Paul Quinn

Paul Quinn College (PQC) is a private historically black Methodist college in Dallas, Texas.

The college is affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME).

It is the oldest historically black college west of the Mississippi River and the nation's first urban work college.

Paul Quinn is home to the WE over ME Farm, which was created through a partnership with PepsiCo to bring healthy food to the food desert of Dallas.

Later, under the direction of Bishop William Paul Quinn (1788–1873), A.M.E. districts were developed throughout the South and tasked with raising funds to improve the college.

During this period, more than twenty acres of additional land was purchased and the curriculum was expanded to include the classical subjects of Latin, mathematics, music, theology, English, plus vocational skills in carpentry, sewing, and household, kitchen, and dining room work.

The college was founded by a small group of African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church preachers in Austin, Texas, on April 4, 1872, as the Connectional School for the Education of Negro Youth.

Originally, its classes were held in churches and people's homes, but in 1877 the school moved into its own building in Waco, Texas.

The college was renamed Waco College.

Classes were held in a modest one-building trade school; freedmen were taught the skills of blacksmithing, carpentry, tanning, and saddle work, common occupations for the era, especially in the increasingly segregated state.

This was the model established by the Tuskegee Institute.

In May 1881, the college was chartered by the State of Texas and changed its name to Paul Quinn College to commemorate the contributions of Bishop William Paul Quinn.

In 1898 the school had seven faculty, including four women.

The campus was expanded, with new buildings constructed with capital raised from interested patrons.

In 1950, the college began significant physical expansion.

A campus church, student union building, gymnasium and administration building were erected between 1950 and 1954.

Two new dormitories, a modern two-story classroom building, a fully equipped science department, and a new library were added to the campus.

In spring of 1954, the Waco Chamber of Commerce successfully completed a campaign which raised $100,000 for a new women's dormitory to replace one destroyed by a fire.

Bishop O.L. Sherman was assigned to supervise the work of the A.M.E. Church in Texas in 1962.

His first official act was to have the Charter of the college changed so that trustees could be elected without regard to race, creed, or color.

Because of this significant innovation, new leaders from Central Texas were added to the board of trustees.

Dr. Stanley E. Rutland became President of the college in 1969.

Under his leadership, the physical plant of the college continued to improve.

Among the changes were the addition of a new gymnasium, the renovation of historic Johnson Hall, and the development of the Ethnic Cultural Center.

Under Dr. Rutland, the college received accreditation in 1972 with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) for the first time.

The college relocated to southeast Dallas, Texas, in 1990.

It acquired the former campus of Bishop College from African-American businessman Comer Cottrell.

During the first semester in its new home, the college boasted an enrollment of 1,020 students and became the only HBCU in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

In 2006, Board of Trustees member Peggy Sterling and her employer, American Airlines, secured the services of global management-consulting firm the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to analyze the operations and performance of the college.

BCG's work ultimately provided the Institution with a blueprint that eventually became the college's Strategic Plan from 2007 to 2012.

In September 2007, Michael Sorrell, a former member of the Board of Trustees, was selected as president, after having served as the interim president since March of that year.

Since his arrival, the college has raised academic standards and embarked on an ambitious revitalization of the campus, which has included spending over $4 million in capital improvements.

It has reduced institutional debt by 40 percent and resolved all previous issues with the audit findings.

Sorrell instituted a "business casual" dress code on campus in order to prepare students for work life after college.

His next set of plans for the college call for an increased commitment to recruitment and retention.

In 2009, the college's accreditation was challenged by SACS, based on problems with institutional effectiveness and financial stability.

Following a lawsuit, a judge issued an injunction which reinstated accreditation prior to hearing of the lawsuit.

Since that time, Sorrell has continued improvements: the college produced over $2 million in budget surpluses in fiscal 2009, 2010, and 2011; achieved unqualified audits for 2009 and 2010; invested more than $4 million in infrastructure improvements without adding any debt; and formed a groundbreaking partnership with PepsiCo to convert an unused football stadium into a fully operational urban farm.

In 2011, the college received membership into the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) accrediting agency.

Paul Quinn's Hispanic student population has grown steadily in recent years, making up at least 12% of the student body.