View source for Alabama State University

{{Short description|Public university in Montgomery, Alabama, US}}
{{redirect|Alabama State|the U.S. state|Alabama}}
{{distinguish|University of Alabama}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2015}}
{{Infobox university
 | name                   = Alabama State University
 | former_name            = Lincoln Normal School of Marion (1867–1887)<br />Normal School for Colored Students (1887–1929)<br />State Teachers College (1929–1948)<br />Alabama State College for Negroes (1948–1954)<br />Alabama State College (1954–1969)
 | image_name             = Alabama State University seal.svg
 | image_size             = 150px
 | motto                  = 
 | established            = {{start date and age|1867}}
 | free_label             = Newspaper
 | free                   = ''The Hornet Tribune''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://asuhornettribune.com/ |title = The Hornet Tribune – Official student newspaper of Alabama State University|website=Thehornetribuneonline.com}}</ref>
 | type                   = [[Public university|Public]] [[Historically black colleges and universities|historically black university]]
 | academic_affiliations  = [[Thurgood Marshall College Fund|TMCF]]
 | endowment              = $125 million (2024)<ref>{{cite web | last= Jones II | first=Arthur | title=Alabama State University receives Wall Street firm's historic endowment assistance | website=ABC News | date=17 May 2024 | url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/alabama-state-university-receives-wall-street-firms-historic/story?id=110341374 | access-date=18 September 2024}}</ref>
 | president              = [[Quinton Ross (politician)|Quinton T. Ross Jr.]]
 | provost                = Carl Pettis
 | students               = 5,475
 | undergrad              = 5,116
 | postgrad               = 
 | city                   = [[Montgomery, Alabama]]
 | country                = United States
 | campus                 = Urban, 172-acres<ref name="EOA">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1612|title=Alabama State University|encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Alabama|date=July 28, 2008}}</ref>
 | colors                 = Black and Old gold<br />{{color box|#000000}}&nbsp;{{color box|#F0A40F}}
 | sporting_affiliations  = [[NCAA Division I]] [[NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision|FCS]] – [[Southwestern Athletic Conference|SWAC]]
 | sports_nickname        = [[Alabama State Hornets and Lady Hornets|Hornets and Lady Hornets]]
 | website                = {{URL|www.alasu.edu}}
 | logo                   = Alabama State University wordmark.svg
}}

'''Alabama State University''' ('''Alabama State''', ''''Bama State''', or '''ASU''') is a [[Public university|public]] [[historically black colleges and universities|Historically Black University]] (HBCU) in [[Montgomery, Alabama]], United States. Founded in 1867 during the [[Reconstruction era]], it was one of about 180 "[[normal school]]s" established by state governments in the 19th century to train teachers for the rapidly growing public common schools. It was one of 23 established to train African Americans to teach in segregated schools.<ref>Ogren, Christen (2005) [https://books.google.com/books?id=mUDHAAAAQBAJ&dq=OGREN+Christine&pg=PP1 ''The American State Normal School: 'An Instrument of Great Good'''] Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 1-5, 213-235</ref> ASU is a member-school of the [[Thurgood Marshall College Fund]]. 

Alabama State's athletic teams, known as the [[Alabama State Hornets and Lady Hornets|Hornets]], compete in [[NCAA Division I]] as members of the [[Southwestern Athletic Conference|Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)]].

== History ==
{{see also|Alabama State University Historic District}}

Alabama State University was founded in 1867 as the '''[[Lincoln Normal School]] of Marion''' in [[Marion, Alabama|Marion]]. In December 1874, the State Board accepted the transfer of title to the school after a legislative act was passed authorizing the state to fund a Normal School, and George N. Card was named president. Thus, in 1874, this predecessor of Alabama State University became America's first state-supported educational institution for blacks. This began ASU's history as a "teachers' college."<ref name="alasu1">{{cite web |url=https://www.alasu.edu/about-asu/about-asu |title = About ASU {{!}} Alabama State University|website=Alasu.edu}}</ref>

The second president, [[William Burns Paterson]], was appointed in 1878. He is honored as a founder of Alabama State University and was the president for 37 of the school's first 48 years. Paterson was instrumental in the move from Marion to Montgomery in 1887.<ref name="alasu1"/>

