AUC History
The Atlanta University Center (AUC) was created in April 1929, when John Hope, then president of both Morehouse College and Atlanta University, saw the potential gains from such a consortium.
The former Atlanta University, Spelman College, and Morehouse College signed the affiliation agreement and became the original members of the AUC. Clark College, now Clark Atlanta University, and Morris Brown College joined in 1957, followed by the interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) in 1959.
Morehouse School of Medicine joined the AUC in 1983. Morris Brown ended its affiliation when the school lost its accreditation in 2002. The AUC Consortium and related institutions consist of approximately 9,600 students, faculty, and staff.
The schools that make up the Atlanta University Center date back to the ending of the Civil War (1861-65) through the Reconstruction era (1867-76), when institutions were established to educate newly freedpeople. Atlanta University was founded in 1865, Morehouse College in 1867, Clark College in 1869, and Spelman College in 1881. The most recent AUC college to join the consortium is the Morehouse School of Medicine, which was founded in 1975. The school became independent from Morehouse College in 1981 and joined AUC in 1983. Atlanta University and Clark College merged in 1988 to form Clark Atlanta University.
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The colleges are all separate institutions, and each has its own board of trustees, president, infrastructure, students, faculty, staff, and traditions. They are distinct and were founded at different times by separate groups for various reasons. For instance, Clark Atlanta is a coeducational institution that grants bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees; Morehouse is a liberal arts undergraduate college for men only; Morehouse School of Medicine is a coeducational institution that grants doctoral and medical degrees; and Spelman is a liberal arts undergraduate college for women only.
All of the colleges in the consortium are located in the West End Historic District of Atlanta. Although separate, these institutions are in such close proximity that certain services and resources are shared among them. To facilitate this unique connection, the Atlanta University Center was formed in 1929.
The purpose of the Atlanta University Center Consortium is to coordinate collaborative efforts and to manage and administer programs and services that are offered to the institutions. Shared programs include Cross Registration, the Dual Degree Engineering Program, and the Career Planning and Placement Service, through which corporate representatives may interview and recruit students from each institution.