Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas, is the fasting growing historically Black college or university, according to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). The school reports that enrollment is up almost 15 percent compared to last year. This is the third year in a row that Philander Smith has experienced double-digit growth in enrollment.
This year’s enrollment at Philander Smith is projected to be over 1,000 students. This is almost double what the enrollment was in 2014. The United Negro College Fund states that the college is growing twice as fast as any other UNCF member school. In addition to enrollment growth, the retention rate at Philander Smith College is up more than 10 percent from the previous year.
Philander Smith president, Roderick L. Smothers, Sr., credits the enrollment growth and increased retention rate to the institution’s “concentrated efforts to provide educational opportunities to a broader range of students.”
Dr. Smothers holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in public administration, and a doctoral degree in educational leadership, research, and counseling all from Louisiana State University.
