Our Mission
Alma Mater
College Chapel
The mission of Saint Augustine's College is to sustain a learning community in which students can prepare academically, socially and spiritually for leadership in a complex, diverse and rapidly changing world. To fulfill the mission, the faculty fosters scholarship and creativity through varied approaches to teaching and learning; the administration facilitates the enterprise by effectively garnering and managing financial and human resources; and the staff contributes to efficient operations by providing essential support services. Through these means, the College pursues excellence by developing:
Flexible and innovative courses of study that integrate theory and practical application through experiential approaches to learning;
In-Depth Learning
Augmenting the College's liberal arts core curriculum are rigorous, in-depth programs in business; computer science; teacher education; the natural sciences; mathematics; interdisciplinary studies; theater and film; adult education; community development; communications; and military science, a required course for all members of the College's notable Army ROTC battalion.
Enrollment/Diversity
In recent years, the College's annual enrollment has approximated 1,500 students, about half from North Carolina, the remainder from 37 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Jamaica and 30 foreign countries. Its faculty consists of nearly 100 dedicated men and women, all skilled teachers and scholars.
Campus
The College has a main campus accommodating 37 facilities, three of which - its Chapel, Saint Agnes Hall and Taylor Hall - are registered historic landmarks. Also, Saint Augustine's was the first historically black college in the nation to have its own on-campus commercial radio and television stations: WAUG-AM750 and WAUG-TV68, Cable Channel 102.
Flexibility / Enriched Perspectives
Saint Augustine's College provides a strong liberal arts base for all of its students. Sufficient flexibility, however, is also assured to enable students to make certain educational and career choices consistent with widening opportunities and the rapidly changing conditions of society. While technical skills are highly prized and deemed necessary to guarantee each student a meaningful role in the marketplace, Saint Augustine's also assists its students in developing enriched perspectives from which to deal competently, comprehensively and creatively with an increasingly complex, interactive global society.
Alumni
Of Saint Augustine's more than 10,000 living alumni, a high percentage have distinguished themselves in many enterprises and professions. Among them:
- North Carolina’s former State Auditor, the Honorable Ralph Campbell, Jr. ‘68, the first African-American elected to that position in this state;
- George Williams, ‘65, internationally acclaimed track and field coach;
- Ruby Butler DeMesme, ’69, former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (ret.) for manpower, installations and environment;
- Hannah Diggs Atkins, ’43, first African-American woman elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives (1968-1980) and recipient of numerous awards and honors for distinguished service;
- the remarkable Delany sisters, “Bessie” and “Sadie,” who became the country’s most renowned centenarians in 1993, when they were 102 and 104 years of age, upon publication of their best-selling memoir, “Having Our Say,” later made into a hit Broadway play.