Claflin University

Claflin University is a private historically black university in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Founded in 1869 after the American Civil War by northern missionaries for the education of freedmen and their children, it offers bachelor's and master's degrees.[2]

Claflin University
Former names
Claflin College
Motto"The World Needs Visionaries"
TypePrivate, HBCU
Established1869
Religious affiliation
United Methodist Church
UNCF
Endowment$48.6 million
PresidentDwaun J. Warmack
Students1,830[1]
Location
Orangeburg, Orangeburg County
,
South Carolina
,
United States
CampusUrban, 40 acres (16 ha)
Colors   Orange & Maroon
NicknamePanthers and Lady Panthers
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division II, Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Websitewww.claflin.edu

History
Main building of Claflin University, 1899

It was originally named Claflin College, and was founded in 1869 by Alonzo Webster (1818–1887), a minister for the Methodist Episcopal Church (today the United Methodist Church).[3] Claflin College opened its doors on October 27, 1869.[4]

Webster came from Vermont to South Carolina as a missionary to teach at the Baker Bible Institute in Charleston, a training school for African American ministers.[5] The Baker Biblical Institute in Charleston, was an institution established by the South Carolina Mission Conference of 1866 of the Methodist Episcopal Church for the education of African American ministers. In 1870, the Baker Biblical Institute merged with Claflin University.

Webster had received a charter from the state of South Carolina to establish a college freed slaves to take their rightful places as full American citizens.[5][3] Claflin University is the oldest historically black college or university in South Carolina and touts itself as the first college in the state to welcome all students regardless of race or gender. It was the first Black college to offer architectural drawing courses.[6]

The university was named after two Methodist churchmen: Massachusetts Governor William Claflin and his father, Boston philanthropist Lee Claflin, who provided a large part of the funds to purchase the 43-acre (17 ha) campus.[3][4] Claflin's first president was Alonzo Webster, who had previously spent time as a member of Claflin's board of trustees. Since the administration of Webster, Claflin has been served by eight presidents.

An act by the South Carolina General Assembly on March 12, 1872, designated the South Carolina State Agricultural and Mechanical Institute as a part of Claflin University. In 1896 the S.C. General Assembly passed an act of separation which severed the State Agricultural and Mechanical Institute from Claflin University and established a separate institution which eventually became South Carolina State University.[7]

In 2020, American novelist and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donated US $20 million to Claflin University. Her donation is the largest single gift in Claflin's history.[8]

Presidents
  • Alonzo Webster (1869–1872)[5]
  • Edward Cooke (1872–1884)[3]
  • Lewis M. Dunton (1884–1922)[3]
  • Joseph B. Randolph (1922–1944)[3]
  • John J. Seabrook (1945–1955)[3]
  • Hubert V. Manning (1956–1984) [3]
  • Oscar A. Rogers, Jr. (1984–1994) [3]
  • Henry N. Tisdale (1994–2019)[9]
  • Dwaun J. Warmack (2019–present)[9]

Academics
Claflin University's Tingley Hall, designed by alumni William Wilson Cooke
Claflin University's Tingley Hall, designed by alumni William Wilson Cooke

Claflin offers degrees through four schools:

  • School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
  • School of Humanities and Social Sciences
  • School of Business
  • School of Education

Student life

Athletics

Claflin athletic teams are the Panthers. The university is a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) since the 2018–19 academic year. The Panthers previously competed in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) from 2008–09 to 2017–18; as well as in the defunct Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (EIAC) from 1983–84 to 2004–05.

Claflin competes in ten intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include basketball, baseball, cross country and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cheerleading, cross country, softball, track & field and volleyball.

Claflin has an all-girl cheerleading team that serves as athletics support and ambassadors of the university as well as their pep band.

Student organizations

There are over 50 student organizations on campus.[10]

Reserve Officers Training Corps

Claflin graduates who complete the R.O.T.C. program (a cross-enrollment agreement with South Carolina State University) may be commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army.

National Pan-Hellenic Council

The university currently has chapters for eight of the nine National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations on campus.

