^t. ^ugusitine’s 3^ecorb
Volume XLII
MAY - JUXB, 1037
No. 4
REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT—MAY 26, 1937
To the Trustees of St. Augustine’s Colleqe:
(lENTLEMEN :
During the past year, the seventieth annual session
of the Institution there has been a total enrollment of
302 students including pupils in the St. Agnes Traininf?
School for JSTurses and in the Bishop Tuttle Training
School for Christian Social Service. About fifty pei cent
of the students come from N’orth Carolina. The remain
der come from twenty-four states and several foreign
countries. Texas, Colorado, Mississippi, Oklahoma,
Cuba, and the Virgin Islands are among the distant
points represented. An increasing number of these stu
dents are coming to us from our Iv'egro parishes in
Various parts of the country, so that at present about
fifty per cent of the student body are communicants of
our church. This is an important factor in helping to
create an atmosphere and maintain standards that make
for what a church college ought to be.
In view of the fact that it is now seventy vears shice
St. Augustine’s was chartered as a Normal and Col
legiate Institute—the corporate title has since bem
changed to St. Augustine’s College—it is well to le-
niiiid ourselves that the institution was founded as a
joint enterprise of tlie General Cliurcli hikI of t le lo
cese of :^^ortll Carolina, which in 1867 included the en-
tire State. The first principal, Dr. J. Brinton Smit ,
left his position as secretary of the Freedman s Co™'
mission of the Episcopal Church, a national church
commission, to take np the work at St. Augustine s.
Bishop Atkinson of North Carolina was the first presi-
(lent of the Board of Trustees which included such
prominent North Carolina churchmen as Dr Kemp
Battle, president of the University of North Caro
lina; Rev. Joseph B. Cheshire, father of the late Bishop
Cheshire; General William KiifKn Cox of Raleigh, Dr
A. J. DeKossett of Wilmington, Kev. E M. Forbes of
New Bern, Rev. R. T. Mason, Rector of Christ Church,
^^aleigli; Rev. Aldert Smedes, principal of St Marys
^ialeigh; Mr. Richard IT. Smith of Scotland Neck and
^Tr. Jolin Wilkes of Charlotte. Men of such calibre
these realized then and do now, that only t iroug i a
trained and intelligent Christian leadership can le
great bulk of the Negro peoi>le be eqmpi^d to meet
their opi)ortunities and responsibilities in urc ant
State. The development of St. Augustine s into the one
college for Negro youth that the Church maintains has
corne as the result of the support giveii it y °
National Church and the Church throughout the btat .
J"or its continued existence and developmen i m
I'ely on the sympathetic help from these sources as
lias done in the past.
During the past year the special topic of study in our
own Church as well as in other Christian churches has
been the work among the Negroes. This has served to
stimulate interest in our work so that there has been
more than the usual number of visitors on our campus.
We hope that this interest will continue and grow, es
pecially here in the Diocese and State of North Caro
lina.
As usual the facilities of the college have been used
for various meetings and conferences including the
State Public Welfare Institute for Negro Workers, the
Crown and Sceptre Scholarship Society, extension
classes for teachers and several classes in industrial
and domestic science subjects conducted under Federal
auspices. An interesting conference for Negro clergy
was held under the auspices of the Forward Movement
Commission. Bishop Penick was the leader of the con
ference and as one of the to])ics Bishop Darst discussed
Evangelism. In June will be held the annual St.
Augustine’s Conference for Clergy and Church Work
ers, including a Young People’s Conference.
During the past year twenty-three have been con
firmed. The Lenten offering for missions amounted to
slightly over $375, the largest ever made at the college.
As a small college, St. Augustine’s enjoys the advan
tages of affording opportunity for personal contact be
tween students and faculty. We have taken advantage of
this situation by instituting an advisory system where
by each student is assigned to a faculty adviser for
special conference and help. We are hoping that this
method will also make easier the solution of the Prob
lem of Vocational Guidance which is being so much
stressed in the educational field today.
Through the aid of the National Youth Administra
tion we have been able to furnish self help work to
numerous students who otherwise could not attend col
lege. We are hoping that this aid will be continued as
it works to the advantage of both the students involved
and of the college.
We are continuing our effort to bring the so-called
extra-curricula activities into the general educational
program of the college. A student-facuity committee
and the student council render valuable service in this
respect. This year we have found the Student Council
disposed to be helpful in matters pertaining to the
welfare of the institution. The successful observance of
St. Augustine’s Day on May 7 was made possible by
the efforts of a joint committee of faculty and students.
We feel that as time goes on more and more of the
students as well as members of the faculty are coming
to feel a definite responsibility for the development and
progress of the college. In connection with the strength
ening of our academic work we are hoping to work out
some plan of co-operation with Shaw University. It
seems to us and to the authorities of Shaw, as -well as