African American Higher Education- Philander Smith College

Little Rock and North Little Rock are home to three of the oldest seats of higher education in Arkansas. Little Rock’s Philander Smith College, supported by the Methodist Episcopalian Church, was founded in 1877 as Walden Seminary, and was originally located at Wesley Methodist Church at 8th Street and Broadway. It moved to its present location at 10th and Center Streets in 1882 with a donation provided by Mrs. Adeline Smith of Oak Park, Illinois. The college was re-named in honor of her husband, Philander Smith, the following year. In its early years it served as a training college for African American ministers, but gradually expanded its offerings to elementary and secondary classes, and then to bachelor’s of arts and science degrees. Notable graduates include Dr. Jocelyn Elders, a former U.S. surgeon general, and pioneering black theologian James Cone. I’m John Kirk of the UALR History Department and this has been an Arkansas moment.