Audrey Forbes Manley
Who was the chair of Spelman College from 1997 to 2002?
Spelman College Spelman College is a private , historically Black , womens liberal arts college in Atlanta , Georgia , United States . The college is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta . Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary , Spelman received its collegiate charter in 1924 , making it Americas oldest private historically black liberal arts college for women . History . Founding . The Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary was established on in the basement of Friendship Baptist Church in Atlanta , Georgia , by two teachers from the Oread Institute of Worcester , Massachusetts : Harriet E . Giles and Sophia B . Packard . Giles and Packard had met while Giles was a student , and Packard the preceptress , of the New Salem Academy in New Salem , Massachusetts , and fostered a lifelong friendship there . The two of them traveled to Atlanta specifically to found a school for black freedwomen , and found support from Frank Quarles , the pastor of Friendship Baptist Church . Giles and Packard began the school with 11 African-American women and $100 given to them by the First Baptist Church in Medford , Massachusetts. , and a promise of further support from the Womens American Baptist Home Missionary Society ( WABHMS ) , a group with which they were both affiliated in Boston . Although their first students were mostly illiterate , they envisioned their school to be a liberal arts institution – the first circular of the college stated that they planned to offer algebra , physiology , essays , Latin , rhetoric , geometry , political economy , mental philosophy ( psychology ) , chemistry , botany , Constitution of the United States , astronomy , zoology , geology , moral philosophy , and evidences of Christianity . Over time , they attracted more students ; by the time the first term ended , they had enrolled 80 students in the seminary . The WABHMS made a down payment on a nine-acre ( 36,000 m ) site in Atlanta relatively close to the church they began in , which originally had five buildings left from a Union Civil War encampment , to support classroom and residence hall needs . In 1882 the two women returned to Massachusetts to bid for more money and were introduced to wealthy Northern Baptist businessman John D . Rockefeller at a church conference in Ohio . Rockefeller was impressed by Packards vision . In April 1884 , Rockefeller visited the school . By this time , the seminary had 600 students and 16 faculty members . It was surviving on generous donations by the black community in Atlanta , the efforts of volunteer teachers , and gifts of supplies ; many Atlanta black churches , philanthropists , and black community groups raised and donated money to settle the debt on the property that had been acquired . Rockefeller was so impressed that he settled the debt on the property . Rockefellers wife , Laura Spelman Rockefeller ; her sister , Lucy Spelman ; and their parents , Harvey Buel and Lucy Henry Spelman , were also supportive of the school . The Spelmans were longtime activists in the abolitionist movement . In 1884 the name of the school was changed to the Spelman Seminary in honor of Laura Spelman and her parents . Rockefeller also donated the funds for what is currently the oldest building on campus , Rockefeller Hall , which was constructed in 1886 . Packard was appointed as Spelmans first president in 1888 , after the charter for the seminary was granted . Packard died in 1891 , and Giles assumed the presidency until her death in 1909 . Growth . The years 1910 to 1953 saw great growth and transition for the seminary . Upon Giles death , Lucy Hale Tapley became president . Although the college was a stride in and of itself , at the time , neither the founders nor the current administration had interest in challenging the status quo of young women as primarily responsible for the family and the home . Tapley declared : Any course of study which fails to cultivate a taste and fitness for practical and efficient work in some part of the field of the worlds needs is unpopular at Spelman and finds no place in our curriculum . The nursing curriculum was strengthened ; a teachers dormitory and a home economics building were constructed , and Tapley Hall , the science building , was completed in 1925 . The Granddaughters Club , a club for students whose mothers and aunts had attended Spelman was also created , and this club is still in existence today . In September 1924 , Spelman Baptist Seminary officially became Spelman College . Florence Matilda Read assumed the presidency in 1927 . Shortly thereafter , Spelman entered into an agreement of affiliation with nearby Morehouse College and Atlanta University by chartering the Atlanta University Center in 1929 . Atlanta University was to provide graduate education for students , whereas Morehouse and Spelman were responsible for the undergraduate education . At a time during which black students were often denied access to graduate studies at predominantly white southern research universities , access to Atlanta University allowed the undergraduate students at Morehouse and Spelman immediate access to graduate training . In 1927 , one of the most important buildings on campus , Sisters Chapel , was dedicated . The chapel was named for its primary benefactors , sisters Laura Spelman Rockefeller and Lucy Maria Spelman . The college had also begun to see an improvement in extracurricular investment in the arts , with the organization of the Spelman College Glee Club in 1925 , inauguration of the