Black Ivy League
Each of these institutions are co-educational with the exception of Morehouse College, which is an all-male institution and Spelman College, an all-female institution. All institutions are currently accredited by such organizations as the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The founding of two historic members, Lincoln and Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, predates the Civil War. The remaining members were founded in the late 19th century except for Xavier University of Louisiana, founded in 1915 by the Catholic Church.
Morehouse College
Founded in 1867 by William Jefferson White, an aggressive expansionary program undertaken by the college's 6th President Benjamin Mays, during the 1950s and 1960s, established Morehouse as the largest men's college in the United States, with an enrollment of over 2,000 students. The student-faculty ratio is 13:1. Along with Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse School of Medicine and nearby women's college Spelman College, Morehouse is part of the Atlanta University Center. In 1881, both Morehouse and Spelman students were studying in the basement of Atlanta's Friendship Baptist Church.