Philander Smith College


Philander Smith College is a private historically black college, in Little Rock, Arkansas. Philander Smith College is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is a founding member of the United Negro College Fund. Philander Smith College is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

History

Philander Smith College was officially founded in 1877 under the name of Walden Seminary to provide educational opportunities for freed slaves west of the Mississippi River. In 1882 the school was renamed Philander Smith College in honor of the financial contributions of Adeline Smith, widow of Philander Smith. It was chartered as a four-year college in 1883 and conferred its first bachelor's degree in 1888. In 1933, it merged the assets of the George R. Smith College in Sedalia, Missouri, which burned down in 1925. In 1943, Philander Smith was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
During the Civil Rights Movement, Philander Smith College was a pioneer in activism: many of its students engaged in nonviolent resistance against segregation laws or customs.

Rankings and Education Conservancy

Dr. Walter Kimbrough, former president of Philander Smith College, joined the Education Conservancy in criticizing the annual U.S. News and World Report college rankings; he signed a letter circulating among college presidents that asks them to refrain from participating in the peer assessment portion of the survey.

Campus

The school campus is located in central Little Rock. Interstate 630 was constructed just north of the campus, which is bounded by 10th and 14th streets to the north and south, and Gaines and Chester streets to the east and west. The core of the campus was originally built for Little Rock Junior College, and a two-block section of it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One of its centerpieces is the former U.M. Rose School building, now the Cox Administration Building, designed by the noted Arkansas architect John Parks Almand in 1915, when he was working for Charles L. Thompson. The campus also includes the "Old Gym", a gymnasium built by the WPA during the Great Depression; and a former barracks building of the Camp Robinson Air Force Base, which was moved here in 1948.

Athletics

Philander Smith teams, nicknamed the Panthers, are part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, primarily competing in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference. Men's sports include basketball and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cheerleading, track & field and volleyball.
Philander Smith's 2012–13 men's basketball team made history by bringing home their 1st Gulf Coast Athletic Conference tournament title.
On Feb. 21, 1989, Philander Smith gained a 92–89 victory over Rust College of Holly Springs, Mississippi, on their court, ending the longest home-court winning streak in NCAA Division III women's basketball history.

Notable alumni

Notable faculty