“C” is for Claflin University. Responding to the urgent need to educate former enslaved persons, northern Methodists established Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina in 1869. The Claflin family of Massachusetts provided financial support to start the institution. The university opened its doors in October 1869 and students were admitted without regard to race, color, creed, religion, or complexion. In December 1869 the school received a charter from the General Assembly and became the first historically Black college or university in the state. Claflin awarded its first bachelor’s degrees in 1882. In the 1890s the school was renamed Claflin College. After a decline in enrollment during the 1980s, the student population rebounded the following decade. Claflin reinstated its historic designation as a university in 1999 and has maintained its affiliation with the United Methodist Church.

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