Spelman, one of the nation's most highly regarded colleges for women, was founded by Sophia B. Packard and Harriet E. Giles, two friends who were commissioned in 1879 by the Woman's American Baptist Home Mission Society to study the living conditions "among the freedmen of the South." Appalled by the lack of educational opportunity for Black women, the missionaries returned to Boston determined to effect change. On April 11, 1881, they opened a school in the basement of Atlanta's Friendship Baptist Church with $100 provided by the congregation of the First Baptist Church of Medford, Massachusetts. The first eleven pupils, ten women and one girl, were mostly ex-slaves, determined to learn to read the Bible and write.
Totally dedicated, Misses Packard and Giles returned to the North in 1882 for more funds. At a church meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, they were introduced to Mr. John D. Rockefeller who emptied his wallet during the collection and questioned the two women's intentions:
"You know," he said, "there are so many who come here and get us to give money. Then they're gone, and we don't know where they are--where their work is. Do you mean to stick? If you do, you'll hear from me again."
Determined to succeed, the women took an option on an Atlanta site that had been used as barracks and drill grounds for federal troops during the Civil War. Sustained by their faith, Misses Packard and Giles worked diligently to gain additional financial support. Subsequently, title of the property was transferred to the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, and in February 1883, the school relocated to its new nine-acre site, which included five frame buildings with both classroom and residence hall space. In an effort to liquidate the debt, more than $4,000 was raised by the Black community, $3,000 by the Negro Baptists of Georgia, and another $1,300 from individual contributions. Other important gifts and contributions kept operating costs at a minimum. Teachers volunteered their services and gifts of furnishings; supplies and clothing were sent from the North. As enrollment steadily increased, the normal school curriculum was expanded to include sewing, cooking, millinery, and other preeminently practical subjects.
In April 1884 on the third anniversary of the founding of the school, Mr. John D. Rockefeller was indeed heard from again. Visiting the school with Mrs. Rockefeller, her sister and her mother, Mrs. Lucy Henry Spelman, Mr. Rockefeller was impressed enormously with the seminary and settled the debt on the property. Later, the name of the school was changed to Spelman Seminary in honor of the Spelman family, longtime activists in the Anti-Slavery Movement.
In addition to stabilizing a tenuous financial situation, the Rockefeller gift established an interest and recognition that otherwise might have taken years to achieve. Financial support from new sources helped to broaden the school's involvement in community, social, and church work. The Slater Fund, already underwriting the cost of teaching new trade subjects, provided the money to set up a printing department. The Spelman Messenger (1884), the school's first major publication, became an important instrument for disseminating practical information, especially for families in rural areas.
As the mushrooming enrollment taxed the school's modest facilities, Mr. Rockefeller responded by donating funds for a magnificent $40,000 brick building, the first major construction on the Spelman campus. In 1887, Rockefeller Hall, named for its donor, was succeeded by another major building, Packard Hall. Completed in 1888, the building was dedicated to the work, vision, and self-sacrifice of Sophia Packard, who worked assiduously to acquire a state charter for the school. In 1888 the charter was granted, and the Board of Trustees officially expressed its gratitude by appointing Miss Packard as Spelman's first president.
During the first 10 years, the school flourished with 800 pupils, 30 teachers, and property valued at $90,000. Harriet E. Giles succeeded Sophia Packard and served as president of Spelman for the next 18 years, a period marked by maturation and progress. The Seminary conferred its first college degrees in 1901. A year later, the Seminary celebrated its 25th anniversary as an institution that had filled a spectrum of needs for thousands of Black women--from grade school through college. Miss Giles' death on November 12, 1909, marked the end of a remarkable era.
Lucy Hale Tapley was elected to the presidency in March 1910. Miss Tapley, who had worked with the founders for 20 years, proved a formidable leader for the times. The 17 years of her administration saw the school answer the challenges of a new century and gradually move away from the concept of an all-purpose academy. When the public sector began to provide educational opportunities for Black children, Spelman concentrated on higher level offerings as the Board of Trustees voted to discontinue the elementary school in 1927.
Spelman's brisk and positive president believed that training teachers constituted the most efficient use of the school's resources, and with the help of the Rockefellers, she acquired the facilities to strengthen the program, offering elementary and secondary education and home economics courses. On June 1, 1924, the name of the school was officially changed to "Spelman College."
Within a 10-year period, four major buildings were erected. Sisters Chapel, named in honor of Laura Spelman Rockefeller and her sister Lucy Maria Spelman, was the crowning achievement of Miss Tapley's administration. The building, with a seating capacity of 1,050, still remains one of the largest in the Atlanta University Center.. Miss Tapley resigned in June 1927 and was named President Emerita.
