Morehouse College is a private, all-male, historically black college located in Atlanta, Georgia. It is one of four remaining traditional men's colleges in the United States.

Located on a 61 acre (247,000 m˛) campus, the college has an enrollment of 3,000 students. The student-faculty ratio of the campus is 16:1 and 100% of the school's tenure-track faculty hold terminal degrees. Along with Clark Atlanta University, Interdenominational Theological Center, Morehouse School of Medicine and nearby women's college Spelman College, Morehouse is part of the Atlanta University Center.

Academics and demographics

Morehouse College seal

Morehouse was ranked #1 three times in a row (2002?2004) as the best school for African Americans for undergraduate study by Black Enterprise Magazine. ^[3] The college was rated by The Wall Street Journal as #29 out of the top 50 "feeder schools" for elite graduate study in a 2004 study. ^{[4] [5]} According to a 2007 joint publication by Newsweek and Kaplan, Inc., Morehouse College is one of the "25 Hottest Schools in America" and the "hottest men's college".^[6]

Morehouse is part of the Atlanta University Center along with Clark Atlanta University, Interdenominational Theological Center, Morehouse School of Medicine and Spelman College.

The student-faculty ratio of the campus is 15:1 and 100% of the school's tenure-track faculty hold terminal degrees.^[7]

History

Establishment

A view of an entrance to the campus' courtyard.

Early years

In 1879, the institute moved to the basement of the Friendship Baptist Church in Atlanta and changed its name to Atlanta Baptist Seminary. ^[8] The seminary later gained a four-acre campus in downtown Atlanta. In 1885, Dr. Samuel T. Graves became the school's second president. The same year, the seminary moved to its present location, which was a gift from John D. Rockefeller. In 1890 Dr. George Sale became the seminary's third president and in 1897 the school was renamed Atlanta Baptist College. ^[8]

Dr. John Hope, the school's first African-American president.

Dr. John Hope became the school's first African-American president in 1906 and led the institution's growth in size and academic stature. ^[8] He envisioned an academically rigorous college that would be the antithesis to Booker T. Washington's view of agricultural and trade-focused education for African-Americans. In 1913 the school was again renamed, and became Morehouse College - in honor of Henry L. Morehouse, the corresponding secretary of the Northern Baptist Home Missions Society. ^[8] Morehouse entered into a cooperative agreement with Clark College and Spelman College in 1929 and later expanded the association to create the Atlanta University Center.^[8]

Dr. Samuel H. Archer was named as the fifth president of the college in 1931 and selected the school colors, maroon and white, to reflect his own alma mater, Colgate University. Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays became president in 1940.^[8] Mays, who would become a mentor to Martin Luther King, Jr., presided over the school's growth in international enrollment and reputation. During the 1960s, Morehouse students were actively involved in the civil rights movement in Atlanta.^[8] Mays' profound speeches were instrumental in shaping the personal development of Morehouse students during his tenure.

In 1967, Dr. Hugh M. Gloster became the seventh president. In 1968, the school's Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society was founded. Gloster established the Morehouse School of Medicine in 1975, which became independent from Morehouse College in 1981.

Modern history

Dr. Leroy Keith, Jr was named president in 1987. In 1995, alumnus Dr. Walter E. Massey, became Morehouse's ninth president. His successor, Dr. Robert Michael Franklin is the tenth President of the College. In 2006, Morehouse graduated 540 men, one of the largest classes in its history. ^[11] On May 20, 2007, for the first time in Morehouse College's history, two students graduated with a 4.0 GPA; both men were named valedictorian of the college's largest class to date: Darrell Bennett, Jr. and Ruben Alexander. ^[12] On May 16, 2008, Joshua Packwood became the first white valedictorian to graduate in the school's 141-year history.^[13][14]

Campus

Morehouse is located on a campus near downtown Atlanta.^[15]

Buildings

Graves Hall, Century Campus, and Mays' Tomb.