In 1887, the university opened in its new location in Montgomery, but an [[Alabama State Supreme Court]] ruling forced the school to change its name; it was renamed the '''Normal School for Colored Students'''. The campus was chosen in 1889 although preparing the buildings at the site took a while longer.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Sherer|first1=Robert G.|title=William Burns Paterson: "Pioneer as well as Apostle of Negro Education in Alabama|journal=The Alabama Historical Quarterly|date=1930|volume=36|issue=2: summer 1974|pages=142–143|url=https://archive.org/stream/alabamahistorica3619mont#page/142/mode/2up/search/campus|access-date=10 July 2017}}</ref>

In the decades that followed, Lincoln Normal School became a junior college, and in 1928 became a full four-year institution. In 1929 it became '''State Teachers College''', '''Alabama State College for Negroes''' in 1948, and '''Alabama State College''' in 1954. In 1969, the State Board of Education, then the governing body of the university, approved a name change; the institution became Alabama State University.<ref name="alasu1"/>

The 1995 ''Knight vs. Alabama'' remedial decree transformed ASU into a comprehensive regional institution paving the way for two new undergraduate programs, four new graduate programs, diversity scholarship funding and endowment, funding to build a state-of-the art health sciences facility, and a facility renewal allocation to refurbish three existing buildings.<ref name="alasu1"/>

[[WVAS]]-FM was launched on June 15, 1984, beaming 25,000 watts of power from the fifth floor of the Levi Watkins Learning Center for two years before moving to its current location at Thomas Kilby Hall. Today, WVAS has grown to 80,000 watts and has a listenership that spans 18 counties, reaching a total population of more than 651,000. In recent years, the station has also begun streaming its broadcast via the Web, connecting a global audience to the university.<ref name="alasu1"/>

The early 1990s witnessed the beginning of [[WAPR]]-FM (Alabama Public Radio), which Alabama State University and Troy University, both of which already held station licenses of their own, cooperated with the University of Alabama in building and operating. WAPR-FM 88.3—Selma's signal reaches the region known colloquially as the [[Black Belt (region of Alabama)|Black Belt]], about 13 counties in the west central and central parts of Alabama, including the city of Montgomery.<ref name="alasu1"/>

In 2021, ASU received a $24.7 million federal grant from the [[U.S. Department of Education]] to help [[Montgomery Public Schools]] students better prepare for a [[higher education]].  This is the largest single grant in the history of the institution.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/2021/10/06/alabama-state-university-federal-grant-24-7-million-dollars-help-mps-students-with-college-prep/6022772001/ | title=ASU gets record $24.7 million federal grant to prep MPS students for higher education }}</ref> In 2025, [[MacKenzie Scott]] donated $38 million to ASU. Her donation is the largest single gift in ASU's history.<ref>https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/10/29/mackenzie-scott-alabama-state-university-donation/86960403007/</ref>

===Presidents===
''Interim presidents excluded''
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
#1874–1878: [[George N. Card]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://cdm17283.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/founders/id/59/ | title=President George N. Card }}</ref>
#1878–1915: [[William Burns Paterson]]
#1915–1920: John William Beverly
#1920–1925: [[George Washington Trenholm]]<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/763189 | doi=10.1353/ala.2020.0023 | title=An African American Educator in the Context of His Time: George Washington Trenholm, 1871–1925 | year=2020 | last1=Fultz | first1=Michael | journal=Alabama Review | volume=73 | issue=3 | pages=246–267 | s2cid=221468807 | url-access=subscription }}</ref>
#1925–1961: Harper Councill Trenholm<ref>{{cite web | url=https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/trenholm-harper-councill | title=Trenholm, Harper Councill | date=July 3, 2017 }}</ref>
#1962–1981: [[Levi Watkins Sr.]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://alasu.pastperfectonline.com/archive/644A006D-76D7-4850-86C5-381558545450 | title=President Levi Watkins, Sr. Collection - President Levi Watkins Collection &#124; Alabama State University - Library }}</ref>
#1981–1983: [[Robert L. Randolph]]
#1983–1991: Leon Howard
#1991–1994: Clifford C. Baker
#1994–2000: William Hamilton Harris
#2001–2008: Joe A. Lee
#2008–2012: William Hamilton Harris
#2012: Joseph H. Silver Sr.
#2014–2016: [[Gwendolyn Boyd]]
#2017–present: [[Quinton Ross (politician)|Quinton T. Ross Jr.]]
{{div col end}}

