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Johnson C. Smith University

Coordinates: 35°14′35″N 80°51′22″W / 35.243°N 80.856°W / 35.243; -80.856
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Johnson C. Smith University
Seal of Johnson C. Smith University
Former names
Biddle Memorial Institute (1867–1876)
Biddle University (1876–1923)
MottoSit Lux
Motto in English
Let There Be Light
TypePrivate historically black university
Established1867
Religious affiliation
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Endowment$51.1 million (Beneficiary of the Duke Endowment, 1924)[1]
PresidentValerie Kinloch
Academic staff
159[2]
Students1,306[3]
Undergraduates1,191
Postgraduates57
Location
Charlotte, North Carolina
,
U.S.

35°14′35″N 80°51′22″W / 35.243°N 80.856°W / 35.243; -80.856
CampusUrban, 105 acres (42 ha)
Colors    Gold and navy blue
NicknameGolden Bulls
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division II – Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
MascotThe Golden Bull
Websitewww.jcsu.edu
Biddle Memorial Hall, Johnson C. Smith University
Johnson C. Smith University is located in North Carolina
Johnson C. Smith University
LocationBeatties Ford Rd. and W. Trade St., Charlotte, North Carolina
Coordinates35°14′37″N 80°51′25″W / 35.2435°N 80.8569°W / 35.2435; -80.8569
Arealess than one acre
Built1883
Architectural styleRomanesque
NRHP reference No.75001281[4]
Added to NRHPOctober 14, 1975

Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) is a private historically black university in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The university awards Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Social Work, and Master of Social Work degrees.

History

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Postcard, c. 1930s–1940s
Postcard, c. 1930s–1940s
Biddle Memorial Hall

Johnson C. Smith University was established on April 7, 1867, as the Biddle Memorial Institute at a meeting of the Catawba Presbytery in the old Charlotte Presbyterian Church. Mary D. Biddle donated $1,400 to the school. The school was then named after her late husband, Henry Jonathan Biddle, who had died after the Battle of Glendale in 1862. The corresponding women's school was Scotia Seminary (now Barber-Scotia College).[5]

In 1876, the charter was changed by the legislature of the State of North Carolina and the name became Biddle University, under which name the institution operated until 1923.

In 1891, Biddle University elected Daniel J. Sanders as the first African-American as president of a four-year institution in the south.

Johnson Crayne Smith
Presidents
Presidents
1870–1884 Stephen Mattoon
1884–1885 William Alexander Holliday
1886–1891 William F. Johnson
1891–1907 Daniel J. Sanders
1907–1947 Henry Lawrence McCrorey
1947–1956 Hardy Liston
1956–1957 James W. Seabrook
1957–1968 Rufus P. Perry
1968–1972 Lionel Newsome
1973–1982 Wilbert Greenfield
1983–1994 Robert Albright
1994–2008 Dorothy Cowser Yancy
2008–2018 Ronald L. Carter
2018–2023 Clarence D. Armbrister[6]
2023–present Valerie Kinloch[7][8]

From 1921 to 1922, Jane Berry Smith donated funds to build a theological dormitory, a science hall, a teachers' cottage, a memorial gate, and an endowment in memory of her late husband, Johnson C. Smith. She later donated funds for five more buildings and a campus church. In recognition, Biddle University's president Dr. H. L. McCrorey announced on February 3, 1922, that the institution would refer to itself as The Johnson C. Smith University.[9] A newspaper at the time noted that "While the name will be used at once, unofficially, an application for the charter changes necessary cannot be accomplished until the meeting of the next general assembly," and the charter was amended to make the name change official on March 1, 1923.

In 1924, James B. Duke established the Duke Endowment. While the largest share of that the endowment's earnings are allocated to support Duke University, Duke's donation required that 4% of its earnings be given to the university.[10]

In 1932, the university's charter was amended, providing for the admission of women. The 65-year-old institution for men then became partially coeducational. The first residence hall for women, named in memory of James B. Duke, was dedicated in 1940. In 1941, women were admitted to the freshman class. In 1942, the university was a fully coeducational institution.

JCSU joined the United Negro College Fund in 1944 as a founding member. This fund was organized primarily to help church-related schools of higher learning to revamp their training programs, to expand their physical plants, to promote faculty growth and to create new areas of service.[11]

Biddle Memorial Hall is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Academics

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Johnson C. Smith University offers 25 degree programs to undergraduate students and one to graduate students. These are typically organized into three colleges: the College of Business and Professional Studies; the College of Liberal Arts; and the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

The Robert L. Albright Honors College is also available to qualified high-achieving undergraduate students at JCSU.[12] The college is named after the 11th president of the university.

Metropolitan College offers accelerated undergraduate degree programs to adults with courses available on-campus and online.