Florence Matilda Read, a graduate of Mount Holyoke College, was elected president, effective September 1, 1927. As a condition of her acceptance, Miss Read requested that Spelman establish an endowment fund and use the interest to help defray the cost of operations. The trustees used her request to solicit funds that eventually totaled more than $3,000,000. By 1930 Spelman had become one of only six Black colleges to hold membership in the American Association of Colleges and by 1932 had received an "A" rating from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
One of the most significant events in the College's history was the signing of the Agreement of Affiliation between Spelman College, Morehouse College, and Atlanta University in April 1929. The agreement set up a university system in which Spelman and Morehouse served as undergraduate institutions and Atlanta University as the graduate school. Eventually, Morris Brown and Clark Colleges joined the affiliation in 1957, the Interdenominational Theological Center in 1959, and the Morehouse School of Medicine in 1983. The largest consortium of Black colleges was ultimately renamed the Atlanta University Center (AUC).
In 1929 the nearly unique system strengthened the schools by an interchange of facilities, faculties, students, and curricula. The addition of Atlanta University as the graduate school gave the undergraduate institutions immediate access to graduate facilities in an era when Blacks were still denied entrance to southern universities. Under the new system, Spelman's high school division was turned over to Atlanta University and thereafter operated as the Atlanta University Laboratory School.
A little more than a year after the Agreement of Affiliation had been signed, the General Education Board, a Rockefeller agency, donated the funds for a magnificent library for the collective use of members and prospective members of the new university system. Designed by James Gambrell Rogers (architect for Yale, Northwestern, Cornell, et al.) and strategically located on the Atlanta University campus between Spelman and Morehouse, the new structure was completed in 1932 and later was named for Trevor Arnett, chairman of Spelman's Board of Trustees and a distinguished administrator.
During the 1930s and 1940s, Spelman continued to strengthen its core curriculum, but there was a noticeable emphasis on the arts because exclusionary practices in the South denied Blacks cultural exposure. In most instances, Spelman gave its students their first real exposure to the fine arts, especially in music, art, drama, and dance.
World War II helped to alleviate some of the traditions of discrimination. As an integral part of the war effort, Spelman allowed the Army to use Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Building as Branch #7 of the Army Administration School. During its operation, nearly 1,500 soldiers were graduated from the school. Spelman graduates served in the WAC (Women's Army Corps) and the Army Nurses Corps as camp librarians and in the American Red Cross, government, and industry.
At the end of the war, after a thorough survey of the school, the prestigious American Association of Universities, an elite organization of graduate schools, placed Spelman on its approved list of colleges and universities, a recognition which was tantamount to giving qualified Spelman women access to the best graduate schools in America. By the end of 1947, only seven Black schools had met the association's requirements, and three of the schools were in Atlanta: Spelman College, Morehouse College, and Atlanta University.
On July 1, 1953, an enormously productive and distinguished career ended when Florence Read retired as president of Spelman. Named President Emerita, she was succeeded by Dr. Albert E. Manley, who had been dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at North Carolina College in Durham since 1946.
A graduate of Johnson C. Smith University, Dr. Manley earned his Ed.D. at Stanford University. He was the first Black and the first male to serve as president of Spelman College. From the first day of his administration, Dr. Manley demonstrated his belief that women were as capable of leadership as men and that for such leadership to be effective, it must be backed by knowledge. He emphasized the achievement of excellence in all aspects of life.
As opportunities for Black women increased, were encouraged to enter the fields of medicine, law, international affairs, engineering, business, and industry. They were prepared and encouraged to enter the best graduate and professional schools in the country.. Although the decade of the 1960s severely tested all institutions of higher learning and threatened the continuity and purposes of the predominantly Black colleges, Spelman's strong emergence from those challenges attests to the quality of its leadership and the fiber of the whole college community.
The Albert Manley administration created opportunities for students to travel and study abroad, encouraged leadership training, developed an effective student government association, and strengthened the tradition of excellence in the fine arts. A new fine arts building, named for John D. Rockefeller, Jr., was built to house the departments of drama, music, and art. As the College continued to grow, three new dormitories were built and classroom buildings were renovated or updated to meet the demands of an expanding curriculum.
When Dr. Manley retired in 1976, Dr. Donald M. Stewart became the sixth president of the College. Dr. Stewart, with the A.B. degree from Grinnell, the A.M. degree from Yale, and the M.P.A. and D.P.A. from Harvard, brought new strengths and experiences to the Spelman presidency. He provided leadership as Spelman women were educated to face broader opportunities and more complex responsibilities.
