Albany State University

Establishment and growth Joseph Winthrop Holley , born in 1874 to former slaves in Winnsboro, South Carolina , founded the institution in 1903 as the Albany Bible and Manual Training Institute . [ 7 ] Two educators, Reverend Samuel Lane Loomis and his wife, sent Holley to Brainerd Institute and then Revere Lay College (Massachusetts). When 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. Du Bois inspired Holley to return to the South after he read Du Bois's writings on the plight of Albany's Black community in The Souls of Black Folk . Holley relocated to Albany 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 (200,000 m 2 ) 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. In 1917, the institution became a state-supported school under the name Georgia Normal and Agricultural College , a two-year agricultural and teacher-training institution. [ 8 ] 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 , [ 9 ] a transition that significantly increased enrollment. In 1981, the college offered its first graduate program, paving the way for its upgrade to university status in 1996. In July 1994, most of the campus was flooded and suffered extensive damage when Tropical Storm Alberto caused the Flint River to overflow; the campus was subsequently extended eastward, with many new buildings erected on higher ground. [ 10 ]

The college played a significant role in the 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 together to create the Albany Movement . The movement brought prominent civil rights leaders to the town including Martin Luther King Jr. and resulted in the arrests of more than 1,000 black protestors. Among the first to be arrested were students from Albany State. [ 11 ] On November 22, 1961, Blanton Hall and Bertha Gober entered the white waiting room of the Albany bus station to buy tickets home for the Thanksgiving holiday. Refusing to leave after being ordered to do so, police arrested them both. Albany State President William Dennis, fearful of losing his position, immediately suspended and eventually expelled the students. This action engendered a great deal of animosity from the black community and the student body. Gober would continue in the civil rights movement as one of the SNCC's Freedom Singers and write the group's anthem. Bernice Johnson Reagon , another Albany State student who left school to work with the SNCC, would later form the well-known a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock . On December 10, 2011, thirty two of the students who were expelled were granted honorary degrees. The school awarded thirty one honorary baccalaureate degrees and one honorary doctorate – that to Bernice Johnson Reagon. A noted cultural historian, Reagon was also the commencement speaker. [ 12 ]

In July 1996, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approved the change from college to university and the name of Albany State College officially became Albany State University. A new stadium was opened in 2004 and new housing units opened in 2006. In 2015, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia announced the merger of Albany State and Darton State College , with Albany State serving as the surviving instituion. [ 13 ] In 2017, the two institutions consolidated, with Albany State University retaining its name and branding. The former Darton campus became the university's West Campus and the location of the Darton College of Health Professions. Since the consolidation, Albany State University has made several gains. Summer enrollment has increased in recent years, particularly among graduate students, reflecting improved student access and programming. [ 14 ] Retention rates have also risen, demonstrating enhanced academic support and campus services. [ 15 ] ASU continues to contribute significantly to the regional economy—generating over $260 million and supporting thousands of jobs. [ 16 ] The university has also expanded its facilities and online learning capacity, including opening a new state-of-the-art simulation facility for health sciences [ 17 ] and securing a $2.9 million federal grant to improve broadband access for underserved communities. [ 18 ]

Joseph Winthrop Holley (1903–1943) 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) Everette J. Freeman (2005–2013) Arthur Dunning (2015–2018) Marion Ross Fedrick (2018–2024) Robert Scott (2025–Present)