Wilberforce University

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Wilberforce University
Motto	Suo Marte By one’s own toil, effort, courage
Established	1856
School type	Private
President	Rev. Dr. Floyd H. Flake
Location	Wilberforce, Ohio USA
Campus	Rural
Enrollment	700 total enrollment
Faculty	59
Athletic teams	Bulldogs
Colors	Green and gold
Homepage	Wilberforce University

Wilberforce University is a private, coed, liberal arts historically African-American university located in Wilberforce, Ohio that is affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church and participates in the United Negro College Fund.

Wilberforce was the first university owned and operated by African-Americans, and is named for the 18th century English statesman and abolitionist William Wilberforce. The school played a role in the Underground Railroad. The campus is located three miles from Xenia, Ohio and 21 miles from Dayton, Ohio.

Contents 1 History 2 Degrees offered 2.1 Bachelor of Arts degree programs 2.2 Bachelor of Science degree programs 2.3 Master of Science degree program 3 Athletic programs 4 NASA SEMAA project 5 Notable alumni 6 References 7 External links

[edit] History

Founded in 1856 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, Wilberforce closed temporarily in 1862 during the American Civil War and reopened the following year after being sold to the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Growth drove the need to build a new campus in 1967, located one mile away.

In 1974, a tornado destroyed much of the city of Xenia and the old campus, part of the Super Outbreak tornado storm. The old campus contains the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center. Other old campus buildings still in use include the Carnegie Library built in 1909, Shorter Hall built in 1922, and the Charles Leander Hill Gymnasium built in 1958.

Wilberforce is one of two four-year institutions in the United States that require all students to participate in cooperative education^[1] to meet graduation requirements. The cooperative program places students in internships that provide practical experience in addition to academic training.

[edit] Degrees offered

[edit] Bachelor of Arts degree programs

• Chemistry
• Communications
• Fine Arts
• Liberal Studies
• Literature
• Music
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Rehabilitation Services
• Sociology
• Theater

[edit] Bachelor of Science degree programs

• Accounting
• Biology
• Business Economics
• Chemical Engineering
• Chemistry
• Civil Engineering
• Comprehensive Science
• Computer Engineering
• Computer Information Systems
• Computer Science
• Economics
• Engineering Physics
• Electrical Engineering
• Finance
• Health Services Administration
• Industrial Engineering
• Liberal Arts
• Management
• Marketing
• Mass Media Communications
• Mathematics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Music Education
• Pre-law
• Philosophy/Religion
• Psychology

[edit] Master of Science degree program

• Rehabilitation Counseling

[edit] Athletic programs

Wilberforce is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and participates in the American Mideast Conference. The Bulldogs participate in the following intercollegiate sports: basketball (mens and womens), track and field (mens and womens), and volleyball (womens). Students also participate in the following intramural sports: basketball, softball, volleyball, and tennis.

[edit] NASA SEMAA project

In October 2006, Wilberforce held the grand opening and dedication for the NASA Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Aerospace Academy (SEMAA) and the associated Aerospace Education Laboratory (AEL). It was attended by Dr. Bernice G. Alston, deputy assistant administrator of NASA’s office of Education, and the Honorable David L. Hobson, state representative from Ohio’s 7th congressional district.^[2]

NASA’s program is designed to provide training in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to underprivileged students to support NASA’s future needs. There are 17 NASA SEMAA project sites through the United States. Through this partnership, Wilberforce will offer training sessions for students in grades K-12 during the academic year and during the summer. The AEL is computerized classroom that provided technology to students in grades 7-12 that supports the SEMAA training sessions.

[edit] Notable alumni

Wilberforce alumni have organized chapters in cities throughout the country and continue to participate in activities on campus. Notable alumni include:

• Victoria Gray Adams, pioneering civil rights activist
• Regina M. Anderson, playwright, librarian, and member of the Harlem Renaissance
• Ken Blackwell, Ohio secretary of state
• Myron (Tiny) Bradshaw, American jazz and rhythm and blues bandleader, singer, pianist, and drummer
• Hallie Quinn Brown, an educator, writer and activist
• James McGee, a city commissioner and first African-American mayor of Dayton, Ohio
• George Russell, an American jazz composer and theorist
• William Grant Still, the first African-American to conduct a major American symphony orchestra, the first to have a symphony of his own performed by a leading orchestra, and the first to have an opera performed by a major opera company

[edit] References

1. ^ Wilberforce University: Yesterday and Today. Wiberforce University. Retrieved on January 1, 2007.
2. ^ NASA Education Facility Opens at Wilberforce University. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Retrieved on January 1, 2007.

See also: Historically black colleges

[edit] External links

• Wilberforce University
• Peterson profile of WU
• Documenting the American South: The Sons of Allen: Together with a Sketch of the Rise and Progress of Wilberforce University, Wilberforce, Ohio

Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Alabama A&M • Alabama State • Albany State • Alcorn State • Allen • Arkansas Baptist • Arkansas, Pine Bluff • Barber-Scotia • Benedict • Bennett • Bethune-Cookman • Bishop • Bluefield State • Bowie State • Central State • Cheyney • Claflin • Clark Atlanta • Concordia, Selma • Coppin State • Delaware State • Dillard • Edward Waters • Elizabeth City State • Fayetteville State • Florida Memorial • Fisk • Florida A&M • Fort Valley State • Grambling State • Hampton • Harris-Stowe • Howard • Huston-Tillotson • Interdenominational Theological Center • Jackson State • Jarvis Christian • Johnson C. Smith • Kentucky State • Knoxville • Lane • Langston • LeMoyne-Owen • Lincoln, Missouri • Lincoln, Pennsylvania • Livingstone • Maryland, Eastern Shore • Medgar Evers • Meharry Medical College • Miles • Mississippi Valley State • Morehouse • Morehouse School of Medicine • Morgan State • Morris Brown • Morris • Norfolk State • N.C. A&T • N.C. Central • Oakwood • Paine • Paul Quinn • Philander Smith • Prairie View A&M • Rust • Saint Paul's • Savannah State • Selma • Shaw • Simmons • South Carolina State • Southern • Southern (New Orleans) • Southern (Shreveport) • Southwestern Christian • Spelman • St. Augustine's • Stillman • Storer • Straight • Talladega • Tennessee State • Texas College • Texas Southern • Tougaloo • Tuskegee • UDC • UVI • Virginia State • Virginia Union • Virginia, Lynchburg • Voorhees • West Virginia State • Wilberforce • Wiley • Winston-Salem State • Xavier

Colleges and Universities Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church
Allen University • Campbell College (defunct) • Daniel Payne College • Edward Waters College • Kittrell College (defunct) • Morris Brown College • Paul Quinn College • Shorter College (Arkansas) • Western University • Wilberforce University