Johnson C. Smith University

**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
2023–present	Valerie Kinloch

Johnson C. Smith University
	Seal of Johnson C. Smith University
Former names	Biddle Memorial Institute (1867–1876); Biddle University (1876–1923)
Motto	Sit Lux
Motto in English	Let There Be Light
Type	Private historically black university
Established	1867
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian Church (USA)
Endowment	$51.1 million (Beneficiary of the Duke Endowment, 1924)
President	Valerie Kinloch
Academic staff	159
Students	1,306
Undergraduates	1,191
Postgraduates	57
Location	Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.; 35°14′35″N 80°51′22″W / 35.243°N 80.856°W
Campus	Urban, 105 acres (42 ha)
Colors	Gold and navy blue
Nickname	Golden Bulls
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division II – Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Mascot	The Golden Bull
Website	www.jcsu.edu
	Biddle Memorial Hall, Johnson C. Smith University
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	Beatties Ford Rd. and W. Trade St., Charlotte, North Carolina
Coordinates	35°14′37″N 80°51′25″W / 35.2435°N 80.8569°W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1883
Architectural style	Romanesque
NRHP reference No.	75001281
Added to NRHP	October 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

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.

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.

Timeline

1867: The Henry J. Biddle Memorial Institute was founded by Samuel C. Alexander and Willis L. Miller. Mary D. Biddle, an excellent churchwoman of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who, through appeals in one of the church papers, pledged $1,400 to the school. In appreciation of this first and generous contribution, friends requested that Biddle name the newly established school after her late husband, Major Henry Biddle. ^[12]
1867: The first class sessions were held in May in "Audience Chamber" of Seventh Street Presbyterian Church, then located in a section called "Log Town."^[13]
1868: The permanent location for the school was established via the donation of eight acres (3.2 ha) of land from Colonel W. R. Myers.^[13]
1869: Biddle Institute officially opens on the present site in September^[13]
1869: The first president, Stephen Mattoon, was elected on October 9, 1869^[13]
1871: The first class, made up of three students, graduated from the Seminary. Those students were B. F. McDowell, Calvin McCurdey, Eli Walker. ^[13]
1873: Twelve additional acres (4.9 ha) of land were purchased, extending the current site to 20 acres (8.1 ha). ^[13]
1876: Biddle Institute changes its name to Biddle University. ^[13]
1883: The Administration Building was erected. Additional land was acquired extending the site to 24 acres (9.7 ha). ^[13]
1884: William A. Holliday is elected as the second president of the university. ^[13]
1885: Stephen Mattoon returns to serve again, this time as interim president. ^[13]
1886: William F. Johnson is elected as the third president of the university. ^[13]
1891: Daniel J. Sanders is the first African-American elected as the president of the university. ^[13]
1892: Biddle University competes in the first intercollegiate football game between two historically Black colleges, winning against Livingstone College. ^[13]
1895: Carter Hall, the first substantial dormitory, was erected. The dormitory was named in after Miss Mary A. Carter of Geneva, NY in honor of the donation she provided for its construction. ^[13]
1895: “The Gold and Blue” are named the official school colors, making their debut on Easter. ^[13]
1896: Additional acreage was acquired, extending the size of the campus to sixty acres (24 ha). ^[13]
1905: The first student newspaper, The Argus, begins publication. ^[13]
1907: Henry Lawrence McCrore is elected president upon the death of President Daniel J. Sanders. ^[13]
1911: Carnegie Library was erected with the aid of funding from the Carnegie Fund. ^[13]
1917: Biddle University celebrates its Fiftieth Anniversary. ^[13]
1917: Fifteen acres (6.1 ha) of land are generously donated to the university, a donation from the daughters of Stephen Mattoon. This donation increases the size of the campus to 75 acres (30 ha). ^[13]
1921: After the death of her husband, Johnson C. Smith (Crayne) (August 20, 1919), Mrs. Jane Berry Smith is interested in identifying worthwhile causes to donate to that would be of the most benefit. She becomes interested in Biddle University through her association with McCrorey and begins her benefactions to the university. ^[13]
1921: The first Greek letter organization is established. The Rho chapter of Omega Psi Phi fraternity was chartered on November 7, 1921. ^[13]
1922: The Science Hall and Johnson C. Smith Theological Dormitory are erected. ^[13]
1922: Biddle University is renamed Johnson C. Smith University by the a vote of the board of trustees on February 3, and the Division of Missions for Colored people in honor of the concerns and contributions of Mrs. Jane Berry Smith. The change does not become official until March 1, 1923, when the North Carolina state legislature approves the amendment of the university's charter of the university. To keep the memory of Major Henry J. Biddle alive, the Administration Building is renamed “Biddle Memorial Hall”. ^[13]
1923: Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity is established on campus. The Alpha Omicron chapter is established on May 4, 1923. ^[13]
1924: James B. Duke creates an endowment for schools, hospitals, and retired and disabled ministers. Four educational institutions are added to the endowment: Trinity College (now Duke University), Furman University, Davidson College, and Johnson C. Smith University. ^[13]
1927: The Alpha Epsilon chapter of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity is established on October 27, 1927. ^[13]
1927: Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity is the fourth national Greek letter organization to be chartered. The Alpha Epsilon chapter is established on December 10, 1927. ^[13]
1931: Johnson C. Smith University holds its first Founders Day Celebration^[13]
1932: In 1932, the university's charter was amended, providing for the admission of women to the senior division. The 65-year-old institution for men then became partially coeducational. ^[12]
1933: Johnson C. Smith University is given an "A" rating by Southern Association of Schools and Colleges. ^[13]
1934: The university joins the American Council on Education as a full member. ^[13]
1940: The Duke Residence Hall for women is built and named in honor of James B. Duke. ^[13]
1941: Women are admitted to the freshman class for the first time. ^[13]
1942: Johnson C. Smith celebrates its Diamond Jubilee^[13]
1943: Hardy Liston takes over the Office of Executive Vice President. ^[13]
1944: The Gamma Lambda chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority is founded on February 19, 1944. ^[13]
1944: Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority charters the Gamma Delta chapter the last week in February 1944. ^[13]
1945: Johnson C. Smith University joins the United Negro College Fund as a founding member. ^[12]
1946: Zeta Phi Beta sorority charters the Kappa chapter on March 15, 1946. ^[12]
1947: President Henry Lawrence McCrorey retires after forty years of service. Hardy Liston is elected president. ^[13]
1947: Carter Hall is renovated, with a new structure being erected within the existing hull of the building. ^[13]
1952: A revision of the university's charter is made that officially deletes reference to race. ^[13]
1955: In November 1955, the Henry Lawrence McCrorey Theological Hall was dedicated and provided a new home for the 88-year-old seminary and its library. ^[12]
1956: President Hardy Liston dies on October 20, 1956. J. W. Seabrook steps in as Interim President. ^[13]
1957: Rufus Patterson Perry is elected as president in April of that year. ^[13]
1961: The new gymnasium is erected. ^[13]
1962: Hardy Liston Residence Hall is erected. The building is dedicated later in April 1963. ^[13]
1965: The Mary Joyce Taylor Crisp Memorial Student Union is built. ^[13]
1966: Martin Luther King Jr. speaks on campus as a part of the Centennial Celebration that began October 12, 1966. ^[13]
1967: JCSU holds the main Centennial Celebration on April 7, 1967, in the new gymnasium with the theme of “New Dimensions in Higher Education”. ^[13]
1967: Three major construction projects are completed: The James B. Duke Memorial Library, Myers Hall (a dormitory for men), and Sanders Hall (a dormitory for women). ^[13]
1968: The new science center is constructed. ^[13]
1969: Lionel H. Newsom becomes the ninth president of the university^[13]
1969: The Seminary moves to Atlanta Georgia and merges with the Interdenominational Theological Center. ^[13]
1972: Wilbert Greenfield becomes the tenth President of Johnson C. Smith University. ^[13]
1976: The Mary Irwin Belk Early Childhood Education Center is erected. ^[13]
1983: Robert L. Albright becomes the eleventh president of the university. ^[13]
1985: Greenfield Hall is erected and named in honor of past President Wilbert Greenfield. ^[12]
1986: The Lionel H. Newsom Humanities Building is built. ^[12]
1990: The Robert L. Albright Honors College Center opens. ^[12]
1991: The Faculty Center opens. ^[12]
1993: The Edward E. Crutchfield Jr. Center for Integrated Studies is built. ^[12]
1994: The New Residence Hall opens. ^[12]
1994: Dorothy Cowser Yancy becomes the first woman and twelfth President of JCSU. ^[12]
1997: The Technology Center, renamed Dorothy Cowser Yancy Hall in 2015, is built. ^[12]
1996: JCSU received a $1-million gift from Irwin Belk, a prominent Charlotte businessman. At the time, it was the largest gift from a living individual in the school’s history. ^[12]
2000: JCSU gained national recognition when it launched the IBM Laptop Initiative, known as ThinkPad U, making it one of the few colleges in the country, and the first HBCU, to provide an IBM laptop computer to every student. ^[12]
2003: JCSU opens a new state-of-the-art academic and sports facility, the Irwin Belk Complex, home of the Golden Bulls football and track teams. ^[12]
2008: Ronald L. Carter becomes the thirteenth president.^[12]
2011: The Arts Factory opened its doors to students and the Charlotte community. ^[12]
2012: JCSU's Mosaic Village opens in the Historic West End as the latest sign of revitalization in the Northwest Corridor. ^[12]
2015: The 62,000-square-foot Science Center funded by the Duke Endowment opened as the home of JCSU's programs in the College of STEM ^[12]
2018: Clarence D. Armbrister, J.D. becomes the fourteenth president.^[12]
2023: Valerie Kinloch becomes the fifteenth president of the university.^[12]

