Tuition comprises less than half the cost of a JCSU education. The remaining amount comes from endowment income and gifts.
Here’s a brief look at the important events in JCSU’s history:
The university was founded under the guidance of the Presbyterian Church and named "Biddle Memorial Institute" after Major Henry J. Biddle, the late husband of Mary D. Biddle who pledged $1,400 to start the college. Today the university is independent and not affiliated with the church.
Charlotte citizen Colonel W. R. Myers donated the first eight acres of land for the school. The school charter was changed by the North Carolina Legislature, and the name became Biddle University.
A new building was erected to serve as the main administrative building for the university. It featured recitation rooms and a 600-seat audience chamber. It is currently known as Biddle Memorial Hall.
The first black football game was played by Biddle University against Livingstone College in December in Salisbury, N.C. The Golden Bulls earned their first historic victory in what today is called the Commemorative Classic, an annual tradition at JCSU.
Biddle University became the first black college in the South to offer professional courses in education.
The late Jane Berry Smith, of Pittsburgh, Pa., gave funds to build a theological dormitory, science hall, teachers' cottage and memorial gate. She provided a handsome endowment for the institution in memory of her late husband, Johnson C. Smith. In recognition of these gifts, the board of trustees changed the name of the institution to Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU).
JCSU was recognized as a four-year college by the North Carolina State Board of Education, and the university was further strengthened by a substantial provision from James B. Duke.
James B. Duke authorized the establishment of the Duke Endowment, which included JCSU as one of four beneficiaries in higher education.
The institution attained the status of an independent college, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, reporting to the General Assembly through the Board of Christian Education.
JCSU celebrated its 100th anniversary. During this historic centennial occasion, the institution examined its past and made innovative plans for the future.
The Robert L. Albright Honors College Center was built to recruit outstanding students who have the academic, social and service commitments to function as leaders and role models on campus, as well as in their communities.
Dr. Dorothy Cowser Yancy became the first female president of JCSU. That same year, the Service Learning Center was established as a model program in the Southern region to instill strong values of service to the community and create a well-balanced education for JCSU graduates.
JCSU received a $1 million gift from Irwin Belk, a prominent Charlotte businessman. At the time, it was the largest gift from a living individual in the school’s history.
The Technology Center was established, featuring a state-of-the-art video teleconferencing auditorium center and nine state-of-the-art labs. This placed JCSU on the leading edge of technological advancement.
JCSU gained national recognition when it launched the IBM Laptop Initiative, known as ThinkPad U. JCSU became one of the few colleges in the country, and the first HBCU, to provide an IBM laptop computer to every student.
The Duke Endowment awarded JCSU $3.9 million. That same year, JCSU was acknowledged by Yahoo Magazine in its list of the “Top 50 Most Wired Small Colleges.”
The Corporate Alliance Program (CAP) was established as a relationship builder to align corporate interests with university goals and objectives.
The Duke Endowment awarded JCSU $5.7 million, the largest single gift in the school’s history, to fund two new programs: the Center for Applied Leadership and Community Development and the Metropolitan College.
That same year, the Mary Joyce Taylor Crisp Memorial Student Union was renovated and ground was broken on the JCSU Arts Factory, an innovative teaching and performance facility for students majoring in visual and performing arts.
The university began a campus improvement program with renovations to the student union and upgrades to other key areas around campus.
Johnson C. Smith University breaks ground on Mosaic Village, a mixed-use development featuring living and retail space.
The Duke Endowment awards a $35 million grant to Johnson C. Smith University to support science programs, scholarships and capital improvements on campus. It is one of the largest gifts ever given to a Historically Black College and University.
Johnson C. Smith University breaks ground on the renovation of the George E. Davis House, a historic landmark that will become headquarters of the Foster Village Network Center.
For more information about the Johnson C. Smith University story, you can browse our James B. Duke Library's website or JCSU's digital archives, an online catalog of our school's history.
