Ranked twice by U.S. News and World Report as one of the best comprehensive colleges in the South,
Johnson C. Smith continues to be a leader among private liberal arts colleges in the nation.
Founded in 1867 as Biddle Memorial Institute, the university enrolls approximately 1,500 students and confers
bachelor's degrees to hundreds of students each year in 27 different majors.
Each student receives an IBM laptop computer equipped with the latest software and wireless capabilities.
Internet access is provided through electronic data ports in the library, dormitory rooms and multimedia classrooms.
Network access is available through dial-up modem for off-campus students.
The university's service learning component, which combines academics and community service, has become
a national model to other higher education institutions. Extensive career development opportunities abound through co-op
programs and internships with more than 90 companies.
Purpose/Mission Statement
Founded in 1867 under the auspices of the Committee on Freedmen of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., Johnson
C. Smith University (JCSU) is an independent, private coeducational institution of higher learning. Located in the rapidly
growing metropolis of Charlotte, North Carolina, "Queen City of the South," this historically African-American
university has a residential campus with a familiar atmosphere in which students are stimulated and nurtured by dedicated
and caring faculty and staff.
Consistent with its Christian roots, the university recognizes the importance of moral and ethical values
to undergird intellectual development and all endeavors. JCSU believes in the unrelenting pursuit of knowledge and in
the values of cultivating the life of the mind. The university assigns great significance to the development of self-confidence,
to the understanding of ones' own heritage as well as an awareness of the cultures of others, to exploration of the myriad
forces affecting people of a complex technological age, and to formulating a sense of one's role in this schema.
The mission of JCSU is to provide an outstanding education for a diverse group of talented and
highly motivated students from various ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographical backgrounds. The university offers a
liberal education in conjunction with concentrated study in specialized fields, in preparation for advanced study and specific
careers.
