Atlanta University

Atlanta University
source
Name	Atlanta University
Established	1865
Closed	1988 (merged)
Type	Private, HBCU
City	Atlanta
State	Georgia
Country	United States
Affiliations	Atlanta University Center

Atlanta University was a private, historically black university founded in 1865 in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a cornerstone of African-American higher education and a vital intellectual and organizational hub for the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. The institution is best known for its graduate and professional programs, its leadership under figures like W. E. B. Du Bois, and its eventual merger to form Clark Atlanta University.

History and Founding

Atlanta University was founded in 1865 by the American Missionary Association (AMA), with support from the Freedmen's Bureau, to educate newly freed African Americans after the American Civil War. Its establishment was part of a broader movement to create institutions of higher learning for Black citizens in the Southern United States. The school initially offered elementary and secondary education, but by 1869 it had established a normal school for teacher training. In 1876, under the leadership of President Edmund Asa Ware, it began offering college-level instruction, granting its first bachelor's degrees in 1878. The university was notable for its early commitment to coeducation and for establishing the first graduate programs for African Americans in the South, including a School of Social Work.

Role in the Civil Rights Movement

Atlanta University served as a critical nerve center for the Civil Rights Movement, providing intellectual leadership, safe meeting spaces, and trained activists. Its most famous faculty member, sociologist and activist W. E. B. Du Bois, founded the department of sociology and produced seminal works like The Souls of Black Folk and the Atlanta University Studies while teaching there from 1897 to 1910. The university's campus hosted pivotal conferences and organizations, including early meetings of the Niagara Movement, a forerunner to the NAACP. Later, during the Atlanta Student Movement of the 1960s, students from the Atlanta University Center consortium, which included Atlanta University, organized sit-ins at segregated lunch counters, leading to the desegregation of many downtown Atlanta establishments. Faculty and administrators often provided strategic guidance and institutional support for these direct-action campaigns.

Academic Programs and Influence

Atlanta University was distinguished by its focus on graduate and professional education, setting it apart from many contemporary HBCUs that primarily offered undergraduate liberal arts. It established the nation's first graduate programs in social work for African Americans, which evolved into the prestigious Whitney M. Young Jr. School of Social Work. The university also developed strong programs in education, library science, and business administration. Its influence extended through its publication of the Phylon journal, founded by W. E. B. Du Bois in 1940 as a scholarly review of race and culture. The university's emphasis on rigorous academic research and the production of Black professionals helped shape the leadership class of the 20th-century African American community.

Notable Alumni and Faculty

The institution produced and attracted numerous influential figures in academia, civil rights, and public service. Iconic scholar and activist W. E. B. Du Bois was its most renowned professor. Other notable faculty included sociologist Walter R. Chivers, poet and librarian Arna Bontemps, and artist Hale Aspacio Woodruff, who founded the university's art department. Distinguished alumni include civil rights leader and Martin Luther King Jr. advisor Lonnie King; the first African American president of Morehouse College, Hugh M. Gloster; and pioneering librarian and archivist Virginia Lacy Jones. Many graduates became educators, social workers, and leaders in their fields, directly applying the university's mission of social uplift.

Merger into Clark Atlanta University

In 1988, Atlanta University merged with its neighboring undergraduate institution, Clark College (founded in 1869), to form Clark Atlanta University (CAU). This consolidation was driven by financial pressures and a strategic desire to create a stronger, more comprehensive institution within the Atlanta University Center consortium. The merger preserved the legacy and graduate-focused mission of Atlanta University while combining resources with Clark College's strong liberal arts tradition. Clark Atlanta University continues to operate as a private, historically black university and remains a member of the world's largest consortium of Black institutions of higher education, the Atlanta University Center.

Campus and Architecture

The original Atlanta University campus was located in downtown Atlanta, but it moved to its permanent site in the city's West End neighborhood in the early 20th century. This campus became part of the contiguous Atlanta University Center complex, shared with Clark College, Morehouse College, and Spelman College. Notable buildings included Trevor Arnett Hall, which housed the library and administrative offices, and the Harkness Hall classroom building. The campus architecture ranged from historic Collegiate Gothic to modern structures. A key landmark is the Hale Aspacio Woodruff-painted murals, "The Art of the Negro," located in Trevor Arnett Hall, which depict the history and contributions of African and African American art.