==Academics==
ASU has eight degree-granting colleges, schools, or divisions:

* College of Business Administration
* College of Education
* College of Health Sciences
* College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
* College of Science, Mathematics & Technology
* College of Visual & Performing Arts
* Division of Aerospace Studies
* Continuing Education

Alabama State offers 47 degree programs including 31 bachelor's, 11 master's, 2 Education Specialist, and 3 doctoral programs. In addition, the university offers the W.E.B. DuBois Honors Program for undergraduate students who meet the above average performance criteria.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alasu.edu/academics/colleges--departments/university-college/honors-program/index.aspx |title=W.E.B. DuBois Honors Program : Alabama State University |access-date=March 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211020333/http://www.alasu.edu/academics/colleges--departments/university-college/honors-program/index.aspx |archive-date=December 11, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Due to Alabama State offering only bachelor's degree in [[Biomedical Engineering]] and [[Mechanical Engineering]], the university established a [[dual degree]] [[engineering]] partnership with [[Auburn University]] and the [[University of Alabama at Birmingham]] (UAB) that gives qualified ASU students automatic admissions into Auburn and UAB undergraduate engineering programs.  ASU undergraduate students who successfully complete the program will receive a [[Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics|STEM]] related bachelor's degree from ASU and an engineering bachelor's degree from Auburn or UAB in approximately five years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.alasu.edu/cstem/math-computer-science/programs|title = Programs &#124; Alabama State University}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uab.edu/2015compliancecertification/IMAGES/SOURCEDD17.PDF?id=dd41c7e8-bbf7-e311-b111-86539cf2d30e|format=PDF|title=Agreement to establish a dual-degree program of study between Alabama State University and the School of Engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham|website=Uab.edu|access-date=February 22, 2022}}</ref>

Alabama State is [[Higher education accreditation in the United States|accredited]] by the [[Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools]]. Specific programs are also accredited by relevant specialized accreditors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alasu.edu/about-asu/accreditation/index.aspx|title=Accreditation|author=Alabama State University|work=alasu.edu|access-date=October 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150810224701/http://www.alasu.edu/about-asu/accreditation/index.aspx|archive-date=August 10, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Research centers===
Research centers at the university include:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.alasu.edu/academics/research-centers |title = Research & Centers {{!}} Alabama State University|website=Alasu.edu}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lib.alasu.edu/natctr/ |title=The National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African American Culture |website=Lib.alasu.edu |date= |access-date=2022-02-16}}</ref>
*Center for Nanobiotechnology Research
*Research Infrastructure & Minority Institutions
*Center for Leadership & Public Policy
*East Asian Institute for Business Research and Culture
*Urban Economic Research Development Center
*National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture

== Campus ==
[[File:ASU Bibb Graves Hall June 09 02.jpg|thumb|Jo Ann Robinson Hall]]
ASU's urban, 172-acre (0.70 km<sup>2</sup>) campus has Georgian-style red-brick classroom buildings and architecturally contemporary structures. ASU is home to the state-of-the-art 7,400-seat academic and sports facility the ASU Acadome; the Levi Watkins Learning Center, a five-story brick structure with more than 267,000 volumes; the state-of-the-art John L. Buskey Health Sciences Center which is an 80,000 square foot (7,400 m<sup>2</sup>) facility which houses classrooms, offices, an interdisciplinary clinic, three therapeutic rehabilitation labs, a state-of-the-art Gross Anatomy Lab, Laboratory for the Analysis of Human Motion (LAHM), a Women's Health/Cardiopulmonary lab, and a health sciences computer lab; and WVAS-FM 90.7, the 80,000-watt, university operated public radio station.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.alasu.edu/about-asu/our-campus|title=Our Campus &#124; Alabama State University}}</ref>

