Simmons College of Kentucky
| Motto | A Rendezvous with Greatness |
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| Type | Private, HBCU |
| Established | 1879 |
| President | Dr. Kevin W. Cosby |
| Location | Louisville, Kentucky, United States |
| Colors | Simmons Red, Gold and Black |
| Website | www |
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Simmons College of Kentucky, is a private, co-educational college located in Louisville, Kentucky. Founded in 1879, Simmons College is a historically black college. The school is accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) and also plans to apply for accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
In August 1865, 12 Black Baptist churches met at Fifth Street Baptist Church in Louisville and organized the state Convention of Colored Baptist Churches in Kentucky, led by the pastor Henry Adams.
Because there was no place in the state where Blacks could obtain a college education, members of the Convention soon began discussing the need to create a school for the training of Negroes – many of whom were one generation removed from slavery. Having first given consideration to Frankfort as the home to the school, members of the Convention instead decided in 1869 to locate what would be known as the Kentucky Normal Theological Institute in Louisville.
It was not until 10 years later in 1879, however, that any definite steps were taken for the opening of the school. In November of that year the trustees of the Convention of Colored Baptist Church in Kentucky purchased 4 acres (16,000 m2) of land on the corner of 7th & Kentucky Street in Louisville that immediately served as the campus for the school.
That same year, the school opened its doors under the direction of its first President Rev. Elijah P. Marrs. After a brief one-year tenure, Rev. Marrs was succeeded by Dr. William J. Simmons. Simmons was an ex-slave who had greatly developed Howard University's teacher training programs. It was under the leadership of Dr. Simmons that the school would begin to flourish in such a way that it would eventually be renamed "Simmons University" in appreciation for his contributions. By 1893 the school had 159 students, and by 1900 it was offering professional degrees in nursing and law in cooperation with the University of Louisville.
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