Morris College is located in Sumter, South Carolina and was founded in 1908 by Jacob J. Durham. Doctor Durham received an A.B. from Fisk in 1880, graduated valedictorian of Meharry Medical College with an M.D. in 1882 and received an A.M. from Fisk in 1885. He was an educator, an orator that spoke strongly against the lynching of African Americans, a Civil Rights Activist, A successful physician, and sat on the board of trustees at Morehouse College.
The college tells the story of its founding as, “Under authorization granted by the Baptist Educational and Missionary Convention of South Carolina in 1906, Morris College was established in 1908 “for the Christian and Intellectual Training of Negro youth.” This action signaled the beginning of a heroic venture in higher education by a group of men and women less than a half-century removed from the blight of American slavery. The majority of these “founding fathers” were poor and without any formal learning, but they possessed an “unfaltering faith in God and a zeal to provide for others the educational opportunities they themselves were denied.”
The college also speaks of its current offerings, stating, “Presently, the College offers programs of study leading to the baccalaureate degree with major programs in Biology, Biology/Secondary Education, Business Administration, Christian Education, Criminal Forensics, Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity, Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, English, English/Secondary Education, Health Science, Liberal Studies, Mass Communications, Mathematics, Mathematics/Secondary Education, Organizational Management, Pastoral Ministry, Recreation Administration, Social Studies/Secondary Education, and Sociology.”
Morris College is the home of the Hornets and offers sports in baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, tennis, and track & field, softball, tennis, and volleyball).
Morris also has a successful Esports team that competes against colleges all over the US. The twitch steam is available to view online when matchups occur. (E-Sports | Morris College)
Notable Alumni:
Jacob Javan Durham: Founder, Physician, Educator, Orator, Civil Rights Activist
Laura Vandiver Hall: Politician, currently serving in the Alabama House of Representatives, 19th District
Arthenia J. Bates Millican: Essayist, Poet, Short story writer, Educator
J. David Weeks: Politician, currently serving in the South Carolina House of Representatives, 51st District
