Month: February 2022

Explore HBCU – Paine College

Staff Writer
February 24, 2022

Paine College is a private, historically black Methodist college in Augusta, Georgia.

Background

In 1869, Bishop Lucius Henry proposed the idea of a school specialized in training Black teachers and preachers so they could adequately address the educational and spiritual needs of those who were previously enslaved. With the help of the Methodist Episcopal Church South (the United Methodist Church) and the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church (the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church) the Paine Institute was founded, named after the late Bishop Robert Paine of the United Methodist Church.

The Paine Institute began with a high school component and eventually added a college one as well. By 1903, the college-level work was enough to justify the school’s name change to Paine College, all the while continuing to offer high school courses until 1945 because there were no public secondary schools open to African Americans until then. By 1961, the college was admitted to full membership in the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Today, Paine College continues to be a liberal arts, church-related school, open to all and holding steadfast to its founding denominations.

Programs & Opportunities

Paine’s mission is “to provide a liberal arts education of the highest quality that emphasizes academic excellence, ethical and spiritual values, social responsibility, and personal development.”

The school offers major programs in a variety of fields that ultimately lead to a bachelor’s degree in the arts and sciences. Students can choose from a total of seven majors—sociology, mathematics, business administration, biology, psychology, mass communications, history—offered across five departments and with varying concentrations within each degree track.

Learn more about Paine College’s academic course offerings and degree programs here. 

Alumni Affairs

Paine alumni go on to shape the future of their local communities, as well as national and international environments. Some of Paine’s change-making alumni include, but are not limited to:

  • Dr. Shirley McBay earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry from Paine College. She went on to become the first African American Dean of Students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as the president of the Quality Education for Minorities Network.
  • Dr. Louis Lomas completed his Bachelor of Arts at Paine College and is well-known today for his books and works in journalism. Some of his most-recognized works include The Reluctant African, The Negro Revolt, When the Word Is Given: A Report on Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X, and the Black Muslim World, Thailand: The War that Is, The War that Will Be, and his final work To Kill a Black Man.
  • Dr. Mack Gipson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in natural sciences at Paine College. He also earned his Master of Science and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and became the first African American to receive a doctorate in the field of geology.

Financial Information

The reported total cost of attendance for students is $16,095 for students living off-campus, and $23,606 for students who reside on campus. For the past 2019-2020 school year, the average financial aid package was $13,974, with full-time undergraduate students receiving aid in the form of grants, scholarships, and fellowships.

Conclusion

Paine College aims to provide a high-quality liberal arts education while remaining an institution largely steeped in the tenets of Methodism. At the forefront of the college’s mission are the production of academic excellence, ethical and spiritual values, social responsibility, and personal development for its students. 

Learn more about Paine College here.

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Explore HBCU – Interdenominational Theological Center

Staff Writer
February 18, 2022

The Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) is a Christian Africentric ecumenical consortium of historically black seminaries and fellowships in Atlanta, Georgia.

Background

In 1958, the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) was founded as a joint venture between four seminaries: the United Methodist-affiliated Gammon Theological Seminary, Turner Theological Seminary (African Methodist Episcopal), Phillips School of Theology (Christian Methodist Episcopal), and the Baptist-affiliated Morehouse School of Religion. Working closely with each other, Theologian Harry V. Richardson and Baptist Minister Benjamin Mays helped to spearhead the consolidation of the institutions, as well as to secure academic and financial support—namely that of the Sealantic Fund which was founded to support theological education by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 

The ITC’s collaborative structure was designed with the mission to come together and form one school of theology, in cooperation, as an ecumenical cluster. Today, the ITC Seminaries comprises the Gammon Theological Seminary: United Methodist, the Morehouse School of Religion: Baptist, the Turner Theological Seminary: African Methodist Episcopal, the Phillips School of Theology: Christian Methodist Episcopal, the Charles H. Mason Theological Seminary: Church of God in Christ, and the Richardson: Ecumenical Fellowship.

Programs & Opportunities

The Interdenominational Theological Center offers a specialized school of focus, offering graduate areas of study, in addition to a certificate in theology. Degree specialities include: a Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Religion and Education, Master of Arts in Liturgical Arts and Culture, and a Doctor of Ministry—offered both online and in-person.

Learn more about the degrees offered by the ITC here. 