James B. Duke Memorial Library

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The James B. Duke Memorial Library was built in 1967 in memory of James Buchanan Duke, a major benefactor to the university. Carnegie Library, the existing library at that time, was not large enough to meet the expanding academic programming and increasing enrollment. [13] In 1998, the library completed a $7 million yearlong modernization and reconstruction to allow the building to serve as an information hub in a digital age. [14]

The James B. Duke Memorial Library is also the home of a 8.5 by 20 feet (2.6 by 6.1 m). mural created by Philadelphia artist Paul F. Keene Jr. Keene. The mural illustrates the university's founding and development.[13]

Student life

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The Office of Student Leadership and Engagement (SLE) oversees the Student Government Association (SGA), Royal Court, Greek Life Organizations (National Pan-Hellenic Council and United Greek Council), Golden Bulls Activities Committee (GBAC), and over 30 Student Clubs and Organizations. The JCSU Intramural and Recreation Program offers opportunities for students to participate in intramural sports, club sports, fitness programs, and informal recreational activities. [14]

Fraternities and sororities

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All nine of the National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations currently have chapters at Johnson C. Smith University.

Athletics

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Main article: Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls

Student-athletes currently compete in 13 NCAA sports. JCSU is a member of Division II, Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). Its intercollegiate sports programs include basketball, bowling, cross-country, football, golf, softball, volleyball, tennis, and track and field. Its teams are nicknamed the Golden Bulls.

Notable alumni

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Name Class years Notability Reference(s)
Tim Beamer 1971 Professional football player
Trezzvant Anderson American journalist, publicist, and war correspondent
Frederick C. Branch 1942 First African American officer in the United States Marine Corps
Jack S. Brayboy 1943 Football player, coach, teacher, and university administrator, all at Johnson C. Smith University
Tyrone Britt 1967 Professional basketball player
Vanderbilt Brown 1907 One of the first physicians to finish training in World War I
Mickey Casey Professional baseball player
Eva M. Clayton 1955 Clayton and Mel Watt were the first African Americans elected to the House of Representatives from North Carolina since 1898 (since Clayton won the special election, she took office before Watt)
Gregory Clifton Professional football player
Dorothy Counts 1964 One of the first black students admitted to the Harry Harding High School in the United States. After four days of harassment that threatened her safety, her parents forced her to withdraw from the school.
Grover Covington Professional football player and member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
John O. Crosby African-American educator and the first president of what is now North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Daniel Wallace Culp Pastor, principal, and doctor who authored a book about African Americans. He was the "first graduate of Biddle University".
Sadye Curry 1963 First African-American woman to become a gastroenterologist in the United States
Charlie S. Dannelly 1962 Democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's thirty-eighth Senate district since 1995 [15]
Bill Davis 1963 College football coach
De'Audra Dix 2009 2008 Division II 1st Team All-American and professional football player
Edward R. Dudley 1932 First African-American to hold the rank of Ambassador of the United States, serving as ambassador to Liberia (where he had been serving with the rank of minister) from 1949 through 1953
Bill Dusenbery Professional football player
Thereasea Elder First African American public health nurse in Charlotte, North Carolina
Richard Erwin 1947 First black federal judge in North Carolina
Ferdinand Kwasi Fiawoo 1933 Ghanaian minister of religion, playwright and educator, founder of Zion College, the first secondary school in Ghana's Volta Region
Malcolm Graham 1985 Democratic member of the North Carolina Senate, representing District 40
Leford Green 2011 Division II Collegiate Indoor and Outdoor Regional and National Track Athlete of the Year in 2010 and 2011. Green was a member of the 2012 Summer Olympics Jamaican National Olympic Track and Field team.
Chet Grimsley 1978 First white student to garner accolades as All-CIAA and All-American at JCSU and at an HBCU. Author of White Golden Bull.
Larry D. Hall 1978 Democratic politician who has served in the North Carolina House of Representatives as the member from North Carolina's 29th representative district since 2006.
Norman Washington Harllee Educator and advocate for African American education in the United States
Reginald Hawkins 1948 First African-American to run for Governor of North Carolina. Dentist. Civil rights activist who played a central role in integrating Charlotte schools, hospitals, and public spaces.
Bun Hayes 1929 Nicknamed "Bun", professional baseball player
JoAnn Haysbert Chancellor and Provost of Hampton University [16]
Henry Aaron Hill 1936 Fluorocarbon chemist who became the first African-American president of the American Chemical Society (ACS)
Quentin Hillsman Basketball coach at Syracuse University
Cheris F. Hodges 1999 Author of African-American romance novels
Delois Huntley American civil rights pioneer and one of four black students to integrate Charlotte schools
Cecil Ivory 1946 Presbyterian minister and civil rights leader in Rock Hill, South Carolina
Sara Dunlap Jackson 1943 National Archives and Records Administration archivist, Military Archives Division
Benny Johnson 1970 Professional football player
J. Charles Jones 1960 Civil rights leader, attorney, co-founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and chairperson of the SNCC's direct action committee
Edward Joyner 1994 Basketball coach at Hampton University
Boise Kimber 1981 Baptist minister and civil rights activist
William Lindsay 1931 Nicknamed "Red", professional baseball player
Earl Manigault Rucker Park legend. Attended JCSU for one semester during 1964–65 school year
Vince Matthews 1970 Sprinter and winner of two Olympic gold medals at the 1968 Summer Olympics and 1972 Summer Olympics, inducted into the National Track & Field Hall of Fame
Mildred Mitchell-Bateman 1941 African-American physician and medical administrator who was West Virginia's mental health commissioner in 1962 and the first woman and African-American to hold the position
Eddie McGirt 1948 CIAA football coach legend
Fred "Curly" Neal 1962 Former member of the Harlem Globetrotters
Pettis Norman 1962 Professional football player
Trevin Parks 2013 Professional basketball player
Obie Patterson 1965 Former member of the Maryland House of Delegates
Don Pullen Jazz pianist and organist
Zilner Randolph Jazz trumpeter and music educator
James "Twiggy" Sanders 1974 Harlem Globetrotters member
Jawn Sandifer 1935 Civil rights attorney, judge, and New York State Supreme Court Justice
Gary Siplin 1976 Politician and member of the Florida Senate from the 19th district
Marvin Scott 1966 Republican candidate for U.S. Senate from Indiana in 2004
Chris Smith 1992 Democratic member of the Florida Senate
Clarence F. Stephens 1938 Ninth African American to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics
John Taylor Professional football player
Steel Arm Johnny Taylor Professional baseball player
Evelyn Terry Politician
John Terry Professional football player
Sandra L. Townes 1966 District Judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
Skeets Tolbert Jazz clarinetist
Faya Ora Rose Touré 1969 Civil rights activist, lawyer, and first black female judge in Alabama
Orval Tucker Professional baseball player
McKinley Washington Jr. 1958 Politician in the state of South Carolina
Ola B. Watford 1946 Geophysicist
Bob Wells 1968 Professional football player
Avon Williams 1940 Tennessee State Senator from 1972 to 1992
Danielle Williams 2014 Jamaican athlete specializing in the sprint hurdles who won the gold medal at the 2015 World Championships
Shermaine Williams 2011 Jamaican track & field sprinter and first woman from Johnson C. Smith University to go to Summer Olympics 2012
Emanuel Wilson Professional football player
Draff Young Professional basketball coach