==Student life==
{| class="wikitable floatright sortable collapsible"; text-align:right; font-size:80%;"
|+ style="font-size:90%" |Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2023<ref>{{cite web |title= College Scorecard: Alabama State University|url=https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?100724-Alabama-State-University|website=College Scorecard |publisher=[[United States Department of Education]] |access-date=July 26, 2025 }}</ref>
|-
! Race and ethnicity
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Total
|-
| [[African Americans|Black]]
|align=right| {{bartable|91|%|2||background:purple}}
|-
| [[International student]]
|align=right| {{bartable|2|%|2||background:#008080}}
|-
| Unknown
|align=right| {{bartable|2|%|2||background:grey}} 
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic whites|White]]
|align=right| {{bartable|2|%|2||background:cyan}}
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic]]
|align=right| {{bartable|1|%|2||background:green}}
|-
| [[Multiracial Americans|Two or more races]]
|align=right| {{bartable|1|%|2||background:violet}}
|-
! colspan="4" data-sort-type=number |[[Economic diversity]]
|-
| [[American lower class|Low-income]]{{efn|The percentage of students who received an income-based federal [[Pell grant]] intended for low-income students.}}
|align=right| {{bartable|71|%|2||background:red}}
|-
| [[Affluence in the United States|Affluent]]{{efn|The percentage of students who are a part of the [[American middle class]] at the bare minimum.}}
|align=right| {{bartable|29|%|2||background:black}}
|}
Alabama State University has nearly 6,000 students from more than 40 states and over 20 countries.  Approximately 40% of the student body come from outside Alabama.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.alasu.edu/administration/enrollment-maps | title=Enrollment Maps &#124; Alabama State University }}</ref>

===Athletics===
[[File:SWAC Outdoor Track Field 5-6-23 (167).jpg|thumb|The Hornets outdoor track team celebrating a victory at the 2023 SWAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship]]
{{main|Alabama State Hornets and Lady Hornets}}

The Alabama State University Department of Athletics currently sponsors men's intercollegiate [[Alabama State Hornets football|football]], [[Alabama State Hornets baseball|baseball]], [[Alabama State Hornets basketball|basketball]], golf, tennis, track and cheerleading, along with women's intercollegiate [[Alabama State Lady Hornets basketball|basketball]], soccer, softball, bowling, tennis, track, volleyball, golf and cheerleading. Sports teams participate in [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] (NCAA) [[NCAA Division I|Division I]] (FCS – [[NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision|Football Championship Subdivision]] for [[College football|football]]) in the [[Southwestern Athletic Conference]] (SWAC), which it joined in 1982. The university's colors are black and old gold and their athletic teams are known as the Hornets.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://usteamcolors.com/alabama-state-university-colors/ |title=Alabama State University Colors &#124; NCAA Colors |publisher=U.S. Team Colors |date= |access-date=2022-02-16}}</ref>
{{clear left}}

===The Mighty Marching Hornets===
[[File:EMU v Alabama State 096.JPG|thumb|left|The Mighty Marching Hornets and Sensational Stingettes]]
Alabama State's marching band is officially known as "The Mighty Marching Hornets". The band has been nationally recognized.  
The Mighty Marching Hornets were featured in the documentary series, ''Bama State Style'', which followed the lives of the students in the band. In 2016, The Mighty Marching Hornets made an appearance in [[Ang Lee]]'s film ''[[Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (film)|Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alasu.edu/news/news-details/index.aspx?nid=2868 |title=Mighty Marching Hornets Band Appears in New Movie : Alabama State University |access-date=June 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701145545/http://www.alasu.edu/news/news-details/index.aspx?nid=2868 |archive-date=July 1, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2017, the band's 2012 halftime performance at the Magic City Classic garnered over three million views on [[YouTube]].  The band performed in the 2019 [[Rose Parade marching bands|Rose Parade]] in [[Pasadena, California]] on New Year's Day. In 2023, Alabama State became the first HBCU to host the annual [[Honda Battle of the Bands]].  The band is traditionally led by four or five [[drum majors]]. The band performs at most football games, all SWAC basketball home games, and other special events.

The featured auxiliary is "The Sensational Stingettes", a danceline that debuted in 1977. They were invited to appear in the "[[Give It 2 U]]" music video and a live televised performance with artists Robin Thicke, Kendrick Lamar, and 2 Chainz.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mightymarchinghornetsbandboosters.com/Band%20Bio.htm |title=BAND BIO of the Mighty Marching Hornets Band Boosters, Alabama State University |access-date=April 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716030457/http://www.mightymarchinghornetsbandboosters.com/Band%20Bio.htm |archive-date=July 16, 2015 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2013/08/watch_robin_thickes_new_video.html|title=Watch Robin Thicke's new video featuring the Alabama State University Stingettes|last=Sutton|first=Amber|date=August 25, 2013|website=Al.com|access-date=December 17, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref> Also, they were shown in Beyonce's Netflix special "[[Homecoming (2019 American film)|HΘMΣCΘMING: A film by Beyonce]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/beyonc-s-homecoming-netflix-ode-black-culture-hbcu-greatness-ncna996116|title = Opinion &#124; Beyoncé's "Homecoming" is an ode to black culture — and HBCU greatness|website = [[NBC News]]| date=April 19, 2019 }}</ref>