During his tenure, Dr. Stewart continued Spelman's long tradition of academic excellence. By establishing a full-fledged chemistry department and by strengthening its General Education requirements, Spelman broadened its majors and added career oriented minors. A writing workshop was initiated to help students improve their thinking and writing skills. To further enhance the academic environment, the Comprehensive Writing Program, the Honors Program and the Women's Research and Resource Center were developed.
A Continuing Education Program, which began with noncredit courses, was instituted for the nontraditional student. This program now includes credit and noncredit courses and a Human Services major.
As technology was thoroughly integrated into the campus life, computer literacy was required for students, and there were ongoing workshops for the faculty. Computer Science was also initiated as a major and minor course of study.
Two new buildings were erected on the campus. Designed to support the belief that education continues outside the classroom, a new residence hall was formally dedicated as the Donald and Isabel Stewart Living-Learning Center in 1986. It became the site of many lectures, forums, discussion groups, and other educational activities..
The other building, the Academic Computer Center, originally housed a mainframe computer for teaching, and a terminal room that contained terminals and microcomputers that accessed the Atlanta University Center computer via a Local Area Network.
The Women's Studies Program, also initiated under the Stewart Administration, offered courses in Women's Studies, presented conferences and symposia, and published a journal.
On April 11, 1981, Spelman College celebrated a full century of service to women who achieve. It offered majors in 26 fields as well as special prelaw and premedical sequences. Career programs and placement services helped students to identify graduate or professional schools or job opportunities most suited to their talents and training. Five years later in December 1986, Dr. Stewart ended his tenure to become president of The College Board. Dr. Barbara Carter, Vice President for Academic Affairs, served as Acting President during the interim (January 1987 - June 1987).
At the annual meeting of the Board of Trustees on April 25, 1987, Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole was selected as the first Black woman president of Spelman College, effective July 1, 1987. Dr. Cole, a former professor of anthropology at Hunter College and the Director of Latin-American and Caribbean Studies at the City University of New York, was educated at Fisk University, Oberlin College (B.A.), and Northwestern University (M.A., Ph.D.). Dr. Cole brought a wealth of scholarly achievement and demonstrated leadership to the College. The beginning of her administration was punctuated by a $20 million donation from Drs. William and Camille Cosby for the construction of the Camille O. Hanks Cosby Academic Center. During her tenure, she positioned Spelman among the top liberal arts colleges in the nation and spearheaded the most successful major capital campaign in the history of the College. Under Dr. Cole's leadership, Spelman received national and international recognition as she ushered in a new era of commitment to the community. Her personal and unshakable pledge to social awareness and activism inspired a generation to believe that the gift of education is not their own, but must be utilized for the greater community: "No one is free from the kind of community service that leads to both stronger communities and a just nation. Spelman was born for service." With this philosophy, she established the Johnnetta B. Cole Institute for Community Service and Community Building as an integral part of life at Spelman College. After leaving Spelman, she served on the faculty of Emory University as the Distinguished Presidential Scholar in Anthropology, Women's Studies and African American Studies, and in 2003 she became the 14th president of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Dr. Audrey Forbes Manley, the first Spelman alumna to hold the office of President, succeeded Dr. Cole. Former Deputy Surgeon General and Acting Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. Manley began her tenure as president on July 1, 1997. As the eighth president of the College, Dr. Manley focused on positioning Spelman for success well into the next century. Spelman continued to be ranked among the top liberal arts colleges in the nation. In 1998, the College was awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and most prestigious honor society. Spelman is now one of only four HBCUs to have such a chapter. The College also was accepted as a provisional member of the NCAA Division III in basketball, volleyball, cross country, soccer, golf and tennis. Construction of the new $30.8 million Science Complex and the renovation of MacVicar Hall were completed.
The campaign to restore and renovate historic Sisters Chapel is underway. The Spelman College Strategic Plan, A Blueprint for the Future, has been designed to provide direction for the future of the College. The Plan addresses the quality of living and learning in the college community, enhancement of the technological infrastructure, geographic expansion, community revitalization, and realization of the philanthropic potential of alumnae.
In the spring of 2002, Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum was appointed the ninth President of Spelman College. Prior to her appointment, Dr. Tatum was the Acting President of Mount Holyoke College. Dr. Tatum is a scholar, teacher, author, administrator, and clinical psychologist with expertise in race relations and racial identity formation.