Notable faculty

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Name Department Notability Reference(s)
Kelly Alexander Professor Democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly.
Henry A. Hunt Professor Winner of the Spingarn Medal award. In the 1930s Hunt was invited to participate in President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Black Cabinet.
Edward Jackson Football Coach One of the greatest HBCU football coaches of all-time. His all-time coaching record is 141–62–12. His record at JCSU is 30–14–4.
Mary Jackson McCrorey Counselor of women, wife of president H. L. McCrorey. [17]
Jimmie McKee Contributor Founder of Johnson C. Smith University athletic booster program the 100 Club. He became a successful Charlotte businessman, contributing to Johnson C Smith University, NAACP, Colored NC Police Association, Democratic Party and YMCA.
Mike Minter Football Assistant coach Professional football player.
Steve Wilks Football Assistant coach Professional football coach.

Bibliography

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  • Parker, Inez Moore (1975). (A Historical Narrative) The Biddle - Johnson C. Smith Story. Charlotte, NC: The Observer Craftman Company.
  • "Founders' Week Observance - History of the University". jcsu.edu. Johnson C. Smith University.

References

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  1. ^ "Johnson C. Smith University". Archived from the original on 2006-05-14. Retrieved 2006-05-29.
  2. ^ "Instructional Faculty and Class Size" (PDF). Jscu.edu. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
  3. ^ "Enrollment and Persistence" (PDF). Jscu.edu. Retrieved 2016-12-13.
  4. ^ "National Register Information System – (#75001281)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  5. ^ "The American Missionary Volume 0033 Issue 11 (Nov 1879)". Cornell.edu. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  6. ^ "Johnson C. Smith president announces retirement in 'bittersweet moment' at the HBC". Charlotte Observe. January 3, 2023.
  7. ^ "Dr. Valerie Kinloch Appointed President of Johnson C. Smith University". Diverse: Issues In Higher Education. 2023-06-22. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  8. ^ Moore, Evan (June 21, 2023). "Johnson C. Smith University names new president. She's a familiar name to Charlotte HBCU". Charlotte Observer.
  9. ^ "University to Change Name— 'Biddle' to Be Known as 'Johnson C. Smith University'— Mrs. Smith, Having Given $115,000, Promises Make Bequest in Her Will", Charlotte (NC) Observer, February 4, 1922, p.5
  10. ^ "Trust Indenture" (PDF). Dukendowment.org. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
  11. ^ "United Negro College Fund". UNCF.org. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  12. ^ "Johnson C. Smith University - Honors College". Jcsu.edu. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  13. ^ a b Moore 1975.
  14. ^ a b jcsu.edu.
  15. ^ "Charlie Dannelly's Biography". Votesmart.org. Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  16. ^ "Former provost JoAnn Haysbert returning to Hampton University". tribunedigital-dailypress. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
  17. ^ "Woman Gets Degree Doctor of Pedagogy" Pittsburgh Courier (July 5, 1941): 18. via Newspapers.comOpen access icon
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