The most recently added auxiliary is "The Honey-Beez", a danceline composed of only [[Plus-size clothing|plus-size]] young women that debuted in 2004.<ref>{{cite web|title=Honeybeez History|url=https://www.wsfa.com/story/21632789/honeybeez-history|url-status=live|access-date=2021-06-29|website=Wsfa.com|date=March 13, 2013 |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803172131/http://www.wsfa.com/story/21632789/honeybeez-history |archive-date=August 3, 2017 }}</ref> In 2017, they were selected to showcase their talents and compete on ''[[America's Got Talent]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/education/2017/03/06/asus-honey-beez-star-americas-got-talent/98665980/|title = ASU's Honey Beez to star on 'America's Got Talent'|website=Mongomeryadvertiser.com}}</ref> In 2020, they starred in a docuseries on [[Snapchat]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.alasu.edu/nationwide-asu-honey-beez-snapchat-docuseries-debuts-april-25 | title=Nationwide ASU Honey Beez Snapchat Docuseries Debuts April 25! &#124; Alabama State University }}</ref>

===The Bama State Collegians===
The [[Bama State Collegians]] is a [[big band]] [[jazz orchestra]] sponsored by Alabama State University. In the 1930s, the ensemble was directed by noted jazz trumpeter [[Erskine Hawkins]], an inductee of both the [[Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame]] and the [[Alabama Music Hall of Fame]]. After moving to New York City, the Collegians, directed by Hawkins, became the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra and produced a string of national hit records, including "[[Tuxedo Junction]]", "[[After Hours (Avery Parrish song)|After Hours]]", "[[Tippin' In]]" and others. The song "Tuxedo Junction", with its recordings by Hawkins and by the [[Glenn Miller Orchestra]], became one of the anthems of World War II. In 2011, Hawkins' story of and his start in the Bama State Collegians was the subject of a [[Florida State University Film School]] MFA thesis film, ''The Collegians'', written and directed by Alabama State University alumnus Bryan Lewis.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://film.fsu.edu/about/awards/student-awards-and-honors/full-student-awards-list |title=Full Student Awards List &#124; College of Motion Picture Arts |access-date=January 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202050709/http://film.fsu.edu/about/awards/student-awards-and-honors/full-student-awards-list |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/IfKbCDaPiz4 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20121217063825/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfKbCDaPiz4 Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfKbCDaPiz4| title = The Collegians Trailer | website=[[YouTube]]| date = July 12, 2012 }}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/thomas.wilson.35728466/videos/vb.1684803749/10202862099228578/?type=2&theater |title=Facebook |publisher=Facebook |date= |access-date=2022-02-16}}</ref>

===Student publications===
Students are served by two media publications, ''The Hornet Tribune'' (student newspaper) and ''The Hornet'' (the student yearbook).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thehornettribuneonline.com/|title=The Hornet Tribune|website=Thehornettribuneonline.com|access-date=February 22, 2022}}</ref><ref name="alasu2">{{cite web|url=https://www.alasu.edu/student-life |title=Student Life &#124; Alabama State University |website=Alasu.edu |date= |access-date=2022-02-16}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[WVAS|WVAS 90.7 FM Radio]], Alabama State radio station
*[[Magic City Classic]], One of the largest HBCU events and [[NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision|FCS football]] games in the nation
*[[Turkey Day Classic]], One of the oldest HBCU football classics in the nation

