School Volusia County Western
Law Schools	David A. Clarke School of Law (UDC) Florida A&M University College of Law Howard University School of Law North Carolina Central University School of Law Southern University Law Center Thurgood Marshall School of Law (Texas Southern)
Consortia	Atlanta University Center Florida's Black Junior Colleges Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Southwestern Athletic Conference Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference HBCU Athletic Conference

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