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Founded in 1903, 'Albany State University' is a historically black , four year institution located in Albany, GA, a progressive city with a metropolitan statistical area population of 162,800. The University is one of three historically black colleges and universities in the University System of Georgia. Albany State offers undergraduate and graduate liberal arts and professional degree programs. The school sits on a 204 acre campus with impressive historic and modern buildings. [1]

Contents

Historical Background

The Albany Movement

Present Day

Colleges and Schools

Historical Background

Joseph Winthrop Holley founded the institution in 1903 as the Albany Bible and Manual Training Institute. Holley was born in 1874 to former slaves in Winnsboro, South Carolina. Two Educators, Reverend Samuel Loomis and his wife, sent Holley to Brainerd Institute and then Revere Lay College in Massachusetts. While attending Revere Lay, Holley got to know one of the school's trustees, New England businessman, Rowland Hazard. After taking a liking to Holley, Hazard arranged for him to continue his education at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. Holley aspired to become a minister and prepared by completing his education at Pennsylvania's Lincoln University.
W.E.B DuBois inspired Holley to return to the South after he read Dubois's writings on the plight of Black people in Albany, GA in The Souls of Black Folk. Holley relocated to Albany, GA to start a school. With the help of a $2,600 gift from the Hazard family, Holley organized a board of trustees and purchased 50 acres of land for the campus, all within a year. The aim of the institution at the time, was to provide elementary education and teacher training for the local Black population. The institution became financially state supported in 1917 as a two year agricultural and teacher training college. Its new name became The Georgia Normal and Agricultural College. [2]
In 1932, The school became part of the University System of Georgia and in 1943 it was granted four-year status and renamed Albany State College. The transition to four-year status heavily increased the school's enrollment.
Holley served as President of the school from 1903-1943. He was succeeded by Aaron Brown (1943-1954), William Dennis (1954-1965), Thomas Miller Jenkins (1965-1969), Charles Hayes (1969-1980), Billy C. Black (1980-1996), Portia Holmes Shields (1996-2005), and Everette J. Freeman (2005- ).[3]

The Albany Movement

The college played a significant role in the American Civil Rights Movement in the early 1960s. Many students from the school, black improvement organizations, and representatives from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) came to together to create the Albany Movement. The movement brought prominent civil rights leaders to the town including Martin Luther King Jr.

Present Day

Today the Albany State University student body consists of both traditional and non-traditional students who make up the more than 3,500 student population. These students come primarily from Atlanta, southwest and middle Georgia, other U.S. states and many foreign countries.

Colleges and Schools

Albany State offers more than 30 undergraduate degree programs and six advanced degrees. Colleges include: The College of Business, The College of Arts and Sciences, The College of Education, and The College of Health Professions.[4] The Graduate school degree programs include: Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Criminal Justice, Master of Science in Nursing, Master of Education, Master of Public Administration, and Education Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership.[5]
'References and External Links'

★ Albany State University Past to Present

★ Albany State University Profile

★ ASU Academics

★ ASU Graduate Programs

★ Albany State University's official website