Alumni Affairs

The ITC strives to educate students committed to justice and peace through a “liberating and transforming spirituality.” As such, students become leaders in global and local communities. Some notable alumni include, but are not limited to:

  • Lydia Meredith is an author, community organizer, LGBTQ and human rights activist, and entrepreneur who obtained a Master’s in Christian Education from the Morehouse School of Religion.
  • Alfred Lloyd Norris is a retired Bishop of the United Methodist Church, also distinguished as a Methodist/United Methodist Pastor and President of a United Methodist Seminary, who received a Master’s of Divinity from Gammon Theological Seminary.
  • Sharma Lewis was the first African American woman to be elected as bishop in the UMC’s Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference. She graduated with a Master of Divinity degree from Gammon Theological Seminary with honors.

Financial Information

According to the most recent financial aid data available for the 2021-2022 school year, courses at ITC cost $847 per credit hour. ITC provides a baseline tuition scholarship for all students taking nine or more hours at a $14,000 flat rate tuition.

The Office of Financial Aid at the Interdenominational Theological Center ensures that all qualified students who seek to complete their education at the ITC can obtain the proper financial aid resources to do so.

Conclusion

The Interdenominational Theological Center’s mission is heavily steeped in preparing scholars from across the U.S. and the world for Christian ministry and public service. Students go on to help advance God’s mission of love, justice, and restoration in the world.

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Explore HBCU – Fort Valley State University

Staff Writer
February 11, 2022

Fort Valley State University is a public-land grant historically black university in Fort Valley, Georgia.

Background

Fort Valley High and Industrial School was established in 1895 and would continue on as a high school, until the late 1920s when a post-high school year was added followed by a teacher program. In 1902, the State Teachers and Agricultural College was founded, and just a few decades later in 1939, the institutions merged to form Fort Valley State College. The school became known as Fort Valley State University in 1996.

Today, FVSU occupies a 1,365-acre campus, making it Georgia’s second largest public university in acreage, as well as the only 1890 land-grant school in Georgia. Fort Valley State University is a historically black college with nearly 4,000 students who represent not only 159 counties of Georgia but more than 30 states and nearly 10 countries.

Programs & Opportunities

Fort Valley State University offers undergraduate degrees in over 50 majors. Some of the most popular include education, criminal justice, agriculture, business administration, and biology. The university also offers graduate specialties, online courses, and off-campus site learning opportunities. 

In addition to its course offerings, Fort Valley boasts a Cooperative Developmental Energy Program (CDEP). Fort Valley State’s CDEP is the only one of its kind in the nation that prepares students for energy-industry careers in science and geology. 

Learn more about Fort Valley State University’s unique and extensive degree programs here.

Alumni Affairs

FVSU alumni are leaders across various fields and endeavors. Some notable alumni include, but are not limited to:

  • Edith Ingram Grant, who studied education at Fort Valley State and went on to become  Georgia’s first black female judge.
  • Thomas Wesley Dortch, Jr. studied sociology at FVSU and is the founder of the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame, chairman of 100 Black Men National Board of Directors, and chairman and CEO of the TWD, Inc. consulting firm. 
  • Dr. Genevieve M. Knight graduated from Fort Valley State in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science in Math. She went on to co-found the Benjamin Banneker Association, dedicated to mathematics education and advocacy for African Americans.
  • Ralph McDaniel Paige graduated from FVSU in 1967 with a degree in physical education. He became a leading figure in business and helped secure more than $2 billion in the largest successful discrimination lawsuit against the federal government in American history. 

Financial Information

At Fort Valley State University, a reported 94% of full-time undergraduate students receive some form of need-based financial aid—the average need-based scholarship or grant is approximately $5,261 of the $6,848 in-state tuition and $20,250 out-of-state tuition.

Part of FVSU’s mission is to make the college experience memorable and its high-quality education more accessible, and as such, the institution’s Office of Financial Aid is available to help provide service in the form of financial aid counseling, guidance with the application processes, and more. This can be particularly helpful as one navigates the numerous financial aid programs offered by the university.

Conclusion

Fort Valley State University aims to combine the personal attention of small, private colleges with the resources often found at larger public universities. Not only does FVSU hope to advance the cause of education within its students but within the larger Georgia community as well.

Learn more about this amazing HBCU located within the heart of Georgia here.

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