Simmons College of Kentucky Is Now Officially a HBCU

In 1879, four acres of land were purchased in Louisville by the Convention of Colored Baptist Churches in Kentucky for the purpose of housing the campus of the Kentucky Normal Theological Institute. The school was later renamed to honor its second president, W.J. Simmons, who served from 1880 to 1890.

The school fell on hard times during the Great Depression and refocused on training African Americans for the clergy. In 1982 it was renamed Simmons Bible College.

Now known as Simmons College of Kentucky, the school was recently accredited by the Association for Biblical Education. Since the educational institution was founded prior to 1965, its accreditation made it eligible for designation as a historically Black college. The U.S. Department of Education recently announced that Simmons College of Kentucky application for designation as an HBCU has been approved. This entitles the college to participate in federal funding program earmarked for HBCUs.

Simmons College of Kentucky now enrolls about 220 students. College officials hope to increase enrollments to 350 students this fall.