Jim Lehman, left, celebrates Claflin University’s 150th Founders’ Day in 2018 with award recipient and board member James Bennett.

Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) were founded after the Civil War to offer students of color an opportunity for higher education in a community that they otherwise might not have. Today, that is still important and a primary reason Managing Partner Jim Lehman supports Claflin University through his service on the Board and as its current chair.

“Forty-five percent of each class is a first-generation college student, the first in their families to attend college,” Lehman noted. “Claflin creates opportunities for some students who otherwise don’t have the opportunity to get an education, change their community, and provide for their families.”

Lehman joined the board in 2011 at the encouragement of James Bennett, an area executive of First Citizens Bank who had served on several other boards with Lehman. He became chair in 2018.

On his first visit to the Orangeburg university, Lehman found a well-run, successful higher education institution. Founded in 1869, it is the oldest historically black college or university in South Carolina and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It was named in honor of Lee Claflin, a prominent Methodist layman of Boston, and his son William Claflin, the governor of Massachusetts. Ardent abolitionists, both men harbored a great concern for higher education and the uplift of African-Americans, according to “Claflin University: A Brief Historical Reference.”

Following the end of the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, HBCUs were founded throughout the South with support from the Freedmen’s Bureau, a federal organization that operated during Reconstruction to help former slaves adjust to freedom. Claflin opened with “the only admission requirements for prospective students being the possession of good moral character and a conscientious desire to learn.” Claflin University offered, for the first time in South Carolina, quality higher education for men and women “regardless of race, complexion, or religious opinion.” It was not until 1963, 94 years after Claflin was founded, that the University of South Carolina and Clemson University admitted their first African-American students.

Today, the nation’s 106 HBCUs make up just 3% of America’s colleges and universities, yet they produce almost 20% of all African-American graduates and 25% of African-American graduates in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics  —  the critical industries of the future, according to education foundation UNCF.

Lehman sees the smooth transition of presidents last year as one of his and the board’s greatest accomplishments. Claflin alumni Henry M. Tisdale retired after 25 years of successfully leading the historically black university. He turned the school over to Dr. Dwaun Warmack, who was president of another HBCU, Harris-Stowe State University in Missouri.

During Lehman’s tenure on the board, the school has continued to be recognized as a top-ranked liberal arts college by Washington Monthly magazine. In the 2015 edition of the publication’s annual College Guide Ranking, Claflin was ranked the number one liberal arts college in South Carolina and the top HBCU in the nation. Claflin was one of only six South Carolina colleges on the list of 248 ranked schools. U.S. News and World Report has consistently ranked Claflin University as one of “America’s Best Colleges” for the past 16 years. Additionally, Claflin was HBCU Digest’s HBCU of the Year in 2015 and ranked first in alumni giving among HBCUs by U.S. News and World Report. Also, Forbes.com has listed Claflin as one of America’s top colleges and one of 12 ranked institutions in South Carolina, according to the school’s history reference.

For his work at the school, the Columbia Urban League honored Lehman in December with its annual Social Justice Award. The award recognizes his “excellence in leadership as chairman of the board of Claflin University, a Historically Black University (HBCU), and his advancing academic excellence and creating access to career opportunities for Claflin University students.”

Lehman is excited to help Claflin continue on course as a strong and sustainable institution for first-generation as well as other students and to keep the university’s continued national recognition as a top HBCU.

“It’s making a difference in South Carolina for kids who otherwise haven’t been given the opportunities that others of us enjoy,” he said.