much-loved Atlanta tradition of the annual Spelman-Morehouse Christmas Carol Concert and smaller events such as the spring orchestra and chorus concert , the Atlanta University Summer Theater , and the University Players , a drama organization for AUC students . The school also began to see more of a focus on collegiate education , as it discontinued its elementary and high school divisions . In 1930 the Spelman Nursery School was created as a training center for mothers and a practice arena for students who planned careers in education and child development . Spelman celebrated its 50th anniversary in April 1931 . This milestone as accompanied by the construction of a university library that was shared amongst the Atlanta University Center institutions , and the center continues to share a library to this day . The school continued to expand , building and acquiring more property to accommodate the growing student body . IN 1947 , Spelman joined the list of approved institutions of the Association of American Universities . In 1953 , Florence Read retired , and Albert E . Manley became the first black and first male president of college . Under his presidency and the presidency of his successor , Donald Stewart , Spelman saw significant growth . The college established its study abroad program , the Merrill Foreign Travel-Study Program . Stewarts administration tripled the colleges endowment and oversaw the establishment of the Comprehensive Writing Program , an across-the-curriculum writing program that requires students to submit portfolios of their written work ; the Ethel Waddell Githii College Honors Program ; and the Womens Research and Resource Center . In 1958 , the college received accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools . Civil rights involvement . Going into the 1960s , the Spelman College students became involved in civil rights actions in Atlanta . In 1962 , the first Spelman students were arrested for participating in sit-ins in the Atlanta community . Noted American historian Howard Zinn was a professor of history at Spelman during this era , and served as an adviser to the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee chapter at the college . Zinn mentored many of Spelmans students fighting for civil rights at the time , including Alice Walker and Marian Wright Edelman Zinn was dismissed from the college in 1963 for supporting Spelman students in their efforts to fight segregation ; at the time , Spelman was focused on turning out refined young ladies . Edelman herself writes that Spelman had a reputation as a tea-pouring , very strict school designed to turn black girls into refined ladies and teachers . 1980–present . Stewart retired in 1986 , and the following year , Johnnetta Betsch Cole became the first Black female president of Spelman College . During this time , the college became noted for its commitment to community service and its ties to the local community . Cole also led the colleges most successful capital campaign ; between 1986 and 1996 , the college raised $113.8 million , including a $20 million gift from Bill Cosby and his wife , Camille Hanks Cosby , whose daughter graduated from Spelman . In honor of this gift , the Cosby Academic Center was constructed . In July 2015 , the remainder of the funds were returned and an endowed professorship named for the Cosby couple discontinued as allegations of sexual assault by Bill Cosby grew more prominent . In 1997 , Cole stepped down and Audrey Forbes Manley became Spelmans first alumna president . After her retirement , in 2002 , Beverly Daniel Tatum , the colleges president until 2015 , took the post . The campus now comprises 26 buildings on in Atlanta . In 2011 , First Lady Michelle Obama served as the keynote commencement speaker . In 2012 , Oprah Winfrey served as the keynote commencement speaker . In 2015 , Spelman opened the Wellness Center at Reed Hall , a state-of-the-art recreation center . It is host to a multitude of services from an indoor track and cycling room to a teaching kitchen and a multitude of fitness and wellness programs . Also in 2015 , Mary Schmidt Campbell was named the 10th president of Spelman College . In 2017 , Spelmans leadership voted to allow transgender women to enroll in the institution . In 2018 , Spelman received $30 million from Spelman trustee Ronda Stryker for the construction of a new state-of-the-art building on campus . Strykers gift is one of the largest single donations from a living donor in Spelmans history . In June 2020 , philanthropists Reed Hastings and his wife Patty Quillin donated $40 million to Spelman College to be used as scholarship funds for students enrolled at Spelman . Their single donation is one of the largest in the history of Spelman and HBCUs . In July 2020 , Spelman received a notably large undisclosed donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott . Presidents . Since its inception Spelman has had ten presidents : - Sophia B . Packard , ( 1888 ) founded womens seminary with Giles in a basement of the historic Friendship Baptist Church ( Atlanta ) and cultivated Rockefeller support for the school - Harriet E . Giles , ( 1891 ) under whom the school granted its first college degrees - Lucy Hale Tapley , ( 1910 ) under whom the school decided to focus on higher education , the school officially became Spelman College ( 1927 ) , and Sisters Chapel , one of the main buildings on campus , was erected . - Florence M . Read , ( 1927 ) a Mount Holyoke College graduate , under whom the school established an endowment fund of over $3 million , the school came into agreement with Atlanta University