Morgan State University
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Morgan State University |
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| Established | 1867 |
| Type | Public |
| President | Earl Richardson |
| Staff | 276 |
| Undergraduates | 6,005 |
| Postgraduates | 616 |
| Location | Baltimore, Maryland, USA |
| Campus | Urban, 143 acres (579,000 m²) |
| Colors | Blue and Orange |
| Mascot | Bear  |
| Website | morgan.edu |
Morgan State University, formerly Centenary Biblical Institute (1867-1890), Morgan College (1890 -1975), is located in residential Baltimore, Maryland. Morgan is a historically black college and Maryland's designated public urban university. Though it is a public institution, Morgan is not a part of the University System of Maryland; the school opted out of becoming a part of the system.
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[edit] History
Morgan was founded in 1867 as the Centenary Biblical Institute, a Methodist Episcopal seminary, to train young men in the ministry. It later broadened its mission to educate both men and women as teachers. The school was renamed Morgan College in 1890 in honor of the first chairman of its Board of Trustees, who donated land to the college. In 1915 Andrew Carnegie gave the school a grant of $50,000 for the central academic building. Morgan became a public institution in 1939 when the state of Maryland purchased the school to provide more opportunities for its black citizens. It renamed Morgan State University in 1975. Morgan athletic teams are known as the Bears, and they compete in the Mideastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
[edit] Enrollment
Of the approximately 6,005 undergraduates and 616 graduate students who attend Morgan, about 35% are from outside of Maryland, including many from foreign countries. The largest sources of its enrollment outside of Maryland are New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
[edit] Academics
Morgan awards Baccalaureate, Master's and Doctorate degrees. Over 6,600 students are enrolled at MSU.
[edit] The Morgan State University Choir
The Morgan State University Choir, was led for more than three decades by the late Dr. Nathan Carter, celebrated conductor, composer, and arranger, is one of the nation’s most prestigious university choral ensembles. The groups that are subdivisions of the critically-acclaimed choir include the University Choir, which is over 140 voices strong, and The Morgan Singers (approximately 40 voices). While classical, gospel, and contemporary popular music comprise the majority of the choir’s repertoire, the choir is noted for its emphasis on preserving the heritage of the spiritual, especially in the historic practices of performance. The Morgan State University Choir has performed for audiences throughout the United States and all over the world -- including the Bahamas, Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Canada, Africa, Asia and Europe. Their most recent international appearance was in St. Petersburg, Russia at the invitation of Maestro Yuri Temirkanov, music director and conductor for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In Russia, the Choir performed in the 5th International Festival Arts Square and was received enthusiastically by their Russian audiences. The Choir has appeared at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC and the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall (in New York City) on numerous occasions, performing and premiering works such as John Corigiliano’s “Poem On His Birthday,” “Too Hot to Handel” arranged by Broadway composers Bob Christianson and Gray Anderson and Hannibal Lokumbe’s “African Portraits,” led by music director Leonard Slatkin, as part of the Kennedy Center’s African Festival. One of the Choir’s most historic moments came with the opportunity to sing under the baton of Robert Shaw, conducting the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and joined by Jessye Norman and others in Carnegie Hall’s One Hundredth Birthday Tribute to Marian Anderson. A major milestone and historical movement occurred in the 1996-1997 season with the sounds of the “Silver Anniversary” concert being broadcast into households throughout the state of Maryland. The concert won three Emmy Awards for Maryland Public Television (MPT). MPT continues to air this hallmark performance during select sections of their membership drives.
Known for their consistency of performances, the Choir probably does more annual appearances with major orchestras of the United States than any other university choir. For example, the 1998-1999 season included performances with the National Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, The Buffalo Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, and the Knoxville Symphony. During the 1999-2000 season, the Choir was featured with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in a then-newly commissioned work for the millennium, “All Rise,” by Wynton Marsalis. The Choir reprised “All Rise” in Prague, in October 2000 and recorded it with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and, in 2003, the Choir recorded the piece in Paris. In December 2003 the Choir performed “African Portraits” with the Baltimore Symphony at the Gala Concert for the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture. In their May 2004 issue, Reader’s Digest named the Morgan State University Choir “The Best College Choir in the U.S.’ in its list of “America’s 100 Best.”
In January 2005, under the leadership of Dr. Eric Conway, the choir performed Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony #2, “Lobgesang,” with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, as well as performing at the State Department at the personal invitation of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, to wide acclaim. Most recently, the Morgan State University Choir performed for the service honoring Rosa Parks, the unassuming matriarch of the civil rights movement, who became the first woman to lie in state at our nation’s Capitol Rotunda. In July 2006, the Choir travelled to Prague, Czech Republic, for two concerts with Maestro Paul Freeman. In November of 2006, the Morgan State Choir will participate in a concert celebrating the Bicentennial Celebration and Re-opening of the Basilica of the Assumption -- the first cathedral in America.
The Morgan State University Choir has shared its musical gifts on many grand stages all over the world -– with numerous dignitaries and celebrated performers -– making them cultural ambassadors for Morgan State University, the City of Baltimore, the State of Maryland. Each spring, the Choir concludes its season at home with its annual spring benefit concert, which large audiences enthusiastically anticipate and receive.
[edit] Recent Improvements
Recently the school has been undergoing numerous renovations, including erecting a new fine arts building -- the Carl J. Murphy Fine Arts Center -- building a new communications building, a new student union, a new parking garage, and a new library. The Carl J. Murphy Fine Arts Center has become a much used venue for plays and concerts that come to Baltimore, as well the home of a museum of African-American art.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Curt Anderson, (1973), Maryland House of Delegates, chairman Baltimore City Delegation
- Roosevelt Brown, (1952), Pro Football Hall of Fame
- David R. Craig, (1983), Harford County Executive, 2005 - present
- Walt Dickerson, jazz vibraphonist
- Len Ford, (1949), Pro Football Hall of Fame
- W. Wilson Goode, (1961), First African-American Mayor of Philadelphia, PA
- Earl G. Graves, (1957) Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, Founder of Black Enterprise Magazine
- Leroy Kelly, (1963) Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Willie Lanier,(1966), Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Kweisi Mfume, (1976), Former President of the NAACP and US Congressman
- Parren Mitchell, former U.S Congressman.
- Dexter Nixon, (1994) Warner Brothers TV, CEO of April 10th Films
- William C. Rhoden, (1972), New York Times Columnist
- Keith Russell, (1995), Sportscaster formerly of ESPN and currently 6ABC in Philly
- Visanthe Shiancoe, (2002), Tight end for the New York Giants
- Marvin Webster, (1974), Professional Basketball Player
- Roland Nicholson,Jr. (1970), Chairman of the Board of the Fortune Society, A Prisoner Rights Organization
