HISTORY
Paul Quinn College is a private, faith-based, four-year liberal arts college founded by and affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The College was founded in Austin, Texas on April 4, 1872, and is one of the nation’s 110 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The institution’s original purpose was to educate freed slaves and their children. In 1877, the College moved from Austin to Waco, Texas, and was renamed Waco College. The College was housed in a one-building trade school where newly freed slaves were taught the skills of blacksmithing, carpentry, tanning, and saddle work. Later, under the direction of Bishop William Paul Quinn, the college expanded its curriculum and land ownership by purchasing over twenty acres of property. In May 1881, the College was chartered by the State of Texas and changed its name to Paul Quinn College in commemoration of the contributions of Bishop William Paul Quinn.
CHARACTERISTICS
Total Enrollment: 167
% Admitted: 41.4%
Percentage of First-Year Students Receiving Pell Grants: 89%
Retention Rate: 9%
Six-year Graduation Rate: 8.6%
INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY
The “Leave No Quinnite Behind Project” is a retention program predicated upon an institutional commitment to retaining and developing underprepared students from under-resourced backgrounds. The premise of the program is that it is unacceptable for any student who is capable of being admitted to PQC not to graduate within four years. The Project is a comprehensive approach to enrollment management that combines common sense educational methods, political campaign and community-organizing techniques, faith-based principles, innovative grading and a commitment to teaching leadership skills to ensure that every PQC student is nurtured, developed and retained. One of the intended results of developing a program to enhance the College’s graduation and retention rates is the opportunity to improve the socio-economic standing of both the graduates and their home communities. To accomplish this goal requires encouraging students to seek career paths that will economically and socially benefit both their progeny and their home communities.