• Archer Hall, named after the fifth president of Morehouse College, holds the college's recreational facilities such as its gymnasium, swimming pool, and game room. The gymnasium seats 1000 people and was used by the college's basketball team before the Forbes Arena was built.
• B.T Harvey Stadium/Edwin Moses Track is a 9000 capacity seat stadium built in 1983. At the time of its completion, it was the largest on-campus black private stadium in the nation ^[16]
• Brawley Hall, named after Benjamin Griffith Brawley, houses the college's History, English, Language, Music, and Art departments.
• Brazeal Hall is a dormitory built in 1991. It housed athletes during the time of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Brazeal Hall originally housed upperclassmen, though it currently serves as a freshmen dorm.
• Chivers Hall/Lane Hall is the cafeteria of the college. It seats 600 people and is attached to Mays Hall. The Sadie Mays lounge, named for the wife of Dr. Mays, connects Mays Hall and Chivers Hall.
• Dansby Hall houses the school's Physics, Psychology, and Mathematics departments.
• Douglass Hall (also known as LRC (Learning Resource Center)) was originally built as the school's student center but today houses the college archives and a computer lab.
• DuBois Hall is a freshman dorm erected in 1973, named after philosopher W.E.B. Du Bois.
• Forbes Arena is a 5,700 capacity seat arena, built for the 1996 Olympic games. It is now the main gymnasium for the college's basketball team and holds many events year round.
• Graves Hall, named after the second president of Morehouse College, is an honors dormitory. When constructed in the 1880s, it was the tallest building in Atlanta. When the college relocated to the West End area, student housing, classrooms, and administration offices were all contained within the building.

Kilgore Campus Center.

• Hope Hall was named after John Hope, the fourth president of Morehouse College. When erected, it was known as the Science Building, then later the Biology Building. Through the years, the building became too small for classroom use and now holds laboratories for departments that are in other buildings. Hope Hall includes the offices of the Public Health Sciences Institute.
• Hubert Hall is a freshman dorm named after Charles D. Hubert, who was an acting president from 1938 to 1940.
• Kilgore Campus Center houses administrative offices, as well as several seminar rooms and lounges. A separate area of the building serves as a dormitory.

• Leadership Center houses the Business Administration and Economics departments as well as other offices. It also has a 500-seat auditorium. The building was completed in 2005.
• Living Learning Center (LLC) was formerly known as Thurman Hall). It is one of the school's freshman dorms.
• Martin Luther King International Chapel/Gloster Hall was built in 1978 as the new auditorium and administration building for Morehouse College, replacing Sale and Harkness halls (Harkness is now a Clark Atlanta University structure). It is home to the Gandhi-King-Ikeda Reconciliation Institute.

Historic Chapel Bell outside of Sale Hall.

• Mays Hall was named after the sixth president of Morehouse College, Benjamin Mays. It houses dorm rooms and is the headquarters for residence life for the college.
• Merrill Hall, named after Charles E. Merrill Jr., a chairman of the college's Board of Trustees, became the Chemistry building. The 2000s saw Merrill Hall undergo a renovation that doubled its size. Its new corridor is called John Hopps Technology Tower, which houses the Computer Science department.
• Nabrit-Mapp-McBay Hall was erected in 1987. The building is also known as Bio-Chem from a plaque at the corridor stating that the building was built to house the Biology and Chemistry classrooms. It now holds the Biology department. It was named for distinguished science professors Samuel Nabrit, Frederick Mapp, and Henry McBay.
• Otis Moss Jr. Residential Suites are apartment, studio, and suite dwellings built in 2003. The Suites were renamed in spring 2006, after Otis Moss Jr. (class of 1956), former chair of Morehouse?s Board of Trustees.
• Perdue Hall is a dormitory built around the time of the 1996 Summer Olympics. It housed athletes during the 1996 Olympic events.
• Robert Hall, named after Joseph T. Robert, the first president of the college, was erected to be the first dormitory of the college. When built, there was a cafeteria in its basement. Today the basement houses a post office.
• Sale Hall, named after the third president, was built to contain classrooms. Today, it is the department building for religion and philosophy courses. On the second floor, a small auditorium, called the Chapel of the Inward Journey, was used for religious and commencement proceedings. Today, the chapel is still used for recitals, pageants, and student government association election debates.
• Wheeler Hall is a building used primarily by the Political Science and Sociology departments.
• White Hall is a freshman dorm, named after the college's founder.

Monuments

Statue of Martin Luther King Jr. in front of King Chapel

• A statue of Benjamin Mays is positioned atop a marble monument situated in front of Graves Hall. This monument includes the graves of President Mays and his wife, Sadie Mays. Behind the graves are memoirs and a time capsule set to be opened in May 2095.

Obelisk in front of King Chapel dedicated to Howard Thurman, world famous theologian and civil rights leader.

• Former president Hugh Gloster is buried in the eastern lawn of the building named after him.
• A bronze statue of Martin Luther King, Jr. stands to the left of King Chapel. Inscribed in the base of the statue are the words of Dr. King.
• An obelisk named in honor of Howard Thurman stands to the right of King Chapel. The base of the Thurman Obelisk contains the ashes of Dr. Thurman and his wife. The obelisk also houses a bell which chimes every hour to the tune of ?Dear Old Morehouse,? the school?s alma mater.

