Stillman College’s Presbyterian roots run deep

PC(USA)-related HBCU’s eighth president, Dr. Yolanda W. Page, seeks to further historic relationships

by Emily Enders Odom | Presbyterian News Service

A majestic magnolia stands tall in front of the William H. Sheppard Library at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Emily Enders Odom)

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama — From the majestic magnolias that grace both Stillman College’s 105-acre campus and the school’s striking seal, to the plentiful purple hull peas, pole beans and cucumbers that thrive in its community garden, the entire campus is alive with new growth.

With Dr. Yolanda W. Page — the PC(USA)-affiliated HBCU’s eighth president — as its gardener in chief.

Even before Page arrived on July 1, 2023, to prosper the historic institution, she prized Stillman’s Presbyterian roots, vowing from the start to strengthen the college’s ties with the denomination and its respective entities.

“Stillman has always found great value in our relationship,” said Page, addressing a gathering of fellow staff, faculty, board members, alums and visiting colleagues from the PC(USA)’S national offices on Aug. 2. “And as we prepare for the 150th year of our founding, we want to find ways in the next two years to continue the relationship so that it ascends.”

Then, as if to evoke Stillman’s motto, “Deeply Rooted, Future Driven,” Page added, “When two great vines are married together, who knows what can come of it.”

From left, George Wilson and Mason Bonner, now both retired following distinguished careers at Stillman College, oversee activity at the garden. (Photo by Emily Enders Odom)

But the grafting of these two partners isn’t all that’s on Page’s mind — or the school’s agenda for growth.

As Dr. Norman Golar, interim vice president for Institutional Effectiveness and Research, introduced the foundations of Stillman’s new strategic plan, which will officially launch this fall, he spoke of the school’s seamless and intentional “expansion from one era to another.”

“What you are seeing is a concrete embodiment of bridging two presidents at Stillman College, its first woman president and its second,” added Page, who succeeded Dr. Cynthia Warrick, president at Stillman from 2017 until her retirement in June 2023. “The two visions coalesce.”

And Page’s extensive background in higher education — coupled with her “servant’s heart” — will ensure that the visions forged by these two preeminent thought leaders not only coalesce, but soar.

“Since I’ve been at Stillman, I have focused on getting a sense of the people,” said Page. “Through a lot of chat-and-learn sessions, what has really resonated with me is that Stillman changes lives. And not only are we changing the students’ lives, but we are also changing the lives of future generations, providing them with the social and economic mobility they need to become community leaders.”

Stillman, which was chartered by the Presbyterian Church in 1876, primarily serves students from the Black Belt region of Alabama, which contains nine of the 10 poorest counties in the state.

“Because our students come from that area, they face financial challenges, with a Stillman education often costing 200% of what a family earns,” Page said. “We have to focus on affordability so they can return to their homes and truly make a difference.”

One option that Page and her team are currently researching is the college work model, similar in nature to a program that Dr. Michael Sorrell implemented at Paul Quinn College, an HBCU in Dallas, Texas.

“A lot of small institutions have been successful with this model,” said Page, “where students develop work skills, become a part of the community and are able to pay their bills. It’s a ‘win-win’ for both the institution and the community as well as the students.”

Another program in the works in what Page characterized as the “cradle to career” path that Stillman is blazing is the “I Dream Big” Charter School.

Dr. Victoria Boman, an alum of Stillman College serving as its interim vice president for Enrollment Management, told the gathering that the new charter school — the first HBCU partnership of its kind in the state of Alabama — is slated to open on Stillman’s campus in the fall of 2025, initially for 6th and 7th graders with a plan over five years to serve grades K-12.

“By cradle to career, we envision students coming to Stillman through the charter school, which is a natural pipeline through dual enrollment into the college,” said Page. “The ‘career’ part comes in when we are assured that all our students who desire an internship opportunity can have one.”

Opportunity at Stillman is exactly what the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) seeks to facilitate in large part through its Christmas Joy Offering.

The PC(USA)’s annual Christmas Joy Offering — a cherished Presbyterian tradition since the 1930s —distributes gifts equally to Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping communities of color and to the Assistance Program of the Board of Pensions.

Front row from the left: Lisa Long, Stillman; Lauren Rogers, Ministry Engagement and Support; Natarsha Sanders, Presbyterian Mission Agency; Yolanda W. Page, Stillman; Quinvarlio Kelly, Jr., Stillman. Back row from left: Sara Lisherness, PMA; Wilson Kennedy, MES; Joseph Scrivner, Stillman; Mark McCormick, Stillman.

The Rev. Wilson Kennedy, the PC(USA)’s associate director for Special Offerings and Appeals, which administers the Christmas Joy Offering, called Stillman’s charter school program “music to his ears.”

“What you’re talking about in ‘cradle to career’ is so Reformed and Presbyterian in its understanding,” Kennedy said. “Just as John Calvin was concerned with building a pipeline in Geneva, that’s just what you’re doing here in West Tuscaloosa and beyond, creating a launchpad for opportunity.”

And because the college’s mission is to produce well-rounded individuals, its arts and athletics programs are also key components of the Stillman experience.

“We’re excited about the opportunities not just to be catalysts in academics but in athletics as well,” said Terrance Whittle, the college’s athletic director and head baseball coach. “It gives us a larger footprint to touch students in areas of the country that we might not normally attract to Stillman.”

Page said it was a “coup” for Whittle to bring the newly branded HBCU Athletic Conference, headquartered in New Orleans, to Tuscaloosa even before Stillman had become an official member.

“In my first year, to be able to bring a major program to make an economic impact on the city is huge,” said Page.

And Stillman’s impact is also evident across the PC(USA) at the congregational, mid council and national levels.

“Many in the [Sheppards and Lapsley] presbytery are concerned and interested and involved,” said the Rev. Dr. Joseph F. Scrivner, dean of Chapel at Stillman and pastor of Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church in Tuscaloosa. “They know that Stillman is the Presbyterian institution in our presbytery. When we were in tough financial straits, they stepped up to help.”

The college will also host the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s (PMA) Congo Mission Network in the fall of 2025 and enjoys a close relationship with the Synod of Living Waters.

Before the group left for a comprehensive campus tour led by Quinvarlio Kelly, Jr., Stillman’s chief of staff and a 2018 graduate, Natarsha Prince Sanders again lifted up the importance — and breadth — of Stillman’s relationship with the PC(USA).

“Being here and being on this journey with you is a gift,” said Sanders, who serves as the associate for Intercultural Leadership Development & Recruitment in the PMA’s office of Racial Equity & Women’s Intercultural Ministries, “but this relationship isn’t just an exchange of finances. I want us to be as helpful as we can programmatically with the resources we have at the national office, to be able to leverage them in a way that is beneficial to both entities.”

Kennedy added that what Stillman is creating “is an entire ecosystem of education and opportunity — a powerful witness in this region.”

“Relationships matter,” concluded Page.