1. Claflin University is located in Orangeburg, S.C. which is approximately 30 miles from Columbia, S.C.; 75 miles from Charleston, S.C.; 150 miles from Charlotte, N.C.; and 225 miles from Atlanta, Ga.
2. Founded in 1869 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, Claflin is also the first historically black college or university established in the state of South Carolina.
3. In 1999, the Claflin College Board of Trustees adopted a resolution to restore the institution to its original historic name, Claflin University. It had changed from Claflin University to Claflin College in 1979.
4. The state of South Carolina's only Harry S. Truman Scholar in 2014 was Emmanuel Pressley, who is currently serving in the program. Claflin also has produced students who have been named Pickering and Fulbright scholars.
5. Claflin made history in 2013 when it achieved a record 52.2 percent in annual alumni giving rate – first among historically black colleges and universities. Claflin remains No.1 HBCU in annual alumni giving percentage and ranks among the best in the nation among all colleges, according to U.S. News and World Report.
6. Distinguished Claflin alumni include Dr. Henry N. Tisdale, the current president and a 1965 graduate who has served with distinction for more than two decades, and retired Chief Justice Ernest Finney Jr., who was the first African-American Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court.
7. Claflin's new Molecular Science Research Center has been designated a core research facility by the South Carolina Research Authority. It houses a 700 megahertz NMR – nuclear magnetic resonance system.
8. Claflin's faculty accounts for two recent patents and four Governor's Professor of the Year honors.
9. Claflin is recognized for its outstanding graduates from its STEM Programs. Its Chemistry Department is one of only eight programs in the state approved by the American Chemical Society.
10. The last Claflin football game played was on November 21, 1964 at home against Savannah State College. It was Homecoming and they lost 26-0.
11. Claflin alumnus Robert Charles Bates was recognized as the first certified Black architect in the United States. He was also former instructor at Claflin and he designed a number of the university’s buildings as the school was expanding in the late 1890s.
12. Claflin was named 2015 AARP/HBCU Digest HBCU of the Year and Washington Monthly in 2014 ranked Claflin No. 1 among HBCUs and the top liberal arts college in South Carolina.
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