Stillman College students heading to class

Stillman College students heading to class

Stillman College

History

In 1874, Presbyterians from Tuscaloosa headed by the Rev. Dr. Charles A. Stillman, a European American, asked the Presbyterian Church in the United States to establish a training school for Black ministers. Stillman held its first classes in 1876 and was chartered by the State of Alabama in 1895.

In 1898, the school moved to its present location in the western section of Tuscaloosa.

In the next five decades, the school acquired its present campus tract of over 100 acres, organized a junior and senior high school, and established a junior college program, which was accredited in 1937. In 1930 the school even operated a hospital and nurses’ training school.

Dr. Samuel Burney Hay’s administration (1948 to 1965), expanded the orientation of the school to become a four-year liberal arts college, hence the name change to Stillman College.

Stillman graduated it’s first baccalaureate class in 1951. It was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1953. A library, administration building, residence halls, prayer chapel, college center, and gymnasium were constructed during his watch.

Dr. Harold N. Stinson, the first African American president at Stillman (1967-1980) implemented new educational programs, and added facilities that included a mathematics-science center.

During Dr. Cordell Wynn’s presidential term (1982-1997) the campus made major strides forward as Winsborough and John Knox Halls were renovated, and the Marie Lundy Wynn Hall and Johnson/Robinson Center were built.

Enrollment grew beyond 1,000, the endowment increased, and programs were broadened at a time when some HBCUs were struggling.

Academic Merit

When Dr. Ernest McNealey took office in 1997, he took the college into the Internet Age by connecting all buildings with fiber optic cable, new labs, computers, and computer training for faculty and staff.

Admission standards were raised, the Harte Honors College was created, and guaranteed outcome pre-professional programs have been established. A stadium, a fine arts center, and introduced a formal campus entrance.

Stillman College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate degrees. The college has three major schools: Business, Arts & Science, and Education.

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Campus Life

Stillman College is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 52 miles southwest of Birmingham. The beautiful campus is within walking distance of downtown Tuscaloosa and it is noted for historic architecture.

This HBCU features 21 academic administrative, residential, and recreational buildings. The 100-acre campus is noted for its magnolia trees and well-maintained greensward.

Stillman offers a wide range of academic, special interest, and performing arts clubs and organizations as well as organizations that address campus Christian life, as befitting its heritage. Eight national sororities and fraternities reside here and there is plenty of geographic diversity, as students come from 20 states and some 6 foreign countries.

The college is big on tradition, manners, and values in the educational process.

In terms of athletics, Stillman competes in NCAA Division III in most sports: football, basketball volleyball, baseball, tennis, and track & field. A structured intramural sports program also provides leisure activity.

ADDRESS: Stillman College, Tuscaloosa, AL MAP
PHONE: 800-841-5722
WEBSITE: https://www.stillman.edu

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