Voorhees College

Voorhees College
Former names	Denmark Industrial School Voorhees Industrial Institute for Colored Youths Voorhees School and Junior College
Type	Private, HBCU
Established	1897
Religious affiliation	Episcopal Church
President	Franklin Evans^[1]
Students	600
Location	Denmark, South Carolina, United States 33°18′32.61″N 81°7′41.51″W / 33.3090583°N 81.1281972°W / 33.3090583; -81.1281972Coordinates: 33°18′32.61″N 81°7′41.51″W / 33.3090583°N 81.1281972°W / 33.3090583; -81.1281972
Campus	Rural
Colors	Royal blue and white^[2]
Athletics	NAIA – GCAC
Mascot	Tigers
Affiliations	NAICU^[3] UNCF
Website	www.voorhees.edu

Voorhees College is a private, historically black college (HBCU) in Denmark, South Carolina. It is affiliated with The Episcopal Church. Voorhees College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

History

In 1897, Elizabeth Evelyn Wright and Jessie Dorsey founded Denmark Industrial School for African Americans. Located in a rural area and small town, it was modeled on Tuskegee Institute. It began in the upstairs of an old store.

In 1902, Ralph Voorhees, a New Jersey philanthropist, gave the school a donation to purchase land and construct buildings. In 1904 the South Carolina General Assembly renamed the school and incorporated it as the Voorhees Industrial Institute for Colored Youths.

In 1924, the school was affiliated with the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. In 1947, its name was changed to Voorhees School and Junior College. In 1962, with the addition of departments, it became accredited as Voorhees College.^[4]

In 1969, the school's predominantly Black student body demanded more Black study programs and the hiring of Black faculty as well as assisting the local lower income community of Denmark with scholarships. The Voorhees administration, made up of mostly Whites, ignored the students' plea. A demonstration of 500 students began as a response and this eventually led to a 2 day armed student occupation of the college. The President of Voorhees agreed to the students' demands but he subsequently called on the South Carolina National Guard to overtake the students, arresting them after they had already surrendered. Many were suspended.

Voorhees College Historic District

See Main Article: Voorhees College Historic District

This historic district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 21, 1982. It includes thirteen contributing buildings constructed from 1905 to 1935. The historic district is noteworthy as an example of pioneering education for African Americans in the early 20th century, and for its association with Elizabeth Evelyn Wright. In addition, the buildings, constructed mostly by students, showed ambitious design and masonry techniques. Many of these buildings were constructed by the students of Voorhees College as part of their crafts program.^[5] Photographs of some of the buildings are available.^[6]

Athletics

Voorhees College teams, nicknamed athletically as the Tigers, are a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference. Voorhees joined the GCAC in July 2013. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cheerleading, cross country, softball, track & field and volleyball.

Greek letter organizations

The university has chapters for eight of the nine National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations.

Organization	Symbol	Chapter	Chapter symbol
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority	ΑΚΑ	Eta Nu	HΝ
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity	ΑΦA	Eta Iota	HI
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority	ΔΣΘ	Eta Phi	HΦ
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity	ΚΑΨ	Epsilon Omega	EΩ
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity	ΩΨΦ	Sigma Theta	ΣΘ
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity	ΦΒΣ	Zeta Gamma	ZΓ
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority	ΣΓΡ	Eta Omicron	HO
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority	ΖΦΒ	Theta Epsilon	ΘE

Notable alumni

Jackie Dinkins - NBA player with the Chicago Bulls^[7]

References

↑ "Orangeburg figure Sellers will lead Voorhees College".
↑ http://voorhees.edu/public/files/docs/VC%20Policy%20Manual%20Vol%201.pdf
↑ NAICU – Member Directory
↑ Edgar, Walter (2006). South Carolina Encyclopedia. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press. pp. 999–1000. ISBN 1-57003-598-9.
↑ "NHRP Nomination form" (PDF).
↑ "South Carolina Department of Archives and History".
↑ "Jackie Dinkins NBA statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved 2 April 2014.

External links

Colleges and universities in South Carolina

Public institutions	The Citadel Clemson Coastal Carolina College of Charleston Francis Marion Lander South Carolina State USC Aiken USC Beaufort USC Columbia USC Lancaster USC Salkehatchie USC Sumter USC Union USC Upstate Winthrop

Private institutions	Allen Anderson Benedict Bob Jones Charleston Southern Claflin Columbia Columbia International Coker Converse Erskine Furman Limestone Morris Newberry North Greenville Presbyterian Sherman Southern Wesleyan Spartanburg Methodist Voorhees Wofford

Technical Colleges	Aiken TC Central Carolina TC Denmark TC Florence-Darlington TC Greenville TC Horry-Georgetown TC Midlands TC Northeastern TC Orangeburg-Calhoun TC Piedmont TC Spartanburg CC TC of the Lowcountry Tri-County TC Trident TC Williamsburg TC York TC

Seminaries, graduate, and professional institutions	Charleston School of Law Erskine Theological Seminary Geneva Reformed Seminary Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary Medical University of South Carolina USC School of Law

Historically black colleges and universities

Public institutions	Alabama A&M Alabama State Albany State Alcorn State Arkansas–Pine Bluff Bishop State CC Bluefield State Bowie State Central State Cheyney Coahoma CC Coppin State Delaware State Elizabeth City State Fayetteville State Florida A&M Fort Valley State Gadsden State CC Grambling State Harris–Stowe Hinds CC Jackson State Kentucky State Langston Lincoln, Missouri Lincoln, Pennsylvania Maryland, Eastern Shore Mississippi Valley State Morgan State Norfolk State North Carolina A&T North Carolina Central Prairie View A&M Savannah State Shelton State CC South Carolina State Southern Southern–New Orleans Southern–Shreveport Tennessee State Texas Southern UDC UVI Virginia State West Virginia State Winston-Salem State

Private institutions	Allen Arkansas Baptist Barber–Scotia Benedict Bennett Bethune-Cookman Claflin Clark Atlanta Concordia Alabama Dillard Edward Waters Fisk Florida Memorial University Hampton Howard Huston–Tillotson Interdenominational Theological Center Jarvis Christian Johnson C. Smith Knoxville Lane LeMoyne–Owen Livingstone Meharry Miles Morehouse Morehouse School of Medicine Morris Brown Morris Oakwood Paine Paul Quinn Philander Smith Rust Selma Shaw Simmons College (Ky.) Southwestern Christian Spelman Stillman St. Augustine's Talladega Texas College Tougaloo Tuskegee Virginia Union Virginia University Voorhees Wilberforce Wiley Xavier (La.)

Defunct institutions	Bishop Daniel Payne Guadalupe Kittrell Lewis College of Business Mississippi Industrial College Morristown College Mount Hermon Female Seminary Saint Paul's Storer Straight Western

Gulf Coast Athletic Conference

Dillard Edward Waters Philander Smith Southern–New Orleans Stillman Talladega Tougaloo Voorhees Xavier Louisiana

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