Joseph Winthrop Holley, born in 1874 to former slaves in Winnsboro, South Carolina, founded the institution in 1903 as the Albany Bible and Manual Training Institute.[7] Two educators, Reverend Samuel Lane Loomis and his wife, sent Holley to Brainerd Institute and then Revere Lay College (Massachusetts). When attending Revere Lay, Holley got to know one of the school's trustees, New England businessman Rowland Hazard. After taking a liking to Holley, Hazard arranged for him to continue his education at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. Holley aspired to become a minister and prepared by completing his education at Pennsylvania's Lincoln University.
W. E. B. Du Bois inspired Holley to return to the South after he read Du Bois's writings on the plight of Albany's Black community in The Souls of Black Folk. Holley relocated to Albany to start a school. With the help of a $2,600 gift from the Hazard family, Holley organized a board of trustees and purchased 50 acres (200,000m2) of land for the campus, all within a year. The aim of the institution at the time was to provide elementary education and teacher training for the local Black population.
In 1917, the institution became a state-supported school under the name Georgia Normal and Agricultural College, a two-year agricultural and teacher-training institution.[8]
In 1932, the school became part of the University System of Georgia and in 1943 it was granted four-year status and renamed Albany State College,[9] a transition that significantly increased enrollment. In 1981, the college offered its first graduate program, paving the way for its upgrade to university status in 1996. In July 1994, most of the campus was flooded and suffered extensive damage when Tropical Storm Alberto caused the Flint River to overflow; the campus was subsequently extended eastward, with many new buildings erected on higher ground.[10]
Civil Rights Movement
The college played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement in the early 1960s. Many students from the school, Black improvement organizations, and representatives from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) came together to create the Albany Movement. The movement brought prominent civil rights leaders to the town including Martin Luther King Jr. and resulted in the arrests of more than 1,000 black protestors. Among the first to be arrested were students from Albany State.[11]
On November 22, 1961, Blanton Hall and Bertha Gober entered the white waiting room of the Albany bus station to buy tickets home for the Thanksgiving holiday. Refusing to leave after being ordered to do so, police arrested them both. Albany State President William Dennis, fearful of losing his position, immediately suspended and eventually expelled the students. This action engendered a great deal of animosity from the black community and the student body.
Gober would continue in the civil rights movement as one of the SNCC's Freedom Singers and write the group's anthem. Bernice Johnson Reagon, another Albany State student who left school to work with the SNCC, would later form the well-known a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock. On December 10, 2011, thirty two of the students who were expelled were granted honorary degrees. The school awarded thirty one honorary baccalaureate degrees and one honorary doctorate – that to Bernice Johnson Reagon. A noted cultural historian, Reagon was also the commencement speaker.[12]
Albany State University Era
In July 1996, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approved the change from college to university and the name of Albany State College officially became Albany State University.
A new stadium was opened in 2004 and new housing units opened in 2006.
In 2015, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia announced the merger of Albany State and Darton State College, with Albany State serving as the surviving instituion.[13] In 2017, the two institutions consolidated, with Albany State University retaining its name and branding. The former Darton campus became the university's West Campus and the location of the Darton College of Health Professions.
Since the consolidation, Albany State University has made several gains. Summer enrollment has increased in recent years, particularly among graduate students, reflecting improved student access and programming.[14] Retention rates have also risen, demonstrating enhanced academic support and campus services.[15] ASU continues to contribute significantly to the regional economy—generating over $260 million and supporting thousands of jobs.[16] The university has also expanded its facilities and online learning capacity, including opening a new state-of-the-art simulation facility for health sciences[17] and securing a $2.9 million federal grant to improve broadband access for underserved communities.[18]
Albany State offers undergraduate and graduateliberal arts and professional degree programs.
According to U.S. News & World Report, in 2019 ASU was ranked 40th (tie) in the magazine's ranking of undergraduate education at HBCUs[19] and was ranked as the 107th-141st school on the Regional Universities (South) list.[19] The student-faculty ratio is 15:1 and 42 percent of the classes contain less than 20 students.[19] The most popular majors are health professions and related, homeland security, law enforcement, firefighting and related, business, management, marketing, psychology, and education. The Velma Fudge Grant Honors Program is a selective program that caters to high-achieving undergraduate students.
The institution offers 6 certificates, 13 associate, 22 baccalaureate, and 13 graduate degrees.[21] The university also offers the Board of Regents' engineering transfer program and a dual degree program with the Georgia Institute of Technology, one of the top engineering schools in the nation. The Holley Institute summer program, which consists of an intense four weeks of study to help high school students improve low SAT scores and gain admission to college, has a near 100 percent success rate and has received praise from the state Board of Regents.
Campuses
Albany State University’s East Campus (Main Campus) spans 206 acres along the east bank of the Flint River and comprises 32 buildings and five athletic facilities. The West Campus covers 186 acres in West Albany, with 16 buildings and five athletic facilities, and is home to the Darton College of Health Professions. In addition to its Albany campuses, ASU operates the Cordele Center and maintains instructional sites in Cairo and Waycross.[22][23][24]
Albany State University student body comprises both traditional and non-traditional students drawn largely from southwest and middle Georgia, Atlanta, other U.S. states, and several foreign countries. The average student age is 24, and about 40 percent reside in on-campus housing.[26]
In Fall 2024, total enrollment rose to 6,809, of which 90.9% (6,192) were undergraduates and 9.1% (617) graduate students. The gender ratio was 73.8% female and 26.2% male. Racial/ethnic distribution included 83.1% Black/African American, 6.6% White, 3.7% Hispanic/Latino, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian or Alaska Native, 2.0% two or more races, and 4.1% not reported.[27]
Student life
Student organizations
There are over 60 clubs and organizations including bands, choirs, religious groups, honor societies, several Greek and honor sororities and fraternities, and ROTC.
Fraternities and Sororities
All nine of the National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations currently have chapters at Albany State University. Also there are currently two national service fraternities and sororities and three Greek music organizations at Albany State University.
Marching Rams Show Band
Albany State's marching band participated in the 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 Honda Battle of the Bands (HBOB). Also, The Marching Rams Show Band participated in the 2016 Tournament of Roses Parade and Tournament of Roses Bandfest.
Albany State's marching band danceline is named the "Golden Passionettes". In 2012, the danceline was invited to appear in the "Give It 2 U" music video and a live televised performance with artists Robin Thicke, Kendrick Lamar, and 2 Chainz.[28]
Albany State University holds membership in NCAA Division II (as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) and participates in the following sports: football, basketball, baseball, golf, cheerleading, volleyball, cross-country and track and field.[29] Additionally, in 2019 ASU's women soccer team began competing in the Peach Belt Conference.
Swimming
Albany State sponsored men's and women's swimming, and diving teams, which in past years were named National Black College Swimming and Diving Champions in 1979 and 1980.
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