Arkansas Baptist College

The college was founded in 1884 as the Minister's Institute, and was initially funded by the Colored Baptists of the State of Arkansas. The first principal and teacher was J.P. Lawson, a white Baptist minister from Joplin, Missouri. Shortly after Booker became president, the Arkansas Baptist College acquired land at the southwest corner of 16th Street and High Street (now MLK Street), The commission placed the college on probation in 2019 for failing to meet the accreditation criterion that requires the institution to have adequate resources. In 2022, the college was placed on a three-year probation again. == Old Main Building ==

Old Main (built 1893), the college's administration building, is the oldest building in the state of Arkansas established for the purpose of educating Black students. It was added to the NRHP because it is the oldest building on a historically African-American college campus in the state of Arkansas, and because it is an excellent example of Second Empire-style architecture. == Presidents ==

The Arkansas Baptist athletic teams are called the Buffaloes. The college is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing as an NAIA Independent within the Continental Athletic Conference since the 2021–22 academic year, with its men's wrestling team competing in the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC), while its football team competes in the SAC since the 2023 fall season (2023–24 academic year). Prior to joining the NAIA, the Buffaloes were a member of the Bi-State Conference (Bi-State) within the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) until after the 2020–21 school year. Arkansas Baptist competes in ten intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, football, soccer, track & field and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, soccer, softball and track & field. ==Notable alumni==

Notable alumni of Arkansas Baptist College include: • William T. Dixon, preacher • Michael Dyer, football player • Louis Jordan, musician • Harry Kenyon, baseball player • James Charles Lewis, III (Lil' JJ), entertainer • Lorenzo P. Lewis, mental health advocate • E. Alice Taylor, activist ==Notes==