Planned developments

On Friday, June 23, 2006 it was publicly announced that Morehouse College would become the home to a 7,000-piece collection of original documents written by Martin Luther King, Jr. The set was valued by the Library of Congress at being worth between $28 to $30 million dollars. King's papers were originally scheduled by his family to be auctioned off to the general public at Sotheby's on June 30th, but in an astonishing last minute effort, private donors in Atlanta intervened and offered a pre-auction bid at $32 million. On June 29, it was announced by Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, a key catalyst in the buyout, that a new civil rights museum would be built in the city to make the documents available for research, public access and exhibits. On October 24, 2006, it was reported that Coca Cola would be donating a land parcel valued at $10 million in order to assist with the development of the project. This heavily prized collection includes King's 1964 Nobel Prize acceptance speech.^{[17][18][19][20]}

Student life

Morehouse College offers organized and informal co-curricular activities including 78 student organizations, varsity, club, and intramural sports, and student publications.^[21]

Morehouse Marching Band

The Morehouse College Marching Band is known for their halftime performances which combine dance and marching with music from various genres, including rap, traditional marching band music, and pop music. They have performed at Super Bowl XVIII, the Today Show, and at Atlanta Falcons home games.

Mock Trial Association

2005?2006 Morehouse College Mock Trial Team after they obtained an "Honorable Mention" award in their first appearance at the American Mock Trial Association National Championship Tournament in 2006

In 2006, 2007 and 2008, Morehouse won their regional championship competitions, thereby receiving direct trips to the AMTA national championship competitions in Iowa, Florida, and Minnesota, respectively.^[23]

Glee Club

Founded in 1911, the Morehouse College Glee Club has a long and impressive history and performed at Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral, President Jimmy Carter's inauguration, Super Bowl XXVIII, and the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. The Glee Club's international performances include tours in Africa, Russia, Poland and the Caribbean. The group also appeared on the soundtrack for the movie School Daze, directed by Morehouse alum Spike Lee (Class of 1979).

The Maroon Tiger newspaper

The college's weekly student-run newspaper is The Maroon Tiger. Originally founded in 1898 as The Athenaeum, it was renamed in 1925.

National fraternities and honor societies

Morehouse College is home to several National Pan-Hellenic Council fraternities:

• Alpha Rho Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
• Pi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
• Psi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
• Chi Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
• Alpha Pi Chapter of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.

Other national fraternites and honor societies registered on campus are Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Kappa Kappa Psi, Alpha Kappa Delta, Beta Kappa Chi, the Delta Chapter of Georgia Phi Beta Kappa, Golden Key, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Phi Alpha Theta. Pi Delta Phi, Psi Chi, Sigma Delta Pi, Sigma Tau Delta^[21] and Alpha Lambda Delta.

Religious organizations

Religious organizations currently registered on campus include Atlanta University Center Newman Club, King International Chapel Ministry, Martin Luther King International Chapel Assistants, King Chapel Choir, Muslim Student Organization, New Life Inspirational Fellowship Church Campus Ministry, and The Outlet.^[21]

Athletics

Morehouse Tigers athletics logo

The Morehouse Tigersharks

The Morehouse Tigersharks, as they're affectionately known, was once Morehouse's power house swim team. From 1958 till 1976 the swim team had 255 wins and only 25 losses, with over 15 SIAC championships, making it the winningest sports team in Morehouse history. ^[24] It had even beaten Emory University and Georgia Tech in dual meets in different seasons. The team appeared in Jet and Ebony Magazines, Black Sports, and Sports Illustrated throughout the 1960s and 1970s, and today is being considered as honorary inductees into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Actor Samuel L. Jackson was once the team statistician and was an apprentice swimmer. Some of the swimmers had competed in NCAA and NAIA competition at various times throughout the team's history. The team was disestablished in 1976 and the funds were transferred to build the Morehouse School of Medicine.

Notable alumni

Morehouse has graduated numerous prominent alumni, including civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., filmmaker Spike Lee, former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, Olympic gold medalist Edwin Moses, Congressman Sanford Bishop, actor Samuel L. Jackson, NAACP chairman Julian Bond, and Maynard Jackson, the first African-American mayor of the city of Atlanta.

Bibliography

• Addie Louise Joyner Butler, The Distinctive Black College: Talladega, Tuskegee, and Morehouse (Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1977).
• Leroy Davis, A Clashing of the Soul: John Hope and the Dilemma of African American Leadership and Black Higher Education in the Early Twentieth Century (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1998).
• Edward A. Jones, A Candle in the Dark: A History of Morehouse College (Valley Forge, Pa.: Judson Press, 1967).

External links

• Official Morehouse College Website
• Atlanta University Center Website

References

fr:Morehouse College