PQC was founded in Austin, Texas in 1872 by a group of AME church members as the Connection School for the Education of Negro Youth. The school moved to Waco, Texas in 1877 and renamed itself “Waco College”. In 1880 while still located in Waco, TX, the school was officially chartered by the state of Texas and renamed Paul Quinn College as a memorial to William Paul Quinn (AME church figure). In 1990, the school relocated to its current location in Dallas, Texas after acquiring the former campus of fallen HBCU, Bishop College.
Since 2007, the school has been led by its longest serving and 32nd President, Michael J. Sorrell (J.D. & M.A. Duke U, Ed.D UPenn). During a four-year period before his arrival, the school faced a loss of accreditation and only had 30 days cash on hand when he was instituted as its president. The school also saw almost none of its students graduate in that four-year period. In his first two years, enrollment fell from 550 to 151 students. Under his leadership the school has experienced a spring of new growth and strengthening. His accomplishments include,
- Slashing tuition from $23,850 to $14,495
- Converting the college into the nation’s first and only Urban Work College. This program provides every student with real world work opportunities and internships to prepare them for the working world. The students work 300 to 400 hours per academic year in order to earn a Work Program Scholarship and receive a cash stipend. (Urban Work College – Paul Quinn College)
- Launched 9 million dollars in campus improvements. Most recently the construction of the Trammell S. Crow Living and Learning Center. It has 30,000 sqft of residential space to house 150 students, 10,000 sqft of classroom and office space. (Paul Quinn College Adds New Academic Programs – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth)
- Moving a baccalaureate school with grades 6 -12 onto the Paul Quinn Campus to provide a steady pipeline of prospective students. (The Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III Global Academy.)
- Ending the costly football program and replacing the football field with an organic farm worked by the students called the “WE/Me Farm Program”. It provides fresh and organic foods to surrounding communities designated food deserts and to the Dallas Cowboys who sell the food at concession stands.
The school’s current degree offerings include several options under Business Administration, Liberal Arts, and Teaching.
Paul Quinn is the home of the Tigers! Sports include Cross Country, Basketball, Soccer, Track & Field, and Volleyball. The college is a member of the NAIA, competes in the Red River Athletic Conference, and the USCAA.
Fun fact:Â PQC was featured in the 2007 movie, The Great Debaters, starring Denzel Washington.
Notable Alumni:
Mims Hackett Jr: Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from 2002-2007
Andy Cooper: Former Negro Baseball League player
Toni Rose: Member of the Texas House of Representatives, District 110.
