Spelman College
Spelman College is a private, historically black, women’s liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia. The college was established on 11 April 1881. It is America’s oldest private HBCU liberal arts college for women. Spelman College is known as one of the best national liberal arts colleges and 1st among historically black colleges in the United States. It leads the nation in enrolling the highest percentage of Gates Millennium Scholars.
Spelman ranked first among baccalaureate-origin institutions for African-American women who earned science, engineering, and mathematics doctoral degrees. It has ranked the second-largest producer of African-American college graduates who attend medical school.
The Princeton Review ranked Spelman among the Best 373 Colleges and Universities in America. The college has strategic partnerships with more than 30 accredited universities to help students more efficiently to complete degree programs. Spelman College has the highest graduation rate that is 76%.
Academics
Spelman College has several pre-professional and research programs primarily designed to make students more competitive for admissions into highly selective graduate school programs.
The college offers bachelor’s degrees in more than 30 academic majors and has well-established domestic exchange and study abroad programs. Approximately two-thirds of Spelman graduates have earned advanced degrees.
Honor Societies
Registered academic honor societies are ‘Phi Beta Kappa’, ‘Alpha Epsilon Delta’, ‘Alpha Lambda Delta’, ‘Alpha Sigma Lambda’, ‘Beta Kappa Chi’, ‘Golden Key International Honour Society’, ‘Kappa Delta Epsilon’, ‘Mortar Board Senior Honor Society’, ‘National Society of Collegiate Scholars’, ‘Pi Sigma Alpha’, ‘Psi Chi’, ‘Sigma Tau Delta’, and ‘Upsilon Pi Epsilon’.
New Student Orientation
All new students are required to attend a six-day new student orientation (NSO) immediately before the fall semester begins. It includes events, workshops, and sessions designed to teach new Spelmanites about the mission, history, culture, traditions, and sisterhood of Spelman College.
Students are also given information regarding registration, advisement, placement, and planning class schedules. Orientation is led by PALs (Peer Assistant Leaders) and Spelman alumnae.
White Attire Tradition
The tradition began in the early 1900s when it was customary for women to wear white dresses when attending formal events.
White attire is to designate formal events on campus. It is also worn to the annual NSO Induction Ceremony, Founders Day Convocation, Alumnae March, and Commencement.
Student Publications and Media
Spelman offers a student government association newsletter (Jaguar Print) and literary magazine “Aunt Chloe: A Journal of Artful Candor”.
The magazine aims to publish both creative and critical works by and about African-diasporic people globally, especially those that illuminate the experiences of black women.
International Student and Social Organizations
Spelman also has chapters of ‘Colleges Against Cancer’, ‘Circle K’, ‘Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance’, ‘Habitat for Humanity’, ‘National Council of Negro Women’, ‘National Society of Black Engineers’, ‘Operation Smile’, ‘United Way’, and ‘Young Democrats of America’.
Spelman is also the first HBCU to charter a chapter of Amnesty International on its campus.
Athletics
Spelman’s athletic teams were the Jaguars. The college was a member of the Division III level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Great South Athletic Conference (GSAC) from 2003–04 to 2012–13.
The students competed in seven intercollegiate varsity sports, Women’s sports including basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball.
Residential Life
Spelman College has 11 residence halls on campus with more than 1,500 students occupying them. Each one has unique features and identities.