Notable alumni
Name Class year Notability Reference(s)
Cynthia V. Anderson 1980 Chief Operations Officer at the U.S. Department of Energy. [11]
Robert Charles Bates did not graduate He taught at Claflin University from 1890 to 1897, and designed Fisk Hall (destroyed), T. Willard Lewis Chapel, and other campus buildings. [12]
Uhriel E. Bedoya 1999 Country Manager - Caribbean, Mastercard. [12]
Cassandra Maxwell Birney 1928 First black female attorney admitted to the South Carolina Bar. [12]
Gloria Rackley Blackwell 1953 Civil rights activist, professor at Clark Atlanta University. [13]
William Bulkley 1882 One of the first African-Americans in America to receive the degree of doctor of philosophy (PhD. from Syracuse University in 1893). He was one of two members of the first graduating college class. [12]
William Wilson Cooke 1893,
B.S. 1902		 Architect, designed Lee Library (1898) and Tingley Memorial Hall. He went to Washington, D.C., to become the first black architect in the Office of the Supervising Architect for the U.S. Treasury, and planned and administered federal buildings. [12]
James K. Davis 1962 Senior Vice President for Corporate Affairs, Georgia Power Company. [12]
Florella Fordham 1900 First "trained" African-American nurse in Orangeburg County. [12]
Nathaniel Frederick 2002 Professor of communication at Claflin University [14]
James Hodges 1966 First African American to earn a pharmaceutical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina. [12]
Joseph H. Jefferson 1970 Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing the 102nd District. [15]
Lola Kelly-Smalls 2000 Research scientist. [16]
Gloria A. Lee 1982 Chief Transportation Branch, United States Army. [12]
James Martin First African American to receive a PhD in biology from the University of South Carolina. [12]
E. Roger Mitchell 1993 Actor in The Walking Dead and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. [17][18]
Kebra Moore 1997 Gospel recording artist with MOKEB Entertainment. [19]
Alice Jackson Moorer 1884 One of the first two black women in the world to receive a college degree, along with Annie Thortne, her classmate. [12]
Ernest Newman 1948 First African-American bishop of the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church. [12]
Leonard Pressley 2002 Professor of biology at Claflin University. [14]
Arthur Rose Sr. 1950 Chair of Art Department (1952-1973) at Claflin University; the Arthur Rose Museum at the university was named for him [20]
James S. Thomas 1939 First African-American bishop of the Iowa Conference of the United Methodist Church [12]
Annie Thortne 1884 One of the first two black women in the world to receive a college degree, along with classmate Alice Jackson Moorer. [12]
Henry N. Tisdale B.S. 1965 Eighth president of Claflin University. First African-American to earn a PhD. In mathematics at Dartmouth College. [12][3]
Leo Twiggs 1956 Artist and educator at South Carolina State University; the first African American to receive a doctorate of Arts from the University of Georgia. [21]
Cecil J. Williams 1960 American photographer, founder of the Cecil Williams Civil Rights Museum, publisher, author and inventor best known for his photography documenting the civil rights movement in South Carolina. [22]
Roger Kenton Williams 1936 Educator who taught in the psychology departments at North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University, Morgan State University, and the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore
Bryan Andrew Wilson 2004 Gospel artist [23]

References
  1. Official website, Claflin University
  2. "Academic Programs". claflin.edu. Archived from the original on 2012-05-20.
  3. "Claflin's past a 'revealing slice of Southern history'". The Times and Democrat. 1994-12-02. p. 24. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  4. "Claflin University". South Carolina Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  5. "Claflin University (1869- )". BlackPast.org. 2010-07-06. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  6. "The son of a former slave became a groundbreaking architect. This crumbling building is about to come down". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  7. Neufeld, Rob (2018-02-25). "History of Claflin University". Asheville Citizen-Times. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
  8. Claflin receives $20 million donation
  9. Thomas, June M. (2022-03-10). Struggling to Learn: An Intimate History of School Desegregation in South Carolina. University of South Carolina Press. p. 230. ISBN 978-1-64336-260-1.
  10. "Clubs & Organizations".
  11. "US Department of Energy". Retrieved 2011-01-23.
  12. "Notable Alumni" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  13. Carolyn Click, "Orangeburg civil rights icon, and Claflin alumna Dr. Gloria Rackley Blackwell dies" Archived 2011-09-29 at the Wayback Machine, Claflin University (December 10, 2010). Retrieved June 2, 2011
  14. "Claflin Alumni Return to University to Serve on Faculty". Archived from the original on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
  15. "Joseph H Jefferson". Archived from the original on 2008-12-08. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
  16. "Dr. Lola Kelley-Smalls". Procter & Gamble. Retrieved 2014-03-24.
  17. "E. Roger Mitchell". IMDb. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
  18. "Claflin University". World University Rankings. Times Higher Education. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  19. "Notable Alumni". Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  20. "The Johnson Collection - Rose, Arthur 1921-1995". Retrieved 2015-05-10.
  21. "Hampton III Gallery Artist: Leo F. Twiggs (1934- )". Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  22. "Cecil Williams". Sandlapper Publishing. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  23. "Gospel Veteran Bishop Bryan Andrew Wilson". Archived from the original on 2014-02-12. Retrieved 2014-03-24.
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