Building on Spelman's distinguished history as the premier liberal arts college for women of African descent, Dr. Tatum's administration will continue the College's mission with a focus on maintaining academic excellence, developing leadership, improving the infrastructure, increasing the visibility of our achievements, and providing exemplary customer service. This five-point plan is embodied in its slogan: Spelman ALIVE. In 2003, the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement (LEADS: Leadership Development, Economic Empowerment, Advocacy through the Arts, Dialogue across Difference, and Service Learning and Civic Engagement) was established as a research institute and national repository to explore leadership theories and models. It held its first conference for women of color in 2004.
Like their leaders, Spelman women are outstanding in many fields, and their achievements attest to the quality of the institution. With its rich heritage and high standards, the College will continue to provide a first-rate liberal arts education for its students in an environment of excellence.
The College campus consists of more than 32 acres and 23 buildings on the west side of Atlanta about a mile and a half from the downtown area.
Rockefeller Hall (1886) is the administration building. In addition to the major administrative offices, it contains Howe Memorial Hall, formerly the school's chapel, given by Dr. William Howe of Cambridge, Massachusetts, in memory of his wife.
Packard Hall (1888), named for the senior founder of the school, Miss Sophia B. Packard, was renovated in 2003 and houses administrative offices including the Office of Enrollment Management, which includes Admission, Financial Aid, and the Registrar's Office.
Giles Hall (1892 and renovated in 1996), named for Miss Harriet E. Giles, is the home of the social sciences and provides offices and classrooms. It also houses the Honors Program, Learning Resources Center and the Fine Arts computer graphics laboratory.
Morehouse-James Hall, Morgan Hall, MacVicar Hall and Reynolds Cottage were completed in 1901. Morehouse-James Hall is a dormitory for students. Morgan Hall contained the College's dining rooms and also served as a dormitory; however, it was destroyed by fire in 1970. It stood where the Albert E. Manley College Center now stands. MacVicar Hall houses the Women's Health Center, the Office of Counseling Services, and living facilities for the resident nurses and students. Remodeled in 1996, Reynolds Cottage is the president's residence.
Upton Hall (1904), which once provided housing for faculty members, housed the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Network, the Office of Community Service and the Bonner Scholars program, prior to its demolition in 2004.
Bessie Strong Hall (1917 and renovated in 2003) serves as a student residence hall and houses the WISDOM center.
Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Building was completed in 1918 in response to the demand for better facilities for training domestic science teachers. Money for the building and equipment was given by Mr. John D. Rockefeller as a memorial to his wife. In 1930, the Spelman Nursery School, now the Marian Wright Edelman Child Development Center, began with facilities on the ground floor of the building. It also provides student living facilities.
Tapley Hall, the science building erected in 1925 and named for Miss Lucy Hale Tapley, is a three-story brick building that contains science laboratories, offices, and classrooms.
Sisters Chapel, dedicated in May 1927 by Mr. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., in honor of his mother and aunt, contains an auditorium with a seating capacity of 1,050 and the Harreld James Organ, a three-manual Holtkamp organ of 53 ranks. This organ was installed in April 1968. In 1942 the Alumnae Association donated chimes for the Chapel.
Chadwick Hall, formerly the Leonard Street Orphans Home built in 1936, was acquired by Spelman in 1945 from Atlanta University and used as a residence hall until its demolition in 1986.
The Florence Matilda Read Health and Recreation Building was completed in July 1951. It contains the main gymnasium, offices and lounges, a swimming pool, bowling alleys, dance studios, a corrective gymnastics room, game rooms, lockers, and showers.
Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Hall, a residence hall, was built in 1952 with funds given by Mr. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
The John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Fine Arts Building (1964) was made possible by a grant from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and given in memory of Mr. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. It houses the departments of art, music, and drama.
Dorothy Shepard Manley Hall, a residence hall built with a federal loan from the Housing and Home Finance Agency, was completed in 1964. On November 13, 1964, the Board of Trustees voted to name it Dorothy Shepard Manley Hall in recognition of Mrs. Manley's assistance in the planning of the furnishings for the residence hall. It was formally named on March 15, 1965.
Named to honor Miss Clara Howard of the first High School graduating class and Mrs. Claudia Harreld of the first College graduating class, the second stage of a four-stage residence complex, Howard-Harreld Hall, was completed in September 1968.
During the third stage, the Sally Sage McAlpin Hall, named in honor of Mrs. McAlpin then Chairperson of the Board of Trustees, was built.
A College Center, completed in 1973 and named Albert E. Manley College Center by the Board of Trustees, houses the Alma Upshaw Dining Room, the Lawrence J. MacGregor Board Room, administrative and student government offices, the snack shop, the commuter student lounge, and two concourses--Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman.