==Notable alumni==
{{AlumniStart}}
{{Alum|name=[[2 Chainz]]|nota=American rapper, played basketball for two seasons while attending|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Ralph Abernathy]]|year=1950|nota=civil rights leader and minister|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Reggie Barlow]]|year=1996||nota=former professional football wide receiver and current head football coach of the DC Defenders|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Brad Baxter]]|nota=former football running back who played 6 seasons in the NFL for the New York Jets (1989–1995)|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Clarence Carter]]|year=1960|nota=soul singer and musician, best known for his hits "Strokin'", "Patches", and "Snatching It Back"|ref=<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/clarence-carter-mn0000148477/biography|title=Clarence Carter Biography, Songs, & Albums|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=February 22, 2022}}</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[London "Deelishis" Charles]]|nota=winner of reality show ''[[Flavor of Love 2]]''|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Michael Coe (American football)|Michael Coe]]|year=2007|nota=NFL defensive back|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[James Daniel]]|year=1974|nota=tight ends coach for the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]]|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Steven Daniel]]|year=1993||nota=actor and comedian|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Thomas Figures]]|year=1966|nota=first African American assistant district attorney and assistant United States Attorney|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Fred Gray (attorney)|Fred Gray]]|nota=attorney who represented Rosa Parks during the [[Montgomery bus boycott]]|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Erskine Hawkins]]|nota=jazz musician, composer of "[[Tuxedo Junction]]"|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Dorothy E. Hayes]]|year=|nota=early Black graphic designer, educator, and curator|ref=<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 28, 1969 |title=Miss Hayes Is Designer In New York |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-montgomery-advertiser-miss-hayes-is/161912608/ |access-date=2024-12-31 |work=[[The Montgomery Advertiser]] |pages=23 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Roberts |first=Regina |title=Guides: Black Graphic Design History Collections Initiative: Dorothy Hayes |url=https://guides.library.stanford.edu/Black_graphic_design_collections/Hayes |access-date=2024-12-30 |website=Stanford Libraries |publisher=[[Stanford University]] |language=en}}</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[Tarvaris Jackson]]|year=2006||nota=professional football player, [[quarterback]] for the [[Seattle Seahawks]] |ref=<ref>{{cite web|website=Nfl.com|url=http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/1107218|title=Tarvaris Jackson|access-date=April 16, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070315212718/http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/1107218| archive-date= March 15, 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[Terren Jones]]|year=2012|nota=NFL offensive lineman|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Lil Yachty]]|nota=vocalist|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Kevin Loder]]|year=1981|nota=former [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] player for the [[Kansas City Kings]] and [[Los Angeles Clippers#1978–1984: San Diego Clippers|San Diego Clippers]]}}
{{Alum|name=[[Manny Martin]]|nota=former NFL [[defensive back]] for the [[Buffalo Bills]] during the 1990s|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Tangi Miller]]|year=1993|nota=actress with [[The WB Television Network|The WB]]'s ''[[Felicity (TV series)|Felicity]]''|<ref>ref=IMDB.com</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[Travis Pearson]]|nota=former Arena Football League player|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Eddie Robinson (football player)|Eddie Robinson]]|nota=former [[linebacker]], who played 11 seasons in the NFL for the Houston Oilers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, and the Buffalo Bills; started for the Titans in [[Super Bowl XXXIV]]|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Quinton Ross (politician)|Quinton Ross]] |nota=member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 26th District |ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Eugene Sawyer]]|year=1956||nota=politician and businessman, [[Mayor of Chicago]] 1987–1989|ref=<ref>{{cite news|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/03/us/man-in-the-news-a-calm-voice-for-chicago-eugene-sawyer-jr.html|title=Man in the News; A Calm Voice For Chicago: Eugene Sawyer Jr| first=Isabel | last=Wilkerson | date=December 3, 1987}}</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[Fred Shuttlesworth|Dr. Fred Shuttlesworth]] |nota=civil rights leader and minister, co-founder of the [[Southern Christian Leadership Council]]|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Rickey Smiley]]|year=1992|nota=comedian and actor|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Felix Stallings, Jr.]]|nota=electronica artist, producer, and DJ [[Felix da housecat]]|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Troy Stubbs]]|nota=Member of the Alabama House of Representatives|ref=<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Troy |url=https://troystubbs.com/about/ |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=Troy Stubbs |language=en-US}}</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[Jessie Tompkins]]|year=1998|nota=former nationally ranking athlete in track and field; head coach for the East Montgomery Track Club; first African America student to challenge the State of Alabama’s White-only, race-based scholarships|ref=<ref>"Double Reverse Scholarship program for whites becomes a test of preferences", by June Kronholtz, ''The Wall Street Journal'', December 23, 1997</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adversity.net/cirnews.htm|title=CIR News: Legal Battles Against Reverse Discrimination|work=adversity.net}}</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[Fred Wesley]]|nota=jazz and funk trombonist, best known for his work with [[James Brown]] in the 1960s and 1970s|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Jesse White (politician)|Jesse White]]|nota=37th [[Secretary of State of Illinois]]|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Doug Williams (comedian)|Doug Williams]]|year=1995|nota=comedian and actor |ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Marcus Winn]]|nota=former linebacker for the [[Edmonton Eskimos]] and the [[Winnipeg Blue Bombers]] of the [[Canadian Football League]]|ref=}}
{{AlumniEnd}}

