Our Mission:

Livingstone College is a private, historically black institution that is secured by a strong commitment to quality instruction. Through a Christian-based environment suitable for learning, it provides excellent liberal arts and religious education programs for students from all ethnic backgrounds designed to develop their potential for leadership and service to a global community.

Our History

Livingstone College was originally founded in 1879 as Zion Wesley Institute by a group of African Methodist Episcopal Zion ministers for the purpose of training ministers in Concord, in Cabarrus County, N.C. After three brief sessions, directed by Principals Bishop C. R. Harris and Professor A.S. Richardson, Zion Wesley Institute was closed. In 1881, Dr. Joseph Charles Price and Bishop J. W. Hood changed their roles from delegates to the Ecumenical Conference to fund-raisers, with a sole purpose of re-establishing Zion Wesley Institute.

Eventually, the Rowan County Town of Salisbury, just 20 miles northeast of Concord, offered Zion Wesley Institute Board of Trustees a generous $1,000 donation and an invitation to relocate the institution to Salisbury. The trustees accepted both gifts, and the College re-opened in Salisbury in 1882 on J. M. Gray’s farm, called Delta Grove, which consisted of one building and 40 acres. Besides moving from Concord to Salisbury, the College also changed its name, becoming Livingstone College, in honor of David Livingstone, a British Christian missionary, philanthropist and African Explorer. Dr. Price, the founder of Livingstone College, became its first president and served from 1882 to 1893.

Holistic Learning:

Livingstone College offers a Holistic Learning Environment that is designed to address the needs of a diverse student population. As a church-affiliated institution, Livingstone College seeks to attract professionals who are committed to supporting and fostering such principles. Such commitment and support paved the way for the launching of a very unique initiative. The initiative is entitled "The Total Learning Environment." "The Total Learning Environment" is a new holistic approach to academic preparation, whereby we will create a learning environment designed to change attitudes and modify student behavior. Students who matriculate on the campus of Livingstone College, in addition to their academic preparation, will participate in a number of activities and programs, designed to address the cultural scars of their past, enabling them to leave our institution with the academic preparation to compete in our global economy, and where they will have immediate positive impact on our society. Additionally, our students will be prepared to positively address the challenges, which plague the African-American community - particularly those challenges that exacerbate their dilemma. The College implemented a curriculum, which helped to develop "The Center for Holistic Learning." One of the first programs of its kind, "The Center for Holistic Learning" promotes both the awareness and mastery of the following modules/concepts:

•  Health, Wellness & Fitness
•  Emergency Response & First Aid
•  Political Action & Social Responsibility
•  Volunteerism, Public Service
•  Cultural and Social Awareness
•  Debt Management, Personal Responsibility, & Philanthropy
•  Individual & Organizational Leadership
•  Spanish as a 2nd Language
•  Technology & The 21St Century
•  Faith-Based Strategies for the Enhancement of the Quality of Life

Our Home:

Livingstone College is located in the heart of Rowan County’s historic Salisbury, North Carolina. Known by many as “The Jewel of The South”, Livingstone College sits quaintly against a picturesque backdrop of lush green grass and majestic maple and oak trees, making it the ideal learning environment. With an enrollment of 1200 students, the College is strategically located 45 miles from Charlotte and the Piedmont Triad of Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point, North Carolina.