Former names | Benedict Institute (1870–1894) |
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Motto | A Power for Good in Society |
Type | Private historically black college |
Established | December 12, 1870 |
Religious affiliation | American Baptist Churches USA |
Endowment | $26.5 million (2021)[1] |
President | Roslyn Clark Artis |
Students | 1,840 (fall 2022) |
Location | , South Carolina , United States |
Campus | 110-acre (45 ha) |
Colors | Purple and gold |
Nickname | Tigers |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division II - SIAC |
Website | www |
Benedict College Historic District | |
Location | Roughly bounded by Laurel, Oak, Taylor and Harden Sts. on Benedict College campus, Columbia, South Carolina |
Area | 3.9 acres (1.6 ha) |
Architect | Urquhart, James B. |
Architectural style | Classical Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 87000809[2] |
Added to NRHP | April 20, 1987 |
Benedict College is a private historically black college in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1870 by northern Baptists, it was originally a teachers' college. It has since expanded to offer majors in many disciplines across the liberal arts. The campus includes buildings in the Benedict College Historic District, a historic area listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Benedict College was founded in 1870 on land of a former 110-acre (45 ha) plantation in Columbia, South Carolina. Representing the American Baptist Home Mission Society, Bathsheba A. Benedict of Pawtucket, Rhode Island had provided $13,000 to purchase the property. This was one of numerous educational institutions founded in the South for formerly enslaved people by northern religious mission societies, as education was seen as key to the future for African Americans.