=== Notable faculty ===
{{FacultyStart}}
{{Faculty|name=[[Harold Franklin]]|dept=|nota=First black student at [[Auburn University]]|ref=<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2020/08/30/auburn-university-harold-franklin-racism-masters-degree/ |title=Auburn University's first Black student Harold Franklin gets master's degree at 86 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=2020-08-30 |access-date=2022-02-16}}</ref>}}

{{Faculty|name=[[Alvin Holmes]]|dept=|nota=alumnus and member of the Alabama State Legislature, representing the 78th District (Montgomery)|ref=<ref name="AlHolmesbio">{{cite web|url=http://www.legislature.state.al.us/house/representatives/housebios/hd078.html |title=Alabama State Legislature: Alabama House of Representatives- Alvin Holmes |publisher=[[Alabama State Legislature]] |access-date=July 18, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422165124/http://www.legislature.state.al.us/house/representatives/housebios/hd078.html |archive-date=April 22, 2009 |df=mdy }}</ref>}}
{{Faculty|name=[[Jo Ann Robinson]]|dept= |nota=leader in the Montgomery, Alabama Women's Political Council and the Montgomery bus boycott |ref=}}
{{Faculty|name=[[Tonea Stewart]]|dept=Theatre|nota=actress, playwright, and Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts|ref=<ref name="ToneaStewartbio">{{cite web|url=http://www.aeispeakers.com/speakerbio.php?SpeakerID=1843 |title=Bio of Stewart, Tonea |publisher=AEI Speakers Bureau |access-date=July 18, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090513085032/http://www.aeispeakers.com/speakerbio.php?SpeakerID=1843 |archive-date=May 13, 2009 |df=mdy }}</ref>}}
{{Faculty|name=[[Josephine Turpin Washington]]|dept=Mathematics|nota=1886 [[Howard University]] alumnus, early writer on civil rights topics|ref=<ref name="AAPE">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y80OAAAAIAAJ|title=The Afro-American Press and Its Editors|first=Irvine Garland|last=Penn|date=February 22, 1891|publisher=Willey & Company|isbn=9780598582683 |access-date=February 22, 2022|via=Google Books}}</ref>}}
{{Faculty|name=[[Sheyann Webb|Sheyann Webb-Christburg]]|dept=Social Studies|nota=notable civil rights activist, author of ''Selma Lord Selma!'' and Dr. Martin Luther King's proclaimed "smallest freedom fighter"|ref=}}
{{FacultyEnd}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book|last=Bond|first=Horace Mann|title=Negro Education in Alabama A Study in Cotton and Steel|publisher=Octagon Books|orig-year=1939|year=1969|location=New York|url=https://archive.org/details/negroeducationin0000bond|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book|last=Caver|first=Joseph|title=A Twenty-Year History of Alabama State University, 1867–1887." Master's thesis|publisher=Alabama State University|year=1982}}
* {{cite book|title=Knight v. Alabama, 933 F.2D |year=1991}}
* {{cite book|title=United States v. Alabama, 828 F.2D 1532 |publisher=11th Cir.|year=1987}}
* {{cite book|last=Watkins|first=Levi|title=Fighting Hard: The Alabama State University Experience|publisher=Harlo Press|year=1987|location=Detroit, Mich.}}
* {{cite book|editor1=Karl E. Westhauser|editor2=Elaine M. Smith |editor3=Jennifer A. Fremlin|title=Creating Community: Life and Learning at Montgomery's Black University|publisher=University of Alabama Press|year=2005|location=Tuscaloosa}}

== Notes ==
{{noteslist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
<!-- Per [[WP:ELMINOFFICIAL]], choose one official website only -->
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* {{Official website|http://www.alasu.edu/}}

{{Coord|32.364|-86.295|region:US_type:edu|display=title}}

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