and Morehouse College to form the Atlanta University Center ( later Clark-Atlanta University , Morris Brown College , Morehouse School of Medicine , and the Interdenominational Theological Center were added ) , the Arnett Library was built , and Spelman earned approval from the American Association of Universities ; - Albert E . Manley ( 1953 ) ( the first black and first male president of Spelman ) , under whom study abroad programs were established , the fine arts center was built , and three new residence halls and several classroom buildings were renovated . According to Howard Zinn , Manley tried to suppress the student civil rights movement that was taking place on campus during his tenure . - Donald M . Stewart ( 1976 ) under whom the departments of womens studies and chemistry were founded , and three strategic programs were formed : the Comprehensive Writing Program , the Womens Research and Resource Center , and the Ethel Waddell Githii Honors Program , and a continuing education department and a computer literacy program were established ; - Johnnetta B . Cole ( 1987 ) ( the first African-American woman president of Spelman ) , under whom the college received $20 million from Drs . William and Camille Cosby for the construction of the Cosby Academic Center and instituted the Cole Institute for Community Service ; - Audrey F . Manley ( 1997 ) ( the first alumna president of Spelman ) , under which Spelman gained a Phi Beta Kappa chapter , Spelman was accepted as a provisional member of NCAA Division III athletics , a Science Center was finished ; - Beverly Daniel Tatum , ( 2002 ) who was appointed in 2002 after teaching and serving as an administrator for a number of years at Mount Holyoke College , and under whom the renovation of Sisters Chapel was begun . Also during her tenure , she established the Wellness Revolution which is a holistic initiative to empower and educate Spelmanites ; - Mary Schmidt Campbell , ( 2015 ) previously a President Obama appointee who served as vice chair of the Presidents committee on the Arts and Humanities , she was dean emerita of the Tisch School of the Arts and Associate Provost for the Arts at New York University . Museum of Fine Art . The Spelman College Museum of Fine Art is the only museum in the United States that emphasizes art by and about women of the African Diaspora . Some Black Women artists the museum has featured include Amy Sherald , Mickalene Thomas , and Reneé Stout . Each semester , the museum features a new exhibit ; past exhibits have included artists Beverly Buchanan ( 2017 ) and Zanele Muholi . In 2016 , the museum collaborated with Spelmans Department of Art and Art History to start a two-year curatorial studies program to increase diversity in the museum industry . Academics . Spelman is ranked tied for 54th best among national liberal arts colleges and 1st among historically black colleges in the United States by U.S . News & World Report for 2021 ; additionally , it ranked Spelman 4th in Social Mobility , 10th Most Innovative , tied for 19th Best Undergraduate Teaching , and 100th for Best Value among liberal arts colleges . Spelman leads the nation in enrolling the highest percentage of Gates Millennium Scholars . Spelman ranked first among baccalaureate origin institutions of African-American women who earned science , engineering , and mathematics doctoral degrees . Spelman ranked among the top 50 four-year colleges and universities for producing Fulbright and Gilman Scholars , and ranked the second-largest producer of African-American college graduates who attend medical school . The Princeton Review ranked Spelman among the Best 373 Colleges and Universities in America in 2017 . Spelman is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools ( SACS ) . Spelman is a member of the Coalition of Womens Colleges , National Association of Schools of Music ( NASM ) , National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education ( NCATE ) , Southern Association of Colleges and Schools , The College Fund/UNCF , National Association for College Admissions Counseling , and State of Georgia Professional Standards Commission ( PSC ) . Spelman offers bachelors degrees in over 30 academic majors . In addition , Spelman has strategic partnerships with over 30 accredited universities to help students more efficiently complete degree programs not offered on campus in healthcare , law , and engineering . The Ethel Waddell Githii Honors Program is a four-year comprehensive academic program available to select students who meet the highly rigorous requirements . Spelman houses several pre-professional and research programs primarily designed to make students more competitive for admissions into selective graduate school programs . Approximately two-thirds of Spelman graduates have earned advanced degrees . Spelman has well-established domestic exchange and study abroad programs . Spelman has the highest graduation rate among HBCUs , with a graduation rate of 76 percent after six years . It also has a student:faculty ratio of 9:1 . Honor societies . Registered academic honor societies include Phi Beta Kappa , Alpha Epsilon Delta , Alpha Lambda Delta , Alpha Sigma Lambda , Beta Kappa Chi , Golden Key International Honour Society , Kappa Delta Epsilon , Mortar Board Senior Honor Society , National Society of Collegiate Scholars , Pi Sigma Alpha , Psi Chi , Sigma Tau Delta , and the Upsilon Pi Epsilon . Admissions . Spelman is a selective institution with an acceptance rate of 40% . Spelman evaluates all applicants holistically which includes vetting their community service involvement , recommendation letters , personal statement , extracurricular activities , academic transcripts , and standardized test scores . Student body . Students are all women and predominantly African-American . Approximately 30% come from Georgia , 69% from the rest of the United States , and 1% are international . 