About Philander Smith College
Founded in 1877, Philander Smith was established by the Freedmen’s Aid Society of the United Methodist Church to make education available to newly freed slaves. Today Philander Smith is a private, historically Black, four-year liberal arts institution that recently adopted an emphasis on Social Justice. Nestled near the epicenter of Little Rock, the capital city of Arkansas, the college sits within close proximity to the city’s thriving cultural, government and business centers.