Washington (ABP)—Extraordinary efforts at fostering diversity and building relationships with African-American Baptists earned Georgetown College special recognition in Washington.

In a United States Capitol ceremony April 30, officials of the Congressional Black Caucus recognized the Kentucky Baptist school for its Bishop Scholars program. The scholarship, established in 2006, currently provides funds for five Georgetown students.

The program is named after Bishop College, a historically black institution in Dallas that was forced to close in 1988. During its more than 100 years of existence, Bishop earned a reputation as a solid training ground for African-American Baptist ministers.

In 2006, Georgetown “adopted” the school’s approximately 7,000 living alumni and established the Bishop Scholars program to carry on the defunct school’s legacy. To qualify for the Bishop Scholarship, students must be the children or grandchildren of Bishop alumni and demonstrate strong academic achievement. Upon graduation, Bishop Scholars receive Georgetown diplomas that note their connection to the legacy of Bishop College.

“I am pleased to welcome the Bishop College Scholars in our nation’s Capitol in order to recognize their tremendous achievements,” said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), first vice chair of the caucus. “I commend Georgetown College and the Bishop College alumni for forming this historic partnership to promote academic excellence.”

“Being a Bishop Scholar means being a part of a historical black college that produced many successful black leaders,” said Ralphael West, one of the scholarship recipients. The five students attended the Capitol ceremony along with Georgetown President William Crouch.

The scholarship program is one of several ways that Georgetown has attempted, in recent years, to expand its diversity and build relationships with African-American Baptist groups. In 2005, Crouch announced a Georgetown partnership with the four largest black Baptist denominations in the United States that featured a new Georgetown archive for African-American Baptist historical artifacts. The school also houses the Kentucky Underground Railroad Research Institute in a campus building that originally operated as slave quarters.

In addition, Georgetown officials are raising funds to erect a replica of a Bishop College building on campus, and plan to host a Bishop College reunion.

Crouch, according to a press release, said the students are not the only ones who have benefitted from the Bishop Scholars program. “A richness has been added to my life and the life of Georgetown College because of the spirit found in the lives of Bishop College alumni,” he noted. “For the Congressional Black Caucus to recognize the uniqueness of this partnership is a great endorsement of this initiative.”