Top 5 Best Coolage Name in Tennessee
5. American Baptist College
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The idea of a seminary for the training of Black Baptist ministers grew out of conversation between National Baptist leaders and O.L. Hailey about the possibility of establishing a seminary for the education of its ministers, in 1913.[5] In a resolution presented by Edgar Young Mullins and adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in that same year, the convention pledged its cooperation and appointed a similar committee. The committees of the two conventions met together and the following year recommended to their respective bodies that the college be established in Memphis, Tennessee. It was later decided to establish the College in Nashville. The present site of 53 acres was purchased with the help of the National Baptists in 1921, and a plan calling for the management of the seminary by a holding board and a governing board representative of the two conventions was adopted. The first building, Griggs Hall, was erected in 1923 and housed dormitory rooms, dining hall, library, and classrooms.
American Baptist College formally opened its doors for the training of Christian workers under the name of the American Baptist Theological Seminary on September 14, 1924.[6] “The seminary opened Oct. 1, 1924, with an enrollment of 28 men and 2 women. The first faculty consisted of William T. Amiger, J.H. Garnett, and 0. L. Hailey. Sutton E. Griggs was elected the first president.”[7]
In 1937, the Southern Baptist Convention agreed to share 50/50 with the National Baptist Convention, USA Inc. in the operation of the College.[8] The unprecedented cooperation between the National Baptist Convention, USA Inc. and the Southern Baptist Convention created a unique educational opportunity for African American clergy to gain higher biblical and theological education for over five decades. Due to this partnership, the Southern Baptist Convention helped prepare students and a broad spectrum of church leaders who were ready to meet the challenges of the Civil Rights Movement led by Martin Luther King Jr. Providing scholarships and fiscal support of the operations of American Baptist College, the Southern Baptist Convention made a significant contribution to the education of men and women for Christian service in the world. In order to support the future growth and flourishing of the College, the Southern Baptist Convention continued in that partnership until a joint decision to turn over the assets to the Board of Trustees of American Baptist College in 1996.[8]
The College has educated Civil Rights champions, national leaders and Christian ministers. The school’s history during the 1960s and 1970s was filled with civil rights champions, national leaders and Christian ministers. Students from American Baptist College, such as Julius Scruggs, Bernard Lafayette, James Bevel, William Barbee and John Lewis served on the front line of the Nashville sit-ins for justice and change. Under the tutelage of then Professor J.F. Grimmett, Kelly Miller Smith, and C.T. Vivian, many students sat down at local lunch counters, dramatically altering the quality of life for African Americans living in the South. They sat, marched, and persevered through arrests and beatings before they were victorious in pursuit of justice and human rights. The campus itself was a popular command post for organizing and training students for social justice causes throughout the city at the time. A number of students from that period have gone on to become major names in civil rights history and American politics (e.g., Congressman John Lewis, Bernard Lafayette, Julius Scruggs). At the time, members of the Nashville Student Movement referred to the college as the “Holy Hill”.[9]
In 1971, the school became accredited and its official name was changed to American Baptist College.[10] The college was originally formed as a joint educational partnership between the Southern Baptist Convention and the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. The Southern Baptist Convention withdrew its one of the founding fathers of the College. At its annual meeting in 1993, the National Baptist Convention appointed a committee to investigate support of the college in 1995. The college continues to serve as the primary theological training center for the NBC, USA Inc.
4. Aquinas College, Tennessee

