Our story begins with two distinct American Baptist institutions: Broaddus Classical and Scientific Institute, founded in 1871 by Edward Jefferson Willis in Winchester, Virginia, and Alderson Academy, founded in 1901 by Emma C. Alderson along the Greenbrier River. Both were rooted in the conviction that learning, faith, and service were inseparable strands of one whole life.
Broaddus moved to Clarksburg, West Virginia in 1876, then to its present hilltop in Philippi in 1909, where it laid the cornerstone of historic Whitescarver Hall the next year. Alderson, meanwhile, evolved from an academy to Alderson Junior College and grew rapidly until the resources of the Great Depression forced consolidation. The two schools merged in 1932 to form Alderson-Broaddus College.
The mid-twentieth century brought a series of defining innovations: in 1945, AB launched the first four-year baccalaureate Nursing and Radiologic Technology programs in West Virginia. In 1968, AB launched the nation's first four-year Physician Assistant program — at a moment when most Americans had never heard the term "PA." In 1991, that program became the first PA master's degree. In 2013, the institution earned university status and adopted its current name.
The 21st century has brought new challenges and new resolve. AB navigated financial headwinds in the 2010s, joined the Mountain East Conference in 2020, celebrated its sesquicentennial in 2021, and broke ground in 2026 on the Pickett Center for Rural Health Innovation — a $42M facility that anchors the next chapter of the University's health-sciences leadership.
Edward Jefferson Willis charters the school in Winchester, Virginia, in the American Baptist educational tradition.
The institute reopens on a 13-acre site closer to its core constituencies in north-central WV.
Emma C. Alderson establishes a coeducational academy on the Greenbrier River; later becomes a junior college.
The cornerstone of Whitescarver Hall is laid on College Hill — still the architectural heart of campus.
Broaddus expands beyond a junior-college model to grant four-year degrees.
The two institutions consolidate on the Philippi campus to form Alderson-Broaddus College.
AB pioneers two career-defining health-sciences programs in West Virginia.
The college earns institutional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission, held continuously ever since.
Following the closure of Storer College — a historically Black Baptist institution in Harpers Ferry — its remaining physical assets and endowment are transferred to Alderson-Broaddus, establishing the Storer Scholarship for African-American students. AB pledges to carry the Storer mission forward.
A teaching innovation that reshapes American primary care for decades.
Earliest PA program accreditation in West Virginia, continuously held ever since.
The four-story residence hall expands campus housing for a new generation of Battlers.
New academic building on Shearer Quadrangle anchors the College of Liberal Arts.
AB elevates the PA program to graduate-level training, anticipating national accreditation standards.
Three floors of collaborative study, the Appalachian Heritage Archive, and a 600-seat performance hall anchor academic life.
The 2,400-seat home of Battler basketball, volleyball, wrestling, and athletic-training is completed on College Hill.
Alderson-Broaddus College becomes Alderson Broaddus University, recognizing expanded graduate offerings.
Battlers transition from G-MAC to MEC, deepening regional Division II rivalries.
150 years of AB marked with year-long campus events, alumni gatherings, and a commemorative volume.
The new president takes office, launching the "Forging the Next 155" strategic plan for 2026–2031.
A 38,000-sq-ft, $42M facility for the next chapter of health-sciences education at AB.
Founded in 1865 at Harpers Ferry — on the site of John Brown's raid — Storer College was one of the earliest institutions in the American South to admit students of any race or gender. For nearly a century it was a beacon of African-American higher education, and in 1906 it hosted the second meeting of the Niagara Movement, the forerunner of the NAACP.
When Storer closed in 1955 and its physical assets were ultimately transferred in 1964 to Alderson-Broaddus — the closest Baptist institution prepared to honor the trust — AB accepted the legacy with a sober promise: that the Storer mission of opening doors would continue on College Hill.
That promise lives on in the Storer Scholarship, awarded annually to African-American students of academic promise; in the Storer Reading Room of Pickett Library, which houses original Storer materials and a permanent exhibition on the Niagara Movement; and in the Storer Lecture, an annual address by a leading scholar of African-American history and faith.
Read About Diversity at ABThe 1911 Classical Revival landmark on the National Register of Historic Places.
The President, Cabinet, and Board of Trustees who lead AB.
Twelve rituals that shape the AB year, from move-in to commencement.
