Benedict College is a private historically black, liberal arts college in Columbia, South Carolina. Founded in 1870 by northern Baptists, it was originally a teachers' college. It has since expanded to offer majors in many disciplines across the liberal arts. The campus includes buildings in the Benedict College Historic District, a historic area listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
History
Benedict College was founded in 1870 on land that had been a plantation in Columbia, South Carolina. Bathsheba A. Benedict of Pawtucket of Rhode Island provided the $13,000.00 to purchase the land as part of the American Baptist Home Mission Society. Benedict Institute opened on December 12, 1870, on the grounds of a plantation formerly worked by slaves, to educate African-Americans recently freed from slavery. Benedict's first class consisted of ten freedmen and one teacher, the Reverend Timothy L. Dodge, D.D. He was a college-trained preacher from the North, who became president of the Institute. Benedict Institute set out from humble beginnings in a dilapidated former slaveholder's mansion to prepare men and women to be "powers for good in society". The dilapidated mansion, built in 1839, served as the first schoolhouse, where grammar school subjects, along with Bible and theology, were taught. Eventually, other subjects were added to the curriculum to address the original objective of the school: to train teachers and preachers. On November 2, 1894, the institution was chartered as a liberal arts college by the South Carolina Legislature and the name Benedict Institute was changed to Benedict College. From 1870 to 1930, Benedict College was led by a succession of seven northern white Baptist ministers, all college trained. On April 10, 1930, the Reverend John J. Starks, who earned his bachelor's degree from the college in 1891, became the first African-American president of the college. Five African-American presidents have succeeded him.
In 1994, with a strategic planning process in place, Benedict College set an enrollment goal of "2000 by the year 2000". The goal was achieved in 1996 with an enrollment of 2,138 students. The fall 2002 enrollment was 3,000. Benedict College is engaged in an ongoing strategic planning process, which will guide the college in the 21st century. The college is implementing a $50 million campus improvement plan, which includes land acquisition and the completion of a comprehensive athletics complex. Campus facilities improvements over the past nine years have included installation of air-conditioning, fire sprinkler systems, and security systems in residence halls; completion of an activities field and community park; renovation of historic Antisdel Chapel, Bacoats and Alumni Halls, and restoration of historic Morgan, Pratt, and Starks halls, including the Student Leadership Development Center. During this period, new construction has included three residence halls, a parking garage, a campus center/dining hall, an Administration Building, and a Business Development Center. Additionally, buildings were acquired to house a fitness center, and the Division of Community Development/Center for Excellence. Three apartment complexes have been purchased for student housing. As a part of the college's community development thrust, more than 50 dilapidated properties in the adjacent community have been renovated.
Benedict College Historic District
The Benedict College Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. It encompasses five buildings constructed between 1895 and 1937: Morgan Hall, Pratt Hall, Duckett Hall, Antisdel Chapel, and Starks Center.
Academics
Benedict offers 29 degrees from 12 departments. In addition to offering traditional education, the college also offers continuing education for those "non-traditional students".
Benedict's Marching Tigers "Band of Distinction" was founded in the 1960s under the direction of Roy McCollough. The band performs at most football games, home basketball games, and several special events throughout the year in the Georgia Dome of Atlanta, Georgia. The band is currently under the direction of Henry Wade Johnson.
