Scarritt College for Christian
Workers
1892—1988
Jennifer Chan Photography
A College With a Mission
Originally established as Scarritt Bible and Training School for Women Missionaries in 1892 in Kansas City, MO, Scarritt College for Christian Workers trained young women missionaries, equipping them for global leadership in the church during a time when women were prohibited from other forms of leadership across most denominations. In 1924, the school relocated to Nashville, and between 1924 and 1927, with funds raised by the Women’s Missionary Societies of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and local donors, Scarritt Hall, Bennett Hall, Wightman Chapel, the historic Bell Tower, and Susie Gray Dining Hall were constructed.
The inspiring setting of the original campus, which expanded and grew over the subsequent decades, served as the context for a young and culturally diverse student body, who were educated in the cultures, languages, and traditions of those whom they would later serve overseas. In 1952, Scarritt College became one of the first white, private colleges in the state of Tennessee to integrate, and in April of 1957, the College famously hosted Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who preached in Wightman Chapel.
The college eventually became co-ed, and in 1980 Scarritt College for Christian Workers became Scarritt Graduate College. The College closed in 1988, after which the campus became home to Scarritt Bennett Center. As a nonprofit, Scarritt Bennett Center is dedicated to continuing the legacy of the school through the work of women's empowerment, racial justice, spiritual enrichment, and transformative education.
Student Activism in the Civil Rights Movement
Changing the World, One Graduate at a Time
Scarritt College alumni/ae are living, working, and changing lives in their communities across the globe. Whether your grandmother graduated from Scarritt Bible & Traning School for Women Missionaries, or you graduated Scarritt College for Christian Workers or Scarritt Graduate College, the Scarritt alumni/ae truly carry a legacy of justice and compassion, and work for change wherever they go.
Have questions about transcripts? Trying to contact the Alumni/ae Association? Have a special request? Get in touch.
Welcome to Your New Dorm Room
As we say often at Laskey Library, "the half of knowledge is knowing where to find knowledge." The archival collections at the Laskey Library contain thousands of resources handed down from Scarritt College and Scarritt Bible and Training School. Such items include College materials, like yearbooks, newsletters, calendars; student applications, newsletters from missionary alumnae, birth and death announcements, photographs, and news clippings; alumni/ae theses and dissertations; and rare documents about the institution's history. These items preserve the memory, knowledge, and legacy of the hundreds of women across generations whose service to the Church and world might otherwise be forgotten.
The photo to the left shows a student room at Scarritt in Kansas City. We have a collection of photos of the facilities with information about the rooms, which may not seem striking at first. But these photos, like the one shown here, let us glimpse a simple, ordinary moment of two pioneering women, who went on to blaze trails and create a better world. And it all started at Scarritt Bible & Training School.
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