Philander Smith College facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Philander Smith College

Type	Private, HBCU
Established	1877: Walden Seminary 1882: Philander Smith College
Religious affiliation	United Methodist Church
Academic affiliations	UNCF
Endowment	$3 million
President	Roderick L. Smothers
Students	760
Location	Little Rock, Arkansas , U.S.
Colors	Green and gold
Sporting affiliations	NAIA

Philander Smith College is a private college located in Little Rock, Arkansas. It is a historically black college, which means it was founded to provide education for Black students. The college is connected to the United Methodist Church. It also helped create the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), an organization that supports students attending historically black colleges. Philander Smith College is officially recognized by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Discover Philander Smith College History

Budlong Hall, an old building at the college, around 1910.

Philander Smith College first opened in 1877. It was called Walden Seminary back then. The goal was to offer education to formerly enslaved people living west of the Mississippi River. In 1882, the school changed its name to Philander Smith College. This was to honor Adeline Smith, who gave money to the school. She was the wife of Philander Smith.

The school became a four-year college in 1883. It gave out its first bachelor's degree in 1888. In 1933, it joined with George R. Smith College. That college had burned down in 1925. By 1943, Philander Smith was officially recognized by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

During the Civil Rights Movement, students at Philander Smith College were very active. They used peaceful protests, like sitting at "whites-only" lunch counters. This helped fight against segregation laws.

Explore the Campus

The college campus is in the middle of Little Rock. A highway, Interstate 630, runs just north of the campus. The campus is bordered by 10th and 14th streets to the north and south. Gaines and Chester streets are to the east and west.

The main part of the campus was first built for Little Rock Junior College. A two-block area of the campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A key building is the Cox Administration Building. It used to be the U.M. Rose School. A famous architect, John Parks Almand, designed it in 1915.

The campus also has the "Old Gym." This gymnasium was built by the WPA during the Great Depression. Another building is a former barracks from Camp Robinson Air Force Base. It was moved to the campus in 1948.

Philander Smith College Athletics

The sports teams at Philander Smith College are called the Panthers. The college is part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Since 2011, they mostly compete in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC). Before that, they were an independent team in the NAIA.

Philander Smith offers 10 different sports. For men, there's basketball, cross country, and track & field. Women's sports include basketball, cross country, track & field, and volleyball. Cheerleading is a sport for both men and women.

Athletic Achievements

The men's basketball team made history in the 2012–13 season. They won their first GCAC conference tournament title.

On February 21, 1989, the women's basketball team had a big win. They beat Rust College 92–89 on their home court. This ended the longest home-court winning streak in NCAA Division III women's basketball history.

Famous People Who Attended Philander Smith

• Devon Scott (born 1994), a basketball player in the Israel Basketball Premier League

Notable Faculty Members