The College Bookstore and the College Mail Center, originally located in the Manley College Center, are now housed in a separate facility, which was completed in 1988.
The residential complex was expanded when the Donald and Isabel Stewart Living-Learning Center opened in the fall of 1983. In addition to housing 198 students, the building includes a large meeting room and quarters for visiting lecturers, scholars, and artists.
The Academic Computer Center, dedicated in April 1985, is a two-story structure containing computer laboratories, faculty offices, a study area, and classrooms, including one electronic classroom and a standard classroom with a mini-lab and personal computers that provide Internet access.
The Living-Learning Center II opened September 1, 1989. The Center houses 200 students and provides conference facilities for on-campus and off-campus organizations.
Donated by Drs. Camille and William (Bill) Cosby, the Camille O. Hanks Cosby Academic Center, dedicated in February 1996, provides classrooms and laboratories for students studying in the humanities. It houses several interdisciplinary programs, departments and offices for faculty in English, history, philosophy, religion and modern foreign languages. The Center also contains an auditorium, an art museum, a conta museum shop, the Spelman College archives, the Ennis Cosby Reading Room, the Educational Media Center, the Writing Center, and the Women's Research and Resource Center.
The Albro-Falconer-Manley Science Center , a $33.9 million state-of-the-art center, opened its doors in 2000. A site for intellectual exchange and scientific creativity, the student-friendly center promotes interaction between students and faculty, and attracts those outside of the scientific community and College. Designed to foster interdisciplinary learning, the building accommodates current research and teaching practices and supports the use of technology in teaching for the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics and Physics as well as curriculum-based programs in Environmental Science and Engineering. Departmental offices, as well as offices for special support programs that enhance the infrastructure of teaching and research, are located in the facility.
Affiliation in the Atlanta University Center
Spelman is one of five institutions that constitutes the Atlanta University Center, the largest consortium of Black higher education in the world. Cooperation among the affiliated institutions takes many forms, including joint use of the Robert W. Woodruff Library and cross-registration among the undergraduate institutions. Each school retains independent boards of trustees, administrative offices, faculty, student body, buildings, campus, and endowment, allowing Spelman to enjoy the benefits of a small liberal arts college while having access to the resources of a major university center.
A Board of Directors sets priorities for the Atlanta University Center, and the Executive Director, the chief operating officer of the Center, reports to the Council of Presidents, composed of the presidents of each of the Center institutions.
Spelman College, along with the other Atlanta University Center institutions, shares the center-wide Robert W. Woodruff Library, located near the campus. This three-level facility contains approximately 1,476,497 volumes with space for additional growth. This facility also houses media, curriculum materials, and academic and administrative data processing centers.
The Atlanta University Center's library is rich in resources for African American studies. The Archives and Special Collections from the Trevor Arnett Library and several of the individual campuses include the Henry P. Slaughter Collection on Negro Life and Culture, the Countee Cullen Memorial Collection of materials on art, theatre, music, and manuscripts, the Thayer Collection of letters, pamphlets, books, coins, and other memorabilia associated with Abraham Lincoln, the College Language Association Collection, the Vivian Henderson Collection, the papers of the Southern Regional Council on the Commission on Interracial Cooperation, and many other prominent collections.
Other specialized collections include the Interdenominational Theological Center's collection of books and other materials on the Negro church in America, the Atlanta University Negro Collection of paintings, sculptures, and prints, and the Phelps Stokes Collection of African Art and the institutional records of Clark Atlanta University, Interdenominational Theological Center, Morris Brown, Spelman, and Morehouse Colleges.
The Robert W. Woodruff Library also provides computerized access to its holdings, curriculum of books, interlibrary loan and access to a large variety of electronic and online databases.
To facilitate study and research, the Library seats 1,500 persons, has a separate special collections area and reading room, 10 conference and seminar rooms, a closed reserve reading room, 136 individual research carrels, and 468 open study carrels distributed throughout the three levels of the well-lighted and air-conditioned building. A highly competent staff of librarians and paraprofessionals are available to provide quality services and to readily assist users during the library's 87 hours of operation each week.
Women's Research and Resource Center
In July 1981, Spelman College was the recipient of a grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to establish a Women's Center, the first of its kind on a historically Black college campus. The major components of the Center, now located on the second floor of the Cosby Academic Center, are curriculum development in Women's Studies, especially the Comparative Women's Studies major and minor, research on Black women and community outreach to women. The Women's Center also manages the Spelman College Archives.