Saint Paul's College was a private, historically black college located in Lawrenceville, Virginia. Saint Paul's College opened its doors on September 24, 1888, originally training students as teachers and for agricultural and industrial jobs. By the late 20th century, Saint Paul's College offered undergraduate degrees for traditional college students and distant learning students in the Continuing Studies Program. The school also offered adult education to help assist working adults to gain undergraduate degrees. Saint Paul's College had a Single Parent Support System Program that assisted single teen parents pursuing a college education. The college had long struggled with significant financial difficulties, culminating in a court conflict in 2012 with its regional accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Throughout the 2012–2013 school year, the college sought to merge with another institution, but on June 3, 2013, the board announced the college would close on June 30, 2013.
Campus
Saint Paul's eleven-building campus was situated on of green hills. Older buildings were constructed by students and donated by friends of the College. The college has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
History
On September 24, 1888, James Solomon Russell of the Protestant Episcopal Church founded the Saint Paul Normal and Industrial School, with fewer than a dozen students. The school was intended chiefly to develop African-American teachers, a critical and prestigious job in the late 19th and early 20th-century South. In 1914 the school boasted that "The location of the school in the heart of the Black Belt of Virginia, with a Negro population of 100,000 almost at its very doors, is most favorable for the prosecution of uplift work." In 1941 the name of the institution was changed to Saint Paul's Polytechnic Institute when the state granted the school authority to offer a four-year program. The first bachelor's degree was awarded in 1944. In 1957 the college adopted its present name to reflect its liberal arts and teacher education curricula. In June 2012, the college's regional accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, stripped the college of its accreditation. Although the college had been on probation, it lost its accreditation for "violations concerning financial resources, institutional effectiveness in support services, institutional effectiveness in academics and student services, lack of terminal degrees for too many faculty members, and a lack of financial stability." The college sued the accreditor, and two months later a court issued a preliminary injunction reinstating the college's probationary accreditation to protect it during further legal proceedings. Although supporters worked on plans to have St. Augustine's University in Raleigh, North Carolina, another historically black university of Episcopal heritage, acquire St Paul's, the deal was abandoned in May 2013. Shortly thereafter, St. Paul's College reported to SACS that it would close on June 30, 2013. In 2017 the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, which had assumed ownership of most of the former campus, sold the property to a Chinese-related firm that has not announced its plans.
Academics
The college focused on liberal arts, social sciences, education, business, mathematics, and natural sciences. It was committed to the development of "students who will be equipped to live effectively in a global society."
Student support
Saint Paul's College developed the Single Parent Support System, the only program of its kind in the United States. Initiated in 1987, the Single Parent Support System was an on-campus residential educational program designed for single parents with two or fewer children between the ages of two months to nine years old. The program required students to attend the college year round on a full-time basis and maintain a projected graduation progression of three to four years, with a 2.5 G.P.A. each year. A significant aspect of the SPSS was a faculty mentoring system that assisted participants with choosing a major. Tutorial assistance and counseling services were available, and the college provided seminars that focused on academic success, transition to college, career planning, and parenting. The college also provided child care assistance.
Athletics
The college discontinued its athletic programs in July 2011 in an effort to alleviate financial difficulties. The football team had costs of $300,000 to $400,000 annually. The men's sports teams were known as the Tigers and the women's sports teams were known as the Lady Tigers. The college competed in the NCAA Division II in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
Daphne Trusty- Women's Basketball Player. Daphen Trusty's career accomplishments at St. Paul's include CIAA Rookie of the Year, Three-time All-CIAA, 1990-01 ESPN Black College Sports Today All America team, Black College Women’s All-American Honorable Mention, VSU HBCU Basketball Classic All-Tournament team, 1991-92 Kodak Women’s All-America Basketball Tea, and 1992 Black College Sports Information Directors Association Women’s All-American Team. She led the CIAA in scoring in 1990-91 with 24.0 points a game. Her career stats consist of 1,712 points and 1,034 rebounds. Trusty holds the school record for most 3-point field goals in a game.