Academics

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.^[14] 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

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. ^[12]

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

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. ^[12]

Fraternities and sororities

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

Athletics

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

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
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		was a pastor, principal, 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		was an 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		Head women's college basketball coach for the Syracuse Orange.
Cheris F. Hodges	1999	Author of African-American romance novels.
Delois Huntley		as an 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	Head men's 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	Former sprinter, winner of two Olympic gold medals, at the 1968 Summer Olympics and 1972 Summer Olympics. National Track & Field Hall of Fame.
Mildred Mitchell-Bateman	1941	African-American physician and medical administrator. She was West Virginia's mental health commissioner in 1962, and was the first woman and African-American to hold the position.
Eddie McGirt	1948	a 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, 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		former professional baseball player.
McKinley Washington Jr.	1958	was an American politician in the state of South Carolina.
Ola B. Watford	1946	geophysicist
Bob Wells	1968	as an American football offensive tackle for the San Diego Chargers of the NFL.
Avon Williams	1940	Tennessee State Senator from 1972 to 1992
Danielle Williams	2014	Jamaican athlete specializing in the sprint hurdles. She is best known for winning the gold medal at the 2015 World Championships.
Shermaine Williams	2011	Jamaican track & field sprinter. First female from Johnson C. Smith University to go to Summer Olympics 2012
Emanuel Wilson		NFL running back with the Green Bay Packers.
Draff Young		Professional basketball coach.

Notable faculty

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.