^upiStine’S i^ecorb
VoI„„7e^XXIX MAV-JirXB, 1034 Xo. 4
REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT
May 30, 1934
Jo the Trustees of St. Augustine’s College
Gentlemen:
During the j)ast year, the sixty-seventh annual
session of the institution, 207 students have been
enrolled in the college department, 37 in the col
lege preparatory department, which covers the
upper two years of high school, 37 in the St.
Agnes Training School for Nurses and 9 in the
Bishop Tuttle School for Religious and Social
Workers, making a total of 290. The students
come from 20 states and 3 foreign countries.
In connection with the college work several
evening courses were offered for the special benefit
of teachers unable to attend the regular day ses
sion. Class rooms were also made available for
adult evening classes conducted by Federal Aid.
In November, 1933, the Southern Association
of Colleges rated the college as a “Standard four-
year college. Class B,” which indicates that the
general quality of its work is such as to warrant
the admission, without condition, of its graduates
to any institution requiring the Bachelor’s Degree
for entrance. In order to meet in full all the
requirements of the Association St. Augustine’s
will need a larger income, especially for salaries.
I^or several years the College has been rated Class
“A” by the North Carolina State Department of
Bublic Instruction.
Since our last report St. Augustine’s has suf
fered a great loss in the death of the Eev. Di.
A. B. Hunter, who had been the active head of the
Institution for 25 years and its honorary head
since his retirement in 1916. Dr. Hunter had
been a splendid friend and counsellor since re
linquishing his active connection with the college,
which will also eventually benefit from his estate.
To him a great debt is owed for the enviable
reputation which St. Augustine’s has enjoyed.
The Annual State Public Welfare Institute for
N^egro Workers was again held at the College this
year, as was also the convention of the Crown and
Sceptre Club, the honor scholarship society of the
N'egro High Schools of the State, an organization
which has been developed under the auspices of
St. Augustine’s. The usual St. Augustine’s Con
ference for Clergy and Church Workers including
a Young Peoples Conference will be held June 4-8.
riiis conference is generously aided by the Ameri
can Church Institute for Negroes. During the
year we have continued to offer the facilities of
our library, especially our collection of theological
books, to the Negro clergy and certain lay workers
of the Province. There has been an increasing
response to our offer.
St. .Vugustine’s endeavors to maintain the
standards of a distinctly Church College. Regular
services are held in the beautiful College Chapel,
the Sacraments of the Church are duly adminis
tered, and the Bishop each year makes a visita
tion for Confirmation. Representative Negro
clergy occupy the College pulpit from time to
time. A short conference on Christian Living was
recently conducted by the Rev. Malcolm Taylor,
Director of the National Commission on Evan
gelism. The Lenten offering for missions this
year amounted to about $250. We shall also con
tribute about $225 to the General Deficiency Fund
of the National Church. During Lent a letter
inclosing a small picture of the Chapel Sanctuary
was sent to all those who had been confirmed in
St. Augustine’s Chapel during the past twenty
years, urging them to attend if possible a cor
porate Communion at the Chapel on Passion Sun
day; or if that were not possible, to attend a
Communion service elsewhere, and renew in their
prayers the promises of their Confirmation. A
number of apreciative letters were received in
reply.
Among the girls of the College a Junior Branch
of the Woman’s Auxiliary and an Altar Guild are
functioning well. The young men have recently
organized a Laymen’s League and a Chapter of
the Brotherhood of St. Andrew.
In spite of a greatly reduced appropriation and
other decreases in income there is no indebtedness
and the college has thus far succeeded in operat
ing within its budget. The appropriation from the
National Church through the American Church
Institute for Negroes will for next year represent
a reduction of forty per cent from the amount
received at the beginning of the Triennium. To
help meet this situation our tuition charges have
been again increased so that they now are prac
tically the same as those of other Negro Colleges
of the same standing. It will be seen therefore
that unless larger support can be received from
dioceses, parishes and individuals it will not be
possible for St. Augustine’s to function creditably
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