"When We Teach Class, the World Takes Note."

Alabama State University was founded in 1867 by nine former slaves in Marion, Ala. as Lincoln Normal School of Marion, a private school for the education of blacks. The School was incorporated on July 18, 1867 and opened on November 1867 with 113 students. Although in its early years ASU was only a teacher training institution. The Alabama State Board of Education designated the school a Normal School and it became Lincoln Normal School in 1868. The State Board accepted the transfer of title to the school after a legislative act was passed in December 1873, authorizing the state to fund a Normal School, and George N. Card was named President.

In 1874, this predecessor of Alabama State University became America's first state supported educational institution for blacks. Presently, ASU has established 48 academic programs that offer bachelors, masters, educational specialist and doctoral degrees through its eight academic units: University College, the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business Administration, School of Music, Division of Aerospace Studies, and the school of Graduate Studies. ASU is a publicly supported, coeducational institution with a statewide mission to develop students' intellectual, social, moral, cultural, ethnic skills and values.

Dedication to meeting the ever-changing needs of its students while retaining the solid backbone of traditional education with major commitments to the quality programs of undergraduate and graduate instruction, residential life, continuing education, public service and research provided at the most reasonable cost to individual students and taxpayers is the mission of Alabama State University.