Philander Smith College

Philander Smith College

Philander Smith College is a private historically black college, in Little Rock, Arkansas. Philander Smith College is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is a founding member of the United Negro College Fund. Philander Smith College is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

It was chartered as a four-year college in 1883 and conferred its first bachelor’s degree in 1888. In 1933, it merged the assets of the George R. Smith College in Sedalia, Missouri, which burned down in 1925. In 1943, Philander Smith was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. During the Civil Rights Movement, Philander Smith College was a pioneer in activism: many of its students engaged in nonviolent resistance against segregation laws or customs (such as sitting in at “whites-only” lunch counters).

Current President: Roderick L. Smothers, Ph.D.

Official website: philander.edu