American Church Institute
The 1960s raised questions about the future of ACIN, which changed its name to the American Church Institute (ACI) in 1963. Budgets were stretched thin between aging facilities; the low income of the students; and students seeking scholarships from the church to matriculate in other schools. Furthermore, the ACI schools were segregated in an increasingly integrated society. Rev. Tollie Caution, the ACI’s Secretary, highlighted in a statement that Episcopalians were less willing to give funds for segregated schools. Additionally, the association with the church limited their opportunity to seek funding from governmental and other private sources. Four years later, in May 1967, a Committee appointed to study ACI and make recommendations for its future agreed that while The Episcopal Church had a stake in higher education, it should not involve itself in institutional governance. They recommended the dissolution of ACI. Grant administration to its three remaining colleges–St. Augustine’s College, St. Paul’s College, and Voorhees College–would transfer to the Home Department at least until 1970. ACI’s final meeting took place on December 11, 1967.
Only three ACI institutions remain in operation, with St. Paul’s College having closed in 2013 and St. Augustine’s having lost accreditation in 2025. Fort Valley State University is now part of the Georgia University System. St. Phillip’s Junior College in San Antonio, Texas, is part of the Alamo Colleges District, an association of community colleges in Bexar County. Voorhees University continues as a four-year liberal arts college affiliated with The Episcopal Church.
The Rev. Tollie Caution, Associate Secretary for Negro Work of the Executive Council, presenting Presiding Bishop Lichtenberger with the Honorary L.H.D. from St. Augustine’s College, 1963.
The ACIN Board of Trustees, 1957.
ACI Leadership
ACIN leadership positions were initially filled by white churchmen, the longest-serving of whom was Rev. Dr. Robert W. Patton. Appointed as Special Representative in 1914, he later served as its first director from 1919 to 1940 and again as acting director from 1942-1944. ACIN later elected African American officers, most notably, the Rev. Dr. Tollie L. Caution, who served as assistant director from 1955-1957 and as secretary from 1957-1967. A strong proponent of Black education, Rev. Caution advocated for continuing ACIN, but the Executive Council ultimately sided with Daniel Corrigan, director of the Home Department, who argued for its dissolution. Furthermore, instead of being appointed director of the General Convention Special Program, as many Black Episcopalians expected due to his extensive qualifications, Caution was forcibly retired by Corrigan.
- An Inspiring Record in Negro Education, 1940, by Rev. Robert W. Patton
- ACIN report detailing the operations following a significant reorganization, 1949.
- A History of Black Ministry Efforts in The Episcopal Church, c. 1950, by Rev. Tollie Caution
- The Protestant Episcopal Church: Policies and Rationale Upon Which Support of Its Negro Colleges is Predicated, 1960, by Rev. Tollie Caution
- Final Report from ACI to the Presiding Bishop and the Board of Trustees
The organization continued to expand its influence through the first half of the Twentieth Century, ultimately affiliating with thirteen schools over its history.
- Bishop Payne Divinity School, Petersburg, Virginia (1907-1949)
- St. Augustine’s College, Raleigh, North Carolina (1907-1967)
- St. Paul’s Normal and Industrial School, Lawrenceville, Virginia (1907-1967)
- St. Mark’s School, Birmingham, Alabama (1912-1941)
- Calhoun School, Lowndes County, Alabama (1941-1945)
- Okolona Industrial School, Okolona, Mississippi (1920-1965)
- Fort Valley Normal and Industrial School, Fort Valley, Georgia (1917-1939)
- Gailor Normal and Industrial School (Hoffman-St. Mary’s School), Mason, Tennessee (1921-1949)
- Voorhees Normal and Industrial School, Denmark, South Carolina (1924-1967)
- Gaudet Normal and Industrial School, New Orleans, Louisiana (1921-1955)
- St. Athanasius School, Brunswick, Georgia (1909-1927)
- Vicksburg Industrial School (St. Mary’s), Vicksburg, Mississippi (1909-1922)
- St. Philip’s Normal and Industrial School, San Antonio, Texas (Received ACIN appropriations from 1918-1931)