85% of Spelman students receive financial aid , the average financial package for a first year student adds up to $22,000 . Student life . Spelman offers organized and informal activities . The colleges over 80 student organizations include community service organizations , special interest groups , Morehouse cheerleaders , choral groups , music ensembles , dance groups , drama/theater groups , marching band , intramural sports , and student government . Spelmans gated campus near downtown Atlanta consists of over 25 buildings on 39 acres . New Student Orientation . All new Spelman students are required to attend a six-day new student orientation ( NSO ) in August immediately before the fall semester begins . The orientation includes events , workshops , and sessions designed to teach new Spelmanites about the mission , history , culture , traditions , and sisterhood of Spelman College ; students are also given information on how to successfully matriculate to Spelman Women ( graduates ) , such as registration , advisement , placement , and planning class schedules . Orientation is led by student leaders known as PALs ( Peer Assistant Leaders ) and Spelman alumnae . During orientation , new students are required to remain on campus at all times ; any leave must be approved by PALs . White attire tradition . One of Spelmans oldest traditions are Spelmanites wearing respectable and conservative white dresses to designated formal events on campus . The tradition began in the early 1900s when it was customary for women to wear such dresses when attending formal events . White attire is worn to the annual NSO induction ceremony , Founders Day Convocation , Alumnae March , and graduating seniors wear white attire underneath their graduation gowns for Class Day and Commencement . Student publications and media . Spelman offers a literary magazine ( Aunt Chloe : A Journal of Candor ) , a student newspaper , The BluePrint , and student government association newsletter ( Jaguar Print ) . The yearbook is called Reflections . Religious organizations . Religious organizations currently registered on campus include : Bahai Club , Al-Nissa , Alabaster Box , Atlanta Adventist Collegiate Society , Campus Crusade for Christ , Crossfire International Campus Ministry , Happiness In Praise for His Overflowing Presence , InterVarsity Christian Fellowship , Movements of Praise Dance Team , The Newman Organization , The Outlet and The Pre-Theology Society Minority . International student and social organizations . NAACP and Sister Steps are registered campus organizations . Spelman also has chapters of Colleges Against Cancer , Circle K , Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance , Habitat for Humanity , National Council of Negro Women , National Society of Black Engineers , Operation Smile , United Way , and Young Democrats of America . Spelman is also the first HBCU to charter a chapter of Amnesty International on its campus . Spelman has four chapters of National Pan-Hellenic Council sororities on campus : the Mu Pi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha , the Eta Kappa Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta , the Beta Iota Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta , and the Epsilon Eta Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho . Additionally , Spelman has the Iota Rho Chapter of Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority and the Eta Zeta Chapter of Gamma Sigma Sigma , a national service sorority . About three percent of students are active in Spelmans Greek system . Residential life . Spelman College has 11 residence halls on campus with approximately 1,400 students occupying them . Each one has unique features and identities . There are three first-year students only residence halls , an honors residence hall ( mixed with first-year students and upperclassmen ) , and seven upperclassmen only residence halls . All first-year students and sophomores are required to live on campus and it is traditional for first-year students to engage in friendly residence hall competitions ( i.e . stroll-offs , chant-offs , pranks , fundraising , etc. ) throughout the school year . Athletics . From 2003 to 2013 the Spelman Jaguars were a member of the Great South Athletic Conference ( GSAC ) of NCAAs Division III . The school sponsored seven varsity sports : basketball , cross country , golf , soccer , softball , tennis and volleyball . In 2013 , Spelman College decided to drop varsity athletics and leave the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Using money originally budgeted to the sports programs , they created wellness programs available for all students . Notable alumnae and faculty . Spelmans notable alumnae include the first African-American CEO of Sams Club and Walgreens Rosalind Brewer , Pulitzer Prize winner Alice Walker , former Dean of Harvard College Evelynn M . Hammonds , activist and Childrens Defense Fund founder Marian Wright Edelman , civil rights and criminal defense lawyer Dovey Johnson Roundtree , college organist Joyce Johnson , musician , activist and historian Bernice Johnson Reagon , politician Stacey Abrams , writer Pearl Cleage , TV personality Rolonda Watts , opera singer Mattiwilda Dobbs , and actresses Cassi Davis , LaTanya Richardson , Adrienne-Joi Johnson , and Keshia Knight Pulliam .