Founded in 1870 by a woman, Bathsheba A. Benedict, Benedict College is a private co-educational liberal arts institution with over 1,700 students enrolled in its 26 baccalaureate degree programs.
Benedict College, originally Benedict Institute, was founded 152 years ago under the auspices of the American Baptist Home Mission Society. As Benedict’s first philanthropist, Mrs. Benedict of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, provided $13,000 towards the purchase of an 80-acre plantation near Columbia, South Carolina as the site for a new school for the recently freed people of African descent. Benedict Institute, operating in a former slave master’s mansion, was established, in the words of its founder to prepare men and women to be a “power for good in society.”
During the first quarter century of its existence, Benedict Institute directed its educational programs to the severely limited economic and social conditions of the black population in the South. The Institute’s original objective was to educate and train teachers and preachers, therefore, Benedict’s first curriculum included reading, writing, spelling, arithmetic, and religion. Later, the curriculum was expanded to include traditional college disciplines, which also included an industrial department offering carpentry, shoemaking, printing, and painting.
On November 2, 1894, the South Carolina Legislature chartered the institution as a liberal arts college and the name “Benedict Institute” was formally changed to “Benedict College.”
From its founding, Benedict College was led by a succession of northern white Baptist ministers and educators. However, the year 1930 signaled the succession of African-American male presidents that continued until June 30, 2017, when Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis was unanimously appointed by the Benedict College Board of Trustees as the 14th President of Benedict College. She is the fourteenth and first-female President in the 152-year history of the college.
Benedict College has been highly regarded and exceptionally ranked for its programs by several academic and traditional publications. For example, Benedict College was ranked as one of the top baccalaureate colleges in the nation by Washington Monthly magazine for creating social mobility, producing cutting-edge scholarship, and research.
Benedict College has also been named a Historically Black College & University (HBCU) of the Year by HBCU Digest. Benedict College is proud to be part of the rich, HBCU tradition. HBCUs were originally founded to provide opportunities for African Americans who were excluded from the majority of college solely by virtue of their race. Today, they offer all students—regardless of race—higher education opportunities. Explore the benefits of an HBCU.
Benedict offers several high-demand fields of study in STEM, Cyber Security, Mass Communication, Sport Management, Business Administration, Engineering, Computer Science, Biology, and Education. Benedict has a diverse faculty of which 80 percent are full-time, and 71 percent hold doctorates or the equivalent.
There are over 18,000 proud Benedict Tigers throughout the nation. Benedict College has been a community leader for over 148-years and is a significant contributor to the region and South Carolina, with a local and annual economic impact of over $130 million.
Going against trends, Benedict College maintains a nearly equal male and female student population. This Midlands HBCU welcomes students from all 46 counties in South Carolina, 30 states across America, and 26 countries across the world.
The College made front-page news in the spring of 2018 when it became the first South Carolina college to lower its tuition by 26 percent. Cutting tuition drew praise from the Commission on Higher Education, South Carolina’s education oversight body. The commissioner noted the move that Benedict College has made should be applauded because it offers students more access to higher education and affordability.
In March 2018, Benedict College hosted South Carolina HBCU presidents, in collaboration with the White House Initiative on HBCUs and UNCF with the goal to change the narrative on the impact of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Former Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin, a member of the Benedict College Board of Trustees, joined the 8 South Carolina HBCU presidents in examining a recently released landmark study commissioned by UNCF, HBCUs Make America Strong: The Positive Economic Impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The report demonstrates that Benedict College is a valuable economic engine in the community, generating substantial financial returns year after year, contributing $130 million and 1,218 jobs in total economic impact. A Benedict graduate working full-time throughout his or her working life can expect to earn $1.1 million in additional income because of their Benedict College degree.
Benedict College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate and master’s degrees. Six of the College’s degree programs hold national accreditation: The School of Education, Social Work Program, Environmental Health Science Program, Environmental Engineering Program, Studio Art Program, and the Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship.
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