Cumberland University history

In 1878, thanks to the significant gift by Judge Robert L. Caruthers, brother of Abraham Caruthers, Caruthers Hall was constructed to house the law school.

Hull, an alumnus from the class of 1891, is the longest-serving secretary of state and received the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in establishing the United Nations.

Intercollegiate football began October 26th, 1894, against Peabody College with a 6-6 tie.

In 1903 Cumberland won the Southern Conference championship.

As it expanded, the institute acquired Highland College in 1907.

In 1913, the school changed its name to Cumberland College.

However, the curriculum continued to be organized by books to be read rather than the course to adopt modern techniques and expand its curriculum by opting for the three-year standard, Cumberland School of Law became a maverick by 1919.

The school first received accreditation from Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1931.

When Rascal died in 1940, students buried him beneath the window of the classroom where he had spent so much time.

In 1946, the Tennessee Baptist Convention assumed control of the school, ending a century of operation by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

The high spot was a 6-0 win over Florida State, but during the 1947 season there were other pleasing victories against over Georgetown College, Delta State and a postseason game for the championship of the Tennessee Valley against previously unbeaten Athens.

In 1951, the Tennessee Baptist Convention closed the College of Arts and Sciences and operated only the School of Law.

With these improvements, the law school received full ABA approval and AALS membership in 1952.

In 1956, the Board of Trust secured an amendment to the Charter, changed the institution to a private, independent corporation, and reopened the College of Arts and Sciences as a two-year junior college, known as Cumberland College of Tennessee.

The first four-year program students graduated in 1961.

In 1962, the assets of the School of Law were transferred to Howard College, now known as Samford University, in Birmingham, Alabama; the law school is now known as the Cumberland School of Law.

In 1965, shortly after dedication of the new law school building, Howard College claimed university status, changing its name to Samford University

In 1970, she became the first African American to graduate from Cumberland and shortly thereafter became the first woman appointed to the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southeast.

In 1974, Cumberland School of Law established the Cordell Hull Speakers Forum as a replacement for the university's mandatory chapel program.

The Board of Trust expanded the academic programs of the junior college in 1982, returning Cumberland to a four-year degree institution.

At the urging of President Tom Mills, Cumberland returned to football field in September 1990 under longtime Nashville high school coach Nick Coutras.

15, 1996, former President Gerald R. Ford dedicated the library that now serves as a serene place of study and learning for law students and the Birmingham legal community.

The first such program was the online Master of Science in Health Law and Policy that launched in August 2015.

In 2016, Cumberland had the lowest first-time pass rate since the data had been kept and reported.

On March 13, 2020, just at the end of spring break, the Alabama governor issued a COVID-19 lockdown, resulting in the law school building being closed for the rest of the semester, leaving no choice but to switch to virtual classes.