BRIEF HISTORY of Benedict College

Benedict College, originally Benedict Institute, was founded in 1870 under the auspices of the American Baptist Home Mission Society. Mrs. Bathsheba A. Benedict of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, provided financial support for the establishment of Benedict. Adding to a small bequest from her husband, Mrs. Benedict provided $13,000 towards the purchase of an eighty-acre plantation near Columbia, South Carolina, as the site for a new school for the recently emancipated people of African descent.

Benedict Institute set out from humble beginnings in a dilapidated former slave master’s mansion to prepare men and women to be “powers for good in society.”

During the first quarter century of its existence, Benedict Institute’s educational program addressed the severely limited economic and social conditions of the black population in the South. The Institute’s original objective was 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 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.

Maintaining a liberal arts tradition, Benedict College now offers degree programs in twenty-four major areas of study to meet the needs of a complex and technological society at home and world-wide as the twentyfirst century sets new parameters for our students and graduates. The College is currently undergoing an extensive campus improvement plan, which includes land acquisition and the completion of a comprehensive athletics complex which includes the Charlie W. Johnson Stadium. Campus facilities improvements since 2000: the installation of air-conditioning, fire sprinkler systems, and security systems in residence halls; completion of an activities field and community park; renovation of Bacoats Hall, Alumni Hall, Starks Center, and historic Antisdel Chapel; and restoration of historic Morgan, Pratt, and Starks Halls, the latter of which houses 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, a Business Development Center, and perimeter fencing. Additionally, buildings were acquired to house a fitness center, the Division of Community Development/Center for Excellence, the Child Development Center, the Visitor’s Center/Admissions Office, the Lamar Building which is used to house the Continuing Education/ Evening and Weekend Program. Three apartment complexes have been purchased for student housing. The College is celebrating 153 years of providing quality education to its students and meritorious service to this community. Across the years, more than 18,000 graduates of Benedict College have succeeded in all areas of human endeavor.

Benedict College is a place where “Learning to Be the Best: A Power of Good in the Twenty-First Century” characterizes its commitment to quality and continuous improvement in its role as one of the nation’s premier historically black Colleges.