Aquinas College is a private four-year college founded in 1961, owned and operated by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation in Nashville, Tennessee. It offers undergraduate degrees in education, English, and history, as well as graduate degrees in education.
Aquinas College roots began in 1928 as St. Cecilia Normal School as a school for religious sisters located at the St. Cecilia Motherhouse. In 1961, the school moved away from the Motherhouse, opened to the public, and became Aquinas Junior College. In 1994, the college was renamed Aquinas College when it began offering four-year degrees. Since that time, Aquinas College has grown to include four-year programs in Liberal Arts, Business, Nursing, and Teacher Education. And in 2012, the college began graduate studies in the School of Education and in the School of Nursing, and founded a residential life program and House Life program. Aquinas is part of the Dominican Campus, located approximately five miles (8 km) west of downtown Nashville. Also on the same plot of land are Overbrook School, a coeducational eight-grade Catholic primary school, and Saint Cecilia Academy, a Catholic girls’ high school.
The addition of a third and fourth year collegiate curriculum caused a major change in the school’s operation. It had previously been a major power in junior college athletics (notably baseball and basketball). However, the school’s administration felt that continuing to play junior college athletics while operating as a four-year college, as was done for a period, misrepresented the school’s true nature to the public and that competition at the four-year collegiate level of athletics would prove cost-prohibitive, so the institution currently sponsors no athletic programs.
In 2014, Aquinas College began the implementation of its Vision 2020: Truth & Charity strategic plan, which included the reintroduction of intercollegiate athletics.[1] The college promptly implemented three initiatives outlined in the strategic plan: the foundation of a perpetual Eucharistic Adoration chapel,[2] the foundation of study abroad in Bracciano, Italy,[3] and the implementation of a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program.[4]
The founding of Aquinas College in 1961 was the realization of a long-held dream of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia of Nashville, Tennessee: to have a place where the newest members of the religious community could receive their initial degrees to serve in the community’s teaching apostolate. Over the years, this fundamental mission has remained, even as the sisters have continually found ways to be of service to the educational and catechetical needs of the Nashville community and beyond.
In 2017, Aquinas College embarked on a path of reconfiguration in order to focus its academic programming on preparation of educators and to strengthen its service to Catholic school teachers, leaders, and catechists through spiritual and professional formation programs. In 2019 Aquinas College released and began implementation of Sent to Witness: Aquinas College Strategic Plan 2019–2025, in support of the sharp focus on education.[5]
The Center for Catholic Education at Aquinas College in conjunction with the School of Education serves Catholic elementary and secondary schools by providing spiritual and professional formation opportunities in the area of mission and Catholic identity.[6]
The Center for Evangelization and Catechesis at Aquinas College supports the work of catechists and leaders by providing workshops, retreats, and directed study of the Catholic Faith.
3. Lane College
Lane College was founded in 1882 by the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church (C.M.E.; now known as Christian Methodist Episcopal Church) as the C.M.E. High School. It was named after Methodist Bishop Isaac Lane, who co-founded the school. Planning for the school had begun in 1878, but the establishment was delayed by a yellow fever epidemic in the region in 1878. Its primary purpose was the education of newly freed enslaved persons, and the original curriculum focused on the preparation of “teachers and preachers.”[3][4] It became Lane Institute in 1883.[5]
In 1887, Rev. T. F. Saunders, a White former enslaver, and a member of the Memphis Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was appointed the first president of Lane Institute.[6] In 1896 the college department was formed, and the Board of Trustees voted to change the name to Lane College.[6] Around 1902, many letters were written calling for a Black president for Lane College to the Christian Index, a magazine published by the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.[7] In 1903, James Albert Bray, a Black graduate of Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University) was elected president of Lane College, after T. F. Saunders
2. Rhodes College

Founded in 1848, the Rhodes College is a non-profit private liberal arts higher
institution located in the urban setting of the large city of Memphis (population range of 500,000-1,000,000 inhabitants), Tennessee. Officially accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, Rhodes College is a small-sized (uniRank enrollment range: 2,000-2,999 students) coeducational US higher education institution formally affiliated with the Christian-Presbyterian religion. Rhodes College offers courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education degrees such as bachelor’s degrees and master’s degrees in several areas of study. See the uniRank degree levels and areas of study table below for further details. This 176-year-old US higher-education institution has a selective admission policy based on entrance examinations and students’ past academic records and grades. The acceptance rate range is 50-59% making this US higher education organization an averagely selective institution. International students are welcome to apply for enrollment. Rhodes College also provides several academic and non-academic facilities and services to students including a library, housing, sports facilities, financial aids and/or scholarships, study abroad and exchange programs, as well as administrative services.
South College

Established in 1882, the South College is a for-profit private higher nstitution located in the urban setting of the small
(population range of 50,000-249,999 inhabitants), Tennessee. Officially accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, South College (KBC) is a small-sized (uniRank enrollment range: 5,000-5,999 students) coeducational US higher education institution. South College (KBC) offers courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education degrees such as pre-bachelor’s degrees (i.e. certificates, diplomas, associate or foundation), bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees and doctorate degrees in several areas of study. See the uniRank degree levels and areas of study table below for further details. The acceptance rate range is 100% making this US higher education organization a non-selective institution. International applicants are eligible to apply for enrollment. KBC also provides several academic and non-academic facilities and services to students including a library, online courses and distance learning opportunities, as well as administrative services.