For more than a century, the institution of higher learning now known as
Alcorn State University has been devoted to the education of black
students. Historically established for this purpose, Alcorn has
struggled against great odds. This new history of Alcorn reveals the
unrelenting hove and support of its community and alumni as they face
the challenges of streamlining programs and making modifications to
century-old traditions.
The roots of Alcorn extend back to 1830 and the antebellum Oakland
College, a Presbyterian institution which closed during the
Reconstruction era. In 1871 Mississippi's first black senator, Hiram R.
Revels, returned to Mississippi to head the new institution on the
Oakland campus, to be known as Alcorn.
This history updates the centennial history of Alcorn published in 1971
by showing how in the face of new challenges the university persists
with its mission of educating citizens for the modern world. One of the
chief struggles has been to maintain its distinctive identity as social
and interracial changes confront long-established traditions and
wide-scale community support of the system.
Here Alcorn State University is shown not only in its rich heritage of
public education as the first land-grant institution for black students
but also in its struggles through the years to reach peaks of excellence
in academic programs, in faculty development, in the enrichment of
student life, and in its nationally renowned athletic programs that
consistently bring Alcorn acclaim.
Struggling against great odds has remained one of Alcorn's hallmarks.
This comprehensive history shows the university moving confidently into
the twenty-first century proud of its distinctive heritage and intent on
removing obstacles that threaten to check a long-established tradition
for excellence.
