This book presents the history of Spelman's foundation through the tenure of its fourth president, Florence M. This book fills a void in the history of Black women in higher education.

Yolanda L. Watson is Managing Partner, Principal Consultant and Senior Researcher, Strategic Consulting Solutions, in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Sheila T. Gregory is Associate Professor, Higher Education and Educational Leadership, at Clark Atlanta University School of Education. Beverly Daniel Tatum , PhD, is president emerita of Spelman College and in 2014 received the Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Psychology, the highest honor presented by the American Psychological Association. She is also the author of the forthcoming Why Are All the Black Kids Still Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About Race (Basic Books). Johnnetta B. Cole is the current president of Bennett College and President Emerita of Spelman College.

Foreword--Heir to the Legacy--Johnnetta B. Cole; 1 INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND. 1 The First Four Spelman Presidents--An Overview; The Role of the College Curriculum; Induction into Sisterhood. Spelman Culture and Expectations; 2 THE HIGHER EDUCATION OF BLACK WOMEN. History of the Undergraduate Curriculum; Historical Reasons for Educating White and Black Women; Curricular Differences between Women's Colleges; 3 OUR WHOLE SCHOOL FOR CHRIST. The Packard & Giles Administrations (1881-1909); 4 NEW DIRECTIONS--TOWARD COLLEGIATE STATUS. The Lucy Hale Tapley Administration (1910--1927); 5 ONWARD & UPWARD. THE CREATION OF A LIBERAL ARTS INSTITUTION. The Florence Read Administration (1927--1953); 6 THE SOCIALIZATION OF SPELMAN STUDENTS. 7 CONCLUSION. Epilogue. The Spelman Legacy Lives On--Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum.