Lincoln University, located in the southern Chester County of Pennsylvania at 1570 Baltimore Pike, has had many notable graduates since it opened its doors in April 1854. These include two very influential African-Americans: poet Langston Hughes (1929) and first African-American Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Thurgood Marshall (1930).
Lincoln, the oldest historically black university in the nation, was renamed in honor of President Abraham Lincoln in 1866. It was formerly known as Ashmun Institute.
Since its opening, Lincoln has retained a reputation for excellence. During its first 100 years, about 20 percent of black physicians and more than 20 percent of black lawyers graduated from Lincoln. Many other alumni have gone on to lead other colleges, universities and churches as well as work as ambassadors.
In addition, the current president of the university, Ivory V. Nelson, Ph.D., has implemented a rigorous academic curriculum. The new curriculum has bolstered Lincoln’s five Centers of Excellence and programs of distinction. These are: Lincoln-Barnes Visual Arts; Grand Research Educational Awareness and Training (GREAT) for Minority Health; Mass Communications; Teacher Education and Urban Pedagogy; and Business and Informational Technology.
“Lincoln University provides students with a global education for a global society,” said Nelson. “We have a legacy of preparing students to become world-class leaders in their desired fields. Our newly enhanced Centers of Excellence and dedicated faculty and staff continue to place us as the institution of choice in higher education.”
In 1952, the university began accepting female students as well. There are now approximately 2,000 students enrolled. Students must take classes in a variety of core liberal arts and science classes to complete their degree.
Lincoln has a three-part school mission: “1) to teach honestly, and without fear of censure, what humankind has painfully and persistently learned about the environment and people; 2) to preserve this knowledge for the future; and 3) to add to this store of knowledge. Lincoln University remains committed to its historical purpose and to preserving its distinction as an intellectual and cultural resource for this region.”
This May, the graduating class of 2009 got to hear a well-known orthopedic surgeon, Cato T. Laurencin, who is also the Vice Ppresident for Health Affairs at the University of Connecticut, speak at their commencement.
– Christina Heiser
