William C. Jason (1888) is the first black alumnus of Allegheny College, where he received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts. During his time as a student, he joined the Allegheny Literary Society and won the Inter-Society Contest in 1886 for his speech “The Dark Continent,” which was published in The Campus newspaper.
Jason went on to pursue a bachelor of divinity from Drew Theological Seminary in New Jersey in 1891 and became a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church for several years.
In 1895, he was elected president of Delaware State College (now Delaware State University), its longest-serving president for over 25 years. He is noted for enrolling women students for the first time in the first year of his presidency. Later, he earned a doctorate in divinity from Wiley College in Texas.
Jason continues to be honored on our campus, with a space dedicated to his name, the William C. Jason Diversity Lounge— established in 2023 and located in Brooks Hall. He is also recognized with the William C. Jason Fellows, who supports the IDEAS Center operationally by contributing to meetings, receiving professional development, and working on special projects.
His legacy lives on outside of Allegheny College, as the William C. Jason Library and Learning Center at Delaware State University carry on his name.
