Voorhees University

Voorhees University
Former names	Denmark Industrial School for African Americans (1897–1902); Voorhees Industrial Institute for Colored Youths (1902–1947); Voorhees School and Junior College (1947–1962); Voorhees College (1962–2022)
Type	Private historically black university
Established	1897; 126 years ago
Religious affiliation	Episcopal Church
Academic affiliations	NAICU; UNCF
President	Ronnie Hopkins
Students	600
Location	Denmark, South Carolina, United States; 33°18′32.61″N 81°7′41.51″W / 33.3090583°N 81.1281972°WCoordinates: 33°18′32.61″N 81°7′41.51″W / 33.3090583°N 81.1281972°W
Campus	Rural
Colors	Royal Blue & White;
Sporting affiliations	NAIA – Continental
Mascot	Tiger
Website	www.voorhees.edu

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

History

In 1897, Elizabeth Evelyn Wright founded Denmark Industrial School for African Americans. Located in a rural area and the small town of Denmark, it was modeled on the well-known Tuskegee Institute of Alabama. The first classes were held on the second floor of an old store.

Voorhees Industrial School, c. 1910

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 and four-year curriculum, it became accredited as Voorhees College.^[3]

In 1969, the school's predominantly Black student body demanded more Black study programs and the hiring of Black faculty, as well as outreach to assist 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, which eventually inspired 75 students to command a two-day armed student occupation of the college. The president of Voorhees agreed to the students' demands, but filed a formal request to the South Carolina National Guard to subdue the students. The protesters surrendered but were subsequently arrested.^[4]^[5] Many were suspended.

The institution changed its name to Voorhees University in 2022 when it celebrated its 125th anniversary.^[6]

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 co-founder 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.^[7] Photographs of some of the buildings are available.^[8]

Athletics

The Voorhees athletics teams are called the Tigers and Lady Tigers. The college is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing as an NAIA Independent within the Continental Athletic Conference since the 2015–16 academic year; which they were a member on a previous stint from 2005–06 to 2012–13 as an Independent within the Association of Independent Institutions (AII). The Tigers and Lady Tigers previously competed in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) from 2013–14 to 2014–15; and in the defunct Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (EIAC) from 1983–84 to 2004–05.

Voorhees competes in ten intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country and track & field; women's sports include basketball, cheerleading, cross country, softball and track & field.

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	ΗΝ
Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity	ΑΦΑ	Eta Iota	ΗΙ
Delta Sigma Theta sorority	ΔΣΘ	Eta Phi	ΗΦ
Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity	ΚΑΨ	Epsilon Omega	ΕΩ
Omega Psi Phi fraternity	ΩΨΦ	Sigma Theta	ΣΘ
Phi Beta Sigma fraternity	ΦΒΣ	Zeta Gamma	ΖΓ
Sigma Gamma Rho sorority	ΣΓΡ	Eta Omicron	ΗΟ
Zeta Phi Beta sorority	ΖΦΒ	Theta Epsilon	ΘΕ

Notable alumni

Jackie Dinkins - NBA player with the Chicago Bulls^[9]
L.O. Bankhead, architect^[10]

References

^ "NAICU – Member Directory". Archived from the original on November 9, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
^ Institutional Governance & College Administration Policies (PDF). Vol. 1. May 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 5, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
^ Edgar, Walter (2006). South Carolina Encyclopedia. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press. pp. 999–1000. ISBN 1-57003-598-9.
^ "ABC Evening News with Howard K. Smith - April 29, 1969". ABC Evening News. American Broadcasting Corporation. April 29, 1969. Retrieved February 23, 2019.^{[dead link]} Vanderbilt Television News Archive
^ "Campus Unrest / Voorhees / Arms | Vanderbilt Television News Archive". tvnews.vanderbilt.edu. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
^ Boyd, Tamia (February 22, 2022). "'We're like family': Voorhees College, a private historically Black institution in Denmark". The Greenville News. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
^ "NRHP Nomination form" (PDF).
^ "South Carolina Department of Archives and History".
^ "Jackie Dinkins NBA statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
^ "Review of African American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary, 1865-1945".

External links

[1] "NAICU – Member Directory". Archived from the original on November 9, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2010.

[2] Institutional Governance & College Administration Policies (PDF). Vol. 1. May 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 5, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2013.

[3] Edgar, Walter (2006). South Carolina Encyclopedia. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press. pp. 999–1000. ISBN 1-57003-598-9.

[4] "ABC Evening News with Howard K. Smith - April 29, 1969". ABC Evening News. American Broadcasting Corporation. April 29, 1969. Retrieved February 23, 2019.^{[dead link]} Vanderbilt Television News Archive

[5] "Campus Unrest / Voorhees / Arms | Vanderbilt Television News Archive". tvnews.vanderbilt.edu. Retrieved March 19, 2022.

[6] Boyd, Tamia (February 22, 2022). "'We're like family': Voorhees College, a private historically Black institution in Denmark". The Greenville News. Retrieved May 18, 2022.

[7] "NRHP Nomination form" (PDF).

[8] "South Carolina Department of Archives and History".

[9] "Jackie Dinkins NBA statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 2, 2014.

[10] "Review of African American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary, 1865-1945".

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v t e Colleges and universities in South Carolina
Public institutions	List of colleges and universities in South Carolina 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 American College of the Building Arts 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
Defunct colleges	The Arsenal

v t e 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 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 (Louisiana)
Defunct institutions	Bishop Booker T. Washington Carver Collier-Blocker Concordia Alabama Daniel Payne Georgia Baptist Gibbs Guadalupe Hampton Haygood Seminary Immanuel Lutheran Jackson Johnson Kittrell Lewis College of Business Lincoln Junior College Luther Mississippi Industrial College Morristown Mount Hermon Female Seminary Roosevelt Rosenwald Saint Paul's Storer Straight Suwannee River Volusia County Western
Consortia	Atlanta University Center Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Southwestern Athletic Conference