Voorhees University Celebrates Springfest and Founders' Day with Community Events

Voorhees University kicked off its annual Springfest and Founders' Day celebration on April 2, marking the institution's 129th year since Elizabeth Evelyn Wright founded the Denmark Industrial School for African Americans on that same stretch of South Carolina soil in 1897.

The weeklong series of events, hosted on the university's campus at 1897 Voorhees Road in Denmark, brought together students, faculty, alumni, and members of the broader Bamberg County community. The university opened participation to the public, extending an invitation through its official campus communications channels.

Founders' Day has served as an anchor tradition at Voorhees for more than a century. The annual convocation, typically held in the Leonard E. Dawson Health and Human Resources Center, honors Wright's legacy as the driving force behind an institution that defied considerable odds to provide higher education for African Americans in rural South Carolina. Past Springfest weeks have included a Presidential Scholarship Gala, SpringFest Concert and Dance, and an International Festival, drawing participants from across the region.

Voorhees University, a private historically Black university affiliated with the Episcopal Church and a longtime member of the United Negro College Fund, transitioned from Voorhees College to university status in April 2022. The institution is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees.

Wright's story remains central to how Voorhees presents itself to incoming students each fall, when freshmen gather around the campus landmark known as the Ebenezer, a rock symbolizing her faith and persistence, as part of the annual Candlelight Matriculation Ceremony. That founding ethos carries through to Springfest week each April, when the campus turns outward toward Denmark and Bamberg County at large.