The Barnes and Lincoln University

The Barnes Foundation has a long and significant relationship with Lincoln University—the first degree-granting Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the United States. In 1946, Dr. Albert C. Barnes first met Dr. Horace Mann Bond, then president of Lincoln University, and subsequently encouraged Lincoln students to attend classes at the Barnes Foundation. In 1951, Dr. Barnes amended the Foundation’s bylaws so that Lincoln’s Board of Trustees would nominate members of the Board of Trustees of the Barnes Foundation. Today, Lincoln University nominates five members of the Board of Trustees.

In addition to the institutions’ governance relationship, the Barnes Foundation and Lincoln University are committed to cooperating to provide educational opportunities for Lincoln University students, and to strengthening the relationship between the Barnes Foundation and Lincoln University’s administration, students, faculty, and alumni. Each summer, the Barnes offers Lincoln University students the opportunity to participate in its ten-week-long paid internship program. Each fall, Lincoln students can learn about the Barnes’s history, collection, and educational philosophy by enrolling in a Lincoln-led course that meets at both locations.