Albany State University
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| Albany State University | |
|---|---|
| Image:ASU college seal.jpg | |
| Motto: | A Past to Cherish, A Future to Fulfill |
| Established | 1903 |
| Type: | Historically Black Public |
| President: | Dr. Everette J. Freeman |
| Students: | 4,033[1] |
| Undergraduates: | 3,606[1] |
| Postgraduates: | 427[1] |
| Location | Albany, Georgia, United States |
| Campus: | Urban |
| Colors: | Royal Blue and Yellow Gold |
| Mascot: | Golden Ram |
| Website: | http://www.asurams.edu |
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 206 acre campus with impressive historic and modern buildings. [1]
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[edit] 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. In 1981 the college offered its first graduate program and in 1996 its name was changed to Albany State University.
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]
[edit] 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.
[edit] Present Day
Today the Albany State University student body consists of both traditional and non-traditional students who make up the more than 4,000 student population. These students come primarily from Atlanta, southwest and middle Georgia, other U.S. states and many foreign countries. The average student age is 24 and about 40 percent of the students live in on-campus housing.
There are over 59 clubs and organizations including bands, choirs, religious groups, honor societies, several major Greek and honor sororities and fraternities, and ROTC. An NCAA Division II school, Albany State's intercollegiate sports include men's football, basketball, baseball, track and field, cross-country and women's basketball, cheerleading, volleyball, cross-country and track and field.
Albany State's Marching Band participated in the 2007 Honda Battle of the Bands (HBOB). In 2008 it will participate again.
According to U.S. News & World Report, ASU ranks number 26 out of 81 in the magazine’s first ranking of undergraduate education at HBCUs. ASU shares its #26 ranking with Alabama A&M University, Delaware State University, Jackson State University, Kentucky State University and Stillman College. [4]
[edit] Athletics
The Department of Athletics at Albany State University (ASU) prides itself on fielding highly competitive programs that have built long-standing winning traditions. As a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), one of the most competitive conferences at the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Albany State prides itself on producing first-rate athletic programs for male and female student-athletes that are characterized by excellence.
The Golden Rams Track and Field Team has won 17 SIAC titles throughout the years (1972-1978, 1980-1987, 2003-2005), while the Lady Rams Track and Field Team has won six SIAC championships, with three consecutive titles (2005-2007). The Lady Rams volleyball team has won eight SIAC championships, with seven consecutive titles (1998, 2001-2007). The Golden Rams football team won six SEAC titles in 1955, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1962 and 1966, and has won 13 SIAC titles with four consecutive championships (1984,-1986, 1988, 1993-1997, 2003-2006). The ASU baseball team has won eight SIAC championships (1991, 1994, 2000-2004 and 2006) and the Lady Rams softball team has won two championships (2005 and 2007). The Lady Rams Basketball Team has won seven championships (1980, 1981, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1996 and 1998), and the Golden Rams Basketball Team has won seven championships (1973, 1983-1985, 1992, 1997 and 2007). The Men’s Cross Country Team has captured 10 titles (1976, 1977, 1979, 1980-1986), while the Lady Rams Cross Country Team has won six championships (1982, 1998, 2004-2007). Albany State sponsored men and women's swimming and diving teams in past years and were named National Black College Swimming and Diving Champions in 1979 and 1980.
[edit] NPHC Organizations
- Alpha Kappa Alpha, Gamma Sigma Chapter
- Alpha Phi Alpha, Delta Delta Chapter
- Kappa Alpha Psi, Delta Xi Chapter
- Omega Psi Phi, Chi Epsilon Chapter
- Delta Sigma Theta, Delta Rho Chapter
- Zeta Phi Beta, Pi Beta Chapter
- Phi Beta Sigma, Beta Psi Chapter
- Sigma Gamma Rho, Zeta Psi Chapter
- Iota Phi Theta
[edit] Colleges and Schools
Albany State offers more than 30 undergraduate degree programs and six advanced degrees. The most popular majors are biology, criminal justice, computer science, middle-grades education, business administration and nursing. The six advanced degrees offered are: the master of science in criminal justice, master of public administration, master of business administration, master of science in nursing, master of education in 11 majors, and an education specialist degree. The university also offers the Board of Regents' engineering transfer program and the dual degree program in engineering with Georgia Tech.
Colleges include: The College of Business, The College of Arts and Sciences, The College of Education, and The College of Health Professions.[5] 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.[6]
References and External Links
- Albany State University Past to Present
- Albany State University Profile
- ASU Academics: Colleges and Schools
- Albany State University's official website
- Albany State in the 2007 Honda Battle of the Bands
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference |
|---|
| Albany State • Benedict • Clark Atlanta • Fort Valley State • Kentucky State • Lane • LeMoyne–Owen† • Miles • Morehouse • Paine† • Stillman • Tuskegee † non-football member |
University System of Georgia | |
|---|---|
| Research Universities | Georgia Tech • Georgia State • Medical College of Georgia • University of Georgia |
| Regional Universities | Georgia Southern • Valdosta State |
| State Universities | Albany State • Armstrong Atlantic State • Augusta State • Clayton State • Columbus State • Ft. Valley State • GCSU • Georgia Southwestern State • Kennesaw State • North Georgia State • Savannah State • Southern Polytechnic State • West Georgia |
| State Colleges | Dalton State • Gainesville State • Georgia Gwinnett College • Macon State • Middle Georgia |
| Agricultural Colleges | Abraham Baldwin |
| Two-year Colleges | Atlanta Metro • Bainbridge • Coastal Georgia • Darton • East Georgia • Georgia Highlands • Georgia Perimeter • Gordon • South Georgia • Waycross |
| Independent research unit | Skidaway Institute of Oceanography |
| Governing body | Georgia Board of Regents |
Categories: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | University System of Georgia | Universities and colleges in Georgia (U.S. state) | Historically black universities and colleges in the United States | Albany, Georgia | Dougherty County, Georgia | Educational institutions established in 1903
